Our evening visitor

I believe this is a Sandhill Crane, but why is he/she up here in Northern Pennsylvania? Is he/she just vacationing?

Wordless Wednesday

Chore time

I have never had such a diverse bunch of goats....




Casper -  registered Saanen Buck - White
J.T. -  Boer Buck - Black
Mimi - registered LaMancha Doe - Brown with white and black trim
Mimi's Un-named LaMancha kids 1 boy, 1 girl - both tan
Jeanie - Purebred Toggenburg Doe - Brown and White (I'm sure she is registered because she has the tattoos and scrapies tag but I got her at a livestock auction so I don't know her background)
Pipsqueak - LaMancha/Boer cross - Black with Brown trim

Each one has their own little quirks which I don't always take time to appreciate... but tonight I did.

Mimi - needs her regular grain ration, an Amish made mix, with a scoop of sunflower seeds on top to help her put on a little weight and keep up her milk production. She doesn't mind sharing her mix with her babies, before it is time for them to go to their own 'rooms' for the night.

In the mean time, I caught the barred rock hen who somehow escaped from the chicken pen and put her back in with everyone else. Checked for eggs... OMG there were 6 in the nest boxes.... a record so far. There are 8 hens in there (well only 7 today).
Fed and watered the rabbits.
Checked in on the two HUGE white hens (more about them at some point) that live in the pen way at the end of the barn and there was another egg IN the nest ... a first for these girls, as they have yet to lay the eggs anywhere buy in front of the door. I know there is no way they will be able to get up into a normal nest box so I fixed a nest on the floor for them, in an old tire. I was begining to think they couldn't even get in that on their own.... yea ... I was wrong!

Back to Mimi and her kids, who are still on the milk stand sharing their feed. Take the kids to their separate pens for the night. Put Mimi in her pen.

Getting Pipsqueak out to the milkstand is no easy task.... she doesn't lead well at all but I am working with her trying to get her ready for next year's milking season.... hopefully by then we will both know what to expect from the other.
As for right now when I get her up there she immediately sits...yes I said it ... she sits down on her butt, like a dog (I really need to get a picture of this),while eating her grain. She is such a nervous little thing I'm not even sure if she will make a good milker - but I will try. She is a yearly and lost a set of twins a month or so before they were due. I suspect it had something to do with the way the rest of the herd treats her.

While I was waiting for Pipsqueak to finish I fed and watered the Coonhound, who's Kennel has an entry into the barn. and gave all the goats their hay and water.

Once Pipsqueak is done I bring Jeanie out to the milk stand ... she is the only one I am currently milking twice a day. I have had her for almost two weeks and have yet to find a grain that she will eat. Tonight I bought a new kind (Blue Seal's Course 16). As soon as I put it in her dish she started nibbling at it but wasn't really eating much. Once I started milking she stopped eating... maybe she isn't used to getting grain on the milk stand... I don't know.... I just wish I could figure her out. But she did eat more of this new feed then she has of the feed I give to all the others so I took what she didn't eat and put in her pen with her for the night... maybe she will eat it later.

Casper and J.T don't even care what Kind of feed or hay they get ... they are such nice boys. They wait pretty patiently for me to get done fussing with the girls and feed them too.

Wordless Wednesday...almost... Banana Bread

New Baby Goats

Here are the newest additions to Seldom Seen Acres. They were waiting for me when I got home from work today.
The darker one is a girl and the lighter on is a boy.

Five Years Ago Today

R.I.P. Nickie Lynn..... I love you always and forever!

I can't even begin to put into words what happened or how I feel about my little girl passing over the rainbow bridge.

High: 28*

Low: 21*

Cloudy and Dreary all day



Little Mr. ~Z~ is 13 months old today! And to celebrate his big day he started walking. Remember, yesterday I did ask "what will he find amusing tomorrow?" Well this is what it was. He has been cruising for a while now and I really thought that he was going to take off and walk by his 1st Birthday but that didn't happen, because he started to actually crawl on his hands and knees that week instead of just dragging himself around on his elbows. Once he started crawling he figured out he could move faster that way then he could by trying to walk hanging onto something.
When I got home from work last night ~T~ said that ~Z~ had walked about 10 feet on his own once but wouldn't do it again. Late this afternoon ~Z~ started walking with a toy in his hand and he went about 15ft. After that he kept doing it and by bedtime he was walking around without even carrying anything in his hand. I think when he was first carrying something around with him it gave him a sense he was hanging on. I am so glad I was home today and he didn't do this at the sitter's house, I would have had such guilt about missing such a big thing.

One Year Ago Today

Yesterday's post

February 2nd, 2010
High 32*
Low 8*
Partly sunny and cloudy all day with a light dusting of snow in the evening.
Started the day at around 7:30 a.m. I was shocked that *Z* slept through the night without wanting to get up. he did wake up once at around midnight and then again about 4:30a.m. but went right back to sleep after a bottle.
Breakfast consisted of a banana and part of a kiwi (a first for this fruit) and some french toast for *Z*. I had french toast, yogurt and the rest of the kiwi. After finishing his breakfast, *Z* tore his banana skin to shreds the smeared it around his tray like he was using it as a dishcloth. Somehow he managed to spare his face and hair, but he had banana on all his clothes and all over his chair.
After I got the banana cleaned up and was in the laundry room changing loads I hear what sounds to me like a pig coming from the living room. I could not for the life of me figure out what *Z* was up to this time. When I came around the corner into the dining room to where I could see where/what *Z* was doing, I must have had a really confused look on my face because as soon a *Z* saw me he started giggling and then proceeded to do what he had done before to make the "pig" sound before then started giggling all over again. I just shook my head at him ... boys will be boys. He had finally figured out how to use *T* grunt call for deer hunting. *T* had it out a while ago and was trying to get *Z* to make a noise with it but *Z* wanted no part of it. Yet there he sat, in the middle of the floor, his dad nowhere around, making the thing work. After watching him for a few minutes I realized that he was actually using it backwards. He sucks on the wrong end instead of blowing on the right end.... what will he find amusing tomorrow?

Around 11 a.m. I got *Z* ready to go to my Mom's house for the afternoon because I had to be to work at noon.
*T* picked him up from Mom's this evening and she said *Z* only took a one hour nap all day. When I got home at 8:30 p.m. he was JUST falling asleep in *T*'s lap, but then he saw me and woke up. I didn't get him to go back to sleep until 10 p.m. so he should sleep through the night with no problem.... keeping fingers crossed!
Not much else to report today... *T* did all the barn chores today so I am not sure what is going on out there. I will be the one on duty tomorrow so I'll have a better idea what everyone in the barn is up to. *T* does a good job feeding and watering but as far as him checking the nannies for signs of labor, etc. he is clueless. We don't have anyone due right now so I still feel safe sending *T* out to feed.
Two Years Ago Today

Not much to report.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to report this time of year ... I guess I could start keeping a log of the weather and temps, but even that would becouse boring after about a week of 20* weather.

Saturday evening *T* and I went to the Old Timer's Banquet at the firehall. They put on a nice dinner and gave out awards to some of the members. Mom watched *Z* while we were out. I got back to Mom's at about 9pm and home at about an hour later, after chatting with Mom and getting *Z* ready to go out in the cold again. Mom and I were laughing about how it would take longer to get *Z* bundled up than he would be outside ... remember Mom lives just across the road from me.
After coming home I just got *Z* nicely snuggled into bed and was about to check my emails when there was a knock on the door... I knew who it would be before I even got close to the door. Seeing how it was one of the coldest nights of the year and the night after the full moon, I knew the person at the door would be *D* or one of her sons telling me that Molly (their huge suffolk ewe) was in labor. Sure enough *A* was at the door and Molly was in labor and they wanted my opinion on what was going on. I called Mom to see if she could come sit with *Z* while I went to check on the ewe ... about two miles up the road. I gave Mom a choice of checking on Molly or watching *Z* ... she chose *Z*...LOL.
I had talked to *D* just that afternoon when she brought me a load of feed and she said that Molly seemed to be getting closer to delivering. I mentioned that it was the full moon and I'd probably see her about midnight. Molly has always delivered around midnight every year. I'd like to think it is because she knows I'll be home to help in case there is a problem again, but I'm sure I have nothing to do with it. I got to *D*'s barn at around 11pm and Molly delivered a healthy baby boy at about 11:50pm with no problems at all. I got home at around 12:15am. A couple hours later *D* emailed me and said that she went back up to check on Molly at 1am and she had had another baby boy. They are all doing well despite the -10* temp that night.

Did I mention that same evening *T* and I did not have any water here at the house due to frozen pipes? Actually they froze sometime Friday night and we were not able to get them running again until Sunday morning. It is amazing to me the things I think I want to do when I don't have water. I mean I rarely get the earge to wash dishes, do laundry, clean, etc. until we don't have water ... or electric for that matter. And of course now that it is back I really don't want to do it. Today I am forcing myself to do some cleaning ... in spurts of 10 to 15 minutes at a time. I've got to get this house back in order!

Seemed like we had a heat wave today... the temperature got all the way up to 26* with sunshine most of the day. Right now at 8pm it is 22*, it was 17* this morning.

Well I have to get back to cleaning again, so I must close this for now.

January Thaw

Now that we have had our January thaw and flood I guess it is time for more snow and ice. I don't want it but it is a fact of life here in Northern Pennsylvania.
Saturday evening it started warming up and was 40* when I went to bed, and it was raining. When I got up it was still raining and the Temperature was 50*. Yesterday's high temperature was 51* but by nightfall it was back down to 30*, thankfully. IF the tmeperature hadden not dropped again the water would have gotten a lot higher. As it is it came up real close to the back barn door but not in the barn. I have pictures just haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.

One year and a week ago!

I can't believe it has been one year and a week since my son was born, where did the time go. He is such a joy in my life. I thank God for him everyday!
January 3rd, 2009: 6# 10 1/2 oz. , 20 inches long.
January 10th, 2010: 23# 11oz. , 31 inches tall.

We woke up this morning to -13*F. I'm just thankful that the wind is not blowing. Looks like it'll be clear and sunny again today.

Our Lamancha/Boer cross lost a set of twins on the 7th. Not sure when she was due but the babies looked to be about a month or maybe a month and a half early. I believe that she was getting ruffed up by her "cell" mates. Poor girl, I feel bad for her, it looked likt she had even cleaned them up and everything so I'm wondering if they were still alive when they were born.

One Year Ago Today