Random Ramblings, Basically

It's fall, alright. The leaves are gone, it's cold, windy, and gray, and things are getting muddy. We did get a spattering of snow last week that was thick and slushy, which lasted for 24 hours. I'm looking forward to snow again, even if it makes my chores a lot harder to do. 

I asked Brittany to take a new "animal and me" photo, for my YouTube channel and because I like to get one every year. Here are a few samples, but first, a little backstory. Minx, Hassie, and Eclipse have been locked in the barn for weeks because Serrano is inhabiting the doe pen and won't stay home. Minx actually was bred by him, but I aborted the pregnancy because she's too little for that. (Eclipse was also bred by him before we could get them locked up, and she needs the hormone to abort her pregnancy anytime.) Anyway, whenever Minx and Li are separated for more than a few hours, they fight when put back together. I don't know why it's only those two(maybe because they know they rank in my favorites and are fighting for top place), but it is.  Anyway, I wanted a picture with Minx, Li, and Molly in it, so I locked them in the barn together, while I went to clean church, hoping they'd be done fighting by the time I got back. No such luck. Over an hour later, they were still going at it, while Molly just wanted out of the barn. I decided to try for some pictures anyway, even though Molly decided they wouldn't include her in them, and headed out as soon as I opened the barn door. 

Then my cat, Polly, wandered along and got in on the shot too. 

The jerks.

Brittany wanted a picture of the dogs, but they wouldn't look for nothin'. Jinger was watching the goats fight, and Kate couldn't keep her eyes off of the cows. I tried, I really did! 

Then I got behind the camera and got gruff with them and they knew they'd better pay attention to me for a few seconds.

This one turned out okay too, if you don't take the bad lighting into consideration.

 

Because the YouTube channel banner zooms the photos way in, this is the picture I chose to use for it. I think it turned out okay.

I could make this next into a long story, but I will just stick to the rudimentary details.

Last week, Kate was tied on the deck, eating her breakfast, when Copper came along to investigate. Shortly after, one unhappy cat ended up in the hospital with a punctured eye and fractured upper and lower jaws. He'll be fine, but may never have sight in that eye again. 

 I'm not excusing what Kate did, because she has an issue with these new kittens anyway, but I can understand why a dog that is eating, and tied up, therefore not able to leave the area, would get defensive. 

In the below picture, you can see that his right eye is pretty odd looking, to say the least.

Eclipse has healed up from her torn lip better than we or the vet imagined she would. You can hardly tell anything ever happened to her.

 

My flock of ducks. Three of these are drakes and the rest are hens. 

Brittany with her kitten, Star, aka Flash. 

Brittany's other cat, Dove, hanging out on the post and intriguing Mr. Black.

Then he say something more interesting and came to tell me hi, but lost his composure and gave me this silly look instead. 

See my cowdogs in the back of the above picture? Jinger has really started turning on, and Kate is actually starting to be useful. I took this video on Friday-it was Kate's first time solely listening to my directions, and not bringing the calves to me, but pushing them in the opposite direction, without my help other than directions. It wasn't very smooth, but I am both impressed and more knowledgable about what I need to work on more. We are both newbies at working cows and training cowdogs, so are both having to learn as we go. 

I'll be doing another very exciting(hopefully anyway) blog post late this week or early next, that will include next year's kidding schedule! I just need to get more information for it and verify that they are pregnant before doing it. Keep posted!