Wednesday, November 21, 2012

No excuses!

Okay, so I've been slacking on posts!  I've not a viable excuse or reason.  Izadora and I have been soaking up couch time and overdosing on milk from Jenny Cow! 

Things on the ranch are much the same.  Chickens have been butchered, goats have been milked, cow has been milked, eggs collected, fence fixed, skunks hunted, etc.  Along the way Shelly has behavior has made me giggle, and sometimes scream.  The kid is progressing through middle school and growing every minute. 

We did adopt two new Great Danes a couple of months ago.  Shelly went to town after I had gotten a phone call about a young male Dane that needed a new home.  When she arrived to pick him up, she found that another needed a home too.  Shelly's not one to blow off a dog in need so home came two gangly pups!  Both are unaltered so unfortunately we had to separate them which was a bit stressful in the beginning.  We put the Denali (female) in Hamlet's yard and now Hamlet thinks he's on the good end of an arranged marriage.  When I take all the dogs out to do chores, Denali snaps at Jersey (male) whenever he gets too close to Hamlet.  Poor guy, he's been dumped and Izadora won't have anything to do with any other dog.  Jersey seems to be doing just fine though.  He gets ample time to practice his lean. 

 Denali getting some sun.
 Jersey

 Denali
 Hamlet, Jersey and Denali letting Bad Penny get some herding practice in.
 Jersey

In addition to the dogs, Mister Man the Jenny Cow's little bull calf went off to his forever home in Gunnison CO.  He's destined to be a herd sire and so far he's fitting in fine.  His mama Jenny was a real pill for several days, yelling all night long and jumping fence in search for her kiddo.  She's settled down and has been cooperating wonderfully at milking times.  I did scar her for life when the cold from my hands startled her and she abruptly backed out of the milking stand.  I tie up her tail with a piece of bale twine and it must have been sitting just right in the space between her bones as it tightened and snapped off the end of her tail.  Initially I thought it was just the switch of hair but after further inspection my fears were confirmed. 
See....boring old ranch!