Twilight Zone

Mama Ewe

I'm sure stranger things have happened, I guess I'm just hanging around the ranch too much!

Guess what this item is!

Yesterday Dr. Hill paid a visit to Rolling Thunder to test some new sheep. While she was chitchatting at the barn door, she noticed Mama Ewe limping around. It's not an uncommon thing to see Mama Ewe limping around. She's notorious for overgrown hooves. Trim them Monday, and they need it again on Sunday. An overgrown pedicure was not the problem. As the investigation continued, Shelly discovered that poor Mama Ewe's foot had sloughed off! Her foot! I'm not kidding. We aren't sure why this happened, frostbite is the primary suspect. Sheep are funny things. We've had some that take a nap in the sunshine and wake up in the shade and for some reason decide they have no desire to continue on, so they simply die. I've often heard, and I repeat it frequently that, 'Sheep are born looking for a place to die.' Mama Ewe is on the opposite end of the sheep vitality spectrum. She's been trapped behind hay bales, left out in the snow, had baby after baby even though she's ancient, been bitten and run over by dogs, and now it seems is an amputee. She still thrives. She is adjusting well to her stub although it seems sensitive. She continues to nurse her lamb and hobbles to the gate for her daily peppermint. She was scheduled for retirement last year but somehow ended up keeping Nubie the Ram occupied, hence the lamb. Nubie will have to learn to get along with some other ewe or wether as Mama Ewe is officially retired. I've promised extra beet pulp and peppermints as disability pay.

Stump GirlMama Ewe and Baby

Other strange things have occurred. The child started 6th grade. She refused my offer for a new dress for the first day of school. How odd! She actually lost a wager and refused to pay up by wearing a dress and curling her hair for the first day of school. I told her not to worry, I will get even! She did surprise me with some obscure factoid, of which I don't even remember now! It was so unlike her but I was able ask with a snicker if she was regurgitating useless information. I'm accused of doing so often.

1st day of school

The cows are still holding on to babies. I'm assuming the vet was wrong when she preg checked Jenny as Jenny's due date was the 1st of August. Jersey was due on the 23rd of August and Brownie not until September 3rd. In the meantime, my neighbor Brenda is keeping me and a few select friends in milk. I've just swallowed my third afternoon glass. I'm trying to be patient with the bovine but I LOVE milk so much.
The chickens are still in peak production. We continue to have problems with skunks, in fact I'm missing two bronze turkey poults. The hens run amok during the day and genuinely seem happy. We may start seeing chicks in about a week. Jolene candled eggs for the second time this summer and the broody girls are still busy sitting. We have 12 chicks in the brood stall from the last hatch.

Russell Crow and few girls!

The goats are busy landscaping. I'm afraid most of the larger goats are pregnant. Pregnant goats are good and bad. Good point--milk, milk and milk. Bad--Babies are SOOO Cute and I can't have anymore goats!



The Nigerian Dwarf Goats are lovely as ever. Gaston has been singing and singing and singing. We did allow him an afternoon date with Pokey, so we may have little, little ones coming too!





The Nigerians have completed their Bonsai Tree in the backyard too. At least until one of them gets a step stool or grows taller so that they might be able to reach the green!

Otherwise, life on the rancho is normal busy.