Several events coming up in the next month. First I will have been retired for a full year on April 30th. That also happens to be the birthday of someone very close to my heart. and both this blog and my weather station will have been online for a full year.
I have started the count down to goats kidding. It could happen any time after April 1st starting with Rosie and there are so many possibilities of who will have kids when that I can’t keep track of them all. I started trying to tweet the status everyday (#countdowntokids). And I have tried to let everyone who needs to, know that I will not be available for anything that takes me away from the farm for the next 30 days or more.
back in July I bought 2 tons of hay for goat feed through the winter. I originally calculated that I would have about 5 bales left at the start of April. Well, I fed the last of that lot today to the Boys. I wasn’t too far off. I have been keeping a close eye on Craigslist (and praying) for hay to purchase so I can continue to feed the Girls and not have to stake them out in the pasture while they are nursing babies.
Yesterday I saw an advert. for alfalfa hay $5/bale and the place is just down the road. Actually within 4 miles of my place. I called and as expected he had 4 people in line ahead of me. If one of them were to drop out he would call me and then we could make arrangement’s. He called me late last night and told me he still had about 150 bales left and how much did I want? I told him I could use One Ton and would call him about an hour before I came out.
In the mean time my daughter who has been home with us for about 2 weeks was packing for a trip to Hawaii. It is one of the perks of working for a cruise line that if you have a friend you want to take with you they can share your crew quarters and only have to pay for their transport to and from the pier. My daughter has such a friend now working a 15 day cruise to Hawaii and so there she goes. I had to have her at the shuttle at 3:30am this morning.
Once I got back home, I went back to sleep until she called to let us know she was in Boise. I got up and had my coffee, did my morning “chores”, and called the guy to see when I could get the hay. We agreed I could pick it up at 10:30 am and so I cleaned out the truck bed and got the $6M dog ready to go. I will digress here a bit… it was kind of cool, the dog went with me to get the hay (three trips) and while I was unloading hay here she ran off leash around the shop and then right back in the truck to get the next load. She behaved very much like the farm dog I need her to be and I am very proud of her!
My Farm Dog
I found the hay place with no problem. We shook hands and exchanged names and I asked him how long he had been there and did he grow up around here. He told me no, he had grown up in Everett Wa. and graduated Everett High in 1970. I told him my kids had both graduated Everett high, but I had graduated Poky High in 1974 and had worked for Boeing in Everett for about 29 years. He then told me his brother had graduated Poky high in 1973 and still works for Boeing in Everett on the flight line. Wow small world.
But the best part is when I asked him if he sold hay on a regular basis, he said he does and he can give me a call when he has a new crop and by the way how much would you want? I told him what I thought I will need for next winter and he said that instead of him unloading it there and me coming over and picking it up and unloading it at my place…. he could just pick it up in the field and unload it AT my place. Remember where I said I was praying for hay? That was an answer to three very specific requests!
Once I got back home with the last load of hay I took the dog for a walk, collected eggs, had lunch, fed the cat, then took Ibuprofen, a shower and a nap. In that Order.
This has been a busy day, but before I go, here is a short video of the goats. I thought you might like to see them before they have kids. It may take a while to load, please be patient.