That Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

Jerry was at home yesterday afternoon working on sheeting the goat barn and thus the dogs were out and about, roaming the property.  They decided to go down over the hill.  And low and behold, what did they find - some type of something nasty that has been there for a while!  And what did they decide to do - they decided to roll in it!  Lovely!  Dogs will be dogs.... When I got home the dogs were still outside and I didn't notice the smell.  I went about with my evening routine, we had dinner and I went to bed.  Jerry let the dogs in and decided that Sadie needed a bath before bed because of the stench.  Sadie hates baths and as soon as she is done and out of the bathroom she rip roars around the house like nobody's business.  The rip roaring took place and then Jerry sent Sadie downstairs to go to bed.  Now I know what you're thinking - what in the world is a cattle dog doing sleeping in the house?  Let me put your mind at ease - she is a very ferocious cattle dog who just happens to like the comfort of a nice soft bed right next to me.  FEROCIOUS.  So she jumped up on my bed just like every night.  She likes to stay on the bed until Jerry comes downstairs.  (Don't judge my ferocious cattle dog - please let her continue with her illusion of ferociousness.)  The difference last night was that she had just had a bath and Jerry only towel dried her.  The good thing is that she sleeps on Jerry's side of the bed until he comes downstairs!!  (MWAAHAAAHAA!  Oops, did I laugh too hard?)  This morning when Jerry and I were having coffee I asked him how he slept last night.  Can you guess his response?? 

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The Dog Days of Summer

A couple of years ago, one of Jerry's friends gave us a boat (woohoo!).  We (being Jerry) have not had the time to work on a couple of small motor issues until just recently.  Jerry got the boat working over the weekend and wanted to take it to the lake to test it out.  I must admit that the idea of "testing out" a boat makes me a bit nervous but the 85 degree day (hot for us here in the Inland NW this year) swayed my mind.  (At this point I assume that all the people living under the heat dome are saying "give me a break - 85 - that reminds me of an icebox".)  So we went to a small lake near our house to try it out.  We decided to take the dogs with us.  Sadie has been to the ocean before and loved it so we thought she would most likely enjoy the lake.  Stella hasn't really been away from home as she is only about three months old - this was her first big outing.

We got to the lake and Jerry decided that I needed to help back him and the boat down the boat launch ramp.  I would like to take this opportunity to go over what Jerry expects when someone is assisting him while he is backing up the truck with anything behind it.  Jerry expects the person to know fancy hand signals - I'm not sure where he came across these and why he decided he liked them so much - but I sure as heck don't know them (side note:  these hand signals are the same hand signals he chooses to attempt to direct me when I drive the tractor).  My hand signals usually involve lots of arm waving and occasionally jumping if I feel the situation calls for it.  So Jerry stopped at the top of the boat launch and asked me to get out, to take the dogs with me and direct him down.  Sadie was on a leash and raring to get out of the truck - new territory to be explored.  Stella was scared to death and was pretty sure the only place she would be able to survive was climbing from my arms up towards my neck - very cat-like I promise you.

Sadie drug me down the dock next to the boat launch and after a good deal of begging - on my part - she stopped.  I was able to get her to sit and got Stella somewhat situated in my other arm.  About this time Jerry started backing down the ramp.  Oh crap!  I had no free hands to signal with!!  Jumping and hollering would just have to do this time around.  Here I was, screaming and jumping and nodding my head in different directions, all while attempting to balance and calm Stella and keep Sadie sitting.  The people who were fishing off the end of the dock must have thought I was nuts...  The good news is that Jerry doesn't really "need" to be backed anywhere... ever... as far as I have seen.  He is one of those people who could back a semi around a corn maze with one arm tied behind his back and not flatten any extra stocks of corn - it's ridiculous - that is why I don't understand his slight obsession with the hand signals - he doesn't really need them (hmm - maybe he thinks I need the hand signals when driving - nah).

In no time at all, Jerry had the boat launched, me and the dogs in the boat and we were off (I'll go ahead and take the credit for the wonderful launch - after all I did do some pretty amazing signaling!).  The boat ran like a dream and it was such a wonderful evening.  Sometimes I forget how beautiful the northwest is because I get so wrapped up in the everyday - this was a good reminder and I thank God for the time that he gave us together on the lake Saturday afternoon.

Here are the girls enjoying the boat - or at least Sadie is!!

Miss Sadie

Sadie playing First Mate!

Stella - still in my lap

The New Kids in Town

So this is something I have talked about for quite some time - getting kids - goat kids that is.  I have gone back and forth and around and around for years now.  I finally have taken the plunge.  I found a very nice lady, with very nice Nigerian Dwarf goats.  I went to visit and that was it.  I fell in love with those little buggers.  I grew up with cattle - so goats are completely new to me.  Jerry grew up with sheep - so goats are completely new to him.  So the goat experience is proving to be very interesting to both of us.  But I have already gotten ahead of myself.

So I put money down on the goats and the nice goat lady told me they would be ready in mid-July.  She likes to let them stay with their moms until they are 10 weeks old - nature's way - makes sense to me.  I should be able to get my little girls in mid-July.  I am soooo excited to tell Jerry.  Now, Jerry and I have discussed goats on many occasions - see the second sentence of this post :-)  So I tell Jerry that I have put money down on these goaties - and ---- wait for it ---- silence.  This is not the response I had anticipated.  I didn't expect him to be as excited as I was - but really - silence - come on.  I showed him the pictures of the little girls and how cute they were and all that and he was still not impressed.  I was confused.  Then he reminded me of the fact that a) we don't have a goat barn and b) we have a coyote problem.

Darn!  He was right.  But at this point, I have put money down on the goatie girls.  What to do now....  I look at the nice goat ladies website.  I AM getting the goaties.  I just need to find solutions for problem a and b.  Problem b seems to be solved as I peruse the nice goat ladies website.  Besides Nigerian Dwarf Goats she also has llamas.  I read further - llamas can be guard animals for goats.  She has llamas that need adopted - she has Bandana who is a miniature llama who is up for adoption.  Problem b solved.  Now to sell Jerry on getting a llama - I'll leave that story for another day.

On to problem a.  It just so happens that Jerry is a contractor, not a contractor for any one trade, but a general contractor.  The man is amazing - he literally can do anything.  On top of that, he is a perfectionist - so everything always turns out beautifully.  So I, of course, think that building on the weekends is not a big deal - I sit in an office all day.  The funny thing with Jerry is that in the evenings and on weekends he doesn't want to do things that relate to his job - which is funny to me because we bought 25 acres with buildings that need nothing but fixing.  But I kind of understand his point (although I will never admit that to him).  So after much begging, pleading and promising to be the best helper ever - Jerry hesitantly agreed to build me the goat barn.

So I came home one day and low and behold there was framing and rafters up for my goat barn and it was huge!  Or at least huge compared to what I had pictured in my mind.  I was picturing the size of one of those little garden sheds that are everywhere because this barn was only  for two little goats.  But oh no - Jerry knows me too well.  He was thinking that if I like these little goatie girls (and he's pretty sure I would)  that their numbers could potentially multiply.  (This is what I do - I like something so I get more - makes perfect sense to me - not always to Jerry though.)  There were the beginnings of two nice size stalls and a milking area for me with room to store some hay and supplies.  There was also a nice covered "goatie porch"!  I thought it was fabulous.

So Jerry worked on the barn over the next few weeks here and there and it was coming right along.  Time frame note:  we were in early July now - remember the goatie girls will be ready in mid-July.  So the nice goat lady sent me an email saying that the goaties were ready and would like to know when I would like them delivered.  So I talked to Jerry - because at this point - I have learned with building schedules - I am not the best estimator.  I tend to really under estimate.  Jerry said the goat barn would be ready next Sunday at the earliest.  Conveniently enough the goat lady could bring the goatie girls and Bandana the llama next Sunday.  I was so excited!  I told Jerry, he was not excited.

The delivery weekend came and the goat barn was not ready.  All weekend Jerry and I worked on the goat barn - me - happily, Jerry - grumpily.  I was the best little helper that anyone could ask for.  Jerry kept thinking about the other things that he wasn't able to do - firewood, fencing, fixing the boat and on and on.  By Sunday afternoon, we (and when I say we, I mean Jerry)  had the barn all enclosed two stalls built out, stall doors, metal on the roof and one side wall.  Whew - I was tired!  Just about then, the nice goat lady with the goaties and Bandana the llama arrived.

Here are my little girls at 10 weeks old or so.  Cute as little buttons!  And both of them have wattles!  What's not to like.....

Bridget and Ava

And this is Bandana - their protector.  He is a fine llama with the most beautiful eyelashes!  He had never been in a trailer before and was a little skiddish for the first couple days but is doing very well now and keeps a watchful eye on his little girls.  It's really very sweet.

Bandana

This is the goat barn - still needing three walls sheeted in metal and the main door put on - but other than that it is done.  And it is more than I had hoped for!


Goat barn almost complete

With any luck, we should be having goatie babies and milk in the spring of 2013.  The real question is, will I be able to wait that long?

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