Goose, Dot and the Fox

We got the cutest baby chickens and ducks in March hoping we could again have fresh eggs. Izzy wanted a goose, but I think geese can be mean so I talked her into a duck. After doing some cursory research, I decided to let them have two ducks, so they wouldn't bond to my kids but each other. I could just see the nightmare THAT would create with separation anxiety every time my daughter left the house. We started with 10 chickens. I think they are Light Brahma, Giant Jerseys, New Hampshire Reds, Rhode Island Reds, and Amber Whites. I really wanted some Barred Rock but we were out of town when those became available. The ducks the kids picked out were a Cayuga and a Blue Swedish, I think.We kept them warm and dry in the living room long enough for them to get bigger and feathered and could regulate their own temperatures. We turned my old parrot cage into a makeshift nursery which worked pretty good and was fairly easy to clean. Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing you can do about that smell. At first we had the ducks and chickens together until the chickens started picking (pecking?) on the ducks. Eventually we had to separate them until they got older. The kids figured out the ducks LOVED to swim in the sink from just a few days old. As they got bigger, they "graduated" to the bath tub.  I kept having those "this is your life" moments sitting and watching ducks swim in my tub and chickens waddle through the house. The things we do for our kids! It is truly unreal! What colorful stories they will have to tell their kids, though!

At the moment, I'm sitting in my lounge chair watching the horses and chickens free range. The chickens periodically come up and peck at my legs and shoes. I must look and smell tasty! This morning I let everybody out of their pasture and coop. When I went back inside I heard a horrible commotion out back and the ducks were squawking and squawking! I could tell something had gotten one because it was moving pretty fast around to the side of our house and up the hill. I ran out back but only saw the Cayuga, "Goose". I ran to the front of the house but couldn't see or hear anything. I saw the horses standing to attention watching something up the hill. I started to walk down the stairs and then had one of those flash thoughts, "I wonder if it was the fox or mountain lion"? I could see the fox at the top of the hill staring at me with Ike's duck, "Dot", hanging from his mouth. There was nothing I could do. It happened so fast! I woke Ike up to tell him the sad news. I needed his help to get the chickens back in their coop so we didn't have even more casualties to account for. Goose was in the pen carrying on and calling for Dot. I woke up Izzy so she could console Goose. When she picked her up she was still shaking. I feel so sorry for her! They've never been separated by more than just a few feet and she has been sad all day looking for her buddy. I think I'm going to have to find her a new companion. There's a thought. A pet for our duck!

Just now I came out and scared the fox off. He got an easy breakfast and figured he knew just where dinner was! Not tonight, Mr. Sly. I've got my eye, AND my paintball gun, on you!

Rough Riders Horse Show

An Episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive"

Yesterday was a terribly, tragic, torrent of troubles. Say that ten times fast. I felt like I was on an episode of Animal Rescue (you can read about yesterday's episode here). But today felt like an episode of Discovery Channel's show "I Shouldn't Be Alive". Seriously. I crashed last night at about 11:00 after a rice bowl, a hot shower and starting a fire. I woke up two hours later to a horrible acrid smell. I lay there wondering what it could be. When it dawned on me what it was my heart leapt and I jumped out of bed and ran to the fireplace. It registered a dangerous 750 degrees. We try to keep it below 400. Above 600 you run the risk of fire. What I was smelling were the walls melting. Again. This smell I knew. I closed the dampers and turned the fan directly on it on the high setting and waited to see if it would work. I checked the walls and they were too hot to touch. The temperature gauge slowly began dipping below 700, then 650, then 600 and finally got below 500. I opened one of the dampers back up to see if it would stay low. It did. I returned to bed with my heart still thumping hard. I woke up around 3:00 and 5:00 to check it again. Luckily, it slowly began to cool and by 5:00 was completely out. So scary.

Although exhausted, my alarm woke me up to go do morning chores by 6:30. I felt fear and dread (and cold) this morning. I didn't know what my future would hold but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be good. Before my feet hit the floor I read my Bible and cried out to the Lord. I had nowhere else to go. I begged for forgiveness for my arrogance, pride, anger, haughty words and unkind thoughts towards GA; especially for the previous days since we had words over the horses and fences. I asked Him for his guidance, mercy, grace, energy and strength for what had to be done today, help for the trouble, provision and protection. I'm glad I did. I needed every bit of it. I climbed out of bed and got dressed, pulled my coveralls and mucking boots on. I found my hat and gloves and jumped into the Jeep. I knew MacGyver hadn't finished clearing the road between our houses so I went out to the main road and up the front way to GA's house. I set the four-wheel drive. I got about 300 feet up and found a patch of ice. I lost all my momentum and my tires began to spin. I slightly backed up and then tried it again. I did this several times until I realized I couldn't even rock it out. There was just too much ice. I started to back down the mountain when my tires locked up on the ice and I started sliding backwards. I knew I was either going to slide right off the side of the mountain or bank it hard to the right and slide into the two foot wall of snow and stick my tires. I chose the latter. I was a little freaked out over the sudden stop on the opposite side of the road. At least I was out of the way if someone came down the road. I walked the half mile up to GA's. I was happy to see that all was well. Sharif had a small tear on his shoulder but didn't need stitches. I was going to have to figure out how to get everybody water since the pump seemed to be frozen. It seemed the day was going to be even more challenging than the previous. It all seemed to be too much. I fed all the horses and started back down toward the cabin. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was following me. I kept stopping suddenly and looking back over my shoulder, not really wanting to look, but not daring to not look. Don't you just hate that? I made it home without being eaten by anything. The kiddos were up by that point and we got breakfast. The vet called to update me on Amar. It seemed he was fine and could go home anytime. Oh! The relief. God had heard my prayers and Amar was completely fine. The kiddos and I gave thanks for that! MacGyver arrived home after his shift after stopping first to get some more diesel for the Bobcat. Good man. It seems we needed the Bobcat more and more as the hours ticked by. I told him more about my night, suddenly more aware of  the dangerous possiblities of what could have happened with the fireplace. I told him about my morning. I found myself in tears and he wrapped his arms around me. He didn't have to say anything. I was just so relieved he was home and would share the burden. I shared with him my four acute problems that needed to be addressed:

1. The Jeep was hopelessly stuck but I was alive.
2. We needed to dig the horse trailer out so we could go get Amar.
3. The horses needed water and the pump was frozen.
4. The fence needed to be repaired so Amar and Sharif could be returned safely and without any more incidences.

He decided to work on clearing the road, digging out the trailer from its three feet of snow, and then rescue the Jeep. I decided the kiddos and I were going to work on the fence. After breakfast, we all donned our
Carharts, grabbed the chainsaw and got busy. Ike and I felled our first tree(s) today. We dropped about a dozen 20'-30' trees between us. I was so proud of him, and he of himself. Izzy helped us move and lift the trees into place and then haul off the limbs. We all four worked most of the morning and into the afternoon on our individual tasks and made some good headway. By 2:00 the pumps were thawed and I was able to water the horses while Mac chained up the truck. We were able to haul the trailer down the crazy snow-packed road beautifully since MacGyver had cleared the bulk of it out of the way. The truck pulled the trailer nicely and I called the ER Clinic to let them know we were on our way. Our day was uber-productive and the only thing ahead of us would be getting the trailer back up the mountain, Amar unloaded and he and Sharif back into their pasture. However, once we got to the clinic, the front office ladies informed us that GA had, in fact, contacted them just before we got there. It seems God answers prayers, people. GA had decided to leave Amar at the clinic until he returned next week and have him gelded. GELDED! Wonders never cease. This is the very argument we have been having. I argued that no fence can truly contain a stallion trying to get to a mare in heat. He argued that the fence is weak and it is our fault he keeps getting out. I argued that a standing fence doesn't need to be fixed and the snow is so thick he just steps over it in places. He argued that he hasn't had that kind of problem in the past. I'll refrain from going on. Suffice it to say, we've been going around and around on this issue for over a week now; him blaming me, me pointing to the problem of a stallion and his insane levels of testerone. Even the vet agreed with me. It seemed it took something of this measure to get his attention and agree that something needed to change before something worse happened. I haven't talked to him and probably won't until he gets back next week. I have a feeling he is pretty hot, though. I choose to trust God in this, as well. I've done everything to the best of my ability with the limited resources GA has provided. The rest is in God's hands. MacGyver and I had a laugh (more out of relief) that this is truly an answer to prayer. I was so thankful that God heard me, that Amar is safe and sound, that we were all still alive, and that I am never alone. He is my ever help in times of trouble. And for that, who could ask for more? MacGyver still has some acute stress and strife he is having to deal with at work. We're not sure how that will all turn out, but we know God has heard our prayers and has a plan and purpose for our lives. What we do in the meantime is seek Him daily, constantly and desperately. He hears our cries and turns His ear to us. He gave us a beautiful, sunny day to work and we have a whole day of fence building tomorrow. I believe tomorrow will be even prettier than today. God is GOOD!

Animal Rescue

I realize it's been over a month since I've blogged. I've had plenty to write about but I've been so busy or too exhausted. The last month or so have been a little more than a normal person could bear. We've been sick, the pipes have frozen, we lost water, the weather has been unbearably cold and last week we got three feet of snow. Last Friday the stallions, Amar and Sharif broke out of their pasture to go socialize with the mares. Unfortunately, we were visiting cousins in Steamboat Springs and didn't get home until 10:00 that night. Needless to say, it was a long night. I think we finally crawled into bed at 11:30 cold and exhausted. And then Tuesday night they did it again. Fortunately, we found them about 1:30 in the afternoon and were able to get them situated and the fence patched up by about 4:30. Unfortunately, it was 7 degrees and there was three feet of snow on the ground. The owner flew out to Cabo, Mexico yesterday morning and I had to take the kiddos into town for school. Everybody was safe and sound and feeding quietly when I left. When we got back from town to do afternoon chores at 4:30, we found Amar out of his pasture and straddling a fence trying to get to the mares. His stomach and front end were in the mares' pasture and his back two legs were barely touching the ground on the outside of the fence. The top piece of steel was bent into a "V" shape. He was quiet and a little out of it. I didn't know how long he had been there but he was covered in sweat, even though the temperature hadn't exceeded 35 degrees. I was concerned that he may have cut off the circulation in his rear legs. It didn't look good. I silently prayed that the Lord would help me, protect Amar and not to let him be lame or have to be put down. Ike was with me and we tried to drop the fence but his 1600 lbs +/- 200 lbs pressing down proved to be too much. The section of fence it was hooked onto was frozen to the ground in three feet of snow, as well. I thought that if we could get something under his back legs, he might have enough leverage to jump over the fence or get his weight off the fence so we could drop it. We grabbed a couple bales of hay and I instructed Ike to push it under his hoof when I said go. I used my shoulder to push his weight onto his left leg and lifted his right leg. We were able to get his hoof on the bale of hay but I just didn't have enough strength to lift the other one. After about twenty minutes, I knew I couldn't do it alone. I needed some manpower. I ran inside to call for help. I called MacGyver at the station to see if he could get ahold of our dispatch to get an assist up here. I called the vet and got them on their way. We fed the others to keep them busy and away from the action and tried to get him on the bale of hay again. No good. After about an hour I heard the sirens and shouts from the firefighters. After a few minutes they were gone. Again, I knew they couldn't find me and wondered what to do. I knew the vet would know where we were. I prayed they would intercept the firefighters so we could get some extra manpower and power tools. The vet got stuck on the incline and had to back her truck the rest of the way down the mountain. One of the volunteer firefighters was able to get her truck up top where I was and the vet caught a ride with her. I gave the vet a quick run-down as more firefighters started showing up. With more hands and power we were able to get him up on three bales of hay and relieve the stress on his abdomen. By this time it was 6:30, dark, and the temperature was quickly dropping. Everybody seemed to be out of ideas. While we worked that angle, I asked if they had a saw that would cut the steel pins on the fence so we could drop it. By the time they got back with the saw and had it running, Amar had tried to use the bales of hay just as I had hoped. Unfortunately, he got his right fetlock hung up on the fence and was now balancing vicariously on three legs. It made me cringe. The Animal Control Officer arrived about that time and asked if we needed help. The vet requested a transport to the local Equine ER Clinic so he could be checked out and help for observation. She had to go back down the mountain to get radio contact. It seemed to take forever, but the firefighters were finally able to get the saw running. I'm sure the weather didn't help. But as soon as they got it running strong and started to cut into the pins, Amar freaked out enough to get the rest of the way over the fence. We all cheered. The vet and I ran aound the fence to secure him and check him out. We were both pleased to see him being able to hold his weight on all four legs. The relief was short. As soon as he was free of the fence, the shock started in and he began shaking violently and swaying side to side like he was getting ready to go down. I called out to the firefighters to "block traffic" from the other horses who were curious to what was going on. She quickly sedated him to calm him down and we got him back outside the fence and over to the single light pole so we could check him out. His shaking grew worse and I feared he was decreasing rapidly. His gums were pale and he didn't look so good. I asked her if he needed some fluids for the shock (which is one of the first things they do for people who are in shock and have had some kind of trauma). She said that would be a good idea but she would have to get down to her truck to get it, which was a half a mile down and then back up. Somebody offered to give her a ride down. I think she was gone twenty or thirty minutes. The Animal Control Officer said everybody was getting stuck and were having to back down the mountain but they were blocking the main road below. She called for a horse trailer but didn't think they would be able to get it up the road. She wanted to know if we thought we could walk him down to the road. By the time the vet returned, Amar was eating some snow and nibbling at the bales of hay he had previously been resting on, and his shaking had decreased dramatically. The vet explained that, unlike our human counterparts, a catheter (IV) was a surgical procedure and would have to be sewn into his neck and would need some assistance to keep it sterile. It reminded me of old war movies I'd seen of the army medics doing field surgery to stabilize someone for transport. That was basically what she was doing. I always find it so fascinating watching them work! I held Amar's head, not because he was struggling but because he was sedated and wanted to drop his head. I had to get my shoulder under there to be able to support that kind of weight. Once we got the IV started, the ACO told us the transport was on its way and that we might want to start the trek down the mountain. He did pretty good, even though he was wobbly at first. He woke up enough halfway down that she had to give him more sedative. That made for a much more compliant boy! The road was, of course, slick so we just took it slow. Once we turned the corner and saw the flashing blue and red lights, he startled a little so we called down to have them turn off the lights. I couldn't see the trailer but assured it was coming. When we reached the bottom, there were SO and fire vehicles absolutely everywhere blocking traffic. After a few minutes two more ACOs arrived hauling the trailer. They got turned around and loaded Amar. It was about 8:30 by then. The vet showed them the way to the hospital and one of the firefighter was kind enough to give me a ride back up the hill. I asked him if he wouldn't mind helping me get Sharif into Mia and Serena's pen so he wouldn't be left alone all night. He graciously complied and was able to lead Sharif in beautifully while I distracted Mia and Serena. I took him back to his truck and Ike and I headed home. It was about 9:00 when we got home. We all ate a rice bowl and I sent the kiddos to bed. It had been a long day! I had to email Gary to let him know what had happened and so he could contact the ER Clinic. I had know idea what would happen next, but I knew he was NOT going to be happy. I called the vets to make sure they had my contact info, made a fire, took a hot shower, prayed desperately that Amar would be okay, and then crashed. I was so glad the day was over but I knew the next day had its own set of troubles!

Christmas 2010

The kiddos in their new PJs

My handsome sleep-deprived hubby

Meet Gabby, our new calico kitty

Ike's new Army helmet and holster via the Army Surplus Store

Izzy's new baby cow

Meet Pretty, our new horse

Geocaching

We've been out enjoying our summer weather. Yesterday, we did a community service project for 4-H and cleaned up some overgrown horse trails. It made me think more about geocaching. We've even hit a few geocaches lately, gotten in a few hikes and soaked up a few rays along the way. We've been geocaching for years but haven't done as much of it as we would like. Plus, being in a new area, we have a brand new canvas to cover. Ever done any geocaching? Curious to know more? Here's the scoop...

Geocaching is the world-wide hunt for hidden treasure. It begins with a GPS, a computer, and a love of exploring. Then you go online to http://www.geocaching.com/ and sign up for a free account and then find the caches closest to you. You can purchase an annual membership for cheap and get access to more caches but it isn't necessary. There are different icons and descriptions that appear that you can use the legend to understand. Basically, a "1" means it is easy peasy, you should be able to drive right up to it, and a child can do it. A "5" means you better be in shape, make plans and tell someone where you're going, and don't take little Johnny. Some are urban, some rural. We have a huge trail system less than a mile from here with hundred for the finding. Some, called macros, are large and contain little, trade-able treasures that the kiddos will dig. Others, called micros, are anything smaller than a business card. I have seen some the size of a nickel. I've also seen some disquised as tree branches or pinecombs. Talk about hidden treasure! There are rules, too, like where and how you can hide a cache. For example, you can't place caches in national parks or state parks or bury it. Anyway, once you find your caches online, you can either download them to your GPS or manually enter it. We've started using the free applications and GPS on our Droid phones and made geocaching a little more, well, mobile. Take a glance at the descriptions and you're ready to set off. It's a great excuse to get out and explore our beautiful world! I'll leave you with a few pictures of MacGyver, Ike and Izzy and the loyal stead, Tank, on our last geocache/hike. I took some cool pictures of flowers, too, but I'll put that in another blog! I just saw that there happens to be 13,000 geocaches within 100 miles and over 1,000 within 10 miles. We better get movin'!

This is close to where the geocache was hidden in a camouflaged plastic container:

Our latest addition

And then it happened! Our little filly came. Sable was just moved  to her own corral Thursday afternoon and that next morning, our new baby had come! She was born about 5:00 Friday morning. That was too close! She is solid black, absolutely adorable, friendly and so curious. She is doing great!

She is already learning how to kick!

Sable is getting big

So, I started this post two days ago but didn't know how to get the pictures out of my phone so I put it on hold until I could figure it all out. Unfortunately, it is already old news. Here is the whole story:

Sable is getting huge! She is due any day now. She waddles when she walks and has quite a time laying down and getting back up. I have lots of empathy for her. I just learned that a mare has a "foal heat" which allows her to go into heat a week after the foal is born. It allows them to have a baby every year since their gestation period is 11 months and 11 days. Isn't that crazy long? Anyway, she is due and day now. I took pictures of her to show you how big she had gotten:

And the sweet Amar (the baby daddy)

And our one year-old colt, Sharif, who is being halter trained:

Tough Day

I had to call G (the owner of the ranch) today and tell him he had a horse down with colic (bowel twist). I knew what is was as soon as I saw it. He had gotten out and wandered down to our place and when I went out to get him and take him back up to G's, he was on the ground, rolling around back and forth and wouldn't get up. I knew it wasn't good...and then I saw he had blood coming out of his mouth and nose and he was struggling to breathe. And when I realized it was Bud, a lump began to form in my throat. We fell in love with Bud the first day we met him. He was skinny and it took some time to get his weight up, but we had him looking better in no time at all. So, today I spent a long, painful hour with him trying to calm and comfort him. I knew he was dying and by the time G and the vet got there, he had to be put down. Wow was that hard! I think, though, that it was harder to see him in so much pain and not being able to help him than being put down. Now he is lying in my driveway and waiting to be buried tomorrow (sort of an odd feeling). Izzy cried and Ike got a little choked up, too. And so, it was a tough day; one I'd never care to repeat. He was only 12 and a sweetheart of a horse!

New horses in the west pasture

We put the two geldings, Bud and Khayel, in the west pasture behind our house yesterday morning. By noon they had found a low spot in the fence and were out wandering around. We put them back up and patched up the fence and so far they have managed to stay put. Last night Maggie (our Berner) was growling and barking at what I thought was the horses. I kept seeing eyes in the flashlight and didn't know if it was a horse or deer or worse. About 9:00 I went outside once more to see if I could see anything. I heard something tromping through the scrub oak and brush. When I shined my flashlight I was startled to see the LARGEST elk I had ever seen! He stood there for almost 10 minutes staring at us. He must have had a 6 foot spread on those antlers! MacGyver wanted to take him out right there. Boy we need to get a tag...

Meet the horses

The kiddos love hanging out and taking care of "their new horses". Sable (she has a star on her forehead) is pregnant and due next June, Amar is the father. The kiddos are excited to be a part of that. We've been working feverishly to get the pasture behind us hot wired and ready for two more. We will be working on "project scrub oak remediation" soon, I'm sure. We will be getting two more geldings tomorrow for the back pasture and in a couple weeks we will be getting a colt and one of the two-year olds. The next thing we will have to do is build a make-shift barn for the little guy. More stories, I'm sure.

Caretakers

I guess some of you are wondering where we are and what we're doing. Just so you can stay on top of our crazy crew, we have taken over a position as caretakers for a man that owns close to 300 acres of horse property up in the mountains. The little cabin you see is our new "caretaker's" house and is about 1/4 size of our last house. Yes, we are definitely still in the process of minimizing and in fact have created a couple boxes of paperwork today that we can use for firestarter! We (I use the term "we" lightly) have been busy cutting and splitting wood for use this winter because we have no central heat and will be using our wood stove to keep us warm this winter. We have a brand new chainsaw with nothing but time in our way now. As caretakers, we are responsible for caring for several horses and mending any of their fencing, including hot wiring new areas as necessary. We will also have to keep the 1/2 mile dirt road to our house cleared so Adam can get in and out for work, even in the blizzards. We are also responsible for general maintenance and care of our house, as well as any pasture clearing and even some light horse training. We have no clue how long we will be here, but are LOVING it. I realized a few days ago that one of the questions I answered in my "things you never knew about me" on Facebook, months and months ago stated that one day we wanted to live in the middle of nowhere in a little cabin with a woodstove and live off the land. Too funny! Be careful of what you wish for!