It must be Monday...

Okay, I know it is Friday today, but this week flew by!

The days are getting shorter, but our list of things needing to be done seems to be growing. This week, we have worked on more barn construction, returned Jasmine to her field EVERY morning this week (and still can't fathom how she is getting loose), tried to keep Pepper contained in at least one goat pasture (she, too, has decided to roam free), given all the goats their regular worm treatment, rescued and returned a found dog, rescued a wild pigeon with a broken wing, and arranged for a surprise which you will all read about either tomorrow or Sunday, depending. And, worked our regular jobs, helped the girls with writing talks they have been assigned to present Tuesday night at our Theocratic Ministry School meeting, not to mention all the other things that that must get done, like eating, bathing, and sleeping. I am tired just WRITING this. I am really looking forward to a quiet night home with nothing to do and all night to get it done in.


I may not have written all week, but I did snap some pictures and video of this week's happenings to share. I am putting together a video montage of the barn building work, so I will skip those pictures for now.

On Monday, I forgot my phone charger at home and had to call Sean to see if he would meet me to get it. I pulled into a gas station to wait. While there, I watched a clearly older black lab wander around outside, obviously lost. (The clerk reported that she had been out there for a couple of hours.) The poor thing was missing chunks of fur. When Sean arrived we decided to take her to our vet's office. We thought that they might recognize her, first of all. And, secondly before we brought her home with us, we wanted to make sure the missing patches of fur was not mange or something else equally unpleasant and contagious. It wasn't a disease, but an allergic reaction. No one recognized her, but they posted a "found dog" alert on their facebook page. We, also, called both the animal control officers in our area to report that we had found her and would keep her safe until the owners could be located. (It costs approximately $150 to get your dog back from the shelter here. I didn't want the owner to have to pay for her return.) After a flea treatment and new collar and $30 less in our bank account, Sean settled her at home and went to his work. Later that evening, the owner contacted us and we made arrangements to return her. She had gotten out unnoticed and they had been frantically searching for her all day. It was a happy reunion.





My Captivated Audience

It was worm treatment time for all the goats on Tuesday afternoon. They love the taste. The does were eager for their turn. Rachel pushed her head through the fencing to get a closer look and kept licking her lips in anticipation.

It was hilarious to see them all so completely focused on the bucks happily eating their dewormer from my hand. We use Dumor brand goat dewormer (Morantel Tartrate). I measured out the correct dose for each goat based on their weight. They will get a repeat dose in 2 weeks.

On Wednesday, Pepper decided that Jedi's attention was no longer wanted and escaped the buck enclosure to enjoy the back lawn and its variety of flowering plantings. I captured the wee besom and returned her to the doe enclosure. That lasted the night and Thursday morning, we woke to find the horse in the back field (again!) and Pepper chewing on feed in Jedi's stall. She escaped his pasture and greeted my car as I pulled into my parking spot in the yard. I returned her to the doe's pasture and Sean fixed where he thought she was escaping. We'll see how long that foils her.

 

I saw something flapping in the middle of the road as I approached the stop sign at the end of our road on Thursday on my way to work. It was a wounded pigeon that appeared to have a broken wing. The poor thing was bleeding and floundering around. Sean scooped it up, tucked its wing back into alignment and carefully slipped it into a canvas bag. Since I was on my way to Ellsworth, I took the bird with me to the Stanwood Sanctuary, where injured birds are rehabilitated and released (if they can be). I was concerned about the amount of blood lost and about the possibility it would become scared and injure itself more attempting to escape. Thankfully, it didn't and I delivered Pigeon to a helpful avian specialist who agreed to call and update me with the bird's diagnosis. As promised, he (I feel bad that I can't recall his name!) updated me that our pigeon friend had snapped the shoulder bone completely through. They set the bone as best as could be done to heal, gave Pigeon antibiotics, and closed the wound with some liquid band-aid. Pigeon was resting, eating, and it looks like he/she should live. But, Pigeon would probably never be able to fly again- even after healed. The sanctuary is a nice place, staffed with knowledgeable people, so he/she will have a good home, though it makes me a little sad that Pigeon has lost his ability to fly.

 

We have lots planned over the weekend and I will be sure to take lots of pictures of our adventure on Saturday. I am excited and can't wait to share it all with you.

 

Thanks for visiting today!

Sonja ♥