Chapter 3

I hadn't talked to S (my landlord) for a few weeks and I had called and left a message just to check in.
She called me back last night and I sat in the yard at the ranch on the cell and chatted.
The first thing she said was "I am sure you've heard rumors".
Hmm, no I really hadn't.

So she goes on to tell me that probably next summer they are going to sell the ranch.

This wasn't a complete surprise, as the one time I met J's brother, he sort of mentioned something like this.

So this might be the end of this whole project.

Iknow for sure I will keep all of my metalworking tools and figure out a place to have a shop. Beyond that, I don't know.
I am glad I didn't put much work into a new roof on the barn. And the new rolls of fencing I ordered will either not get bought, or go into fencing here at the Home Place.

It's a very very odd feeling.

Chapter 2

After dropping off the lambs my truck wouldn't start at the slaughter house. It has been threatening to not start for months, but it always did. Then, it wasn't a threat anymore.

Fortunately the guy who weighed the lambs was "Middle Aged Guy with tools" who was happy as can be to help me out.
After not too long he had me jumped and I was on my way home.

I managed a brief nap without unhitching the trailer at home because I needed it for the evening.

Before 5 I headed to the ranch to pick up does that had to be blood tested as replacements for any does that were Positive for our project. So I gathered up 3 of mine and 2 of J's and headed to the fairgrounds for the Blood Draw. I was assigned as the "reader of the tattoos".

I was in no mood for this mess, but it went relatively O K. The local breeder always has the worst tattoos and hard to read and some not even complete, but for the 3rd year when I point this out, they seem offended and Insulted, instead of glad I was pointing this out (as I would be) and maybe ask how to make a better tattoo? (I have a fair idea of what their mistake is)
OH well, when the does win a CH leg and the judge can't award it because the tattoo isn't good, then they might see the worth in this.

Oh, so who shows up at the blood draw but J N who I had earlier mentioned as the bad trailer accident person. Her son is very involved in goats this year, so I actually had been surprised that I hadn't seen her before this. For years we were very very good friends, oh about 8 years or so ago.
Sure enough after talking to her for about 5 minutes my thought was "she hasn't changed one bit. she's exactly the same as she was 8 years ago" ( when I ditched her)
That was a bit surprising and a bit of a momentary time travel.

After the blood draw is a Pot Luck and the Lot draw for the auction. I never had any plans to go to it and I didn't even go to the hall. I am sure I didn't miss anything.

Chapter 1 scenes 1 and 2

Yesterday.
It was a dizzying succession of interactions and experiences and emotions.
Mid afternoon I had to think to remember what I had done earlier in the day.

1.
My lamb buyer needs more lambs than I can supply, and as I'd like to keep him happy and under my control (bwahaha) I can also make points by involving other people and selling their lambs at the good price, and I become the middle man.
So yesterday I went to a "sort of friend" goaty type and got some lambs.
I knew she raised lambs so I had talked to her about it months ago. The timing was good as I am about out of the right sized lambs, and I was planning on hauling 2 yesterday.
However, I didn't know what to expect. Had she gotten the tails off? Were they in good condition?

When I pulled up to the corrals where thay had already caught, sorted and weighed the lambs out (awesome!!), I was very happy! These are great looking lambs in good flesh and good size. Clean.
The corrals were really nice, on cement, and easy to load from.
They even got the lambs in the trailer for me.
It was as good as I think it could have been.

Oh, I forgot this part (see what I mean about not being able to remember everything that happened?)
As I was leaving the ranch with the little trailer, I was about 1/2 a mile out and the trailer jumps off od the ball and starts whipping around and crashing into the truck; I had forgotten to put the lock on the hithc. Thanks god I remembered to puton the safety chain.
So I stopped and went back to put the trailer on ( after my heart stopped pounding) and i couldn't quite get it back on 9 it's always a snug fit anyway..)
As I'm banging and jumping on it, G T and Mrs GT pull up besides me and ask me if I need some help.
"....maybe..."
He manages to get the hitch back on. When I mention that I probably won't forget to do that again, he doubts it. Thanks, George.
I knew that when I mentioned this to anyone that day I'd hear all of their trailer horror stories. And I was right.
And I thought about J N who had a horrible trailer accident with 2 horses in the trailer out on old Arcata Road many many years ago.

Just goats

It was a very goaty day yesterday here on the Northcoast of California.

It's hard to remember only 10 years ago when I had trouble finding goats to buy for my dairy.
Yes, right about now is my 10 year anniversary of leasing my little ranchette. It had been a potato farm for the few years before I took it. Before that, it was sheep and bulls. Before that it had been a small grade B dairy.

There were 2 goat dairys in operation around here then, and one was going out of business. The other was a half fast operation which is still operating the same way.
10 years ago there was almost no participation in the dairy goat show; I remember only one row of the barn not even completely filled with goats at the fair.

Now?
The goat show has had to move into the sheep barn because we ran out of room.
There are 4 ( or 5..) dairys in operation.
The cheese plant has moved to a larger facility.

And yesterday
There was a Linear Appraisal at a breeders with 60 goats in attendance.
The Dairy consultant is making his rounds at the local dairys.
I spent the day at J's dairy helping her dis bud kids, and she gave me a 3/4 Alpine doeling out of a doe I bred (A I)and sold to her.

Today
We have our Dairy Doe Replacement project (4th year) blood draw for CAE test at the fairgrounds. This includes a potluck and Lot draw as well.
The consultant visits a kid raising operation ( no, not me).

This area is becoming a dairy goat intensive region.
How much did I have to do with this?

stanchion status

It's 99% finished.

blablabla

Not much to report.
I am still working on the stanchion. I have made a pin for the hinge and one side of the legs are attached and working. I am having most trouble with drilling (again) and I 'll see about better drill bits.

I'm heading up to Arcata to help out J.

I've bought another small vacuum pump and I hope to now have a home and an away milking machine.

One more doe to kid, an Alpine yearling

Yankees are sucking lately.

There's another mouse in the house.

I moved those obnoxious lambs to the front pen; the next step is hauling them to the sale.

I need to sell some goats. I'm making a list.

Aaron Spelling didn't leave me NUTHIN

Sure, of course today my teeth are aching.
Damn.

If there was a family that would be considered as the current/ recent history royal family in the dairy goat world, it would be the Considines.
This week, Steve Considine is up here as part of the local association and is doing consultations at the local goat dairys.
I am pretty excited about this and am dying to hear what he has to say.
I met him briefly years ago when I went to Redwood Hills for some semen and a tour. In the few minutes that I talked to him I learned something. He has a wealth of knowledge about dairy goat management.

After milking last night I went to work on the stanchion and I got the second set of legs all done.
Now it's just fine tuning and finish details. The hinge where the legs are attached to the brace needs a pin and a lock, the headpiece rod I am still not happy with, and the pipe where the headpiece connects to the base. And that's it! Some sanding/ wirebrushing and a coat of paint!
I rock!

Next projects:
Welding table
welder cart
finish feeder
stand for the grinder
new trailer

Cheap, Fast and Out Of Control

So I went to the Ironworks that is closer to home to pick up a few little pieces of steel I need to finishe this project. I'd gone in there before, to get a small piece of sheet metal to patch my tractor bucket.

This is a fabricating shop so there's lots of cool stuff going on, and stuff all over being worked on, finished and scrap (ooo such scrap!!).
I asked about steel and I told the receptionist what I needed. A guy in white (!) coveralls overhears and it turns out he's the cutter. He heads out to the shop to see about my order...I want to follow him, the desk lady jokingly tells me not to "it's crazy out there!"

But I follow him, he kinda ignores me. He pulls out the flat bar I need and I want to be sure it's the right gauge, so I go into the shop to get my hands on it.
He wanders around looking for some round tube, and I kinda want to follow. I ask him about it, he doesn't want to talk.
It's O K, I'm not really chatty either.
But what's the deal with the white coveralls? I mean, Super Cutter?

The atmosphere in this shop is not comfortable. The feeling at the Boiler Works, where I had gotten my supplies so far, is really great, comfortable and friendly.

I get what I needed, and the shop is much closer to home, so if I am not going to Eureka I saved some gas. But the steel cost more, the cut fee ( what you pay to have them cut to size) is higher by 25%, and I jut didn't like it.
Granted, there's nothing being built at the Boiler works; it's just a supply place. So I definitely liked seeing all the stuff in the shop, but it wasn't a fun place to go.

Now I think I have everything (but paint) to finish.

In other metal news. the itinerant carnie travelling tool sale is in town; I caught the one in Fortuna. I am kinda in the market for a bigger vise, but on my "junkyard Projects" list I saw a cheap viste that had broken right in the cast part.
So I passed on the vise, but picked up cheap vice grips, welding magnets, and a 1/2 HP bench grinder.
With my poor welds on this project I'd like to be able to clean it up well before painting. I had tried to hand grind some tiny 1/2" square tubing and it was really hard. I hope it's not a piece of total crap. The 49.99 chop saw I bought at the cheap local tool store is definitely working out just fine.

That was close...

So I couldn't remember whether my dentist appointment was as 1:20 or 1:30 so at about 1:15 I checked the message from the receptionist.
1:10.
Oh crap.
So by the time I got there it was 1:20 or so.
It was too late. They had to reschedule me.
Which, although I dodged the bullet, getting to the office is most of the battle for me. Once I'm there, I want to get it done.

So I guess I got what I wanted...but I can't put this off forever.

So I didn't spend so much time yesterday sleeping. I tried to catch my nap on the hammock, but dogs kept sticking their panting faces in mine. I did finish "Burning Bright" a Steinbeck short story I had not read before. It was good, very Steinbeck.

At the ranch I was most productive. The water system on the west side has been goofy for a long time, and the trough in the bucks pen has been almost non functional. When I went to check the water, I saw the goldfish in about 1" of mud in the bottom. So I dug out the hose ( each time it floods, my water lines go farther and farther underground) rebuilt the end and filled all the troughs with fresh and clean water. The goldfish were happy.

In the shop I got a lot done on the stanchion. The legs on one side are completely done, holes drilled and mounted and the tiny square tubing that will hold the lock is on. Not perfect, but I am probably the only one who sees the imperfections. It's coming out pretty good. The second set of legs is spot welded, square tubing is on. I'll drill the holes and mount them, but I decided the flat bar I have for the brace isn't stout enough, so I need to buy a heavier piece. I also need some round tube for mounting the headpiece, so a trip the the Ironworks in the future.

So I have a dentists appointment today. I have dreaded it all weekend. Last night I decided I'd call and reschedule. Yeah,, that made me feel better. But this morning, I'll just go through with it.
It's such torture for me. Confined, people all over me, drilling on my head in my open mouth.Oh I am sweating just writing this. But my bad teeth and my poor dental hygeine sentences me to a life in the big chair.
Oh crap.

Goats, yeah goats...
Verdgris kidded yesterday with a buck and a doe, the doeling is a lovely soft bronzy color with black legs. They are doing fine. 2 more to kid today or tomorrow...
I moved my biggest weanlings into the field with J's kids, and moved my March kids out to the open pen, along with one of J's kids that I have been raising. The inside pens really need to be cleaned out, so I'll move the 2 buck kids out and shuffle kids and clean the pens.

Oh yeah and it's sunny and clear again today! It was supposed to be foggy, but it's not! And I have to go to the dentist.
BTW, a dentist that yells at me and belittles me on the state of my teeth will have the opposite effect than desired, as I will not go back and I won't see a dentist again until I have a problem.
My current dentist is kind and never ever yells at me. His teeth cleaner, however, will never see me again; she was that mean.

Watch this

Dance like no one is watching

Why do I want to sleep so much more in the summer? I just want to nap all day, everyday.

I mentioned to T about one of his tires wearing unevenly so he starts to rotate his tires. Checking the brakes he sees he needs new pads but the car is all apart so off we go to Fortuna to get brake pads and fluid.
Back again and he needs a bigger wrench so off again to the ranch.

While he is working on that, I attack the yard with the weedeater. Last year I had it almost lawnlike where I could run the sprinkler. This year even though T had already done this once, the grass is soooo tall. I managed to carve out some and down to the creek.
I also see that a tree has grown up inside the greenhouse. So fast that the tree is huge, like 20 feet tall. How did that happen wothout me noticing?

I weedwhacked all the way to the creek and between 2 trees and I dragged out a hammock that the In Laws had sent last year. Hung it up and it is so lovely in there now. The creek and the trees and the "lawn". I might now nap out there. Maybe even try to stay awake and read.

Yesterday was the monthly milk test, a nice visit time with A F. Even though we probably saw almost too much of each other only weeks earlier at the show..
But it's always a fun visit, goaty and all. And atching up on all things local and gossipy and goaty.

Yet another sunny clear day. This makes 5 in a row? Unprecedented, but the forecast predicts our friend, the fog, will arrive tomorrow. With the heat inland, it's inevitable.

I have does due any day now, and I had a doeling in heat yesterday. Breeding season will be here before too long, and the rain will return.

How Low can you go?

I found a great stash of albums at a yard sale this morning. At a dollar each I had a hard time keeping it under control, but now I wish I had gotten more.

King Prince and The Islanders
Limbo Rock

The Lovin Spoonful
Do You Believe in Magic

A Date With The Everly Brothers

Batman Theme

Supertramp
Brother Where You Bound

Boogie with Canned Heat

Luke Leilani and His Hawaiians
Heavenly Hawaii

Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited

Dave Brubeck Quartet
Dave Digs Disney

Rod Stewart
A Night On The Town

Gary Lewis & The Playboys
She's Just My Style

The Monkees

Paul Revere & The Raiders
Greatest Hits.

Right now we have the Limbo album on and it's definitely a winner.

wha...what time is it?

There's nothing like waking up in a start realizing that I have to milk by 9 this morning. Better when after a second when I realised that the tester wasn't coming this morning at 9 when it was 8:54, but I just have to get on the 12 hour schedule for her to come tonight at 9 and have my does relatively full of milk.

I had wild dreams, car dreams, shoe and clothing problems, and hit men.

And unbelievably the sun is out for an unprecedented 3rd day!

No plans.

achtung mrow

Not only is it a blog dedicated to cats, but a blog dedicated to cats that look like Hitler

Welding with Fred

I needed to sharpen the blade on the lawnmower. I figured after 5 or more years, and hitting numerous pieces of whatever and since it didn't seem to cutting well, it was time.
So I tried to get the blade off. I really tried. I sat on the cement with the lawnmower practically in my lap with wrench, WD-40, hammer. Nothing.
In what I thought was a flash of brilliance I thought why not just sharpen the blade still on the mower? So go stuck my grinder on a long extension cord and made quick work of the blade edge. I mean it took less than a minute to grind a good edge.
After telling this story to T he said that that was the standard method.
Durrr,,,

Today I decided to put little feet on the legs of the stanchion; just little squares of flat bar welded flush to the bottom of the square tubing, then ground smooth. All of these precesses are completely new to me so there is a learning curve/ time delay with every operation. How to hold the dang things on there while I weld? No way to clamp, I stuck one of the magnets right on top and that worked fine.
While I was grinding one of them smooth, Fred appeared as he often does when he is needed ( like someone had shined a FP in the sky) and I got a few tips on some of the stuff I need to do. He said he'd just hold the bar with his hand and freestyle; I am scared enough of the welder to want to keep my hands far far away.

He had some good tips on how to unstick the clutch on the tractor; mostly because he wants to use it to disc up the field. So I need once again to charge the battery and I'll give it a shot. I am glad he seems confident enough in its fix that he has plans to use it. That was a great bit of comfort. I'll have the tractor back..soon? Someday..

I am almost done with the stanchion. Maybe I should give myself a deadline, like next weekend? O K.
Fred did mention that he wouldn't be working on the floor like I was. I agreed that it's a pain to be bending and crouching. One of the next projects will be a work/ welding table. That's incentive to get this project out of the way.

Females exist in the real world!!

This is exactly one of my major gripes with Disney, and with pretty much any film or video.

There's probably a corollary between the paucity of women in live action film, in animation filmmaking, and the lack of the kinds of female roles I, too, would like to see: "just characters"--taken for granted in the story in the best sense of the term. No heavy-handed tokenism, just there because of the fact that females exist in, well, "real life", and our characters--be they cars, rats or fish--have to be relatable to the audience.

See also this rejection letter for a woman applying to Disney and a great letter from Geena Davis

Sheep fetching

I drove down to Myers Flat, into the summer, to see about a new ram.
The guy with the sheep told me he was just past a friend of mine's place; "just" is an objective word. It was miles, the road became dirt, then one lane and even a bit questionable in a few places. I knew I wouldn't get cell phone out there, so I just kept driving.

He is getting ready to leave for the Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon so his sheep were gathered up and covered.
Romneys are a different type of sheep than the Dorsets Ihave. A wool breed, they are smaller and much more docile ( a good thing).
Since I am new to sheep genetics, the black gene and wool qualities. He is very knowledgeable and even drew me a Punnet square to help figure out percentages of lambs with certain qualities.

Unfortunately he was taking many of the rams that would be for sale to the show, and I was interested in bringing one home now, as I can see I have ewes in season getting bred.
In a pen of lambs there was one ram lamb that immediately caught my eye. The herdsman started telling me about him. He was a kind of small lamb, although his twin sister was a well grown lamb and one of his best out of this years crop. The lamb's dam is also one of his best ewes, but this black ram had had a tough start when born so therefore might not have yet reached his potantial. He had kept him as his fleece was gorgeous, and he was considering him for a pelt ( a product I had never considered..sheepskins. Now there's a new idea..).

He pulled the lamb over and we looked at his wool and it is mouth watering gorgeous. Just what I was looking for in the Romney; open and long, lustrous and a lovely silver color.


I brought him home. His name is Lazy. He's the first sheep I have that has a name. And he's purebred so he's even registered.

I get to visit summer!

Yay sun today! I am going to Myers Flat today to see about a new ram. It will be hot and summery there. I'll bring a jar and catch some to bring home.

I used the new cheap chopsaw I bought last weekend, and that was definitely 50 bucks well spent. I cut all the pieces for the legs for my stanchion in about 20 minutes and with a minimum of after cutting-grinding. What a huge difference. The cuts are square and exactly where I want them. I am almost done with this project.

I cut apart the headgates that I dragged home from J's dairy a few months ago. I cut it in half so I have a piece with 4. That's what I think I want it to be, milk 2 at a time, 2 wait. That gives them all enough time to eat. I am milking about 12 now, so even with 4 at a time, it will take 3 shifts. Not that it's going to get done anytime soon. But I have almost all the steel that I need. Next up is a slightly bigger vacuum pump.
The paint wasn't quite set when I milked yesterday morning, so I put down another coat. It dried better during the day, but I see that painted wood is still too uneven and difficult to keep completely clean. Another breeder has a nice rubber mat on her stand, I just can't seem to find it myself.

I mowed my side of the lawn and it looks really nice. I really need to get the weedeater and do some logging.

J went to Miranda yesterday and went swimming. I worried about him all day, but of course he was fine, and he was even diligent about putting lots of sunscreen on. Except on the tops of his feet...ouch.
And there was the mandatory "someone locked their keys in the car" experience we all have at some time when going swimming.

JF called me last night, she's alive!!
And, she is planning to go to the Gold Beach show, which I had thought about at one time, but this past show was so much that I wasn't even thinking about another show just yet. But, if she goes I might drag myself up there
And I've never been to that part of the coast. I have a big void of experience from Crescent City to Coos Bay.

Month of dad

This period between Fathers Day and what would have been my dad's 80th birthday ( I had to really think about this as it didn't sound possible) has me thinking a lot about him.
Last week I was complimented twice about my trailer backing up skill, a skill that my Dad taught me, as we spent many weekends at horse shows when I was younger. He'd stick me behind the wheel long before I had my license and had me hauling and backing up that trailer.

As a child I was always more interested in tools than dolls, and I really appreciate my dad letting me be me. He bought me a baseball glove, when it was what I really wanted. When I was 12 I got a set of Hot Wheels, Oh man I remember how happy that made me.
My dad made me change my own tire when I got a flat, so I would know how to do it ( and so I could change his as well...)
He got me a motorcycle.
For my birthday one year I got a gift certificate to a huge hardware store.

I think for a man to have been born in the 20's, who obviously appreciated beautiful and feminine women, to still understand that I was who I was, and he still wanted me just to be happy, I think this was a big thing.

I still have some tools he bought for me. It is comforting to know that my Dad really knew who I am and it was fine.
I wonder if he's having fun watching me with my new metalworking projects and the cool tools I have been acquiring. While I work I often thank him for teaching me what he did and supporting me.

He NEVER told me I couldn't/shouldn't do something because I was a girl.

PEOPLE!!!!!

Partly cloudy today, maybe broken fog. Hopefully it'll burn off, but it looks like just the opposite is happening.

My shopping excursion yesterday was chock full of cashier faux pas and just general non help.
At the hardware store where I already had my chopsaw blade in hand, plus a bunch of brass snaps to build myself a ringside tie chain, I grabbed a can of Rust O Leum to put yet another coat of paint on my stanchion deck. Just to be sure, I asked the "paint help" if there was something that they had that might be better for what I was doing ( I have used Rust O Leum since I was 14 for many many applications, including paint over wood left outside). First she tells me that That paint is not good for a "deck that will be walked on and get wet" ( how I described it; I don't like to bring goats into general public discussion. Privacy, ya know).
So I ask what did she recommend?
They didn't have anything for that. Most people stain their decks.
WHAT?
Uh, huh? No deck paint or floor paint? Whuttf?
No they didn't have anything.
"So do you have anything that you might paint on wood left outside (like house paint youstupid...)"
No we don't ( as I look at the huge paint department behind her)
O Kay...
"Well. we do have a deck and floor paint, but it can't be used outside."
It's not going to be outside. Just walked on and gotten wet.

OH yes we do, and she takes me to a huge display of FLOOR AND DECK paint, different finishes, a huge color chart and in small cans for little jobs.
Geez.
I picked up a can.

Next I go to the drugstore where I see a sign for cookies on sale reg 1.88 on sale for .88, so I grab 2 packages.
When they get rung up they don't show the sale price. I say something, and another sales help comes up and we look through the sales flyer. No, it's a different package, but the other gal says "Oops, I put the sign in the wrong place." A little buzz erupts in the store, manager appears, a whole operation to correct the check out. I do get the sale price, and I rejoice by shouting "I SCORED!!"
The cashier wasn't amused, but by the time the transaction was through, she was caught up in the joy and agreed that I had indeed "scored".

Next, at the dollar store I handed the cashier a 20 for a 16.00 purchase and he only handed me the coin change. Uh I gave youa 20..OH you are right, it's a good thing you were paying attention.
Yeah.

You have to watch these people every minute.

Then the torturous committee meeting; fortunately it was brief and I got out of there in an hour.
That s too much for me. Way too much unwanted interaction for one day.

I'll spend the day diddling around the ranch.

At the Thrift Store I bought a pair of old style black mens Oxfords. I really like em. I used to have a pair when I drove carriages.
They feel great on my feet.
And, I cut my hair.

Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain

Yay the sun is out today! That doesn't mean it is going to be warm, but at least it's bright and clear and sunny! I'll take it!

Yesterday, despite watching 3 movies and taking a nap, I still got a lot done.
I bought a can of paint at the thrift store and I've been slathering it all over things at the barn. On Saturday, I painted the top half of the back door/ wall of my milk room trying to brighten things up in there. I noticed when I take pictures of my milk room it looks so dark and dismal, and just painting this little bit helped a lot.
It then made it painfully obvious how dirty my stanchion was, so I washed it off and got 2 coats of paint there too. Unfortunately it's not a good gloss so it's hard to wash off after milking. Now I need to put a good deck coat down that washes well. BUt it's really brighter in there now. It is inspiring to get that all organized and working. Plumbing and walls and storage are next.

I akso worked on the stanchion for Mr F. I welded the frame for the deck, cut the expanded steel and welded it inside the frame. All this is stuff I've never done before, so it all takes longer this first time. The next one I make will go much faster. I'm ready now to build the legs and I'm almost done.

I'm buying 2 dry yearlings from the neighbors; they are out of a buck I no longer have so I thought I'd take them and breed them then sell them or not. The price is right and I know the bloodlines. I'm spending all of my tractor driving money on them, but I will make it back if they don't die.

This weather is making for a lot of sick goats. I have been doctoring quite a few of mine and J's. I found my red meat buck looking poorly yesterday, and last night my nice Alpine yearling was not eating. Bottle babies and weaned kids too have snotty noses and coughs. Maybe some sun will perk them up. Oh, and antibiotics.

I hope to do my Fortuna shopping today. I need a blade for my new chop saw, my tire needs to be fixed ( I'm still driving on the tiny tire) gas, banking, coffee, etc.
And tonight, the dreaded committee meeting. I ditched the last one so I guess I have to make this one.

Movie Sunday

It's dark and cold and damp. Now it's breezy too.

Today's movies
Strand: Under the Dark Cloth
If I were to pick a favorite photographer, it would be Paul Strand. But this movie is slow, ponderous and the music is dreary and depressing.
It was a terrible movie.
But, it was full of lots and lots of his photos, which I would watch again for those alone.

Le Divorce
This was fun and interesting, and a goofy ending. A Merchant Ivory film set in the present (how unusual!) but in France (oh well).
I liked the interpersonal bantering, and the Frenchness.

Next up, Mighty Aphrodite.

No summer for you!

Yesterday we travelled up to Arcata for the Oyster Festival. The crowd was larger than any I can remember; it was packed!
Oysters were eaten, people were watched.
We stopped at Harbor Freight and I bought the cheap chop saw. I'll see just how cheap it is and whether I need to get the better one at 4X this one's price. I also got some bar clamps at the Englund Marine Annual sale.

The sun was out yesterday but today it's back into the dreary fog. It saddens me to see photos of people swimming and playing in the sun. Out there in the world it's summer! It's hot and fireflies are around and they're wearing flip flops and playing in the water. Summer isn't here yet, and most likely if I want summer I'll have to visit it.

My last 3 yearlings are due to kid this week. Then, I'm done, but breeding season is just around the corner. Actually, right now I'd like to try to get my "meat" goats bred. I see some of my ewes are getting bred, which is good. I'll try to pull the rams out in July so I don't have too many lambs born in the flood likely month of December.

I had dreams about my old milk barn. After milking in someone elses barn, I so appreciate what a great barn I had. Milking shouldn't be a struggle; you have to do it every day twice a day, so it should be as easy as possible for the milker and the goats.
Indexing.

I still have the tiny spare tire on my truck as the local station was closed yesterday. So I can't go very far until tomorrow. I had all sorts of shopping plans for today.

Middle o the road

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Everyone knows it's Windy

I finally started straightening out the shop so I can back to work on my projects. That's the shearing mess, the fair mess, the goat mess, etc.
I have the frame for the bottom of the stanchion laid out and that should all go pretty fast.
When Fred was over the other day I asked for some metalwork advice. He told me I need a bigger vise, which I think I had that idea, so I am now shopping for one. My vice also gives me problems as it often loosens when I'm working on it.

My doe that got so sick is totally on the mend. She has her appetite back, and before when she fell when getting on and off the stanchion, now she can now do it herself without assistance. She has some shine to her coat, and when I put her back in with the milkers she spent hours fighting. She needs to gain about 40 lbs, but I think she's going to be O K. However, I don't think she'll gain 1/2 of her udder back, which I am still treating for massive mastitis. Don't poke stuff you have sitting on the windowsill up a goats teat...

Ths sun is out but now we have the wind. Looks like it'll be windy for days. That'll get old real fast.

I guess it's time to start repairing my barn roof. No time like the summer time.

If this doesn't make you happy..well..

I've got another idea for a dairy business project. Nothing like going to someones dairy to make me want to do it myself (again).

I finished the field I was working on yesterday finally. It was a big field and the feed was really thick and tall so the going was slowwwww. But I'm done mowing for a few days, until we start the next field.

Projects to start/ finish include the tractor clutch, the stanchion, fencing.
I have to have the tractor working.

I might try to sharpen my lawnmower blade. My friend Kiki said "the grass quits growing on June 12th" and every year I think this. And I think she's pretty much right. Even with the little bit of drizzle we've been getting, the grass is done. I really don't need to mow the lawn and it's been over a week. It's a good time to tidy up things and get the yard in order. If I mow the lawn here at home, I can start watering and have a real nice lawn.
Maybe I'll even try to set up the hammock.

My pink eye I think is on eht recede. I didn't have to pry my eye open during the night (J and I decided that that was our favorite part of P E). If I was going to get sick, this is pretty benign. The chaff and dust and bright sun from mowing yesterday I don't think really helped. however.

I paid all my bills yesterday. That is nice.

SUNNY!!!

Yeah, then it was on to try to gather up sheep that seem to be living wild on 40 acres of redwood mountainside.
Oh, and it was raining.

We did manage to get 8 in a pen and picked out 2 lambs to send. I hauled themto Eureka then finally got a chance to go to the thrift store. I needed some clean clothes as I was wet filthy and smelly. I found some and changed into them in the changing room. When I went to pay I told the cashier that I had changed into the clothes and she said "Oh people do that all the time".

T and I had dinner at the Waterfront. His yesterday story of dealing with incompetence has a family tie, unfortunately.

Our 3rd tale of incompetence is local. Also part of the "they'll promise you anything, but never follow through" type of incompetence. Except this time an elderly woman found herself without water while her family had left for the weekend. Competence came to fix her water system.

The sun has finally finally come out. The forecast actually shows warm for today, highs close to 80!! Inconceivable!
I'll finish mowing this field after my chores.

I spoke to a guy who raises Romneys and Colored Romneys (sheep) just south of us. He has rams for sale so I'll go see what I can find in the next few days. I need a new ram, and the price is right, so I imagine I'll find what I need.

I seem to have pink eye in my left eye.

Why me?

This is so stupid.
This is going to be a long 36 hours.

Just my chores tomorrow, (without counting any mowing which I really should get to) will total 12 hours. And I have to gather sort and haul KD's lambs which I imagine will take 3 hours.
15 hours minimum to get done what needs to be done.

I have to be in Arcata by 6 in the morning. That means waking up by 4:45.

I can't express how unhappy I am about all of this.

Summer water

This is a really interesting chart



I saw that blip a few days ago, but until today I didn't figure it out.

High tide.
Backs up the river and even now when the water level is so low, it still raises the water level almost 6".

Making hay while...wait, there's no sun!

Well, I guess it's nice to be valuable, competent and needed/ wanted, but...

I thought I had a whole day to fart around. I was going to do my Fortuna bank/ gas/ thrift store/ feed store/ dollar store trip which I enjoy so much.

First J calls. She was sick most of the weekend; so much so that she had to have other people show her goats on Sunday as she was home in bed. Mike had come by yesterday to drop off and pick up some does and said she was still sick. Not only that, but he was leaving for Idaho (?) on Wednesday. Here's J, sick, with 2 small kids, one still in diapers , and a huge dairy to run by herself. I knew that was going to be a problem.

So when she called I pre empted her when she said she had a big favor to ask me. Yep, I'm back in the dairy business. I'll milk with M tonight and hopefully figure out how to run that barn and tomorrow I'm a commercial milker.

Then
I got a call from RP about the mowing. He wants me to mow more on that field this afternoon.
So there goes my shopping trip.

I'll do my banking as I fly through Eureka on my way to the dairy.

Not much chance of a nap today.

Hallelujah!!

There’s a status some attach to their cheese purposes, not surprising in a country where consumer identity is so strong that about all the left can do is be a social force for making people feel guilty about their purchases (but that’s another entry)

-Gordonzola

The Day Afta

My feet are still killing me. Two days in cowboy boots has done nothing for my aching dogs.
I am clean.
I fell asleep immediately, but woke up about a half an hour later, wide awake. T is in Portland so the aches combined with the empty bed made for wierd sleep.

It's drippy and wet today; better today than yesterday. I doubt I'll be driving the tractor today.

My ranch is a mess. I need to do a few days of intensive clean up. Fences and gates need repair. A trip to the dump is well in order. The weedeater will help, too.

I need to finish my milk stand project. There really is no hold up, just the past week of clipping and mowing kept me from it. I'll straighten up my shop area first today.

Fleece samples.

Laundry.

Banking.

First, morning chores.

stick a fork in me

Well, it's over with. It's done. 48 hours of The Goat Show.
It was
My Alpine buck did really really well. His win today saved a complete shut out. In the bottom of the 9th inning.

I am running a bath. I have been trying to convert people to the Church of the Very Hot Bath.

I am dirty and exhausted. My hands are sore, my back is sore, my feet are sore. My right neck is sore. I actually think that my hair is tired.

GOAT SHOW day 1

It was one long long day at the show yesterday, but I totally enjoyed it.
I mean, right now for me, spending a whole day looking at, talking about and showing goats with good friends. It was the best.
It could have been warmer.

It's a strange and esoteric world I know. Showing goats. It's a small world especially here in the tiny corner of the world. We all know each other; most of us have known each other for years. And I'll admit it, showing dairy goats is a pretty strange thing to be obsessed with.
Right now it sure suits me. There's drama (a sick goat yesterday, almost dies, finally saved and is going to be fine), excitement (goats get loose on a regular basis), competition, comedy (uh, yeah...), more drama (d-i-v-o-r-c-e),more excitement ( stock car races are going on during the Saturday show, suspense ( raffle)and I haven't even mentioned the competition (winning is great, just beating a rival is almost as good, or better even...depending..).

After all was done last night, I really did about as good if not slightly better than I was expecting. I was right about my dry grade yearling, and she took Champion! My old doe Neleven once again took on the competition and won the champion challenge to get Best Of Breed, and the Ace in the hole, my Alpine buck took Champion in ring 1 and Reserve in ring 2! I wasn't sure about him, but he did really well.
My friend J did well too, finishing a Championship on a daughter of a buck and a doe that she got from me. And Hoppers did well, and I think better than I am even aware, as I only really caught the Oberhasli and the bucks in her breeds..
Oh and KD's doe won Best Doe In Show!

Yeah, we had fun, hung out, messed with goats, got some pretty ribbons ( I loves my ribbons), and today we get to do the whole thing all over again with a different judge.

If I only had managed to get my show clothes washed dried.

Goat Show!

I mean, what else would ever get me up at this time of the morning?
(Horse shows and cowboy action, but that's about it)

It even looks like it might be a nice day.

It took me 2 trips for all the goats, and I finally made it home by 11:30 or so last night, after coming home and milking the 2 i have left in the barn.
I still have 2 udders to clip ( I realized as I lay in bed...thinking...)

First up is the Alpines. The herd I bought the Boonville does from is here, and they have SUCH beautiful does. I imagine they'll win, so I'll see where I fit in after them.
I did bring 2 of their does that I bought, and the yearling does look good (the mom did mention she wondered why they were selling her...).
And my pretty yearling came out from under all that fluff looking like a pretty thing, so now I have slightly higher hopes for her.

GOAT SHOW!

T minus 24 hours

Well it's the homestretch for this weekends show. I still don't have 2 registrations; I'll check the p O this morning and have ADGA fax me a copy if they're not there. I do have the option of substituting, but I've already got them clipped...

I got a lot done yesterday; the Alpine yearling buck is done, as is the body on 3 more. I only have 2 bodies and 2 udders and then it's just touch up. I DID IT! Of course also today I have to haul them to the fairgrounds and all my stuff and milk and find my show clothes.2 trips to Eureak to get them all there ( and 2 trips back Sunday night after the show, usually after 8 p m..)

Yet another free goat has arrived. This one I sold as a lovely milker a year ago has come back dry and a year older. The person was supposed to show up by 1 yesterday and I left the ranch at 1:30, no show. Sure enough there was the doe in the pen last night; she just dropped her off, no phone call, no nothing. I didn't get the papers back, but I'll bet they were never transferred and I can get a copy, not that I think I'll show her. And I can register her kids. She makes lovely kids, her yearling is going to the show.

3 hours on the mower tractor and the field still isn't done. So slow I go. And the grass is so long and so thick that it wants to wrap itself around the PTO shaft. So a few times every round I have to shut off the PTO, get out, and pull/ cut the wad off the shaft, than climb back into the tractor and start up again. That sucks. I like to see progress.

I got e mail from the Boonville breeder about the show. He's coming ( I haven't ever really met him in person, dealt with his mom) so I probably won't do great with my Alpines, which is O K because I wasn't expecting to. This is a new project, and I know he didn't sell me his best ones ( I am taking 2 of his that I bought). It will be nice to meet him and talk about goats, which is a fun part of showing sometimes.
I am hoping to see some of the dams of the does that I bought.
But after clipping my own ( well, Fraga Farms out of My buck Izzy) yesrling, she looks a lot better than I expected under all that fuzz. And she does have a really nice udder...

Yea ths sun is coming out so I will get clipping finished. I am stalling to get to the P O when it opens at 9:30 Ah I just called to have them fax me copies and I won't have to deal with the Post Office, the heck with it.
So now I can leave, right. Start this day.

goats...WHAT?

I got off of the tractor at about 4:15, in plenty of time to watch the ball game. Anyway, 2 hours is getting to be enough time. If I was making better progress it would be one thing, but this field is soo thick that Low/ 3rd is the best I can manage.
Even with that, I have to stop a few times each round to get off the wad of grass that wraps itself around the PTO shaft.

So then I find that the game has been postponed due to rain..

so I napped

I didn't leave for evening chores until almost 10, and then I decided to do the trim clipping on the milkers still to be done. I managed all 5 of them interspersed with milking, and I didn't get home until 12:30.

Today I HAVE to get the rest body clipped and my yearling Alpine buck completely done. I wish the weather would cooperate; it's been dark and dank all week, not conducive to giving ruminants baths.

I might be getting another goat back. A milker I sold a year or so ago is not working out for the neck tattooed people. I told her I would take the doe back, but I hope she isn't expecting me to pay for her. I sold a lovely milking 3 year old, and I'm getting back a dry 3 year old in who knows what kind of shape.
She might bring her over today.
Yep, she just called and they're bringing the doe.

And I think I might bring Kia back from the dairy. I don't think the dairy situation is working out for her. And when I saw her I called her name and she gave me the sweetest "HEY!!" face..she's a sweet girl.

OH OH I think I see sun!!Yes I see blue sky!!!

o k gotta go

My view from a tractor seat today

Video on Vimeo


My view from the tractor today on Vimeo

Mowing and trimming even more.

2 1/2 hours on the mower tractor; this field is right in town. I can look in people's back windows.
This time I broke a belt.
This field is really tall and thick. It's real slow going so the mower doesn't bind and it still happened. RP came and had another belt and he replaced it. Then he tightened it, saying that there was a good chance that was the reason. I will take some blame, as I loaded it up as I came off a place with no grass at all.

I also clipped one kid and trimmed another. And trimmed their feet.

Boy do i need a bath. And yet, I am watching Kathy Griffin.

Mowing, clipping, shaving..snip snip

I'd been thinking that I would change banks for some time now. Mostly for convenience as the bank I have now is in Fortuna, about 10 miles away, but also since my bank was sold to an out of the area company, it hasn't been the same.
I used to really like my bank, but the change was obvious.
But I still have all these checks! ( but the old account was a business account for the dairy)
Last Friday my debit card was denied for a 10.00 charge. Ididn't think I had run the account that far down ( I suck at bookkeeping) but there it was. After a deposit I was still having no luck running a charge.
Maybe the weekend, etc.
Today my account seemed fine, so I called the bak to ask wassup?
On hold for a long time, they come back and tell me that for absolutely no reason out of the blue my available credit was set at "0".
She reset my limit, but I was WTF? Just for no reason...what a pain.

Today I will open a new account here in town a,d do all the crap that that involves, transferring all my banking.

Yesterday I was pretty sad about Quigley. I know it was all for the best. He'll be a real horse now, and someone will be riding him in no time. I was not doing him justice. But still, I mean, I pulled him out of his mother and wiped his baby horse nose when he was born.
So I went to J and clipped my doe Nibbles who is there being milked, and I clipped one for J too.
Afterwards I went to Westhaven to pick up 3 free goats. I wasn't sure what to expect; the family was moving and couldn't take the goats. They were dry 3 year olds, which in my mind didn't bode well.
I was thrilled to see they were ingreat shape; if anything a little TOO well conditioned, as one saanen cross is pushing 200 lbs or more.
Onr of the does is a great granddaughter of my very first good doe, Binkner. It's great to get a bit of her back in the herd.

So Quigley has gone to be a cowboys partner, and I have a few more mouths to feed.
Oh and they threw in most of a bale of alfalfa.

Weight wise I am a bit lighter as Quigley was certainly 1500 lbs.

When I woke up this morning I was really relieved to find that I hadn't ruined the tractor and mower by driving it around inside the house.
I am mowing this afternoon; 2 hours by the fairgrounds.
It's a pretty dark dank day so I might not clip, but maybe I'll trim a few of the little does.

I clipped 3 yesterday, having clipped my yearling buck Uriah Heep before the trailer came for Quigley. 3 is pretty much my limit, although I definitely was in the zone.
That explains continuing on to give Josh a haircut last night.

I sold my horse today

Some satisfaction; I made it through this one...

Soppin' wet
Eureka rainfall now fourth wettest on record
John Driscoll The Times-Standard

Only a weather buff could appreciate it.

Sometime Thursday night it rained enough to qualify this season as Eureka's fourth wettest ever recorded. By about 1 a.m. Friday, Eureka surpassed the previous record of 58.64 inches set in the El Niño winter of 1997-1998 by 0.06 inches.

The 58.7 inches is 157 percent of normal, and well over last year's 41.36 inches.

Forecasters are predicting that summer, or some semblance of it, is on its way. That is, after another brief episode of rain.

”We're looking at a drying trend coming in,” said National Weather Service forecaster Brett Lutz. “I wouldn't go so far as to say there's not going be some more precipitation.”

The wet weather this season -- measured from July 1 to June 30 -- hammered pastures, swelled rivers and dropped feet of snow in the mountains. It also feels like it's persisted longer than usual, though the 0.21 inches Eureka has seen this month is under the normal figure of 0.65 inches.

Interestingly, Lutz also pointed out that ocean water temperature at buoy 22, 15 miles southwest of Eureka, is 58 degrees. That's warm for this time of year, he said, and will probably cause warm days in June and July.

What's the difference between G-d and Santa Claus? No difference

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/04/30/dawkins/index.html?pn=1

How would we be better off without religion?

We'd all be freed to concentrate on the only life we are ever going to have. We'd be free to exult in the privilege -- the remarkable good fortune -- that each one of us enjoys through having been being born. An astronomically overwhelming majority of the people who could be born never will be. You are one of the tiny minority whose number came up. Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one. The world would be a better place if we all had this positive attitude to life. It would also be a better place if morality was all about doing good to others and refraining from hurting them, rather than religion's morbid obsession with private sin and the evils of sexual enjoyment.

You delve into agnosticism in "The Ancestor's Tale." How does it differ from atheism?

It's said that the only rational stance is agnosticism because you can neither prove nor disprove the existence of the supernatural creator. I find that a weak position. It is true that you can't disprove anything but you can put a probability value on it. There's an infinite number of things that you can't disprove: unicorns, werewolves, and teapots in orbit around Mars. But we don't pay any heed to them unless there is some positive reason to think that they do exist.

Believing in God is like believing in a teapot orbiting Mars?

Yes. For a long time it seemed clear to just about everybody that the beauty and elegance of the world seemed to be prima facie evidence for a divine creator. But the philosopher David Hume already realized three centuries ago that this was a bad argument. It leads to an infinite regression. You can't statistically explain improbable things like living creatures by saying that they must have been designed because you're still left to explain the designer, who must be, if anything, an even more statistically improbable and elegant thing. Design can never be an ultimate explanation for anything. It can only be a proximate explanation. A plane or a car is explained by a designer but that's because the designer himself, the engineer, is explained by natural selection.

Tan diary '06

Well we had the best day at the fair. The weather made this east coast girls soul happy as it was hot and muggy, just like home.

There was swimming that was fantastic.
There was food eating.
There was music listening.
And oh the people watching.

Sunburnt in the afternoon we found a cool shady spot to catch a rest, by the big stage.

Ice cream and beer.

Really I don't think it could have been better.

Ozone layer pfft..!! I managed to put down just the right amount of color and I have no sting today. By next weekend my shoulders should attain the proper shade.

Pat's not Here

It's finally a sunny clear day! I was supposed to mow today for RP, but we're going to the fair!

I'll try to get started here in a minute so I'm done quick with my chores. I have had vivid dreams the past few nights. Cast of characters wide spectrum, including Courtney Love and Patrice O Neal (not Patricia O Neal)

I have someone interested in the fleeces, so Iam going to make some sample cards with locks from each fleece. This is a project as there are about 15 fleeces. They all need to be numbered, sampled, weighed then charted and priced. Like I needed something to do. Maybe I'll wait until after the fair. Still have about 10 to clip.

I made a lovely dinner last night, just like Mom used to make. Fish sticks, potato wedges and corn and peas all frozen. Actually, Mom's veggies would have come from the can not the freezer, but I guess that's me as chef improvising.

In the dark as I was leaving the ranch last night I picked a bouquet of pink roses from Pat's yard. Maybe I'll try to tend some of the roses at least. That yard takes a lot of maintenance, and Pat is not doing it.

Like water for neighbors

I ran into some old friends in town today. I got to see the whole family. I've known the couple since before they really were a couple, actually since the guy had the previous girlfriend.
Their oldest son is now 9 (I think) or so and I was at the hospital the night he was born. Me and grandma Oma were hanging out.
And it is timely as we often went swimming together. I asked about swimming in their river. She suggested a trip to the Van Duzen which is what I was thinking of doing at a few points this summer.
So maybe I'll get to go swimming a few times this summer.

I love to swim in the ocean, but our ocean is too cold.
I like to swim in outdoor pools, but there aren't any here.
I like to swim in Lakes and streams, and that's what I get.

So it took me 2 hours to mow Pat's yard and my front yard today. The lawn was very long. I didn't completely get the side yard by the pens. It might be approaching weedeater levels.
Two hours and 2 tankfuls of gas.

When I was getting hay this afternoon, I managed to spill the small lawn mower gas tank on the money I was spending. When I pointed it out to AT as I handed them to him, he put the ills to his nose, and thanked me.
He likes the smell of gas. I do too.

Financial Friday

Why does it all come at once.

I think I might have sold all of my lambs wool. We'll see if they still want it after I figure in shipping costs..

I have been offered 3 free goats; one my breeding, 2 from a breeder that I have gotten nice animals from before. I'll go up and get them in a few days.

Molly wants to buy my colt. She's coming for Jimmy Fay's daughter's wedding tomorrow, then she'll pick him up on Monday. That's a good thing. As much as I want to keep him, I am not working with him at all and he's over a year past when I should have started him.

One less mouth to feed, but I am bringing home 3 more.

Fleeces for sale

2006 Shearing day is over, and I saved the top 50% to sell and to show at our fair.
Anyone interested in fleeces please contact me.
I can send samples or photos if interested.
Mostly Dorset and Dorset X Merino.
White and coloreds.
Prices start at 2.00 lb for lambs wool (short..1-2" staple length)
Whole or half fleeces available

drizzzzzle

I was hating clothes yesterday.
It was damp, drizzly and warm when I ran out into the field with Abby to gather up the sheep.
After I had them penned I got my coveralls on and went in and picked out 2 lambs to ship, then wrestled each of them into the trailer.
Now I was damp and sweaty.
Ans I now had to put a bra on. It almost made me cry. I hate being sticky to my clothes. It absolutely drives me NUTS. Getting all wrapped up and tangled and no way out. TRAPPED.

Well, the rest of the day went fine anyway. I dropped off the lambs and stopped by Eureka Boiler Works and got some more steel; I had shorted myself when I placed the order and i just needed a bit more.



Piersons next where I tried to find the gate latch that was used on my milk stanchion. The sales guy was no help, instead of looking for what I asked about he stood and mindlessly played with a cabinet latch ( gate latch does not equal cabinet latch) without looking at me until he said no they didn't think they had what I was looking for.
I picked up another can of primer for the stand.

Home and dropped off the trailer.
Raining and raining, but a nice soft warm rain.
I wonder if I will be mowing in this wetness?

Yankees on ESPN today. Yesterdays game was almost a shutout for Mussina until the 9th, aarrrgh so close!

I drilled the hole for the headlatch last night and mounted the working part. My junkyard projects group is awesome, they are totally able to help me with stupid novice problems I am having. Why didn't I learn this stuff in my brief metal shop class in 1972? That was one lame class...