Smokey Mountain Breakdown

It was a few nights ago that I woke up to thunder and lightning crashing across the mountains in the distance. It lit up my bedroom with that eerie blue light that makes your skin itch. It is another harbinger of spring. I quite enjoy lightning storms. Unless I'm out pounding metal T-posts on the other end of the farm and have to skedaddle back to the house.

As you can see, Bridey is doing exceptionally well. She's as tall as the other kids now but still very delicately boned and "dairy". That is a good thing for the type of goat that she is. I'm afraid I need to re-do her disbudding. What I did doesn't seem to have taken. Violette is strong and stodgy and thick again. One of her eyes is a bit weepy and I need to see what she's gotten into this time. Looks like Violette is going to have a bit of a learning cure as to what is safe to get into or not.

Yesterday, I began the task of re-routing the fence lines. Pounding T-posts is very hard work up here with the rocks. I also went up and made repairs to the grain storage. Lucky, when he was still here, had used his horns to pry off the boards of the structure. I pulled out the grain bins and cleaned them out and left them to dry. Somewhere in the middle of this, I ran out of steam and had to go back to the house for a nap. I hate leaving tasks in the middle of things, but sometimes I just have to go and give the body what it needs. A nap.

I overslept and woke up to the darkness and howling wind. Since I live perched atop a 300 foot cliff, the wind gusts sometimes reach 60 miles per hour. My little house sits on a double foundation to absorb the buffeting winds. My closest neighbor who is just above me, built his cabin without such a foundation. The wind moved the entire house 10 feet one night. I've seen the wind pick up rocks here.

I then remember my feed bins. Damn. I'd meant just to lay down for a bit then go back up and fill the bins and put them securely in the repaired enclosure. The enclosure is designed to keep goats out and feed bins from flying off the mountain. So now, both feed bins are blown away. I was able to retrieve the bins, but the lids are probably somewhere between the here and the cow pasture 300 feet down. And it's not like I can go buy new lids for them. They are useless without the lids.

But it may be time to move on to something more secure anyway. The dogs have evidently loaned the goats the opposable thumb they use to get into things. I'm now having to put a padlock with a key on the milk goat's feed. The cabinet has a perfectly serviceable latch. But this morning I come down to find that they have opened it up and feasted on goat milk enhancer. To do this they had to, first, open the latch to the cabinet. Then remove the lid that is securely bungeed the bin inside the cabinet.

I am soooo taking that damn opposable thumb away once I find the smart ass goat who has it.