Where in The World Are Rock & Gem?

?

If it's Saturday morning, they're at the Ashland City Open Air Market at the corner of Highway 12 and Washington Street in Ashland City, of course!

Rock & Gem live at Mule Shoe Farm most days, but Saturday mornings they get in the back seat of Ms.Anne's car at about 8:15am and ride to market. By 9am, they are munching away on the grass graciously provided at the Open Air Market, waiting for their many fans to come and visit.

By Noon, Ms.Anne has finished delivering shares to shareholders, and Rock & Gem are ready to go back home to rejoin their friends and playmates: Anabelle, Rock Lee, & Java. Sometimes, they even get to hang out with the herd queen, Duchess.

Rock and Gem are LaMancha goats with the distinctive "elf" ears of that breed. They were bottle-fed as babies which means they enjoy human contact and are not at all afraid of children petting them. The twin brothers are almost 6 months old and when they are big enough Ms.Anne will train them to pull a cart and carry packs. Right now, they enjoy greeting the public and answering questions. Come find them every Saturday morning until the end of October at the Open Air Market in Ashland City.

Waiting for DaGoat

Scene 1

The Scene is a kitchen table on a bare stage. It's early morning.

Me: Does Duchess look pregnant to you? I can't tell if she's just fat and shaggy or pregnant.

Darling Husband (DH): I don't know. Will you make a cup of coffee? (I go over to the coffee pot)

Me: I'm pretty sure Buddy bred her, but I can't tell if she's really pregnant. I hope we have two goats.

DH: That's nice. I hope so, too. (I hand him the coffee). I got a lot of calls today, so don't hold dinner.

Me: Do you need the phone? I was going to check my email.

DH: No, I'll use my cell phone.

Scene 2 several days later. It's lunch time.

DH: Hey, have you seen my notebook anywhere? (I hand him the notebook from the other room) I looked at Duchess when I went by. She's strating to look pregnant.

Me: Yeah, I think so. Her udder is starting to swell up. But I can't really be sure yet.

DH: Look at her hips from the back. She really looks pregnant then.

Me: Do you want a sandwich for lunch? Yeah, you can't tell she's anything much from the front.

DH: OK. I'll have a sandwich. Her right side looks bigger than her left. Is that what it's supposed to look like.

Me: Yeah that's normal. Do you want cheese? I got American and Provolone.

DH: Provolone sounds nice.

Me: I'll bet she has her kids during the 28 degree night we're supposed to have tomorrow. Probably in the sleet.

DH: (eating his sandwich) Yeah, right. (finishes sandwich) See ya' later. (He walks out the door)

Scene 3 A week later. DH is nowhere to be seen. I'm on the phone.

Me: No. No baby goats yet. Yeah she sure looks pregnant. (pause) yeah. yeah. I know. I hope she has them soon. OK (pause) OK. That'll work. See you tomorrow. Bye. (hangs up phone and talks to dog). Hey, boy. come here. Let's go look at the goats. Come on. Let's go (they exit)

Scene 4 Two days later. It's evening. DH is in the kitchen drinking coffee. I come walking in.

DH: Hey, you got to see this. I got something to show you.

Me: Hold on. (I put a small object down on the table and lay down a purse and a bag) I'll be right there.

DH: (goes over to camera and turns it on) You gotta see this. (I walk up to him and look at the camera as he pushes buttons)

Me: Oh look. how cute. Hey that's Duchess!

DH: Yep. She had her babies. I was there. It was cool

Me: Alright! How many?

DH: Two - a boy and a girl.

Me: Cool. I wish I had been there.

So, How Was Your Day?

Do you know what you'll be eating this year? I do. Fresh, home grown organic produce. You can too. Just join us by becoming a shareholder in Mule Shoe Farm. Click here for the Agreement.

Today was a great day! Warm air, a little rain and there was enough time to work on the goat nursery. Yep. That's right. I'm going to be a goat granny. Duchess is quite well along in her pregnancy and Leslie told me last week, she would have kids soon. I could have made sure I knew when she got pregnant and then marked her due date on the calendar but that would have been too easy. Instead, she and Buddy have been shackin' up together and who knows when she got knocked up. But that's what we wanted. She'll be nursing her kids for awhile and then we'll have milk for the family. Can't wait.

Mary and Hannah came out to help. We picked up the many many sticks in the nursery. The pile was so tall we needed help to stand on top of it. We also made an opening in the fence for a gate and took apart two chain link panels to form the actual gate. Along the way, we discussed what first time farm visitors would need to hear. Hannah took home a math problem to work on and they'll be back on Thursday. We'll be working on putting up chicken wire inside the pen, so the newborns can't get stuck in the larger fence openings.

I've been working on a list of what seeds will be needed this year and a list of what to buy. I think I'll post the inventory on hand In the Basket soon. So, if you have requests or suggestions, please send them in.

We're taking a critical look at the structure of our forests. Trees, just like gardens need to be weeded and tended. They are on a different time scale because trees are not annuals. Duh. I know you know, but sometimes I have to say it out loud so I can get it. Trees require patience.

I've started to see a chiropractor and attended an informational session this evening. Would you believe that the chiropractor advised eating a sensible diet of organic food to maintain health? What do you know? I think this organic thing is catching on. Anyway, a few more people know about Mule Shoe Farm. I am excited about the opportunity to welcome new friends into our circle. Oh yeah, the chiropractor is a big help for me, too. He'll help keep me moving.

While the weather stays good, I'll be outside and working. Maybe tomorrow, I'll actually take pictures. Meanwhile, I am working on a multi-part piece all about growing potatoes. Look for it here.

And before I forget: I got my Valentine present early. He's furry and about 12 weeks old. We named him Lotlo:lu, which is Oneida for "he is watching." He is an Australian shepherd, blue heeler mix. Jimbo's taken to calling him Swiffer. Pictures will be forthcoming.

It is a Wee bit Frustratin'

from Wikipedia: common ragweed - grows between 1-3ft at the farm

So here we are, almost to the end of September, and no fence for a new goat pen. Needless to say, I am mulling this lack of fence over and over in my mind. I want a fence, but when I go outside, I am good for about15-30 minutes tops. Then the golden haze of ragweed pollen mixed with everything else starts to tickle my nose. I'm toast for the rest of the day. If I push my luck, which I have been known to do, and go out after an hour or two of rest in the house, then I am having major allergy problems for at least two days, if not more. Ugh.

Say it through your stopped up sinusitis nose -- Ugh. Don't feel any better? Me either.

I used to say, in college, that I wanted someone to give me a wooden spoon so I could dig out the offending body part - my sinuses. No one took me up on that offer. Too bad. So here I am with my hyper-active super vigilent immune system centralized about my nose and sinuses.

from Wikipedia: grand ragweed, also called buffalo or horse weed, grows 6 ft and beyond in the field

Over the years I have tried countless remedies, both mainstream and not so mainstream. I've had allergy shots. Had an allergic reaction to them after about a year. Ate bee pollen - no change. Ate local honey - no change. Took prescription and over the counter allergy medicine - only works for a lmited amount of time if at all and has to be strong enough to knock me out to work. Went to sleep with a wet warm washcloth on my face - aaah nice but allergies would come back pretty quick. Drank or ate extremely cold drinks - some temporary relief. Worked in computer rooms 8-12 hrs. per day - worked well, but I was cold most of the time and a bit stressed. Sleep always worked pretty well, but I missed a lot of interesting stuff.

Now I have begun to change my diet and my lifestyle as part of this farm experiement and I have had limited success. Ragweed season starts in the middle of August. I usually start sneezing uncontrollably with watery eyes, itchy throat and stuffed sinuses within a day or two. I also get welts when I handle ragweed. They go away after about 15, 20 minutes. This year with my local, organic diet, I pushed the inevitable sinusitis back until about a week ago. That is progress, but I am still allergic. I have recently researched the role of various vitamins in boosting your immune system. Key players appear to be Vitamin E, C, B12 and zinc. It will take a bit longer to work those things into my diet and perhaps the vitamins and minerals would be more effective coming from local food. We will see. One thing I know for sure is... I'm looking for that wooden spoon. Maybe I'll be back out in October or November.

Floating Down the River like Tom Sawyer

Yellow Boy doing his job guarding the cannas.

Oh Happy Day! Nobody got out of their areas - no Houdini Hens - no wild goats eating my flowers and the dogs were all home this morning.

This is my husband hard at work catching an elusive people-shy Duchess the night we first got her.

AND this is Duchess posing for the camera this afternoon. Ain't she just cute!

We had to work with her to get her used to us. We plan on her being a mommy next spring and how the heck am I going to milk a goat that I can't get near?

I also saw our two fashionably aloof kitties: Charcoal and Larry. They are not allowing any photos today.

I even slept in, but not too much. My friend Sarah came over this morning and we moved some wood, drank coffee, picked tomatoes and squash blossoms and made some kick-butt omelets. She brought some righteous steak biscuits and cinnamon buns from a local restaurant which we added to the great home-made super-fresh omelets. Did I mention the eggs were from own very own Houdini Hens? At least their eggs can't get out.

HINT - add a little baking soda to the omelet to get a good fluff to it. And use large or jumbo eggs. I made ours with 8 pullet eggs - so cute and sweet in their miniature size. BUT - I digress...

Later this afternoon we went canoeing down Sam's Creek toward the Cumberland River with friends - two canoes and two kayaks - 3 adults and 4 children. We saw a heron and another bird with a red head, long beak and black feathers. We also saw a hawk and my daughter saw a turtle. I did not, of course, remember to bring the camera, so too bad. You'll have to get in your own canoe at the boat dock and paddle it yourself to see what I saw. If you are definately not into that, then take a Blue Heron Cruise (www.tnvacation.com/vendors/blue_heron_cruises) which docks at RiverView Restaurant in Ashland City. Captain Jim gives a terrific wildlife tour up the Cumberland.

When my daughter to stopped making up songs for a moment and I stopped paddling, the stillness of the backwater crept in and it was just beautiful and perfect. It took me back to my childhood summers, fishing with my brother on the bank of the Okmulgee River. I could have sat there forever but my son tipped his kayak for the third time after complaining about being hot. We went back to help turn him over and continued on. We did not quite get to the Cumberland but turned back when we were close. Never go further than you are willing to paddle back is excellent advice in this situation. My son had enough of paddling and we towed him back to the starting point.

We enjoyed us some D-licious watermelon and curry rice when we got back. What a great Labor Day and that's why we are livin' the dream! Oh and did I think about the new fence? - a little - I at least imagined myself digging a posthole. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Moving Chickens and Fencing Goats

Today's the day - Time to move the chickens. Last week we moved them into their brand-new modern chicken tractor constructed of PVC and plastic net. So, this being Sunday, I tra-la-la down the road with goat concentrate and an egg basket, thinking this will be a piece of cake.

That's what I get for thinking...

Situation Room - Code Red - We have a SITUATION here.

Goats - have no water but are in a big hurry for their special feed ration

Chickens - The Houdini Hens have made themselves at home in the goat pen even bedding down in the mass of sticks-n-stuff I pulled out to the middle yesterday.

Dogs - totally not interested - OK

Now it's time for the 100 yard chicken dash which consists of a grown women in overalls chasing very young and nimble chickens in circles. I'm lucky it's hot in the middle of the day because the chickens get tired and what they don't know is that I just drank a marvelous cup of free-trade coffee with my shaved dark chocolate, butter, cherry preserve, all whole wheat organic toast for breakfast.

OK, now the chickens are back in their happy little home. How did they get out, you ask? Oh well.. It's like this, see... um... last night...um...I didn't close the net door all the way and they figured out how to slip out. But enough about me - how 'bout them chickens.

I built this chicken tractor with the idea that I could move it all by my wee li'l self so it's pretty light but it's also pretty long. The length was kinda dictated by the number of chickens and the width of my recycled PVC. So I'm moving it taking care to keep the net doors on either side secure. The chickens who had been panting in the shade - now you know it's hot - are getting kinda spunky, chasing newly uncovered bugs and trying out the new grass to see if it tastes all right.

That's Good! Livin' the dream, baby! Happy chickens and ha--- Oh look at the goats! How cute! They're playing that head butt game they like.

No - not cute - dangerous. They're bored. I haven't got the new fence up yet for the next pen, so I am cutting down weeds in places I don't want and feeding the cuttings to the goats. I head on over to the lively lad and the rake - Oh yeah I forgot - the goats and the chickens need water, so it's off to the water with buckets and stuff. The hose is in the raised bed garden so I can water the beds with the excess water generated by rinsing out waterers. Small problem here, the hose has created holes and compacted dirt in the raised garden from that leak I've been meaning to fix. Time to move it to another bed. Finally I get two chicken waters, two five gallon buckets and one five gallon stock pot I use for the dogs, scrubbed, rinsed and filled with fresh water. It's off to get the water out there. Now we're three hours into the whole operation and I'm thinking I'm kinda hungry. On with the show. The goats get their water and their green weedy "hay" mostly ragweed this month, and I'm in the house cooling off with a sandwich and some water.

I am impressed with my air conditioner and the cool darkness of the house. Ah the simple pleasures of life... mmmm. Let's all pause a moment and enjoy cold air conditioning on a hot day.
OK - now the goats have been tied up on one end of the pen to keep them from trampling the chicken tractor and it's time to let them move around a bit. But I'm tired just now and my husband disappears somewhere. The kids want lunch and are full of questions about things they do not have permission to do just yet - like watch TV, play on the computer. There are chores to do that are waiting for an adult to come in and demand they be finished instantly. I am not that adult at the moment but I am the adult who says, "I'm sorry, do what? Oh no, honey, you forgot to pick up your toys in the living room." with as much sympathy as I can muster.

After awhile, I get curious about where my husband has gone off to. I heard him working in his blacksmith shop around back but now the hammer was silent. I go out and head to the goat pen. The wonderful man has - mark your calendars, ladies - read my mind. He is securing a divider fence between the goats and the chickens and is nearly finished. We are recycling some 2"x4" welded wire to create the barrier turning a hundred foot by fifty foot pen into two fifty foot square pens. He had created some iron straight posts the hold the top of the fence down and provide it with more stability than it would otherwise have.

Let me backtrack a bit - this part of the pen had been a garden plot with a partially completed wattle fence in its past and so there were posts every five foot but some of them were no longer stable enough for the goats. So Jim took scrape iron from projects and created fence holders that we drove in the ground to hold the fence. The gate between the pens is part of the fence itself and secured with an iron pin and a clip where the goats can't get to it. Those were some happy goats when we freed them from the lines. Only Buddy maybe wasn't too happy 'cause his lead rope was tied on and he had to be pinned down so we could untie the super knot holding him. He fussed a bit but finally he was free, too.

OK, now it's time for supper and back to the house we go to scare up some grub. Fresh squash, celery and carrots combined with rice, a little bacon and seasoning make an excellent supper for a long day. It's nice to make headway on the never-ending to do list here at the farm. I think tomorrow we will enjoy Labor Day with friends and think about putting up more fence.