A VERY dry winter so far. We got out a bit, jogging the canal towpath instead of skiing it like we normally would in February. Linc did some biking (photo above from ebiking up Steven's Gulch Road to see whether there was enough snow yet to ski - not yet!)
And finally, finding enough snow up on McClure Pass, 35 miles and 3000' higher than home, to climb up Huntsman Ridge for some tele turns. Nice to get out! Back on the farm, Linc had finished the tiny house on wheels, and started advertising it nationally as a work/housing barter offer (home in exchange for taking over our farm chores 8 days/month). Immediately we started getting responses, and the interviews started. Everyone we spoke with was sure that they were a perfect fit, and we, in turn, were sure that they weren't after talking with each.
This was the month that one of our largest goats, (maybe 175 lbs, and definitely the largest with horns), Jasmine, got a wild hair and decided to kill Linc. That's probably not what she was intending really. Goats have a hierarchy, and the herd queen is at the top. All the goats know Jeanne is herd queen and rarely, if ever, offer her the slightest challenge. Linc, however, doesn't spend that much time with the goats, and I guess Jasmine decided to find out where he fit in the herd's pecking order. One day, while he had the goats out on a browse walk, she suddenly began charging and knocking him down. This went on for a matter of weeks, and became even more concerning because we were looking for someone to take over farm chores (the tiny house barter) and having a goat that liked to knock people over wouldn't help the new person learn about goats (besides, it hurts!). Gradually, (this took several months to finally calm her down) the situation resolved, through a combination of positive reinforcement (clicker) training, along with physical restraint techniques (grabbing Jasmine firmly by the horns and holding her while explaining that bashing humans was not acceptable, etc).
This was the month that one of our largest goats, (maybe 175 lbs, and definitely the largest with horns), Jasmine, got a wild hair and decided to kill Linc. That's probably not what she was intending really. Goats have a hierarchy, and the herd queen is at the top. All the goats know Jeanne is herd queen and rarely, if ever, offer her the slightest challenge. Linc, however, doesn't spend that much time with the goats, and I guess Jasmine decided to find out where he fit in the herd's pecking order. One day, while he had the goats out on a browse walk, she suddenly began charging and knocking him down. This went on for a matter of weeks, and became even more concerning because we were looking for someone to take over farm chores (the tiny house barter) and having a goat that liked to knock people over wouldn't help the new person learn about goats (besides, it hurts!). Gradually, (this took several months to finally calm her down) the situation resolved, through a combination of positive reinforcement (clicker) training, along with physical restraint techniques (grabbing Jasmine firmly by the horns and holding her while explaining that bashing humans was not acceptable, etc).
We also finally had to process Jasmine's buckling for food. We'd been unable to find a good home for him, and when that happens, we prefer to process bucklings ourselves as the best way to honor and respect the gift of the goat's body for food with the least stress for the animal in the process. It's never easy, but it was quick (for him), and a huge relief to get it done. And, yes, we do feel very thankful for the gift he provided us. Quoting from the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, Greetings to the Natural World;
"The Animals - We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so. Now are minds are one"
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
"The Animals - We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so. Now are minds are one"
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
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