Sunday, February 14, 2010

Chores - I Got 'Em!

I've never had chores before.  City girls don't do chores!  I've always gotten up much, much earlier than I needed to.  Like now, I get up at 5:30 and leave for work about 7-7:30.  Mostly I putz (or putter).  Read the newspaper, wash dishes, clean up a bit, sit and stare at the fire.  If I have any important thinking-type work to do, I do it in the morning.  You know.  I putz.  I've been doing it as long as I've been working, around 25 years (except for the staring at the fire part).

Now, the chickens are beginning to insinuate themselves into my routine.  First thing in the morning, feed the dogs and cats, go out and feed the chickens, look for eggs, bring the water bucket in, clean it, refill it and take it back out.  Revive the fire in the woodstove.  Make tea. etc, etc.  And so the day begins.

The chores are even beginning to resolve into morning chores and evening chores.  Feed the animals both morning and evening.  Morning: clean the chicken water.  Evening: haul wood. 

I've got about 2 weeks of wood left in the woodshed before I have to start hauling wood from the backup cord, outside.  This woodshed is SO on it's last legs.  The 2x4 at the lower right of the frame is holding the roof up.  You can see daylight on both sides of the back wall. On the right side, it's raggedy daylight, as if something were coming apart, which is exactly what's happening.  As soon as it gets warm, the back and side walls (and roof) are coming down and getting rebuilt.  Better than before, and longer too, so I can park the lawn tractor and ATV behind the wood.

You guys have no idea how close I came to buying 3 baby goats yesterday from the goat dairy! The owner says they can stay in the house for a few weeks/months (I don't remember which), they only need a tent outside, and my portable electric fencing would be plenty for them.  It was in my plan for this year anyway!  Thankfully, sanity ruled the day and I returned goat-free.  For now anyway.  The goat dairy lady says she'll have kids for another month. ...  hm.  hm.  More chores.  But these guys/gals were SO cute!  And part of my plan, too!

9 comments:

  1. Get the goats! Get the goats! Get the goats!!

    I want to hear goat stories!

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  2. Goats=more chores.

    And don't believe the "stay in the house" story. They tell it to all the newbie suckers. That is, unless you are prepared to mop up gallons of pee, chase goat raisins into every corner, and offer up one piece of furniture and at least three items of clothing to chewing...

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  3. Oh wow. My house already has a mysterious smell in places. Goat berries and goat pee would add a whole new layer of wonderfullness. Plus - how exactly am I going to take care of a baby goat if I'm away at work for 11 hours a day! This obviously needs a bit more thinking through!

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  4. The kid goats could stay IN THE HOUSE??!! I would think twice about anything that goat lady tells you. Short of building a solid wood fence partitioning off half of your living room, I can't think of any way you could contain baby goats in the house. And then you'd still have the pee, poop and smell to deal with.

    It is true. Despite the bad rap goats have gotten (smelling awful, eating tin cans, etc.) they are naturally very curious animals and are experts at getting out of pens. East Coast goats may be different than Midwestern goats but electric fencing would never have contained our goats. Okay, it did during the day in a very large pasture when they were intent on stuffing their faces with lusciousness but NOT in their regular every day/night time pen.

    They CAN live outside in all kinds of weather IF they have a dry, wind-proof house to snuggle in. Cold wetness and the wind are killers. If you put baby goats outside in the winter with only a drafty tent for protection, you will have sick baby goats.

    And goats need/want a lot of exercise so it would be cruel not to have a securely fenced in yard (containing playground equipment -- stumps, large boulders, sturdy wooden platform, etc.) for them to play and climb on. Otherwise, they will be bored and standing with front feet on the fence and trying to climb over or under and out.

    I love goats and am anxious for you to get yours but getting ready for them will require much more than getting ready for the chickens did. Please don't get them before you are ready. ESPECIALLY when you have to be away from home for work much of the time.

    I don't mean to be negative and discouraging but I just know you are going to love having goats and don't want you to have a bad experience with them. It's evident how much you enjoy and love all your animals so I know getting the goats before you're prepared would drive you crazy.

    P.S. There is NOTHING cuter than baby goats! I feel sure there will be a lot of them in your future.

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  5. Thanks for the wake up call, Mama Pea. My original plan was to put up a fence and get a good shed up this year, and hopefully 3 goats later in the year. Looks like I'll be going back to that plan!

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  6. Jordan, I can't wait to read about the day you get your goats!! You are living my dream. I always wanted to move back to upstate New York when I retire and get a small farm with the chickens, goats, dogs, etc. I learn from every post I read on your blog. I think Mama Pea, although I've never met her, is the true voice of reason.

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  7. Dearest Genny - HAHAHAhahahaha . . . ah . . . heeheehee . . . ooooh.

    But bless you, my child, for making me feel good. (Ask my dear husband and he will tell you I am totally UNreasonable.)

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  8. Genny & Mama Pea-
    I have a friend who often calls me to be her 'voice of reason'. That is our joke together, too! I agree with Mama Pea to wait. If she doesn't have baby goats when you want them, someone else will. They will be there for you, somewhere. Did you go in her house?? Maybe the smell of goats is not a problem to her. I have been reading goat stories for a bit and one thing I've learned is although they are adorable, they are crafty escape artists. After you leave the house, they have a WHOLE DAY to work on escape. Maybe you would get just the very obedient babies, that would stay put. But I think of Jenna and Finn and having him bed down somewhere else because she cannot have him for now. I don't want your babies to come and then have to go somewhere else until you can assure their safety at your place. Being winter enough to not be able to fix the woodshed, the goat barn and fence are not going to happen this week, either. Slow and steady wins the race. Enjoy the chickens and make plans for the goats.

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  9. sorry!
    Only the beginning was for genny & Mama Pea, the rest was the Jordan talk..

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