A stranger shows up on the ranch.

I saw the goats had broken into the garden and orchard.  I chased them out and repaired the damage to the fence. Then I went looking for where they went…

As I came around the corner this “new” goat stood up and scared the heck out of me! He was not one of mine. I have no idea of where he came from. I live 10 miles out a dirt road in the middle of the forest.  There isn’t another ranch for 20 miles.

Seeing the damage he does, I think he was dumped. Since his arrival, he has fathered 3 boys… you’ll see their videos in the feed.

New kitty at the ranch

Driving home I saw a box on the side of the road in the forest. I didn’t think much of it, people dump their trash in the forest more often than I care to see. Something made me turn around and check. The box had a dead chicken in it. Suddenly, this kitten ran out of the brush, up my body and onto my shoulder,  crying the entire time.

I don’t know how many kittens started off in that box, but she was all that was left. She was only a couple of weeks old.

Meet Nadja.

Old dozer

Nelly Dozer

We bought Nelly a year or so after we bought the ranch. She has plowed snow taller than her cab, brought huge logs out of the forest to our saw mill and just made hard chores easier.

I’ve been blessed having a machine I can actually work on. The new skid steer isn’t designed for folks to work on. So if it needs attention I have to hire a tech to come do the job. As old equipment is phased out and new equipment can’t be worked on by the folks using it I expect farms and ranchers will have to pass those expenses on to the consumer.

Rassy and Duke

Rassy does better with Duke than with the other goats. They sleep in separate crates next to each other. Duke has a muzzle on because he likes to play rough and we don’t want him to hurt Rassy accidentally.

Poppies!

I scattered several pounds of poppy seeds last year. Their color has really added to the beauty of the landscape this spring!