Goodbye Stilts

A couple came by today to look at Sierra and while here checked out our goats and sheep.  And left with Stilts.

Apparently, they didn't like my answer of "going to slaughter" when asked what we were planning to do with a bottle lamb.  Bye Stilts, have a long and happy life!

Litter

Our beautiful golden retriever, Emma, had a litter of puppies yesterday, November 24, 2013.  She began labour mid morning.  Ivy did a great job of keeping vigil over her.

Then at 1:44 the first pup was born.  A dark male.

By 7:02, all nine pups were born.  Emma welcomed 5 males and 4 females.

Redecorating

Every year around this time I get a sudden urge to redecorate.  Last year I tore down the built-in eye sore wall unit in my front living room and repainted the whole room a warm tan colour just in time for Christmas.

This year the Christmas tree is going back into the huge family room since Oldest is not boarding dogs here any longer.  I'm so excited to get my room back after nearly a year and a half.  It is a huge room, around 600 square feet.  I've envisioned a sectional in there since we moved here.  So I hit kijiji and started surfing and searching for just the right one.  I found it over a 3 hour drive away, but it was so worth the $600 I paid for it which included the price of gas.

It seats my entire family and then some.  I couldn't be more happy with it.  I am a huge fan of kijiji, especially when I'm able to score an item such as this.  The other item we bought from kijiji for the family room was this surround entertainment unit for our big screen tv.

No particle board here, it is nice and heavy real wood.  And cost me a mere $100.  The leather chair was also purchased off kijiji for $40.  It is so true.  One man's junk, is another man's treasure.  Though I hardly think anyone thought these items were junk.  Most simply didn't fit into new decor or house.  Actually, when hunting, moving is the first word I type into my search engine. Those are the best deals as those people are looking to get rid of their items quickly and are willing to negotiate on the price.  I'm looking next to finishing my kitchen and dining room and am confident I will find exactly what I am envisioning off kijiji at a third of what it would cost me full price. 

Gettin' Some Loving

Lately things have been a little rough.  I'm having some family problems and today I received some very upsetting and stressful news regarding a financial decision we made a couple years back.  It was enough finally to send me to tears.  So I headed to the barn to be with my ewes and lambs.  They offer an unlimited amount love.  Just what I needed.

Sisters, Celine & Celeste and Stilts in the foreground of course.

Stilts and Queenie.  Next to Stilts, Queenie has the most love to give. 

One More Down

Yesterday I delivered Tex to his new home.  It turned out to be more sad then I anticipated.  Tex was always extra cargo.  He came to our farm via his mother, Willow.  The previous owners wouldn't separate them as she felt Tex was too young.  We took him thinking we'd just resell him when he got older.  Easier said then done.  Nobody wanted an unregistered non-gelded colt.  So he continued to live with us and bond with us until he reached a year and a half old.  During the summer I noticed he was beginning to mount mom, so he was separated from the herd and has been living by himself ever since.  I always felt rather bad about that but he was a brave independent little guy who didn't seem to mind.  But the time finally came (aka approaching winter and winter feeding costs) that he had to go.  I posted him again offering him free to a good home.  Of course, then I got a lot of interest.  I decided on a man not far from us who lived on a small hobby farm along with a number of goats, pigs, chickens and rabbits.  Tex would rule the farmyard.  As we said our farewells, I felt a pang of sadness.  He came to me a wild little pony, but he was leaving a quiet sweet and lovable stallion.

Downsizing

We are downsizing for the winter and making room for more sheep.  So we said goodbye to Faun, Farm Girl's original goat.

We have decided that every animal on the farm should have a purpose and since Farm Girl has redirected her interest in goats to the milking kind, it was evident Faun did not measure up.  We have owned her for nearly 3 years and even though she has been exposed to a buck, she has been unable to breed.  Farm Girl had already sold all her previous meat goats before she went out west, but Faun she was unable to let go since she had been her favourite.  But distance heals all wounds and Faun no longer held a twinkle in Farm Girl's eye, so she sold her and we said goodbye to her today.  

Along with two other much more difficult decisions.  We knew we had too many horses, I only need one and Farm Girl only needs one.  We had four.  So someone had to go, question was who.  In the end the decision was made and Chloe and Chase were eliminated.  Chloe, though I enjoyed riding her tremendously, belonged to Oldest who wanted nothing to do with her.  I had never really bonded with Chloe like I had Aussie even though I felt safe on her and rode her more often, there is just something about Aussie I absolutely adore.  So my choice was Aussie over Chloe.

But it wasn't really a tough call for me, but for Farm Girl, it was a little tougher.  Chase over Sierra.  Sierra is young, green, not broke but comes from good bloodlines and may be a good breeding horse.  Chase was her real "first horse".  He taught her a lot, made her the rider she is today.  But she needed to go further and he couldn't take her to the next level.  He needed to find another young Farm Girl to teach.  In the end, she made the decision to let Chase go.

What is nice is that we sold them to a family friend so we will be able to see them through Facebook and keep updates on how things are going.  I think they will be very happy in their new home and will be great school horses for their new novice riders.  For me, without Chloe I will be forced to ride my own horse more.  It's my personal goal.  To bond with Aussie in the saddle as much as I do on the ground.