LOTS of nifty stuff....

It's been a busy few days around the ranch....

Since the ground is soft this time of year, it makes it easier to build fence. I NEED to open up another pasture for the goats, so I am trying to get some fenced in. This winter, I managed to scrounge 100 steel T posts, so I SHOULD have enough for now (I WILL need more later....).

Today, I happened to be able to scrounge another 35! There are 5-6 bent ones, but they are "straightenable". There were two that I think will be scrap because they are bent almost in a circle....

I also came up with 30+ good Hedge posts from the same place. Some of these are good corners. There were also several Cedar posts and smaller posts I will use as braces in the deal, and a few telephone poles.

I also brought the last load home from the barn project we were working on. Everything is completely gone now and the "dregs" are even burnt. They brought in a New Holland dozer to shove trees around and get the place ready for planting.

The dozer is about the size of a Cat D-9, so it can really tear up a few things. The man running it is VERY experienced at using it. There is a saying in the heavy equipment/construction crowd - "Anyone can be a good operator, but a great operator can FEEL where that blade is". I saw this man pull T posts with the tip of the dozer blade. From the cab, there is no way he could SEE the posts, but he pulled a lot of the without even bending them. He would just hook them on the tip of the blade and lift them straight out of the ground.

One of the last things I brought home today was a galvanized water tank. This one is 5 feet wide, 2' deep and 12' long. I originally had planned to use it as a place to throw scrap metal but, after looking at it, it MIGHT actually still hold water. I will have to clean it up and check it out and see.

I even managed to get a shot of one of my "Peek-a-knees" goat kids sticking his neck through the pallets! Now if I could just get BOTH of them....



I came home this noon and found one of the Kinder moms trying to find one of her kids. We BOTH looked all over the pasture and barn, but couldn't find her anywhere! After about 20 minutes, I happened to spot the tops of a couple of white ears....



I guess the inside of a black tire with some hay to lay on was a nice warm place! It was breezy this morning, so it was out of the wind, also.



Mom was worried, but calmed down when we found her.

I have a rooster that is "low man on the totem pole". The other roosters are trying to keep him from food in the mornings, so he is the first to "bug out" when I open the door. He stays on the roost and watches everyone else eat until he can make the mad dash for the safety of outside. For the past few days, I have been putting food outside for him, and catching him before I open the coop. This gives him time to eat before the others get out.

The first 2-3 days, he didn't like being caught but, this morning, he actually just waited for me to grab his ankles. He still squawked a bit, but I think it was for show - in reality, he WANTED me to catch him. He knows I'll take him to food. Don't know how much longer he's gonna get "Preferred Treatment", though. One of these mornings, he's in for a BIG surprise.....

The "Evil Twin" had kittens this afternoon. 5 little ones. She had them right on top of some hay bales in the barn. Right out in the open. There were three all white ones, one white with "Snoopy Spots" and a grey one with a white belly. It's VERY doubtful we will keep any of these, since we have enough already.

Other then that, not much going on....