Thursday, January 25, 2007

The barnyard winter pen and its Spring time plans

As I mentioned before, the pen yard has been drastically reduced not just in the animals, but in the pen size. For 5 chickens, 1 muscovy and a goat, this is just fine for the winter. Why give them a huge area where they cannot scratch away through frozen ground and why wonder far from the bales of yummy hay waiting inside a much warmer & comfortable goat cabin? The area is enough for my lazy girl anyway. She does not like to wonder the hill unless she can see me out there with her.
The snow has kept her inside the goat cabin and this is what i see everyday when i walk outdoors and look her way.
She does not like her feet in the snow and has never liked the feeling of water on her precious hoofs. She will chew away at her cud and maaaing at me to come visit- inside the cabin of course. I bring along an old lawn chair and her brush to clean up some of that long hair of hers. She loves to be brushed. Especially now that a jealous certain someone is not chewing on her ears when I do brushings.
Obviously, the goat cabin still needs painting. The window wood has been screwed on and a peek door was put in as a temp fix for the winter. I will put in a true window with chicken wire on the inside along with screen as an additional barrier from glass if it were to ever break. I need to re-measure my smaller extra 8 pane window to see if it will fit in that spot. In the spring it will get a good sanding, a thick layer of barn red paint and white trimming. The door which is an old vinyl cover wood piece from the rabbit hutch was a perfect fit for a sliding door that made a great winter temporary fix. A new dutch door will be put on in the Spring too. I plan to move all my hosta's from behind the house to the road side of the goat cabin as a way to help in its curb side look. the apple tree had a limb removed so the cabin could be placed where it is so hopefully once the tree awakens, it is not a total eyesore of a job. i will be putting the old animal house from atop the hill on freecycle this week. hopefully, it will be taken and The Captain does not get a bonfire from it. We have enough limbs from the tree cutting that should get him through till the house is bought.
On another note, i have discouraged my husband from the job in Hagerstown MD. I do not see us faring well in the realty with prices starting at$100,000 more then what our house cost to get the same size house with at least 1/2 acre. That would be a 1/3 of what we have now! Besides, I would rather move more south like Tennessee. I had him put in for a position down there in Knoxville. I just cannot take these northern winters anymore. My bones are aching and at my age that is just wrong! I want to be somewhere much warmer then ohio. Growing up with Summers avg. about 98 F degrees has spoiled me.
I am hoping for more snow to fall & stick for a weekend playing with snowshoes, sleds and some adult play with X-country skis on the FAB trails our favorite metro park has for all to enjoy. Its been awhile since The Captain & I have had time as just US.
Sweet Snowy dreams,
Tammie

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