I had to work alone at MM on Saturday. Normally they have two and sometimes three prep people working on Saturdays. They need that many on most Saturdays. They fired the other prep person that was supposed to work with me and didn’t schedule another person. I handled it okay, but it wiped me out. The job is wiping me out. This is the type of job that I should have been doing when I was 20, not when I’m 50. This week, I’m the only prep person scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That means I get more hours, but it’s exhausting. The contract job didn’t pan out. It was supposed to be a very long-term contract position, possibly going permanent, but it turned into a month-long position. One of the state positions I applied for got put on hold due to budget cuts. I may die at MM. That’s a sad thought.
It is what it is; I’ll make it. I need to remember to bring in my iPod and charge it so I can listen to it while I work. Listening to my music tends to help things along.
Saturday morning I went out to check on Beetaloo. She had two babies, but she had left one in the pasture returning to the shelter with the other baby. I bundled the one up she left and brought it in the house to warm it up. It was a doe. Wally tried like heck to get her nursing. Wally’s really good at getting goat kids to nurse, but he wasn’t successful with this one. Her legs were screwed up, sort of like the LaMancha doe kid that was born two years ago now. Wally said to each other that if this happened again, we’d put the kid down instead of trying to save it.
That was what he had to do on Sunday. The surviving buck kid is doing fantastic. He’s gorgeous. Too bad he’s a buck. The other babies are doing great as well. I really like the Alpine/Oberhasli X kids. They seem particularly vibrant. Maybe it’s the hybrid vigor. I was considering breeding the two Oberhasli does to an Oberhasli buck next year, but I think I’m going to use the same buck next year. Now I have four does in milk and since Beetaloo only has a single kid, I have to milk her twice a day too. The goats are not getting grain in their pasture so when it’s time to milk, they come flying in there like freight trains. Tonight we’ll put the Oberhasli X kids up overnight for the first time. The milk will pour tomorrow morning!
The rest of the does are about a month out now so we’ll get a break. Three of the remaining does to kid are first time fresheners so that will be interesting. I can’t wait to see what their udders look like.
All of the dairy animals are doing well on the hay I got last Sunday. It’s an organic mixture of alfalfa, timothy and orchard grass. Gwen is pouring the milk and, more importantly behaving herself in the milk stall.
Wally’s mare, Mellow Moose, went back to her former home on Friday. That was bittersweet. Now I’m worried about Sudi being an only horse, but I think he’s okay. I don’t think Sudi cares too awful much about other horses. I keep telling him being the only horse means he gets all the food. I took him out Sunday afternoon and did some ground work and just walked around in the fields. It was nice. He’s a wonderful horse. I now have an endurance ride to shoot for. It’s August 13 at a park called Leatherwood. It’s supposed to be a difficult ride, but Sudi and I can do it. I have a good mentor in my farrier. Still up in the air whether I’ll do the 50 or the shorter distance ride. I’d like to do the 50, but we’ll see.
We finished the back part of the goat shelter on Sunday. It came out great. I should have taken pictures yesterday, but I was too tired. I’m tired now. I wanted to get two more beds ready to plant Sunday afternoon, but I was too tired. Maybe I can work on them when I get home from work. I’m hoping I won’t get too overwhelmed today. Being overwhelmed is a state of mind … if I stay calm and focused, I’ll be okay.
I need to get my butt in gear and get out and get the milking done and then get ready for work.
Until later …
Hang-in there!!! I know prep work can be very challenging, but it could be worse. Just try substitute teaching in a failing middle school with 45 seventh graders per class. If you don’t feel old at the start of the day, you will by the end!
Ha! They wouldn’t want me in front of 45 seventh graders … I’m better off hacking up vegetables!!!!! Thanks!!!!
I get tired just reading your blog :0)
Fifty miles? Heelloo! Are you awake? Or have you spent too much time at MM?
Fifty miles is an endurance race; they have limited distance rides that are 25 or 30 miles. That’s probably what I’ll do for my first ride. I may not walk for a few days afterward.