Sunday

A beautiful day! But I am done in, and hope to get up the energy to do some stuff today!

I had a terrible stomach ache last night and went to bed as soon as I served the saplings supper. And slept for 14 hours. I feel weak and shaky!

We worked in the drizzle again yesterday. I wasn't as soaked as I was on Friday. My pant legs were, though. I lost 13 bucks briefly in the woods. We had walked down a dirt road and they went in the woods and were browsing. Next thing I know, Willow says,"the bucks are gone"

I took off through the woods and told the saplings to stay on the road. I went up a mountain* and no sign of them. Finally I found 4 out of thirteen. It was wet and windy so it was hard to tell where the others were. Finally I spotted a couple. Goats stay on the move when they are browsing, so I was crawling under blowdowns and wading through newly filled vernal pools.

I broke through the woods and found myself directly across from Prescott. Those brats! They are not allowed on that side of the road, so they went down the road and in and cut back to their favorite illegal spot.

We got most of them going back, and I started tying them after I closed the gate. Willow pointed out I locked Nibbeola out, so she let him in. Then I realized we were missing Hippolytus. I sent the Willow and the Firebird back down the road where we last saw him. I collared and grained the other twelve, and still no Hippo.

I joined the kids and we walked way down the road shouting, "Hippo, Hippolytus!!" The Firebird went up in the woods calling. Finally I said, let's go back and release everyone else and wait to see if he comes back.

I walked all the way back to Prescott, and there was HIppo up the road. Somehow he got by us and was UP the road, not down. I shook the grain and he came running. Phew. Boss probably wouldn't have batted an eye, but I was a little stressed out thinking I lost 13 bucks.

I think I'll take it easy today.

*not a real mountain, a bit of a rise.