Goodbye Christmas

Christmas was the name of the youngest goose at the farm, named so by P for her destination as this year's Christmas dinner.

When I quit the farm a few weeks ago it was in part because of the geese flock. Everyone at the farms deals with the geese by picking up sticks and threatening the geese. Granted, the geese, especially two of the ganders, are a bit vicious, and once one of them left a bruise the size of a grapefruit on K's calf.

A little while ago I discovered if I tossed a handful of cracked corn where I would rather the geese be, the geese would run over to the corn cackling and be distracted long enough for me to pass. This was quite convenient when going through a gate, since they have a habit of running from one gate to the other and many times I ran through a gate and across the road to the hill with the flock in hot pursuit. I found the whole situation annoying, and was quite pleased with myself finding the corn solution. No one else used corn, and the geese weren't stupid; many a morning I pulled into the farm to have the flock rush to the car in greeting.

Well, P was going through a bitchy phase, and was frequently making complaints about things that had to do with my work and the way I do things. One day I overheard heard her saying something about not being stupid enough to give the geese corn, and that was the predecessor to a huge fall out. I did agree to continue working at the farm, but one day recently the geese were at the gate, and I thought I would ask Boss if I could use the corn, and she told me to herd them into the garden instead. Well, I was too busy to take the time to herd the geese, so I just worked around them and had to bring the horses in the other gate.

When I arrived on Saturday I learned that Boss was taking Christmas up north for processing, and I agreed to help corral the geese at the end of the shift.

The geese had to be locked out of the gate so they wouldn't get into a place we couldn't catch them, and as I was heading up to the hill, the flock rushed me at the gate with both my hands filled with the containers of goat grain. Normally , I would have thrown them a handful of grain and continued in peace, but I had been banned, so I decided to run for it. Then my coat snagged on the fence and I was trapped like a fish on a hook. All I could see was the giant bruise that was coming, and I let our a huge swear and threw the containers at the geese and tore myself free, The poor geese really didn't know what was going on with their corn lady!

At the end of the shift I helped Mr. Boss ready the box for transporting the goose; putting in some hay and holes in the container, and then we moved in on the flock. Christmas broke from the corner and ran by me-I touched her wing but didn't want to grab it, so we cornered them again, The plan was for Mr. Boss to catch her, but again she broke in my direction, following the meanest gander, and I rushed in and grabbed her neck an scooped her up with my other arm and headed for the box. She had a wing free, and I didn't want to stop- being afraid of the other geese- and she flapped and looked at me with her brown eye and honked, like "what are you doing to me?"

"Sorry," said the corn lady as I put her in the box.

Well, when their Christmas dinner is nice and juicy this year, maybe they will thank me for fattening her up on corn. (sarcasm)

Catch up

Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since my last post here.

The Farmer's market went well. We arrived bright and early at the farm Saturday morning after stopping by an abandoned farm to snap a few early lilacs.

Ok, sounds like stealing, but in reality it does help keep the bush from getting leggy and promotes more blooms for next year.

Mr. Boss promptly informed us that the swedish meatballs fell apart, but that couldn't be helped. And we needed to pick up the extension cord from Prescott. I brought a 100 footer of my own, but the cord still needed to be retrieved from the now abandoned Prescott Farm, so we loaded up and went on our way.

Mr. Boss headed to the local store to get some dreaded plastic forks and plates for the fragile "meatballs" since toothpicks would no longer cut it.

We stopped at Prescott and picked up the cord and grabbed some flowering quince to go with the lilacs.

We managed to set up the tent, table, plate warmer, etc, and then discovered we had no meat price list, so Mr. Boss and I had a bonding moment winging it on a piece of paper I had brought for sales tallies.

Surprisingly, we sold no fiber products, and although the meat was out of sight in a cooler, we sold out of ground chevon twice, thanks to the swedish meatballs, lingonberry jam, and my not letting any prospective customer getting past the table without offerring a free sample of meatballs. Then I had to explain they had fallen apart as I revealed them in the pot. :P

Everyone that tried them like them. Some folks couldn't be convinced to try goat. Their loss.

Mr. Boss came to check on us halfway, and went back for more ground Chevon, which is how we managed to sell out twice.

We had tons of compliments on the lilacs, which we had displayed by the tent leg. Apparently no one else's were in bloom yet. Someone demanded, "are these yours????" Ack...what was I supposed to do, admit I stole them, especially when I was there representing the farm??? I pride myself on honesty but that was a tough spot. Serves me right, I suppose.

We bought some heirloom tomatoes from the plant lady, and chatted up our neighbors, the goat cheese lady, the pie lady (well, the bread lady, but she was down to one pie for an hour before she sold that and got to leave early) and the egg/beef lady.

Then we tore down and hit the end of the garage sale, and grabbed some more junk for the collection- a nice pair of globe lights, some hockey skates that will fit the Firebird next winter, and enormous spice rack with all the 24 glass stoppered bottles all for $3.

The book sale had ben ravaged and unless I wanted paperbacks in fiction, (I have too many already, that should go to next year's sale) I was out of luck.

Then I just had to unload back at the farm. Ha! The stand up freezer keep shooting all the meat back at me-I was so glad to get it all in there and hit the road home.

We've combed two days this week. Today we combed just at the bucks after moving all the cashmere down to the cottage. Bags and bags. Willow had a lot of stories to go with helping pass them out of the subaru to me waiting in stocking feet on the cottage threshhold.

"This is what we got off Mary the day she peed on my glove, " "This is what I got off Nive the day she butted me," LOL.

Poor R split his head open earlier this week working on a car after work. He was there today with staples in his head-right in his hair. I tried to give him a break and Willow and I did most of the heavy work.

When we got back to the farm-I had to give R a ride back since Boss is away-Willow hung with all the baby goats while I stowed our day's combing. Twenty-plus beautiful little baby goats, plus all our favorite adults...yeah, I gave out a lot of pats and hugs too.

Then the Fjord filly, Estrella , came down out of the field with some more goats. I noticed this am that she had gunk caked between her front legs on her girth line, so I started picking it out. I think it was goat pellets. It was glued right up to her skin in places, and that is not good.

So I kept plucking tufts of baby fur and goat poop off her tummy while she licked salt and chewed on my back pocket. Then, lacking a curry comb or shedding blade, I grabbed a slicker out of the combing bucket and brushed many handfuls of baby fuzz off her.

I finally went into the tack room and rinsed my hands. to be met on my exit by Estrella's nibbling lips. She is getting really mouthy due to hand-fed treats (not from me I know better with horses). I took my wet hands on pulled her upper lip and chin and wouldn't let her bite me-she was so cute.

Then I realized I had to pick up the chain saw from my chainsaw guy ( I yanked the cord out last weekend) by 12, so we tore out of there, and ended up also going to the garden center for some tomato plants and pansies Willow wanted for the windowbox...LOL yeah, 9 sixpacks and 4 pots later we were out of there. Pansies, alyssum, tomatoes, nicotania, geranium, petunias, and a cleome! I couldn't find seed for two years, but this year I will save some...

Oh yeah, and we got a new goose. A Toulouse Gander. Poor Lou didn't know what to do. We have had the new guy in a large pen all week and let him out today, and he is following Lou everywhere. Lou had never seen another goose. They seem to be getting along. At least, I officially bought him today when they didn't get in a fight when they finally were set loose together.

I wanted a goose not a gander, but there ya go...

And, one of our roosters came home from the neighbor!! He was so happy!!! I guess I will fix a place for him with his own hen-if I give him back (I gave her four) he will just run right back over here, and I don't want him in my garden. I hope the rest don't come back!