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Pastimes from the Pasture by Charlie
Fall 2011
I lllluuuvvvvvv fig newtons! I had NO idea just how delicious those things really are. I am now way up on the treat list getting one fig newton all to myself! I must have won the lottery or something! Nobody else is getting them but me! Yippee! I am special, let me tell you! It does have this little white center that is kinda weird but that yummy fig jam inside the cookie makes it all worthwhile.
As for sweet gum … it makes us sad to see the season ending for those yummy treats of branches that Randy and Mark keeps bringing to us. Sometimes even Janet brings us a bucket or two of them. But the nice part is knowing delicious fresh hay awaits our winter feeding needs in the green barn. Oh, if I could just break down that fence and escape, I’d head straight for the barn!
The hurricane was pretty scary at first – all that wind and rain. We have nice shelters so it was all okay for us goats. However … when the opportunity came early the next morning to venture out beyond the gates (the winds blew them wide open), we took a little stroll towards the river – greener pastures and fresh grazing greens lie near that river shore and we were taste-testing everything we could get to! Then Randy arrived and persuaded us to come back to our safe haven. Wasn’t too difficult to convince all of us – he had a bucket of sweet feed! We just couldn’t resist!
We’re all doing just fine these days and looking forward to all the school children coming to visit. It’s also during the fall it seems we see a lot more cameras along the fence line. Some of us, I mean them, are a bit of show-offs when they see those big extended lenses approaching the fence. Once we looked it up on the internet and figured out what those black tubes were that folks were holding up to their face, some certain goats, but I won’t call any names, started posing and jumping up on the benches and butting heads and such. Suzie and Muffin try to steal the show because folks think they’re kids when they’re really almost as old as I am! I must admit, they are kinda cute.
Pastimes from the Pasture by Honey
Winter 2010
Wow! We’ve sort of have two additions to our herd! They might not be hanging out in the pasture with us, but those two new Nigerian Dwarf girls are really cute! They’re hanging out in KaBob’s territory but he doesn’t seem to mind so far. I saw Janet and Brad giving them sweet feed – wonder when we can have some? I’m really looking forward to sweet feed season – that’s coming up soon. Yum!
We had our fall visit from the goat vet, Bom. She’s so nice to us! She checked out the whole herd and gave us an A+ with the exception of worming just two of us. She says that’s really good. We do have a little issue with our hooves but hopefully that’ll clear up soon. She gave us all pedicure … I mean hooficures. I wanted the girls to get pink polish but Bom didn’t think that was such a good idea. I like pink. It looks good on the girls, you know.
We’ve been very fortunate this summer with lots of sweet gum limbs and leaves and honeysuckle. Honeysuckle was added to our summer diet and wow – that’s some sweet green leaves and vine. What a treat! Thanks to all who brought us the goodies – especially Randy!
Pastimes from the Pasture by Honey
Summer 2010
Yes, this is Honey writing again. I’ve had a rough spring this year with a nasty cough. Some said I should just give up smoking … but I wasn’t smoking! It just sounded like a nasty heavy smokers wheezing and coughing. I also had a hard time keeping up with everybody else in the pasture because I couldn’t run very fast or far.
The vets came out and twice gave me these nasty thick shots of stuff that didn’t do any good. It kept hanging on. Then the third time was a charm. That time that nice lady gave me a shot, drew out a whole bunch of blood (thought I was going to faint when I saw all that bleeding, plus I twitched when she stuck in the needle and got a bad hemotobee – that’s a big bruise I think?), took a bunch of tests and then gave me a shot.
Five days went by and I was still wheezing a bit. Saturday morning it was SO hot and sticky and the next thing I knew I was hoodwinked into the barn again with Brad and Janet locking the doors behind me. I tried not to panic. I waited for the goat vet. She didn’t come in there at all. I relaxed a little. Coughed some more but it wasn’t as bad as before. And then much to my shock and amazement, there was this long needle with thick white good in it. OMG – who is … Janet tackled me and held me close to a corner and then … BRAD STUCK ME with that needle thingy! And yes … it hurt! I whirled around right afterwards and didn’t mean to do it but then Janet got hurt. Brad and I thought her hand was fractured and I felt so bad about that. But then I saw she had a big ole hemotobee just like me! Then they squirted some nasty pasty stuff in my mouth. I didn’t want to fight it any more so I forced it down – sorta like a cat with peanut butter.
Several days passed and I got to feeling better and better. I got my wind back in my sails and am keeping up with the whole herd again! It’s been hot but we goats sorta like that heat as long as we have shade, some good ole’ fresh sweet gum, and our new treats of .. honey suckle. Wow, that’s some sweet juicy snacks too!
So that’s the latest in the pasture experiences. I’m real proud to have been fighting this for months and finally feeling better. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers – it helped me just knowing everybody cared so much. The rest of the herd was a little jealous over all the attention so ya'll can go back to spoiling Charlie again. He’s been so worried about me too but is relaxing now that we’re all at 100% again!
Pastimes from the Pasture by Honey
Winter 2009
Charlie asked me to write the column this season because he’s still a little embarrassed over the episode last week with the goat vet coming out for our annual shots and examinations.
We’ve been getting great new hay this winter and so far, along with the sweet feed, we’re doing a great job keeping our weight up a lot better than last winter. Good thing, too, considering how cold it’s been so far. We even got that weird white icey stuff in the pasture again – cold on the little hoofies!
Let me tell you about the goat vet. She showed up, mysteriously, right after Janet and Jon had rounded us up into the goat shed with sweet feed in a little blue trough in the smallest area of the pen. We were a little suspicious but we girls all knew that whatever was up was for our well being. Then that goat lady came in with a little blue bucket and oh, my, goodness! She had the weirdest blue hands I’ve ever seen on a human before. Then we got a little scared. Poor Charlie got all bristled up and we huddled to the corner. Janet grabbed Charlie first, sweet talked in his ear a little, and then that girl with the blue hands stuck something in Charlie’s neck, said something about his weight, ran those blue plastic hands along his body and said he was looking good. Well, we girls could have told her that much!
Anyway … next thing we know, Randy is there by the gate and Charlie was “shoo-ed” out like a chicken and let out into the pasture. Escaped! We stood there watching and waiting to see who was next. Next came little Sunrise and whatever she poked into her, little Sunrise cried out and got us all scared. Poor Charlie looked on from the edge of the pasture gate and I know I’ve never heard him cry like that before. He was so pitiful! I’d never heard him make such noises and neither had Janet. I thought Janet was going to cry there for a minute or two. Matter-a-fact, I think I did see her eyes welling up just a bit. It was sad for all of us and we answered back to let Charlie know it would all be okay. You see, Janet explained to us, telling us in her usual “goat whispering language” that all she and the blue-hand lady was doing was deworming those that needed it and giving tetanus and rabies shots for our own good health. Nothing to hurt us except that little prick of the needle. She promised us that afterwards, she’d let us all frolic in the pasture. Just as she promised, we one-by-one got our weigh measurements, got our shots, and were let go out in the pasture back with our loving Charlie. He was happy again.
After the goat lady left, Randy left, and it was just Jon and Janet. They came back into the pasture from the chicken coop yard and Janet started picking on Charlie with her usual funning way. Next thing you know, Janet takes out running with Charlie right on her @## and he almost caught up to her and then they both jumped up on the play station, then ran back around the rocks and back to the picnic table. Panting and grunting, ole Charlie boy raised up high to butt Janet but she took off running again. Charlie right on her … heels. Then rearing up again, Charlie panted and aimed for Janet’s head. She took off running again. This went on for at least five or more times and we all just laughed at those two. That crazy human thinks she’s a goat! Ha! She just doesn’t have the hooves for it, I’m telling ya. They played and frolicked and Charlie seemed to calm down and the two made up. I think Charlie knew after that what we girls had already talked with Janet about – that what happened in the goat shed was for our good health and she was not bringing in the blue-hand lady to hurt us intentionally. We all went back to grazing and for an extra treat the next day, Randy brought us not one but TWO new mineral blocks. We nearly wore out our little tongues licking those things. Hmmm good!
Pastimes from the Pasture by Charlie
Fall 2009
We are the mighty … “little ones” in the pasture! We so enjoy being a pleasure to entertain the staff of Shirley and all those strangers that come up to the fence and stare at us as though we were alien to them! They’re the funny looking ones if you ask us!
We know being called “little ones” and the hand clapping usually means we can expect some sort of treat! Even if the “treat” is just attention and appreciation for our personalities and our beautiful markings. Here lately, we keep overhearing staff mocking the director calling all kinds of weird things “little ones” but we know who and what we are!
We’ve had a great summer of some of the best and tastiest sweet gum ever grown! Wow that stuff really gets us riled up and ready to run. Kicking up our hooves and showing off is a specialty where we compete among ourselves. The pasture has been peaceful this summer and our goat shed got a lovely new coat of paint.
On top of all that, we even have some new bales of hay from a different supplier than in previous years. Unfortunately, it’s stored next to those dogs in the green barn – what do they need it for anyway? I guess the dogs are guarding it for us so we don’t overeat. Fat chance of that! Literally! We’ve all gained a few pounds this year but that’s okay ‘cause we need the extra fat to keep us warm this coming winter! Come by anytime – we might even give you a smile if you look real close.
Pastimes from the Pasture by Charlie
Summer 2009
Our goat shed not only got a new roof this late spring/early summer but we also have a cool new “gating” system around our home. We figured it out after the goat vet visited us. This has made it easier to separate us for worming and things like that when we need medical attention. I guess since it is for our own good, we can live with it. It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again we have to have a little visit from either Dr. Inman or Dr. Campbell. Both of them are quite gentle and seem to love us a lot more than we love them! Because of their good advice and the care of the staff of Shirley, we are all healthy and happy.
Recently, that Keith carpenter guy even started painting our shed to match the new visitor bathrooms! Just hope none of the visitors get mixed up and think they can use our home for their toilet needs – we reserve that right! All the old nasty rotted straw was removed. We also got another big load of sand put down along with bags of pine shavings. Hey, if pine shavings were good enough for that old chicken coop, they’re good enough for us! And to top that, we even got some better wiring and bottom support boards. With all that and our great play station this year … we’re just kicking back, looking good, and eating our treats of sweet gum brought to us by several good folks that work here at Shirley. So they do their part and we do our part.
Pastimes from the Pasture by Charlie
Spring 2009
What is this about KaBob stealing the new marketing display ads instead of my picture? You just wait … I’ll get that ole’ rooster! Well, it was a cute ad Randy came up with and after all … that stuff about “Bring your kids to meet my kids” couldn’t be used anymore since all the little ones are grown up now. Maybe Janet will get me some more kids? Probably not. That’s okay ‘cause we got a sweet little family out here and no need to mess with the best.
Buttercup season is in. No, not like hunting Buttercup the Matriarch out in the pasture. I mean the flowers. I wish they would get rid of those things! Did you know they are poisonous to goats and horses? Isn’t that sorta weird? It’s very annoying and it’s giving me sneezing fits some times due to the pollen from those yellow buttery little cups.
Rumor has it we’re getting a new playground some time in the next month or so. I can hardly wait! It gets a little boring out in the pasture some time so a new playground would be a lot of fun for us all. That old picnic table is really showing its age and is kinda falling apart on us. The rocks are nice but we need more … more … more …. These youngsters are driving me nuts! We do frolic and play a lot out in the spring weather. We’ve been well cared for, as usual, this winter with the new roof on our shed – it was nice to have a REAL dry place to get in from the nasty cold and rain .. and that snow! Wow – what WAS that stuff anyway?! It was SO weird! First time for all of us to experience it. And it just came right out of the sky in little teeny bits and the next thing we knew – the whole pasture was covered with this white cold frosty stuff!
It was so weird! Like a giant snow cone or something … I thought for a minute we had something weird in our hay and were all hallucinating!
Then just the other day it was so warm, we ran and played and grazed and were actually panting from the heat! And it’s only May! (That’s a month, right?)
We like the new goat signs and hope it will help keep folks from being too tempted to feed us bad stuff – we can only hope so. I like taking the risk myself … but I know Janet is right about not letting people feed us just anything. Unbelievable how that rumor ever got circulated (world wide, I think!) that we could actually eat absolutely anything like tin cans and stuff and it wouldn’t hurt us. Yeah, right – sounds real tasty – that rusty tin can with sharp edges. My stomachs aren’t made of iron! (At least I don’t think so. I didn’t take goat anatomy or anything like that. Come to think of it … I didn’t go to school. That was a little lamb, wasn’t it?)
Keep a watch out for us … we’ll be right there in the pasture with baited breath (and I mean some bad breath some times) in anticipation of our upcoming new playground stuff!
Pastimes from the Pasture by Charlie
Winter 2008
I have seen way too much of the goat vet this winter. And believe me – once is too much. They get just a little personal with my girls! Janet called in the new vet, Bom, to take a look at Sunrise’s eyes but they were okay after all. But while she was there, she asked her to take a look at Honey’s bag … sure enough, it was full of milk! Imagine that! I don’t know what got into that crazy girl’s mind but she wanted to have a kid so bad … she imagined she was pregnant! Bom had to break the bad news to her and give her a horrormonial shot thingy – I heard Honey holler. I couldn’t do anything about it though. Then Bom milked her. How strange that was for us to witness. Next time, I think they need to put up a curtain or something for a little more privacy!
Then Sadie had to have the vet come out again. This time it was B.J. She’s nice and we’re a little more scared of her cause she’s given all of us shots before and it hurts. Turned out Sadie’s little lesion on her side was just a minor injury and nothing to worry about – she put some orangey stuff on it and she’s fine now. She called it … ugh … eye-oh-dime, I think.
I’m really looking forward to the spring time when we can get more sweet gum branches brought to us. This diet we have is really boring. Sweet feed. Hay. Dried up pasture grass. Sweet feed. Hay. Dried up pasture grass. Ho hum. The sweet feed is pretty good but I never, ever get enough of it!
I’ve been a little rowdy lately and didn’t mean to do it, but I kinda butted Janet a little too hard in her thigh one day. She’s been complaining of hurting from that and I’m real sorry. After all, I was just doing a normal goat thing. I thought as much as she comes in the pasture with us, she wanted to be a goat so I just tried to make her feel right at home. Guess I was wrong about that one. Those humans are just a little unpredictable and they ain’t very strong! She doesn’t even butt me back! Heard she went to a chiropractor and is doing better now. Probably best nobody comes in the pasture alone anymore just in case one of you sissy little humans get hurt. Think maybe since that coop was all winterized she’d rather be a chicken? I’ve been watching how she keeps holding that rooster ...
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New Addition to the Animal House, Winter 2010
By Janet Appel
If you haven’t already made their acquaintances, stop by the Corn Crib area and meet KaBob’s new companions. I adopted two Nigerian Dwarf goats in November. Randy and Charles are allowing Janet to house them at Shirley. Slight modifications to the Corn Crib simplified their housing needs for the winter and their previous owner gave us the picnic table and other supplies they were used to having around them.
Nigerian dwarf goats are great dairy goats but we do not plan to be milking them. They can produce up to two quarts per day or more. Nigerian Dwarf milk is higher in butterfat and higher in protein than milk from most dairy goat breeds. This breed is also easy to train and make great pets for all ages due to their size and gentle nature.
These two girls are actually mother and daughter. The darker brown one is “Suzie” born in 2002 and the lighter brown one is “Muffin” born in late 2003. Suzie was first adopted as a kid by Joyce in Spotsylvania, Virginia. She bred Suzie with her daughter’s buck in 2003. Suzie had two does and Joyce sold one and kept “Muffin.” Joyce had health issues and can no longer care for her little ones during the winter months. She’s handled them a lot so they’re gentle and loving. They’re adjusting to their new home so be gentle and speak softly. They’ve received a lot of love and care from Joyce. She’s been a great “goat mommy” since both these girls were under her tender-loving care since kids. Watch and you can easily tell they’re not used to all the sounds and people around them, but are adjusting gradually as we all take our time in getting to know them.
Shall we keep their names the same or have a naming contest for them? Suzie is used to coming by name so she may not adjust to a new name. It may still be fun to see what our young visitors may come up with as names for them. Let me know what you think of this idea and we’ll decide by Spring. We can always continue to refer to them as “Suzie” and “Muffin” around the farm!
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