11.13.2012

Beware: This Post Features Fallen Leaves, Sheep Chasing, & It's Chock Full of Photos!!

November brings beautiful colored leaves carpeting the ground at the acre.....








The cool weather amps up the energy of the dogs, sheep, and goats and makes for some pretty interesting and entertaining scenes out here! 



The sheep have always been able to bully Baby by stomping their feet and butting her, but now she has decided to turn the tables.....
She is really enjoying this reign of terror over the sheep and I have to admit, they kind of deserve it - it won't hurt them to exercise a little bit either;)

Earlier in the month we had Austin over to the farm. He is a Brittney Spaniel, my mother's dog, and Baby's best friend. It wasn't long before Baby had Austin joining her in the sheep chasing! 
Can you tell how much of a mama's boy Austin is? 

After a few more sheep runs and a few rolls in the tall pasture grass, it was chill time for the dogs... and then a little bit more playtime for Baby, only this time with Dale!!




Milly only has one small lesion on her body and her fur has grown over all the other really bad spots she had earlier in the year - her thicker winter coat is coming in and I feel hopeful that by next spring she will be very near 100% healed up from her very long ordeal with the meningeal worm and the after effects of the nerve damage it caused. 








Misty STILL thinks she is attention deprived.....


 When I have set aside extra time to spend in the field, I usually sit out in the middle of the field and without fail, Misty is always by my side, her little snout right in my face and one of her front hooves on my leg. She loves to have her picture taken and with her being so close, it is easy to get beautiful close-ups of her. 
Now, who couldn't love a face like THAT?!?!?



Ellen is probably the least photographed of all the goats - she could care less about getting attention. She is a tough independent little gal and is the only one out of the five goats that wasn't bottlefed. She nursed on Ellie for close to a year before I separated them! 

Eli has some of the best expressions - these pictures looks like he is singing!  When people come visit the farm, they all comment on how intimidating he looks - his horns are massive, and his build is strong and brickwall-like, but he is quite the gentile giant......unless he gets in a playful mood and starts charging you! 









  
Ellie and Eli have always been inseparable and I'm so glad they are best friends. They came to the 'acre' together as rescues from South Carolina and aside from when Eli was very sick, they have remained together ever since.  ALLLLLLLLLL that pasture and they stay so close to one another.... too sweet!





It has been quite chilly out here and even some nights got down to freezing temps. There are still a few bees here and there, and the pepper plants that I let the goats "mow down", have actually started to bloom and produce peppers again! Quite a sight! It was almost like I purposely pruned the plants!! Even the potatoes are coming back - I'm not sure what that means, maybe I left some in the ground accidentally, but regardless, I have new potato plants!







I recently cleaned out the barn - man, how I love the sight of a clean barn!! I guess next on the list is the chicken coop.....blaahhhhhhhhhh! 
......speaking of chickens....... I do have some molting going on, one looks awful, but most are still hanging on to their feathers!
 Egg production is waaaaaaaaaaay down, and my little Pancha is still doing great out here! The other morning was a cold wet one, and when Pancha came out of the coop, she couldn't quite catch her footing and just slid down the ramp on her bottom like she was on a slide - and then popped her legs out and ran off like it was her intention!!  
 Swirls, the all natural rat pest control for the barn, was in a particularly cute mood that I just had to capture with my camera before I left.... what a cutie pie!