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March 1, 2022: The State of the Farm Address

Last year I let Raudi give the address. This year I’m taking on this job. It isn’t that Raudi wouldn’t do a good job. Rather, it’s that my perspective is all encompassing. I assured her that in a few days that she will have her say.

It was a tough winter here and the cold, wind, and higher than average snowfall took its toll on the human entities. The other day Pete went to knock the snow off the high tunnel and fell to the ground. He had the wind knocked out of him and bruised his kidneys and ribs. It’s for this reason that I am doing all the manually related chores, which now includes watering the animals. Bless my lucky stars – the temperatures have been in the 30s and the sun’s been shining, making this all less of an onerous task than it otherwise might be.

Every morning I, upon waking up, say to Pete “we are lucky to have such wonderful animals.”


Tinni and Sassy eat together as Alys cleans the pen


The animals wintered over well, with the exception of one chicken, who went in a blaze of glory to that great chicken pen in the sky. I found her in coop, and she died when I picked her up. I think she waited until then to do this. A few years back Nimby did the same thing.

Louise and Ruth, Bader, and Ginsberg are all quite content, and back at sitting on their coop roost during the day. They like to watch what’s happening down on the road.

The goats are doing just fine. Pete replaced the windows that blew out during the windstorm, so they remain warm. Swampy continues to give a quart and a pint of milk a day – she has funky udders but is a prodigious producer. Ranger is again losing his coat. He at 14 is still very strong and pushy. Little Sastrugi is my buddy. She accompanies me two-three times a day down to the horse enclosure. She’s now learning to ride the hay sled back up to the upper quadrant.

The horses wintered over very well. I have not ridden any of them in some time because the trails are snowed in and there are dogs and traffic on our road. This situation is going to change soon, at least this is what I keep telling them.

Tinni continues to do amazingly well – he likes being separate from the mares who tend to chase him away from the hay I put out for them.

The dogs – Ryder has accepted the fact that Shadow is her Shadow. She no longer tells us to get rid of her. But she does make it known that she be given down time. I am of the mind that the timing in getting Shadow was good – previously, Ryder spent the better part of her day napping. Now she spends the better part of her day being the fun police.

Shadow is a very happy, ebullient dog. She and Pete continue to do well together in agility class. Pete is mulling over taking her in a trial in the spring. I tell Pete he should because his dog is consistently the best in her class.

Tomorrow, as promised, Raudi’s state of the barn address.

Next: 60. 2/2/22: Raudi’s State of the Barn Address

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