The day now ends very late. I saddled up Tyra and went for a ride, and it was still light at 10:30 p.m. when I walked her back into the yard. Right now, I am having to road ride all the horses. The road, no longer icy, is very firm under foot and has a gravel base. The horses keep searching for softer footing.

I am hoping to be back on the trail by May 1st. In the meantime, I am going to walk them more on the road. Today I pulled my running shoes out of the cardboard box that all winter, was in the black hole, and I wore them when I took Tinni on his outing. He trotted along, right next to me.

Lameness seems to prevail around here. Tyra is having difficulty trotting, Stormy is having difficultly walking, and Shadow has a hitch in her rear leg. What to do? The answer is to get Stormy out more and give the others a break.

Noooo, Stormy never did have babies. I was all prepared to put the young ones in goat pajamas. And so, for a second year, the goat nursery remains uninhabited. I have this theory. Stormy (according to her

Shadow on porch

pedigree) is very inbred. She was sold to us because she gave a lot of milk in just a few month’s time, meaning she had a shorter than average lactation cycle. She also gave birth, I think, twice. I think that her inability to conceive at a later age also had something to do with being inbred.

Our veterinarian is not a goat specialist. None of them are. This is because goats are considered to be livestock, and as such, their value generally lies in their ability to give milk or meat. Livestock owners balk if the cost of what is needed in the way of care exceeds what they produce, because the animals are a commodity.

Stormy’s ear surgery cost us $800.00. This was more than the cost of our first sea kayak. Stormy (fortunately) has pet and not livestock status. If she was exclusively a livestock animal, her owner may have had her euthanized. Of course, we would not do this. However, everything has a price.

I suppose that if it came down to it, and one of the horses needed long term veterinary care, we’d most likely remortgage our place. Same with the dogs. Not so with the chickens; although, I am of course very fond of Ruth, Bader, and Ginsberg as well as Thelma and Louise. The latter are quite old, and Louise’s vision is failing. I suspect that she needs cataract surgery.

Dire thoughts, all of this. However, it all goes with the animal ownership territory.

The more upbeat side of all this is that we are coming out of winter and going into summer. This makes it easier (of course) to tend to all the animals. The winters are just too long and too tough, for me and for them.

Next: 115. 4/26/21: The Bright Lights Grow Dim