Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
What are U doing today?
>
What are U doing today? (Ongoing thread)
One of ours is white with red spots, the other is almost pure red. Some of Don's have black spots on them, too. I'm not sure how pure his breeding is.He takes them to a meat packing place in Indiana & they're currently paying about $1.80 per pound on the hoof. That's a pretty good price for the meat. During the drought 3 years ago, the price dropped to half that.
I've only had it a couple of times & always in something spicy, so I couldn't tell you what it tastes like. I've had it in gyros, although they're usually a lamb/beef mix. If you've ever eaten a Spanish/Mexican dish with 'cabrito' (I think, sp?) that's goat.
These guys won't get eaten unless they don't work out. So far the horses seem to think they're interesting, but OK. That's good. We'll have to see how the dogs do with them & if they get friendlier. Right now they're completely wild, though.
Jim, I hope your new goats work out for you so that they won't get eaten. :) Have you named them?
I have not named the goats. Maybe once I get to know them better, although my daughter will be home next weekend & she will probably do so. I doubt I'll have any say in the matter. Until then, they are 621 & 626, the tag numbers in their ears. Here's some pictures of them:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jimmaclac...
Jim, the goats are so cute! I never thought I'd ever say that about goats! LOL They look like two close buddies. Their fur looks so smooth. I don't know why, but the names "Frick and Frack" come to mind. :)
PS-I found this:"Frick and Frack remains a fairly common one [name:] in North America for any two people who are closely linked in some way, especially through a work partnership."
MORE AT: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-f...
Thanks, Joy. I'll put the names in the basket.Amber charged in after them this evening & both, but especially the red one, were ready for her. "Bring it on, baby!" They seemed to say. She didn't. It was funny.
I recommend the name, "Billy Goat Gruff," for one of the goats. It was what I named my little playmate on the other side of the fence. He was big and had great big horns but he never butted me, even when I pulled his whiskers. But I remember getting spanked when I climbed over the fence to play with him. nina
We're definitely returning these two. I talked to Mom & she said their horns are too likely to injure a horse, something I hadn't thought about.I'm leaning toward Heckle & Jeckle, myself. As mischievous as goats are, I think it will fit well. It depends on what we get, though. Marg is now saying she thinks we should get a nanny so we could breed her. I don't know what we'd do with the kids, though.
Jim wrote: "We're definitely returning these two. I talked to Mom & she said their horns are too likely to injure a horse, something I hadn't thought about. I'm leaning toward Heckle & Jeckle, myself. As mi..."Jim, that sounds like a wise move.
I like the names Heckle and Jeckle. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckle_a...
Jim, re what to do with goat kids, our old neighbor had his female goats bred regularly (of course, they don't give milk otherwise). He took the kids to the weekly stock sale in Harrisonburg, and there was always someone there who would buy them. Back then, the going rate was $25.00 for a healthy one. (This was back in the early 80s, so market conditions and prices may be different now; and I don't know if you guys have any regular stock sales in your area.)
Also on matters goat-related, there is a process for removing their horns, if the latter are a danger to other animals (or humans). I don't remember whether or not this had to be done by a vet, or what it cost --and I don't know whether or not it's painful for the goat. (None of my neighbor's goats were English-speaking, so they didn't make their opinions about it known. :-))
When you say, Jim, you are returning these two does that mean you are returning your goats? nina
Werner, we do have regular stock sales. Boers are expensive goats, so we're getting a pretty good price on these from the neighbor. We may get a nanny & have kids once or twice, but no billy! They stink. They think the height of style is to pee on themselves so they smell good. We'll likely get wethers (castrated males) like we have now, but possibly one wether & one nanny. If we do have kids, I can probably swipe some milk occasionally. I used to like goat milk, so long as they didn't get into wild onions.Removing horns is much easier if done young. When older, it is very tough on the goat. they bleed a lot & it is definitely painful. If done when young, you can put a blister on the horn buds that will usually keep them from growing. I'd prefer just to get ones that are naturally polled.
I knew all this, but it had been years since I'd given it a thought. It wasn't until Mom started talking about various goats that any of it came back. It's probably been 35 years since we had one on the place.
Yes, Nina, swapping them out for two without horns.
The goats are getting returned this morning & we won't be getting their replacements immediately. They haven't been weaned yet, probably in about a month.Tomorrow, I'll be driving up to MD. My uncle has taken a turn for the worse. I'll probably drive back on Tuesday.
Jim, I'm sorry that you're uncle isn't doing well. I hope things will get better for him. Have a safe trip.
Thanks, Joy. Unfortunately, my uncle won't get better. He's been battling a number of issues for years, but the big one has been Parkinson's. Now his liver has been failing. Best estimates are 6 months, but much of that will be spent in a hospice, so this will probably be the last time I see him, at least with a clear mind. Thus the reason for the rush trip.
That's very sad to hear, Jim. One wonders how people get through these tragedies.
Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "That's very sad to hear, Jim. One wonders how people get through these tragedies."They make 10 hour drives starting way too early in the morning.
;-)
It's 4am & I'll be leaving soon. I'll have a laptop with me & will check in when I have time.
Hang in there, Jim! Our thoughts will be with you.
Thanks, Werner. I made it up, but it wasn't a fun trip. Normally 9 - 10 hours, it took 12 due to an accident & really heavy rain in northern WV. We did about 40 miles at 30 mph with the windshield wipers going as fast as they could. Yuck. Anyway, I made it here & spent the rest of the day seeing my uncle, then had dinner with my mother & my youngest boy & his fiancee.
Jim wrote: "Thanks, Werner. I made it up, but it wasn't a fun trip. Normally 9 - 10 hours, it took 12 due to an accident & really heavy rain in northern WV. We did about 40 miles at 30 mph with the windshie..."Jim, thanks for the update. You must be exhausted after that long trip. I'm sure that it helps to be with family at this time.
Sad to lose a loved one,Jim,and even though he is not yet lost it sounds not good. Take Care and how wonderful you will be able to tell him "good-by" in your own time and own way. Very often that is not possible. nina
I was so busy yesterday, I never got on. I'm back home now. Long trip, but I did get quality time in with my uncle, even though an hour was spent fixing a database at work remotely. We hadn't left anything unsaid over the years, so we just enjoyed each others company for the last time as we went through pictures of the farm & talked of other things as they arose.I got to spend time with Mom & my son, Brandon, which was good, too. I caught up with some friends, as well. Sara & Paul are two of our best friends in MD. So, I called Sara on Saturday.
"Sara, will you invite me to dinner on Monday?"
"Sure."
"Can I get a hair cut, too?"
"No problem."
"Can I bring Brandon & then swipe your husband after?"
"Absolutely."
I ask you, with friends like that, how can you have a bad time?
;-)
My truck had issues on the way home. My neighbor has it now & will hopefully get it fixed tomorrow while I catch up on chores. After spending over $700 on Marg's trailer plus the unexpected expenses of the trip, I did not need that, but what can you do?
Welcome back from a sad successful trip.You can't beat seeing family and good friends even if the initial occasion is not an easy thing. I remember saying,"good-by" to my 104 year old aunt. I don;'t remember her not being in my life. The last thing she said to me was, "I miss your Dad." And a week later she was with him, I believe. Take Care, Jim/nina
Jim, glad to hear you're back safely, despite the truck problems.
We went to Churchill Downs yesterday & had a lot of fun even though it was hot & humid. We actually won $1 overall betting! I guess we won't become handicappers for a living... ;-)Still, Marg is the person to go with. Odds were almost even on one horse & she said he didn't look like he wanted to run & he didn't - came in next to last. I picked winner, too. Actually, between us, we picked the first three in the fourth race. Not bad since they were mostly first starts.
What was the crowd like there, Jim? They say that horse racing is dying. The casinos and on-line gambling have certainly taken their toll on that sport. Here in Saratoga we got a last minute stay from the state to open our track this summer. The crowds here are pretty good, maybe averaging 15 to 20 thousand a day, with more on high stakes days and good weather weekends.
Like Louisville, our city depends heavily on racing. The ripple effect throughout the city and our capital district is tremendous. But...the question remains: Should the state continue to underwrite a dying sport? Or maybe it's just the New York tracks that are dying.
It was pretty empty according to my boss, Katherine. I would say the closest parking lots were pretty well filled, though. I don't know how to estimate it.We had box seats, but never went to them. Once in the section, we just took the ones we wanted - better ones right on the finish line, padded & with a TV. Lots of people just stayed inside betting, so it seemed to be fairly crowded inside.
It was a rotten day - HOT & HUMID with a very bright sun. Evening racing is supposed to be more popular this time of year. I can understand why.
In a little less than an hour, Barb and I will be taking off for another visit to the Fulks Run area, and we won't be back until Sunday. (She doesn't get time with her family during most of the year, so we try to go up there in the summer as often as we can.) As usual, I won't have much Internet access while I'm gone, so I'll be missing you all! But I'll look forward to catching up when I get back.
Have a good time, Werner!
Thanks, Joy! :-) (Sorry I didn't see that message 'til now, when I've been back for several days.)
Glad to have you back!
Well, now I'll have to be partially offline again for awhile! My home computer is shutting down by itself and rebooting without warning (five times in two days) while I'm using it; so until our computer guy corrects the problem, I'll only be able to access the Internet on my office computer. (The computer tech blew a lot of dust out of our unit with an air compressor, but that didn't solve the problem.) But hopefully the process of fixing it will be quick!
I'm FINALLY feeling better. I had a 4 day weekend - more like 5 since I came home early on Friday due to being sick. The girls are gone to MD on vacation & I thought I'd get all kinds of stuff done, but no. I was sick as a dog. I guess it was a stomach thing since I was eating about one yogurt per day. Yesterday, I finally got to eating more, but felt nauseated all day. Today, I feel human. Yay!!! Last day off, too.I haven't been a complete couch potato, though. I added a few more buckets of stone dust to the run-in shed for the horses, leveling it out better. I've obviously been taking care of the dogs & horses. I give the dogs a run every day by walking around in the morning. In the evenings, I ride Speedy around, though. Lots of other miscellaneous chores done too, not mention watering. We're dry as a bone & in the mid-nineties each day.
Werner: Good luck with your computer problems. Our son corrected a few minor computer problems for me this weekend. There's just too much to know about computers!Jim: Sounds like you really had a "lost weekend"! (g) Glad to hear that the worst is over. The animals kept you busy enough. Maybe that was a good thing. Took your mind off your ill health for while.
We're having hot, humid weather here. The fans are getting a workout. :)
Thanks, Joy! And Jim, glad to hear you're feeling better --though sorry your long weekend was messed up by illness. :-(It's been quite hot overall here, too --the nights and early mornings can be cool enough, but it gets into the 90s pretty quickly. :-)
Thanks for the well wishes. If nothing else, it finally got me around to getting a doctor. I'm supposed to see him on Friday. I've been meaning to get around to that for over 3 years. At my age, I should be getting a checkup occasionally.I really wanted to get more work done on the hat rack I'm working on. It will look more like a coat rack with a round table halfway up & 6 hooks for hats at the top. All the hardware is made out of old horse shoes. The table & center pillar are African Mahogany. I don't know if it will look good or not, but it will certainly be unique. I got the lathe work done today.
Sounds like you're feeling better, Jim. Your woodworking is a wonderful hobby. Good luck at the doctor.
Marg & Erin got back from MD last night just as the dogs & I were halfway through our evening walk. Yay!!! I had finished all the chores, so it was perfect timing. So glad they're back! They brought me back a set of tire chains for my tractor & about 100 lbs of old horseshoes. During the day, while I was at work, we got 2-3/4" of rain, too. We really needed it, but I'll have to get the lawn mowed today. Oh well, at least I get to go out to the shop this morning early & don't have to play animal valet.
;-)
And, I get to go right ou
Jim, you must have been very glad to see them. What will you do with the old horseshoes?We have rain here too. It has finally cooled off, but it's still very humid. As they say, it ain't the heat, it's the humidity!
I make stuff out of old horse shoes; hangers, a hat rack, mailbox stand, etc...
The kids are visiting. We spent all day yesterday on the lake in their boat. It was hot and humid and there was hardly a breath of wind. The grands spend most of the time swimming or riding behind the boat on a big bouncy tube. Oh, to be young again!Today we are resting. :)
Yay! My home computer is back in the land of the living! Our computer tech guy re-installed Windows, and that evidently corrected the problem. So, I'm glad to report I'll be spending more time here on Goodreads again. :-)
Congrats, Werner. We got our goats today. They're twin girls, born to a Nubian mother by a Pygmy father, so they're hornless. Apparently horns follow the mother, according to Marg. They were born 16Feb2010, so they're not full grown. We have them in a stall right now until they get friendlier & all the dogs & horses get acquainted.
No, we haven't named them yet. I posted pictures on my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/editalbum.php...
Hmmmm! Jim, I just clicked on that link, and it says, "Content not found." Not sure why --I don't explain 'em, I just report 'em! :-)
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Educated (other topics)Pride and Prejudice (other topics)
Moby-Dick or, The Whale (other topics)
The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
War and Peace (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Tara Westover (other topics)Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
Ann Howard Creel (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
C.W. Gortner (other topics)
More...
Jim, I never knew there were goats that color (white bodies with brown heads). Nice-looking. I see that Wiki says the breed is "docile". That's a good feature.
As for your neighbor raising them for meat, I've never seen goat meat for sale in the supermarkets. I wonder who eats goat meat.