Oh Well!

I kind of feel like its the day after the election. Its over - finally.

No more debating who should be one or two. Or not be #3. Penn State football lost last night.

The one sportscaster said they lost it with a second to go. I think they were working on in all game through. Something didn't click from the beginning.

Maybe in front of the home crowd, things would have worked out differently, but I'm glad this game wasn't in Beaver Stadium. I'd like it to remain a place of happy memories from football games to the place I graduated from a few years ago. Yep - they used to bring us all there for the ceremony in the spring. "The College of Education - please rise..."

Still proud of my school though.

WE ARE...
PENN STATE!

Fencing - Day Two

By 11 in the morning the fog had finally burned off and progress was being made.

Dan lining up the driver and post for pounding.

A guide wire runs all around the project.

All the corners are flagged and posted.

The posts are all spaced out ready to go.

The flags we used are pretty darned close to the wires.

The bottom alley is visible and will open by gate to the lower part of the field for walking the perimeter.

By lunch they were at the first corner that we want rounded off for easier mowing.

By the end of the afternoon, the posts are heading back to the barn.

The lines are looking pretty straight. A nice design with the power lines.

The second rounded corner is in.

Looks like we will need at least one more day for the posts. I think we only hit one rock in the morning that broke three posts till they moved away from it.

We can start to visualize looking at the animals from the house.

Fencing - Day 1

We are having a most outstanding day to work outside. In the 60's. Shorts and t-shirts are back.

We have all the parts except for the two eight foot gates for our fence project and Tom and Dan are out setting corner posts to shoot and set the lines.

16 foot gates are for the alley and the woven wire for the "high security" area.

The corners we marked and measured are, I am told, almost perfect. We did them with tape and by eye, but we also did it twice to get it as close as we could. They said we were within inches of the diameters we had on the drawing.

They have put in corners to run a wire to get a straight line. The first permanent posts are started for the woven wire. They have sorted the posts and distributed them around the project area.

We'll try a video of the post driver. Click below to see how it works.

A two man system with one person in the machine and the other operating the gears.

Another "Typical" Day

Many animals were out during the morning errands today - some wild and some domestic (I think). When I first looked out on the west fields I though I was looking at Snickers, our new four month old kitten. As I went out to the barn, it took off and I realized it was too big and dark to be her. The dog started after it but it was long gone before he got far.

Then as I was moving some of the goats' electronet, I saw a Kingfisher buzzing around the pond. Actually I heard it first. I would love to get a photo, but I don't know if that will be possible. I feel lucky to even see it flying once in a while. It disappears as soon as I go near the pond. I think my fascination has something to do with my English childhood reading or stories we were told, but I can't tell you today what those stories were. I just know the Kingfisher was there.

This morning's walk past the pond came up with only two ducks. Down from the eight or ten that I have seen the past mornings. I now wonder if it has something to do with the large hawk sitting in the trees along the edge of the woods above the pond. I took my camera back up to get a video or still and as soon as I got close enough to turn my camera on, off it flew to the very tall pine/fir on the east border.

Continuing the morning walk, I went to investigate the area where we had two hunters trespassing last evening. As I approached the entrance of "Kristin's Path", I heard rustling. I stopped and waited and along came a buck. Unfortunately, Jock then got involved and started to chase the deer, but came back about as soon as I called him. I'm not an expert on evaluating "points", but this had nice sized antlers.

Then I looked around and found what I was looking for - the cartridges from the two first shots last night. There was a third shot, but the leaves are dense and I only gave it so much effort. The two orange coated people took off when I called up to ask who it was. My hunters with permission would have waved and yelled.

As I came out along the power lines and headed down to the field again, another large cat was laying in the tall grass and took off with Jock behind in close pursuit this time. The hunters have told us that they see a lot of cats when they are up there. Is that also a sign that we don't have a coyote problem here?

On the way back across the field is when I saw the large white breast of the hawk above the pond. That's when I needed my camera.

November is here and we are still enjoying the garden vegetables. Today's lunch included a few cherry tomatoes.

We still have lots of peppers that go into chili and sauces. I'm hoping to make it last.

Towards lunch time I looked out at the goats and they were all facing the same direction, craning their necks back and forth. I walked out with my coffee and the dog, just in case there was another dog wandering around. That is a problem every once in a while. The goats didn't pay much attention to us as they were transfixed on facing whatever it was that was bothering them.

Well it was a huge, pure white cat. I guess it was seen up in the field this week-end, and now I hear it has been seen on the other side of the street and the other side of our property. It makes me think that there are several cats either wandering way too far from home, or dumped off to fend for themselves.

Jock treed the cat twice before I could get him to stay away and let the thing down.

I'll be curious to see if it does belong to someone because it looks like a pure something.

The goats relaxed and got back to their lunch.

At the end of the day the new pullets were a pain because they had found their way to the cat food in the upper barn, made quite a mess and tipped the water. I did my best to hide the food and chase them out, but I bet those bird brains will be at that door tomorrow. I had left it open a bit so Mia could squeeze out. I'll have to close it after she gets out and she will have to hunt for her lunch till she gets in at night. I've already found Snickers eating the chicken food, so I guess they are resourceful when hungry.

I hope to upload the chicken video from today, but we are having technical problems it seems.
I think it is too big. You'll have to visit!

A Sort of Typical Morning

Actually the first thing that has to be done is feed the hens or they will chase you all over and sit on you if you feed anyone else first until you do.

Then the goat stalls are opened and closed behind them. If you don't, one or two of them are so nosy that they'd rather see where everyone else is living instead of following. So there are things that have to be done in order to make things go right. Otherwise, well "otherwise" has happened, so you try to keep things orderly.

The girls head out of the barn and into the fields to find their pasture. Jock, our Border Collie, helps get them there totally by accident, but also by design. We can't let him digress from the route or the goats might follow.

Nice and easy.

The pace is generally slow until the point that the girls see where their field is.

Then the pace picks up to a race to be in line for the grain or whatever the morning feed is.

The grain helps get them there, but it is only enough for a treat or reward.

Now its time for the morning walk. This is where a Border Collie is good for your health - they need more walks then you have time to give them!

The cats feel part of the group this morning and follow along for a while.

Today, Mia followed along until Jock came charging by along the pond chasing the ducks that are here each morning and night. That was all she needed to head back down the hill to the barn.



The view to the Southwest.

Beautiful naked Fall.

I thought this tree looked very regal with the grasses below it this morning.

The mowing to be finished after the flat tire is fixed.

Walking westerly - Jock looking for water on the "Upper Path".

View to the Southeast.

Home for breakfast and another cup of coffee.

Penn State Proud

This is a bye week for Penn State so all we can do is watch how everyone else does. The #1Texas - Texas Tech game is an important one to the Nittany Lions' ranking. Texas Tech was ahead by 19 I think, before Texas got on the board. Now its a 3 point game.


Meanwhile I have been enjoying YouTube videos and I am putting a couple on the blog to enjoy along with the Coach of the Year vote box for Joe Pa. Vote!!!


Penn State Student Section -"We will Rock you"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSY4nAUF2N0

Penn State Football: Can't Wait For '08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWiy-ZthKYw


YESSSS!

Texas Tech won! Lets go Penn State! National title time!!

Coming of Winter

Today we have our first snow in the forecast and I have heard an occasional sound of sleet or hail. But then the sun comes back out. Mia (Mama Mia) knew this morning that she wanted to come into the house. No dummy.