Never enough time

The Junk Drawer is for those Off Topical discussions where we can ask questions of the community that we feel might have the ability to help out.

Moderator: Harold_V

TomB
Posts: 495
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:49 pm
Location: Southern VT

Re: Never enough time

Post by TomB »

I know almost nothing about goats. A couple of times I have seen a herder bring in a goat herd to clear an overgrown cow/horse pasture. They stake the billy at a point and the females spread out at will but always stay within sight of the billy. The next day they stake the billy at a new spot. They are funny to watch as they will practically climb a tree to pull down vines.

That the herd is so connected in that way makes me wonder if a herd like yours can tolerate two or more males?
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

They are dwarf and miniature, and were purchased with the idea of AI (animal intelligence) to control the open areas of weed and saplings overgrowing the collection piles, since the articles saved interfere with normal landscape and lawn care. Being Browsers and not grazers they roam at will when we are out, but normally stay in fenced areas that we target. All the males are wethered so we have to go outside to breed, as we keep them for pets being only about 40 lbs , and not ornry beasts. They are a herd animal, and stay around the familiar. The newborn has arrived on the run, literally, and has become the darling of the clinic. He has made the Santa rounds here, been in the newspaper, and visited several feed stores en route to moms work, where he spends a day a week, mostly on his bath towel in the office. Zues as he is named by Mom Rose, is a genuine hoot, and well mannered for a goat. He is getting to be three weeks old Wednesday, and is just a baby. His adaptation to our surroundings is nothing short of amazing, and simply adds to the wonder of it all. He picks on his towel to piddle and marble on, so he tends to keep his wandering area clean. He and Ginger both wait until released from the cage to avoid wetting the bedding, when supplied with a choice. Really amazing, they trained themselves.

In the meantime, dotter Stephanie is out today, and has ripped into my bath/shower repair. The water damaged wall has been taken down around the window, as the bath was never meant to have a shower, only a tub. The Greenboard is up, and a shower plastic stall is going in with shower curtains to finish off the overdue repair. The target is to stop the wall leakage from the tile board repair made 5 years ago. She even brought her own tools, and is commanding the job. The old shower doors are a hideous green, and impossible to keep clean with our well water, that colors everything with iron and calcium residue. The tub is getting a chemical scrub, and a layer of Epoxy brush on paint for tubs. It matters not much, because it will look like a mess from the water anyway. The Awful Avocado will be gone.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Just a note:With all the testy weather here, dotter Steph has finally trimmed the panels and sealed them with silly-cone tub caulk. It dont look to bad given the valves and trims are old and used looking. They were dunked in toilet cleaner sauce to remove scale and such but they just dont have that snazzy look. The window has been sealed too so any splash doesnt seep in. A new wand head and hose spiff up the head wall ($12) and we got a good spray again. On the morrow I will be taking a propane torch and warming the remnants of the original Epoxy coating and strip it from the ugly green tub. I dont look forward to all that knee time. Oh well, it will only get done once now.

The weather here is just awful the last couple of days. Sadly, the super slabs have become death traps for unwary drivers. Not too far away, they closed a super as it collected over a hundred cars in two major pile ups and a 20 yr old and 62 yr old were lost to the melee. Dotter stayed on the back roads for the trip home, forsaking the infamous I-65 that runs South here and is famous for ditching cars in the cross winds. My Lawn care guy, that does my drive plowing is gone. Heart attack at 55. I get to tramp the snow now, I dont shovel anymore. Not for about 4 yrs now.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4557
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: Never enough time

Post by NP317 »

"My Lawn care guy, that does my drive plowing is gone. Heart attack at 55."

Wow! No guarantees. Do your stuff now, and don't wait.
After our nearly fatal 2017 (twice!) I've been seriously feeling my mortality. Your post reminded me again.
Build those projects, or whatever brings you pleasure!!!
~RN
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Mom' day off was spent waiting for her to get back from the hair cutters, and then a long hour drive to a farm vet office where they take care of little goats. Zues is one month old today and got a checkover, his immunology shots, selenium, and a private rubber band. The vet confirmed that he is a poled goat and will grow no horns as the buds have not developed. He is really spoiled and complained very load he could not ride up front where the action is, and had to be happy with the cage in the cargo area of the Escape.The weather is just awful, starting from home at noon under full sun to travel South into WARM 50 degree headwinds that generate a heavy spring fog. Vis is as low as 1/10 of a mile, and worse. Not good for blowing down the road at 70. Other than a near permanent set of white knuckles, we made the trip alright, got business done, and set up another appointment for Ellie, who is having a hair problem on her face. Did I say goats are fun? Carl is losing hair on his sides now. I dont know if its from rubbing fences or some other problem. I do know that their tiny paddock is ankle deep in muck now. With the warm weather in place right now, we have lost about 6 of 14 inches of snow cover from the ground, and that is of course now slop. With the temps working on the metal poles, I will be able to drag some out of the ground and move the fenceline to relieve the area somewhat. getting a T-post back in should be ok too as the frost wont be solid. Right now, the house gutters are full and icicles are feeding ice rinks in shady areas making for pretty treacherous movements, given my unsteadiness. The walk under the deck is flooded because it sank over the last coupla years, and requires the paving bricks to be pulled and sanded up, which did not happen this last fall.The drive shoveled multiple times by various entities is a slushy mess, and I hope melts way off before we get low temps. Predicted rain about Tuesdy should finish it off. So if the sump pump holds out, we may get by OK. A day on the road with 150+ miles traveled went OK with only two sets of idiots in fender benders for sightseeing. Another coupla weeks and the newborn and Ginger will be discharged to the barn as the weather should break some, and I will get my shop back. Did I say I like my goats? Nuff is nuff. Emergency over.

Oi vey, my back! I am sorting piles of parts, drills and all that bric-a -brac ignored for some time. I think I am my own hardware store. acouple of cabinets have succumbed to the water and weight that has been put upon them, and they are being torn out and replaced with hwatever I can find in the resale store. I got a big lateral file cabinet for starters. getting it i tot a useable place means having a path to guide it down, thats the rub. Onward and upward, no time like now to get it done. Deadd fridge is still in the wrong corner, under the stairs. One thing at a time. Laters.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Never enough time

Post by spro »

Don't know where to begin, Dave. Maybe empathy . Everything had a reason or we wouldn't have done it. Man. Time isn't the way it used to be.
BUT ! You give us hope and that stirs. Yes I have another fridge in the garage taking up space. My old Roper could die, you know. All it needed was a different timer. So it continues and I continue waiting for it to die before I do.
The ( can't say) week I get rid of the back up.. you know :)
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

Well now, with the rising temps, the goat baby is out inna yard, the lower level has been flushed by nature the mother, and me, I am getting tired of the clean and scrub duties. I now have the burden of getting ready for my next set of projects before the grass is ris. That includes making several mower decks whole again and getting at least one tractor in top shape. Not to mention the lost and left projects left undone from my late hospital stay last year. Oh well. I have this list to brag on for my minor profiles of deeds done, as it inspires me to encourage others and read about what the group is doing that is beyond the work-a-day clutz. I have a long list of preps, and it is still too cold for me to spend much time outside without sun. The weather is simply dreary and dampy cool for any commitment. So I pick at minute projects getting other things gathered and sorted for the push to do the jobs. Setting ffencing comes to mind as high priority thus collecting scattered supplies to be at the ready is high on the list.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
John Hasler
Posts: 1852
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:05 pm
Location: Elmwood, Wisconsin

Re: Never enough time

Post by John Hasler »

Repairing fence. Urgh. You had to mention that, didn't you?
User avatar
warmstrong1955
Posts: 3568
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:05 pm
Location: Northern Nevada

Re: Never enough time

Post by warmstrong1955 »

John Hasler wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:29 pm Repairing fence. Urgh. You had to mention that, didn't you?
That’s one of the ways I paid my rent. Travelled a lot of miles horseback checkin’ & mendin’ fence on a ranch in the Sonora.
Lot like work then.....ehhh....notso bad now....

:)
Bill
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: Never enough time

Post by spro »

There is that certain invasive weed which takes over and kills the native grasses. They found that sheep can eat it for somehow they are immune to the poison. Old news which I just saw.
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Never enough time

Post by steamin10 »

EEEeech! I am terrorized by the net again. My phone lost its dial tone, although it still had static and beeped encouragement on dialing, nothing worked. My Dell computer failed to power up, and I set off in the search of the elusive battery spares for keyboard, mouse and modem/ call tracker. After about 2+ hours of frustration Mom made it home from work to find cords and dust balls around the shambles of chaos I had created. She suspected it to be the three portable phone set she got at the second hand store. but it proved to be the redundant phone logger on the line causing the problem. The extension phone has a built in logger, so we have duplicate functions. FYI the trace from AT&T came back as an open line, that is it read my phone being off the hook. I have run into this before, as it is a shortage of power with so many accessories on the line it is called DB. Essentially more than 4 items and you lose the line power to read the signals, and it shuts down. So we nixed the oldest logger and move forward. As it works out, with all the batteries replaced in the keyboard, mouse , and base, my computer failed to respond to the mouse signals. (Duh!) I switched plugins to the wall and hit the start button, and off we go. All the printer, and computers for rescue and accessories were down and had to be restarted, a sign of a power glitch that causes these things to turn off with hickups. For my part, it is chasing gremlins, and I swing between anger, destruction and despair. I have a lot of things to sell at the moment and stuff to get on the net, and dont need any extra frustration at the moment.

So the good news is I survived another cyber attack on my mind, and put the trepidations behind me for now.

I got to work with my grandotter on fixing some vents with all the details of screws and drills and battery changes and the tiny steps that make up each job. ( her feet beat faster than mine, and allows me a little breathng room.) It was not that enjoyabloe but she was in a competition for Lego, computer programs and builds and wound up being team leader, for task programming. They went down state for a final competition, so she is all up into making things work. I get to take away that I added to that store of knowledge to get it all done, and think through the plan. She gets it, just needs the hands on to finish it off. We installed a new handle broken off my desk drawer with step drills and measure- and -fit for the new face plate and bail on the old wooden desk. The old hardware is not available, so we get it to work, with mix and match. She gets it. It makes my day for sure. She was over giving the goats a run around the field and cleaning out the bedding stall. She is infatuated with her bad boy Zues, who chalenges her at every step, he is so desirous of attention.

I am cut short on time in cleaning off my Rockwell as I have a couple of projects to run, and have to sort and search piles of stuff to get organized. Why is it some people are so busy to not get it right and put things away, instead of doing bombing runs and scattering tools and supplies about to be buried and never found again? I am terrible at cleanup. I am my own hardware store, but the searches can get long for that one part, or washer, or lately, a pack of razor blades.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
Harold_V
Posts: 20231
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Never enough time

Post by Harold_V »

steamin10 wrote: Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:15 pm So the good news is I survived another cyber attack on my mind, and put the trepidations behind me for now.
Chuckle!

Stay strong, my friend. :wink:

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
Post Reply