Baby Loons and Farm Updates

We had a relaxing day Saturday at a lake in Island Pond, VT.  Eric read on the beach while Teresa napped.  At one point we noticed loons nearby, however there was a special treat....two babies!  It was so much fun watching the loons dive under the water and come back up with small fish.  They would then swim over to the babies with fish in mouth and feed them.  A few times the babies stuck their heads into the water, as if testing this whole fishing idea out.  It was such a nice afternoon.

We have diagnosed Abby with goat polio (which thankfully, unlike human polio, can be cured).  A few shots of vitamin B and she seems back to her normal self.  

It appears Eric was correct as Teresa must now admit George does not look anything like a rooster.  He shall hence-forth be called "Georgette". 

Our injured turkey is doing so well.  Her wing seems back to normal and she is now limping along using both legs!  The first time we say her walking it almost made Teresa cry...what a fighter!

In the Long Run

After the umpteenth thunderstorm induced communication interrupting power outage, we are back in business.

The big news is that the VT100 is in the bag.  Teresa and I finished our 100K on Saturday into Sunday in a bit over 17 hours.  Our time out on the roads and trails of central Vermont left plenty of time to talk.  One of the things that I was telling Teresa was how, on the starting line of my first marathon in Philadelphia, I thought to myself that I was, "in for a long run."  I now stand corrected...100K is a long run.  After seeing the 100 milers and hearing about those who were out for almost 30 hours, that is a really long run.  We did pretty darn well for ourselves, though.  Considering a relative lack of training, I think that we can be satisfied that we achieved our goal of finishing.  Teresa can be especially proud with a solid ultra marathon debut.  We were both thankful for absolutely perfect conditions and a beautiful course.  It continues to amaze me that this type of an event occurs almost quite literally in our backyard.  I can't say enough about how well organized the event was and we are now looking forward to joining the great volunteers of the VT100 for many years to come.

A post on the blog would not be complete if we didn't mention some type of animal.  The farm report is as follows:  chickens are laying eggs, turkeys are still stinking the place up.  The injured turkey is mounting a strong recovery and is no longer separated from the others.  The goats are back to their normal selves after a rocky start to the week.  We noticed that Abby was acting a bit dazed and was having coordination issues on Monday evening.  I dove into my many goat books to make a diagnosis.  The excellent  book on goat veterinary medicine from our friends Bob and Missy via my parents had me convinced of goat polio.  Polio in goats is a potentially deadly but reversible neurologic disorder caused by a thiamine deficiency.  Some ferns in the "back 40" were the likely culprit.  Our vet was able to make a visit on Tuesday and we have been treating her for a variety of issues until a more definitive diagnosis can be made.  Thankfully, she was looking back to her normal self on Wednesday morning and she continues to do well.

There is a "surprise" weekend getaway in the works to which I am blinded.  Updates to follow.

I've created a monster!

Last week when Eric was away, I invited the dogs to sleep in bed with me.  While this is against house rules, I figured, what was one night going to hurt?  There was a huge thunderstorm and the girls were shaking with fear.  Fast forward to last night...

I awake at 12:15am and stir a little.  (cue sounds) Thump, thump, thump.  I open my eyes and see Izzy laying on the bed staring at me wagging her tail.  Sadly there was no thunderstorm.  I've created a monster!!

Vermont 100

 Less than a week now until we run the Vermont 100.  Our bib numbers are #405 (Eric) and #406 (Teresa).  For anyone interested, you can follow us throughout the race on Saturday (and into Sunday as well) at this website:  http://www.barttiming.com/summer/results14/vt100-splits-14.htm

Turka-durka-durka

Some evenings this place feels like a circus.  Take last night for example.  After a long week of work, Eric gets out late from work, only to arrive home and once again have to fix the broken tractor and take care of the turkeys.  One would think that fixing the tractor would be the more difficult task, but we beg to differ.  Lets start at the beginning:

Wednesday Evening

On Wednesday evening while moving the turkey tractor, Eric slipped on the wet grass when the handle broke loose.  The tractor continued forward, pinning one of the girls underneath.  She had an obvious broken wing and her leg was dislocated, as it hung at a strange angle.  We debated putting her down, but the thought of processing a turkey at 9pm wasn't appealing (and besides, how much meat could be on a little bird?).  The decision was made to wait until Thursday to see how she was doing.  

Thursday Morning

Thursday morning Teresa found her in the same spot, eyes closed and Teresa was convinced she was dead until she touched her and the turkey hopped away on one foot.  Her little head was all red from the other turkey's biting at her.  At first this seemed cruel, but as you observed longer, they only did this until she would open her eyes and then they would snuggle in next to her.  Right before leaving for work Teresa checked in on her again and she was sleeping by the food bowl!  She would wake-up, eat and then immediately close her eyes again.  This was a good sign...dying animals usually don't eat.  Right before leaving for work, Teresa made a little pen for her inside the tractor to keep the other turkeys from picking on her during the day.

Thursday Evening 

All day long Teresa couldn't wait to get home to check on the bird.   You know your crazy when you start saying prayers for a turkey.  Upon arriving home things appeared the same.  Occasional eye opening, and then back out cold.  Right before bed, she was caught (excuse the pun) gobbling down food!  She emptied half her food dispenser; a good sign.

Friday Morning

During the morning goat walk, Teresa peeked in on the turkey and she was sitting in place, but this time her head was up and she was alert and looking around!

Friday Evening

It was once again time to move the turkey tractor.  It's quite the balancing act trying to walk inside a 3 foot tall pen, while not touching the ground (which is covered in turkey poo).  At one point, we had 6 turkey's, two people and three goats inside the turkey tractor...quite the circus act.   

We wonder how full-time farmers survive and figure sometimes it's better to just laugh at yourself. 

Oh cruel world!!!

Weaning has officially begun on Silver Hill Farm as murderous screams of angry kids bellow out of the barn....oh cruel world!!!!

Calm After the Storm

Back with power after last night's severe thunderstorms.  Very heavy rain and high winds left us without electricity for approximately twelve hours.  The result was an early bedtime and lazy Fourth of July morning.  Luckily, everything is intact and we are back in action but still a bit lazy.  We had a nice lunch with the goats out in the pasture.  They enjoyed their grass and clover while we dined on "Vermonter" sandwiches.

Our posts have been quite sparse lately due to our busy schedules and travels.  Many of our projects have been crossed off of lists.  The animals are tucked in for the most part.  The goats are obviously doing well and are rapidly closing on being weaned from their bottles.  There is semi-harmony in the chicken coop and we are anxiously awaiting some blue or green eggs.  Lastly, the turkeys continue to impress with their growth rate and smelliness.  Our garden appears to have gained a bit of momentum with the recent rain and warm temperatures.  We  have been eating fresh cut salads and made garlic scape pesto the other evening.  We are also rapidly approaching the VT 100K...send good vibes our way.  In all, it has been a beautiful summer so far.  We hope to post to you soon.