Cabbage recipe #2 and vet day

It was vet day for animals and off to the doctor for the human.   I ended up at the doc's today with a virus and a cold, stressing my blood sugars and blood pressure...lovely. Nothing rest won't help. (the doctor knows me and sternly said -REST) Rest, hmm difficult but not unattainable. I got home and the veterinarian and the farrier were here. Summer, one of our horses, needed her check up and both horses need their hooves trimmed. Manicure day is not as fun for horses as it is for humans. They were having trouble with trimming the horses hooves and they needed sedatives, not something you give lightly, so the vet was here.  After all, these are HORSE sedatives.  Libby, our mellow horse, but this time was the one giving the most trouble. These are extremely experience farriers who service Colorado, Wyoming , and Nebraska.  They were heading to Cheyenne, Wyoming next. It took a while and a lot of , "whoa girl, whoa girl" but they got the job done. Despite the horse being a pain, she would snore in between her orneriness. Dude did a great job of holding her up. The farriers were exhausted.

  Doc Samantha checked out Angelo and congratulated him on his recent weight loss but told him he still had a ways to go.  She checked all the other goats and they were doing well.

Wilbur was up next for a check up and shots.  He did great and looks good. The vet did give me a tip not to let Wilbur's fur get much longer in the summer.  He will sweat under that fur and sheep have a potential to get maggots.  OHMY!  So he will get another trim in a month or so.

Murder in the bird yard. Not sure how it happened, no one's talking. We got the geese, African Heritage breed because they are great at alarming and trying to protect their owners ...or area. Last night, we aren't sure what happened but one of the geese got so mad at a guinea that wandered a wee bit too close to the pool that the goose pulled it in , drown it and then the two geese swam around it like nothing happened. (they must of thought, " you can kill snakes but we ...." oh, I can't finish the thought).   Dude ran out to see what happened but it was too late, the guinea was dead and the geese didn't even blink! They just kept swimming.
They were funny today when the vet and farrier came out. They ran over to tell them to get lost and even stood under the horses yelling at the farriers. They take their job very serious. Everyone on the homestead has a purpose. 

Four guineas remain. 

I drove up from a doctor visit just as the farrier and vet were here. I was glad I got to see it all. But the doctor ordered me to rest.  Rest? I really didn't think I could but after everything calmed and folks got back to road, I settled in and was surprised I slept for two hours solid. It was good to just sit on the porch, read and watch Dude make a set of steps for my brother who had a serious leg injury earlier this year. 

I longed for quiet slower times and God made sure I got it... one way or another. 

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you." –Matthew 11:28

Quick Healing Cabbage Soup

From the garden:
1/4 of a large cabbage or half of a small one (all our cabbage are huge) chopped
1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 cloves of garlic
healthy pinch oregano and basil

tablespoon of oil

a few dashes of turmeric 
3 tablespoons vinegar
4-6 cups of chicken broth (we had homegrown)
tablespoon honey (homegrown)
salt and pepper
hefty pinch of red pepper flakes

Saute the first four ingredients .  Add the rest and simmer until heated through.  

Since I didn't feel good and the doctor ordered keep the liquids coming, this was very soothing.

Plan is to back in bed by 730pm. 
                             peace

Vet visit for a horse and a kid goat

After having a calm relaxing day yesterday for Dude's birthday we got an early start to the day taking a horse to the vet to see if she's pregnant or not.  We also brought the kid, Billy Blue-eye, to get his head wrap taken off and  sutures removed.  He was riding in the backseat of the truck screaming his head off for his mom. 
This is his mom.

And his sister came to inspect everything. 

Wilbur was suspect of everything going on . 

 Summer, Libby's friend was pitching a fit in the corral.   She was neighing loudly and kicking all around. She wanted to be the one to ride in the trailer. 

I wasn't up to 100% this morning.  I had taken a melatonin last night to make sure I slept to get up at 6am.  I am a severe lightweight and the lowest milligram of the stuff will put me out. First thing this morning I went out to help load the animals but realized I left the dog in the house. I turned around to go back and some how managed a face plant right into the back porch floor! I just laid there for a while, realizing I was on my own since Dude was out with horses and can't hear any way. I ended up with a few bruises and my ego needing to be dusted off. 

Everyone was loaded up and off we went.

Billing Blue-eyes had his sutures removed today. He did great. 

Next up was Libby. Our farrier had told us she was pregnant.  We didn't know how but we brought her in. She was very nervous but she dealt with it well. 

We got to the vet in all one piece. 

They gave her a bit of sedative and began the exam. 

If you are a woman you may recognize some of this... her uterus is .... empty. She did ovulate while we were there.  What??! I found it all very interesting. 

Anywhooo... no baby and the exam continued. 

Dude was so sad.  He loved the thought of having a little colt. 

We did get home in time to work in the greenhouse for just a bit.  Tomorrow, I will plant some plants we got on sale, weed and water. 

Oh and remember that hole we found on our property?  I saw a prairie dog pop out of that bad boy today.  Oh, we can't have that!!!! I know it worked hard to build a home but we need to get rid of it.  I am channeling Bill Murray as Carl Spackler from Caddy Shack. He and any homies he has with him need to vacate immediately! Dude said he heard today to unwrap a bunch of bubble gum and leave it at the entrance of their home .  Apparently it does a number on their innards. They will eat it and they die from it. 

Still have my melatonin hangover and need to get to bed. 

peace