My day was one of mishaps. Last night, I whizzed about 2lbs of garlic in the VitaMix with molassass for the milk cows. The last lot I did I crushed each clove to release the goodness, then fermented it in the molassass and added a serving spoonful to each girls grain ration at milking time. Although Dolly and Daisy May gobbled it up, Star, who I discovered has mastitis in her back right udder (it's hard and she kicked me when I felt it) leaves them in the feeder, then when the other 2 leave the milk parlour, it's eaten, I presume by Dolly. So decided the next lot I'd pulverise so that she can't avoid it. I put it all back in the zip-lock baggie that the garlic originally came in, and put it on the kitchen floor propped up against a milk bucket for support.
Came downstairs this morning to discover a congealed mess about 4 ft square where the bag had tipped itself over. I didn't expect the fermentation to be that violent that quickly. Got down on my hands and knees with the pastry scraper thingy and scooped up as much as I could. Then washed that part of the floor down with hot water. Molassass is super sticky. After feeding everything, went down to milk, to discover the instant hot water heater was frozen and not allowing any water through. Switched the Gila monster on, and manoeuvred it into the feed room, facing the water heater. Once the water started running through, took it back out to the milk parlour to heat the milking lines.
Came inside for my tea when Angie and John arrived to take Frogz down and fetch me to their house to process her. She was frozen stiff. So was my deer in the tote. He's a taxidermist and works out of a workshop in the walk-out basement of their house. I need to explain this to my South African friends and family. Here in Michigan, most houses have another complete house underneath the house you can see. If it's a walk-out, it means that it has a door to the outside. Our basement on the farm is semi-finished. It has a concrete floor and the walls are block, plus there are some walls inside dividing it into rooms, but these walls aren't finished, ie then need another side, and to be painted. Our laundry is down in ours, and it's a sort-of walkout because the tunnel to the lower barn leaves from the house basement. Herbie arrived home as we were about to leave. They fetched me because they were coming to get the alpaca and the deer, and Herbie is not keen on me driving my little car on the icy roads.
At their house, we hung the alpaca and put the deer tote on the table, then went upstairs. They have one of those stairlifts ! Herbie so wants one. I didn't realise it takes up so much of the staircase though. Angie was making cottage cheese with some of her milk from our farm, showed me their house. They have a black labrador puppy, Raven. She's gorgeous. Was a little put out the she had to sit on Angies' lap in the truck as I was sitting up front too. They also have a rather fat bloodhound, Belle, but Angie says she's doing well on her diet and has lost a lot of weight. Met her grandma, and after chatting a while, realised that the meat processing wasn't going to happen today as the meat was completely frozen. So going back tomorrow.
They brought me back home, and I immediately got the buggy to water the cows. The hosepipe was frozen solid, I must have left it out yesterday, but I don't remember watering the beasties. Oh well, haul it down to the basement and run hot water over it to thaw it out. Played frizzbee with Anni the whole freezing time. Used my scarf in front of my face to try and keep it from freezing. At least my feet were hot :) Decided to give everything an additional little corn to keep them warmer during the night. Found the one blue silkie boy I'm boarding dead, apart from all the others. Damn. He was an outcast, and they obviously didn't let him into the warmth.
Came inside to find no phone. OK, think back. Had it with my purse the the DVDs I returned to the library, so it must be in Johns' truck, or in one of the bags I took over with the vacuum bags and labels and stuff. E-mailed Angie, hoping it was there, then went and scrabbled in the snow where his truck was to make sure that I didn't drop it out there. Nope, not to be found. Angie e-mailed me back, yep, it was in one of the bags. Great. She offered to bring it back over, but I said no, the weather is beastly out, and let's see what withdrawal symptoms I'll suffer without it for 24 hours ! I play some games on it which drives my husband batty. Maybe it will be incentive to get stuck into cleaning the kitchen. Or I may just watch TV after writing this saga.