Well, the weekend is over, and Herbie will probably be called in to work early.
I'll be fetching our 2 new calves later today. They're about 5 weeks old and not yet weaned, so I'm hoping that Star takes them on, seeing as we have no milking happening on the farm. I've been feeding the calves bought milk, and at $4.50 per gallon this is proving costly. Starting to wean them but they cry for me until they're hoarse :(.
Went to get finger-printed and photographed yesterday for the renewal of my green card. Wasn't too bad, took just over ½ an hour. As we were in Grand Rapids, had lunch at Panera, which Herbie calls Greasy Bread :). Did the half combo, French onion soup and a turkey / avo sandwich, and I had the luxury of 2 expressos. Then went and closed out 3 bank accounts as there isn't a branch of Lake Michigan Credit Union anywhere close to us so I don't use it and they started charging me monthly inactive account fees. Went to Sams Club, stopped for icecream at Culvers, where we saw Jackie and I met her brother for the first time and popped into Horrocks for tomatoes, cheaper than WalMart,and some herbs. Some paint from Home Depot then stopped at the Snow Ave nursery where Betsi works, but she wasn't there. Got some more herbs. I love nurseries. The potential, the smells and colours. Saw a really funky cork-screw green plant, and beautiful fushia hanging baskets. I like the double flower ones best :). Met some of Betsis' co-workers, and Kat with a "K" may be interested in milk.
Back home Herbie finished my herb protectors, but I had to pop over to Menards for additional chicken wire. The 1st one that I covered doesn't look as great as the ones Herbie painted. I chose a soft blue-green. Got the one planted yesterday, have the tarragon coming up in another, and the Sweet Annie in the 3rd, so need to plant the 4th with the new herbs tomorrow.
Passed Teri and Andys' Saranac house, and their pink flowering tree is beautiful. On my way back saw Coke (I think it was him) mowing their lawn. Herbie actually asked me the day before when we drove past who mowed their lawn when they were at their Chicago home.
The little grey gosling didn't survive. Found the little body in the back garden. No trauma, just dead. The white goose is sitting. I give her a bit of corn, but she doesn't move much except turning around, although I presume she goes to drink water but I've not seen her do it.
Star had put on a little weight and is sort of looking better. She's really patchy, losing her Winter coat, so is Dolly. I've been treating the 2 of them to some grain daily, barley and corn as she was gaunt feeding Shaw while fighting the infection from her mastitis. Dolly was listless yeaterday, not even interested in grain, but she ate everything green I picked for her. Her udder is filling nicely, so hopefully her calf will come soon. Hurry up, Old Girl, lots of people are waiting for milk :). After the milk fever Star had after Shaw was born, I'm babying Dolly a little as I don't want her going through that as well, for both our sakes.
Met new egg customers, Patty and Monte. Funny, they were going through the eggs as she didn't want any white ones ! She believes that white eggs make her tummy upset, but not the brown ones. I explained that all the eggs are the same nutritionally, except for the colour of the shell, and took them into the chicken house to show them which hen laid the blue egg, which 4 laid white eggs, with all the rest, white, black, black and white, red, brown and buff chickens being the brown egg layers. They all eat exactly the same things, a little organic barley, lots of green stuff and bugs. Gave her a duck egg to try, it was a white one :)
It's 4am and the roosters are crowing like crazy. Can also hear the frogs, and every now and again, Anni and Rosco race around, barking. Doing their job of keeping the farm safe. I couldn't sleep after waking around 2am, but Herbie is fast asleep next to me. Think I'll pop my ear plugs back in and try go back to sleep. Good night, again.