Another Cattle Crisis

The cattle seemed to be doing fine now that Rosella had recovered from her porcupine quills:

But sweet natured Jasmine did not seem to feel well and stood up as little as she could get away with:

I had previously noticed that she had one claw of a back hoof which was overgrown, so I went out to take a closer look while she was resting. It looked long, but not as long as I'd remembered it:

Alas, when she stood up it appeared much worse and was obviously painful for her:

I called the neighbor who had tranquilized Rosella when she had the porcupine quills. He came out and shot Jasmine with a tranquilizer dart. Remy pulled it out and ran around with it in his mouth until we took it from him - but it had been in Jasmine long enough to have emptied:

Jasmine was slow going down and never went out completely. I had to repeatedly push down her head to keep her from trying to stand up while the neighbor inspected her hoof:

He found a bad crack in her hoof and began paring away at the overgrowth and trying to open up the crack because it had become infected inside:

Rosella and the little horses were very worried and kept checking on Jasmine while he worked:

You can see the crack in the front of the lower claw which he opened up with a knife and rasp:

When he was done, he filled the crack with black ointment to draw out the poison, wrapped the foot in an ACE bandage and gave her a shot of penicillin. Sweet Remy came over and lay his head on her lovingly, while Blue just wanted to check out that bandage:

The next morning, I found Jasmine on her feet and apparently feeling much better. Sadly, I also discovered another big hoof crack, this one in a front claw. I don't yet know how this will be resolved or why her hooves are cracking:

Pets At Home

The first three photos were taken of he dogs in their backyard run before the snow arrived. Though it has since melted, it no longer looks so lush and green. These three dogs are Jack, Fergus and Clover:

 Seamus and Jack, with the 88 hay bales in the background:

 Fergus, looking as if he needs a costume for a Christmas photo. I'll have to find him one:

Bugsy, alternately shy or lazy, depending on his mood:

 I always love to take these kitchen corner photos. This one is of Daphne, Clover and Fergus:

 Fergus, Clover, Daphne, Bugsy, Jack and Bramble:

 Georgette, who thinks she runs the household from her bed on the kitchen table. Sometimes I think she is right:

 Daisy and Bugsy, who were dumped at my barn together two years ago, still like to cuddle:

 Fergus, Bugsy and Rocky:

 Rocky with his eyes nearly closed because he was purring so hard:

 Jack, Clover, Daphne, Fergus and Seamus:

 Daisy and Bugsy atop the bureau where their food and water is kept. I had to use a flash, which is why their eyes are glowing:

Winter Arrives In The North Country

Our temperatures began dropping after a warm autumn, but the fantail pigeons seemed comfortable and warm enough. Any babies hatched now will have little chance of surviving, though:

 The chickens have been eating well because I had excess beans and rice, more than I could eat, and have been feeding them to the hens:

 Their egg production, however, has pretty much stopped for the winter:

 I caulked around the chickens' door, hoping to keep them extra comfortable this winter:

 One morning I found ice all over everything, including the grass, and temperatures as low as 8 F were predicted for the next several days (along with snow and ice):

 So I put the bale spear on the tractor and hauled the first of 88 bales out to the pasture:

 I unwrapped the bale and dropped it into the bale feeder:

 The only problem was that the herd had spent a week in the far field, not even coming in for water. I had to go rouse them and drive them back through the gate into the main south field:

 Blue stood his ground until all the other animals were gone. I wanted to close the gates for the winter, but first I had to go get Blue and convince him to move:

 All the animals were happy to see the hay bale and they dug into it with gusto:

And they wasted quite a bit too:

 The next day our temperatures dropped and we had a snowstorm, so I hung the bird feeders, much to Daisy's delight (that's her in the window):

The Rutland Trail With The Dogs - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking on the Rutland Trail (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had reached beautiful Allen Brook. The dogs were ecstatic:

But this was to be only a short hike, so I soon began leading the pooches back along the trail the way we'd come:

It's a beautiful trail any time of year, but autumn is my favorite:

The leaves were mostly fallen, but alongside the trail were Beech saplings with colors so bright that it seemed they might glow in the dark. If I were to name this color, I'd call it Neon Butterscotch:

And Red Maple seedlings with rich red colored leaves:

I was getting sand and tiny stones inside my leg braces, but we were close to our car so I kept walking:

I did, however, stop for a quick photo of a large turkey feather. There were several of them, and I wondered if a predator or human hunter had gotten a bird here:

The dogs were by this time somewhat settled down, their excess enthusiasm mostly spent. That made it more relaxing for me:

They'd walk together for awhile and then split off individually as they each smelled some fascinating scent:

Fergus and Clover were running and wrestling at the same time, having great fun. Up ahead, Jack was barreling down the trail toward us while Seamus wondered what all the excitement was about. Daphne was running ahead, the opposite direction as Jack:

Great excitement, much fun and silliness. I enjoy seeing them happy and playful as long as they don't run too far ahead:

As we neared the trail head, I told all the dogs to heel, which they did, except for Jack. He doesn't yet know what that means, so I put him on a leash to help him learn:

The Rutland Trail With The Dogs - Part 1

I'd had a busy morning, but when everything was done I decided to take the dogs for a short, quick hike on the nearby Rutland Trail. Our last hike on this trail was from Hallahan Road east, so this time we again began at Hallahan Road, but headed west:

The dogs were excited and I had to do a bit of hollering, but they were better than usual - or perhaps I just sounded crabbier than usual. They stopped to sniff every smell and Jack rolled in the trail, just because he was so happy:

There is private land on each side of the trail so I don't stray off of it, but there is plenty for dogs to explore without forays into the woods:

And they have so much fun that it is contagious, bringing me joy also:

The dogs seem to fancy themselves intrepid hunters, sniffing here, there and everywhere. Actually, they put me in mind of Elmer Fudd, hunting for wabbits. They wouldn't know what to do if they ever found anything. I once had a dog who was taunted by red squirrels on hikes and would chase them. One day an unfortunate red squirrel tripped and tumbled mid-chase, allowing the dog to catch it. She stopped when she got to the squirrel, wondering what to do next - or perhaps wondering why the silly rodent had stopped in the middle of the game. She had no intention of harming it:

We weren't going far on this journey, so I walked even slower than usual, allowing the dogs time to explore and play:

We were nearing the old railroad bridge over Allen Brook. I thought I could see it up ahead:

Little Jack loves to run and seldom stops except to pee or to roll on the ground for joy. I think he was getting ready to lift a leg in this picture:

Yes indeed, the bridge was just up ahead:

But instead of crossing the bridge, we walked down to Allen Brook, a lovely and wild stream through the forest. Eastern White Cedars and White Pines grew all around, including one pine with a trunk which must have been five feet in diameter:

Clover and Daphne don't realize that they are supposed to be pampered foo-foo dogs. They consider themselves intrepid explorers, and ran down to the water's edge to investigate:

Then Fergus and Jack joined them, everyone having a grand time. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: