I really don't know where the summer went.  o.O 

I hear the Farmer's Almanac was calling for a short summer and a heavy winter, and it sounds like they're right:  we got our first minor frost a couple of weeks ago.  We're able to leave the garden uncovered most nights, but there's been a night or two where it's gotten down to the 30s.  The days have been pretty hot last week, and the grasshoppers have been going mad.  I've decided that the early-flowering broccoli will be my sacrificial plant this year.  Not that I had much of a choice in the matter.  The tomatillos are going apeshit, but the quinoa never came up this year.

Turkey coop still not built yet, although we've hired a guy to work on it.  I did end up converting the wood trailer into a coop, which has been amusing--I keep referring to our "white trash turkeys."  They're getting big, and we have at least 2-3 toms.  One has a crooked toe on his foot.

The goats have started roaming, so we've pretty much had to keep them penned and resort to hay.  They've also scrunched down the back fence in the lower pasture to the point where they can climb over and get out, so no more keeping them down there.  *sigh*  I think I just need to rip out the wire and the weak post, put in a stronger one with cement, and build a wooden fence.  It'll definitely prevent the goats from getting their heads stuck--Brandie sent me a couple of lulus this year.  Two or three of them are dumb as rocks and keep getting their heads stuck.  Usually as I'm heading off to work and short on time.  *sigh*

Ben is still friendly, but has gotten a little weird about his neck again.  We need some serious grooming sessions after we pick up a rake for his undercoat.  Greg says he has a massive tick on his side, too.  Eww. >.<  He's been wandering pretty seriously, too, and we've had our first barking complaint from the neighbors.  To Ben's credit, it was a full moon and the coyotes have been singing like mad, but time to put the electric collar on him. *sigh*

Rabbits are doing well, although we're having a little trouble with the large hutch.  The large door has come undone a few times, resulting in "chase the rabbit" excursions.  One got away and made it under the stairs a few days ago, so we're pretty sure it's gone for good. *sigh*  Sucks, because we've found a couple of restaurants in town interested in carrying rabbit as a special.  Definitely time to switch breeds, although Hatasu has proved to be a very good mother.  We keep having to pull Nefertari's babies off of her and put them with Hatasu.  Nefertari is definitely not going to make it through winter.

Seriously, the end of August already?  GAH.

Saturday afternoon, as Greg and I were getting ready to head to our neighbor's 3-year-old's birthday party, we checked on the baby rabbits.  I discovered, much to our dismay, that one of Nefertari's babies had gotten a hind leg tangled in some loose threads.  We gently cut everything away, but it was apparent that the baby had broken its leg and was going to lose its foot.  We decided to put the baby back in with Nefertari and see how things went.  It was a bit smaller than the others (who have been growing by leaps and bounds!), so it was likely it hadn't been able to nurse, either.

*sigh*

Well, Nefertari took care of the whole ordeal by eating the lame baby.  We came out to check the next day, and the infant had vanished completely.  No sign it had ever been there.  It was a bit distressing, but I appreciate that Mother Nature took care of it all.  Next time we know--no loose-threaded rags.

On the bright side, we have pictures!  Prepare to die of cute!  These are pictures from yesterday, meaning that they are five days old in the shots.

This one is an odd color--gray with tan.  Thutmose, the father, is white with black spots.  Nefertari, the mother (and Thutmose's daughter), is white with tan spots.  It's a gorgeous pelt color, so we'll keep this one around for a while.

This one is a more standard color.  You can see the black eyeliner, dark ears, and even a wee couple of spots along the spine.

Thutmose got his nails clipped yesterday (for the first time), which he didn't care for too much.  I tried to wrap him in a sweatshirt and put him on his back, but he didn't like that idea at all--even nipped me a couple of times.  Luckily, I was wearing leather gloves.  He did just fine when I kept him upright, so that'll be how we do them in the future.

However!  We had to trim his nails because we put him into a new, larger hutch and I was afraid we might not be able to get him once we put him in there.  He'll stay in there for the time being, but once the babies are older we'll shift Hatasu, Nefertari, and their brood into the big hutch so they all have more room.  It's a double-decker and quite palatial; we got it second-hand from some friends (the husband is allergic to rabbits, so they'd never have any), but had to re-hang the side door before we could use it.

THAT took all damn day.  Okay, maybe three hours, but it was the second time we'd gone at it.  Fortunately, Ben (our sharecropper) arrived on Saturday, so he was able to give us a hand.  Seems we really needed three pairs of hands to do it after all.

We did quite a lot of other stuff around the farm, too:  trimmed back the goat-bent fencing, added in a new section, and extended the top with chicken wire.  Again, three pairs of hands really made this a lot easier; I couldn't believe how much easier it was than when Greg and I did it alone last year.  Ben transferred a bunch of seedlings into the garden--mostly tomatoes and peppers--while Greg made wire cages for them.  I had plans to finish with the fencing, but my Ryobi battery ran out, so instead I wrangled up a mostly-completed hay manger out of wire fencing, a used tired, and baling twine.  We ended the day with a few beers (cider for me!) around the bonfire.

Today, of course, it's snowing. *sigh*

Getting a lot of fox action lately.  Saw a pale blonde one trotting across the snow this morning.  I love having these guys nearby.

Spent a goodly portion of last night fantasizing about building the new turkey shed.  May have some feelers out for people who have more experience and who can help.  Wandered around the Milner Mall yesterday a bit and salivated over a set of windows from the Yacht Club.  They're already put together and would be great for a greenhouse.  Just gotta get all the scratch together to get this going.  *sigh*

Gotta get the turkeys lined up too.  At this point, looks like the mixed run is sold out 'til June.  Just gotta get everybody on board and go from there, I guess.  Money, too.  Argh.

Thinking lots more about goat possibilities.  Kevin and Casey are getting rid of all of theirs, and Greg and I talked last night about the possibility of doing goat milk next summer.  He was supportive of the idea and I know there's a high demand, especially for value-added products like cheese.  Just gotta hang onto the commercial kitchen.  Looking to do boarding swap with Brandie as a possibility.

SPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRING!! *boing!*