I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

We fenced a section for the goats to clear and live in, back in 2012.  I think it was about 7 acres.

We have been amazed at how well they have cleared it….and kept it clear.

This was taken yesterday….

This…. was taken near the same spot last March, when we first put the goats in the fence.

Amazing isn’t it?  At that time there were just four goats eating.

This year we have four adult goats and 5 baby goats in this same space.  We kept watching and waiting for Spring to bring all the new growth.  Apparently they are eating it as fast as it can grow.  Although it looks nice to be able to see through the woods, there isn’t enough food for everyone.

We enjoy seeing the rock formations without all the underbrush.  They have done a great job…and I think they have enjoyed every bite!  That is exactly why we put them there.

Billy has a new spot that he wants cleaned up.  Soooooo….. he has had new fencing put up.  We are trying an electric fence this time.  Hoot n Nanny has been following in her mothers foot steps and started getting her head caught in the fence a late lately.  Pearl, her Mama has always been bad about doing that.  We have learned what a certain cry sounds like when they are caught.  Most of the time they are way up in the woods.  Another reason why we try to do a head count on all the animals regularly.  When we are out of town though, I worry about them mostly for this reason.  They can feed themselves in a nice terrain of food…but when they get their head stuck…they are at a predators mercy.  They can also break their necks trying to get loose.

We are hoping this new fencing will eliminate a lot of problems.

Pearl, well she is the one goat who tends to push the envelope the most.  First it was getting her head caught…now it is jumping over the electric fence.  The first day she got out three times…that I know of.  The good thing was that she didn’t go anywhere.  She just thought the grass was greener on the other side.

I am about as hard headed as she is.  Whenever I caught her on the outside I made her jump right back inside.  Of course you know I really can’t make her do anything she really doesn’t want to do, but at least she made me feel like I was in control.

By the end of day one….she seemed to stay in the fence.  We have decided to add a third string of wire to help remedy that problem.

As you can see there is a whole lot of food all around them.

They didn’t waste any time getting started.

I am excited to see how this looks after they do their work.

We left the babies in the old fence.  They seem to be able to find enough food.  There little tummies are full by the end of the day.

I happened to catch Lucy, Freida and Viola resting from a long days work.  These three seem to hang out together.  I guess they know who there siblings are.

I suppose Lucy has been adopted by these two.  Aren’t they cute?

Buster Brown and Mary Jane were still out doing a little weed eating.

I think they kind of like having the older goats gone.  They can have the goat house back,  the older ones always kicked them out when it rained.

For now….everyone’s happy, even Pearl.

I just hope she doesn’t get out and eat the neighbors garden……….

Sometimes I notice things in my surroundings more than other times.

yesterday it seemed that everywhere I went I saw beauty in the natural surroundings.

Like the golden field with the freshly rolled bails of hay.  It is as if it changed from a green field to a golden one overnight.

When I stopped to take that picture this was in the field by my feet.   A beautiful sun shine yellow flower with a bee busily working.

I love the scallop on the end of the petals….

I went on down by the lake just for a quick ride on the 4 wheeler when I couldn’t help but notice these beautiful morning glories.

Every time I see a morning glory…I think of my mother.  She would say “Morning”…. glory.  It stills makes me smile.

I turned to get back on the 4 wheeler and right before my eyes was this vine that had grown up the farm valve.  I found it so picturesque.

I do not know what those little red flowers are…but they are just beautiful.  Dainty, yet bold in color.

before me was a patch of them….now why don’t the flowers I buy look this good?

And then I saw a patch of these.  I think they are awesome looking.  I can’t help but think about the fun God must have had as HE created each plant differently, uniquely and beautifully.

Maybe this is another morning glory…I’m not sure…but I have heard that blue is the rarest color in plants.  I’m not positive about that…but I have not seen a lot of blue when I think about it.

Another pretty yellow flower…but I noticed the petals are totally different in shape than the other one.

I was amazed at all the tiny…tiny…yellow flowers on this plant….just beautiful!

This is another color I don’t see a lot in wild flowers.  A pale pink flower…when I looked closer…I could see a couple of the little buds on each stalk were beginning to bloom.

God always amazes me with His creation.

For the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.  Isaiah 40:8

In the home I grew up in, our next door neighbor had lilies like these between our yards.  I always thought they were so pretty.

I planted some of these at Billy’s office years ago….and they continue to be pretty, year after year.  I love them and you do not even have to be good with plants for them to live.    Obviously if they come back for me….then they are hardy!

My neighbor that I have now gave me these last year, they were just bulbs with a twig of green.  I told Billy not to mistake then for a weed, because they looked like one during the time they were transplanted.  I had no idea what color they would be or what they would really look like.  All I knew is that she called them Native Lilies.  I have been anxiously waiting for them to bloom this year.

They finally did.

I think they are really beautiful…and look to be double petaled.  Needless to say…I am very pleased that they survived and are sooooo pretty.

These are Canna Lilies

Speaking of survival….these little guys have been through it.  A friend of mine had more than enough of these in her yard.  She thinned them out and gave some to me several years ago.  I planted them on the land before we moved here.  They have been stepped on and piles of dirt and mulch put on top of them when Billy built a new flower bed area near them.  Then rocks were brought in…and…well…kinda put on top of them.  They still came up.  Truth be known I think Billy has even sprayed them with his little weed killer stuff.  He isn’t real fond of these.  But I think there is place for them.  Matter of fact right where they are on the side of the house is a perfect spot.  Obviously they think so too!

They are called canna lilies and I have heard that they are in the banana tree family.  I do not know that for sure, but the leaves and stalks do resemble it.  I have had some of these in the past.  There are some with purple leaves too.  Some have orange flowers, yellow flowers and then of course this one is a red one.

This one was just beginning to open, they just get prettier and prettier when they fully open.

There is a tree that is blooming everywhere right now.  It is actually known to be a pest, because they tend to take over and grow wild.  However, they are really unique.

This is a Mimosa.  I think the fringe flowers are so interesting looking.  And the leaves have almost a fern  like appearance to them.  They seem to always catch my eye.

This particular tree was near the farm….so I stopped and got a picture….then I saw something else that caught my eye….the neighbors rooster enjoying the ability to be free in the yard.

Cute….

Meanwhile back at the house…. the blackberry bushes are loaded.

We only got enough berries last year to make about two cobblers, but this year…it is a bumper crop!

As you can see there are more to ripen in the coming days.  Billy and I picked a good bit the other day

we got a quart in that one picking.

Billy loves to eat them with a little cool whip.

Yesterday after work I walked down to the blackberry bushes.  I saw that Billy had driven down to them.  I thought…well good…he is already starting to pick.  As I walked closer I could see him picking and eating.  When I got to him, I asked how much did you get…expecting to see his container.  He said….A big belly full!

That man….he is so funny.