Early Bird

We'll be starting milking lessons earlier today.  The days are getting hotter and hotter and I'm hoping Beau doesn't rethink his temporary job in a sweat shop.  We were both dripping wet when we were done.  Yesterday he watched while I talked him through the entire procedure and introduced him to the girls.  The girls have, in the past, freaked out when a stranger, especially a man, is in the barn.  I did have to go out and catch Tessie, but for the most part they all behaved well.  Today will be more of  hands on for him, and tomorrow I will only supervise.  I think it surprised him to find that milking by hand is actually hard work.  I'd tried to warn him, but it's different than one imagines  It's good experience, though, since he plans on breeding his two doelings later.  It's certainly more training than I got.  We also discussed the building of his future barn and hopefully it will be more efficient than mine.  I did tell him to build much bigger than he thinks he'll need.  Goats are like potato chips, you can't have just one (or two).  A cold beer back at the house was hopefully an incentive to come back.  I'm not above bribery.

And yet another trip to town.  It was time for Bessie's annual checkup with Dr. Ric.  She knows when I put her leash on where she's going and starts shutting down.  At the office, Bess goes under a chair and shuts her eyes.  "If I can't see you, you can't see me."  The floor gets dry-mopped as my dog gets pulled and pushed and slid across to the scale, back to the chair, and again into the examination room where she immediately takes refuge under that chair.  Enough of her stuck out so the tech could take her temperature.  Dr. Ric has been her vet since the git-go and she is one of his favorites, so much so that he got down on the floor with Bess to check her out and give her shots.  Other than normal signs of aging (she's now considered a senior), my girl is in good health.  (Yes, she's a little plump, but we won't talk about that.)

I have no plans to go anywhere today.  Yay.