Fall Clean Turned Animal Post

 It has been crazy warm - like open your windows warm. I love it! When I heard the forecast of sleet and snow this weekend, I knew I had to get outside and winterize a bit. Once I got the girls on the bus this morning, the boys and I headed out for a few hours before they started school. We cleaned the flower beds and raked the leaves from the patio and driveway where they collect. We also collected tools and toys from everywhere and put them away for the winter.

I like to let the goats out with us while we work, but they are so, so naughty. They, of course, eat all kinds of things that you don't want them to. You wouldn't even know that I had some lovely Hostas that I was very fond of. (Just hoping they come back!)

No, Hans, no!

 After the house area looked way, way better, we ventured to the barn. The goal was to clean out the bike stall. (Yes, the bike stall is a horse stall dedicated to the kids' bikes. I would love to build a garage and put a donkey in that stall!) We also cleaned out the center area so JD can actually put the tractor in the barn for the winter. I'm actually embarrassed to show this picture, but here are the bikes destined for the dump. The boys have gotten decent at bike repair and these bikes have been stripped of good tires, chains and kick-stands. Thankfully, now the ridable bikes can fit in the stall instead of being all over the middle of the barn.

Farm life always has a little animal drama. Today when I closed the third stall door, some animal fell a few feet from my head. Fearing it was a mouse, I did what I usually do and screamed, "JAMES!" I stood there while he investigated the creature. Nope, not a mouse today - a bat! Apparently he was hanging in the overhead somewhere and I knocked him down when I closed the door. I wouldn't let the kids get close to him (I think they can carry rabies...), but he stayed there for a long time, so I was afraid that I hurt him with the door.

See him there? Eventually he got up and flew out (or a cat got him, but I'm sticking to the first idea).

Although we had prepared the goat stall and chicken coop for winter, we added some clean pine straw for both of them. Ben brought this brilliant chicken so we could trim his head feathers; he tends to walk into things when they grow too long.

We have had a hurt guinea isolated for several weeks that we released today. I blame Obama for his misfortune, because the accident was caused by the presidential helicopters. On occasion they fly overhead; this day they were so low and so loud that the guineas freaked and started flying. This one guinea flew straight into our vacation trailer and knocked himself out. Honestly, I had about zero hope of the guinea recovering but we isolated him and babied him until he learned to stand and walk again. He is walking with a limp but you can't pick him out of the crowd.