And a fun time was had by all. Except for the goats.

I spent two days with my middle sister over the weekend - she drove over from New Hampshire on Friday and drove back on Sunday.  It's a long drive (three and a half hours) and she doesn't have much 'her' time, so I was very grateful that she spent ALL her 'her' time with me!

We kicked off the visit with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, then a blissful walkabout in the neighboring Barnes and Noble.  It is so interesting how rural I've become...walking into the mall was like walking on the moon.  It felt so completely alien - from the sounds and smells, the lighting, the shiny surfaces...woo.  While we oohed and aahed over the books, we both came across a small picture book that sent us into hysterical laughter.  Needless to say, we each bought a copy and have continued to hoot about it all weekend.  Neither of us is particularly fond of 'crass' humor, yet this humor is definitely on the crass side - but done with such finesse that it's incredibly funny.  To us.  :)

I also got to go into the great, big JoAnn Fabrics store - heaven!  I picked up some flannel for jammie bottoms, some flannel to repair my old flannel robe that is beginning to embarrass even me, some fleece for Scrappy's winter inside jacket - I'm tired of his blankie ending up on the floor and the ensuing accusing looks.  I also picked up some bright wool yarn with which to knit a couple of holiday/birthday alligator scarves. 

We whipped up a gluten free, garlic scape pesto, (last - sob) sliced tomato, cheddar pizza and talked our heads off.  Bernice was so happy to have her Auntie C there (she loves both of her Aunties), she spent the entire evening on the couch, curled up in a happy ball, her head on Auntie C's lap.  We both went to Vermont to work on checking a few items off the parental to-do list - then we suffered through the grocery store and Wal-Mart, before fleeing to the peace of the farm.  Relatively speaking, of course.  We managed to erect a sturdy perch in the hoop house for the Great Turkey Relocation Project.  We were so excited that our plan for the perch worked perfectly, that we went to do one of those "high five" moves and neither one of us got it right.  It was another hysterical moment -- I wish we had it on video.  Then, bolstered by a glass of nice red wine, we crept out in the dark, head beams on, and moved the turkeys from the chicken coop to their new digs.  Let me tell you, those boys are BIG.  Noddy, C's charge, was so entranced by the moment that he practically swooned in her arms.  They will now spend a week learning to imprint (ohpleasegod) their new home before I let them out. 

Sunday morning was a cold, grey day, with dark clouds spitting icy rain every so often.  Perfect weather to band little goat horns.  I jest.  But that was the day we had, so my friend, AnnMarie (without whom I could not do what I do) and her brother, Farmhand, and I rounded up Sage, Chick and Apple and banded their horns.  Both Sage and Chick were disbudded by the breeders young son - an amazing fact.  I mean, would you let your inexperienced kid learn on a buyer's very expensive goat kids?  I think not - but that's what happened.  Needless to say, it was not successful and both Chick and Sage were growing scurs that were curving dangerously close to their noggins.  Apple?  Well, we were just about 100% sure she was polled (hornless).  Until little pointy horns grew up out of her hard little head.  Willo was, indeed, polled.  There was a LOT of screaming involved and only a little of it was mine.  Seriously, it does not hurt.  But it will be uncomfortable as the bands slowly kill off the horn material and they drop off.  An interesting bit of information - in case one of them whacks their horn and it bleeds (usually aLOT), AnnMarie said to keep flour in the barn - it stops up the bleeding and won't irritate their eyes like other alum based blood stop products.  Cool!  I had been clinging hanging onto a bag of whole wheat pastry flour in the freezer.  Now I know why. 

In the midst of the goat rodeo, my dear sis had to slip away.  We were all sad that night, but hope she comes back soon!