In for the Night

Everybody's fed and watered,  quite the accomplishment considering there are about a dozen different feeding stations that must be attended to every day, some of them twice.  The four Christmas lambs are doing well after their banding today.  Joseph and Gabriel came running over for their bottles as usual.  I hate this job, but tails that are left undocked are a fly strike hazard (flies lay eggs in the manure that cakes on the long tail) and rams that are left uncastrated are a management problem.  Both areas should be taken care of when the lambs are very young, and the areas that are to be banded are very small.   I had an awful time getting Gabriel done, as his testicles were rather high up.  Luckily Matt was able to hold him so that gravity assisted in the job.   I had to hold the elastrator open while fishing for the marbles with my fingers and holding them down while letting the band close around the pouch, on top of the little nuggets.   It's very easy to leave one testicle up, leaving the ram lamb intact and able to do "damage."  I want these boys wethered so they won't give me more lambs and their wool will be nicer.  Lambing takes a lot out of a ewe's fleece, understandably.  Wethers do nothing but act like bullies and produce wool.  I got Christmas lights up around the front door.  I'm not an "around the door" type of decorator, but it looks rather nice I have to admit.  My beautiful star is still up on the silo but the light strands don't work.  Maybe Mia and Andrew will help me take it down and fix the lights.  They are not coming until Christmas Day, but who cares?   It will still be beautiful.  Growing up in Somerset County, New Jersey, just 35 miles west of Manhattan, at a time when, yes, there were dairy farms everywhere, kind of like where I live now, farmers often had Christmas stars on top of their silos.  I never got mine that high, but on the side of the silo is nice, too.   I have a lot to do tonight but the body is telling me to lie down.  I want to make Patchouli creme and put together gifts for school.  We'll see how it goes.   Somehow the day ran away with me and I never got my Sunday NY Times.  Maybe Mia got it and can bring it to me after everyone in her house reads it.  Good TV on tonight - Dexter and the season finale of Homeland.