A Simple Day, A Wonderful Weekend

My Beautiful Bean and Her Handsome Pook-A-Dook

Welcome to a glorious Monday, dear reader. The weather is absolutely perfect in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and I love it. This weekend was a blur of activity for our family. The Bean and her boyfriend, Pook-A-Dook, attended their first prom on Friday night. I know I might be slightly biased, however, I believe they were quite possibly the most lovely couple at the dance. Austin looked like a genuine gentleman, and my girl looked like a princess. After a bit of an anxiety attack about walking in the Grand March, my girl could settle down, breathe, relax, and enjoy herself. Both kids text me more than I feel two kids should text any adult during a prom, but I take it as a win that they keep me in the loop. They both came home smiling with stories to marvel at and make us laugh. One more milestone is now in the books. Sigh.

Saturday, we spent the weekend with family. Eric's brother was in from out East, and we celebrated Mother's Day with GB. Dinner and visiting were as exciting as it got, but it was the best way to celebrate a lady we adore. GB ended her evening by playing cards with two of her four granddaughters. Thank goodness, The Bean can play board games with her grandmother because she would never have experienced competitive board games with her boring old mom. I hate board games; I always have. I grudgingly play when asked, but when GB is around, I get a free pass. This is yet another reflection of how unfun I genuinely am.

On Sunday, we began my Mother's Day celebration with breakfast at my favorite restaurant, Krause's Cafe. We then made an impromptu visit to the farm swap at Tractor Supply. I was gifted two black silkie chickens as part of my Mother's Day gift. So, yes, fancier chickens are now in my little coop. Eric is beginning to question my sanity when it comes to birds. If I had my dream chicken coop built, I would have come home with a trio of white cochins. I love cochins! Unfortunately, I don't have my dream coop built, and must keep my breeds separated. As I develop my cochin empire, there will be a dream coop and fill the farm with fancy chickens, grumpy geese, swans, and peafowl.

We ended the day by bathing seven of the goats. My geriatric nannies are all showing signs of a fungal infection, so they needed to get treatment. The weather was beautiful and perfect for bathing them. Although the girls did not view their spa day as relaxing, I believe they feel much better, and I am hopeful they will begin to heal. I also think they feel much better after having all that dry skin, loose hair, and dirt removed. Everyone feels better after a good bath, even a goat. The Bibbed Wonder, who is truly the best, jumped in and helped me bathe the girls. Of course, I have a process of how it should be done, which was far more extensive than he believed necessary, but he complied and followed my lead.

Miss Fuschia, aka Lil' Black Being Rinsed

We began by brushing them well to loosen all the dead skin and dirt. We then rinsed them with warm water and bathed them with our pet soap to remove as much grime as possible. After rinsing away the soap, we lathered them with an antifungal shampoo and had to let it set for twenty minutes. We rinsed away the antifungal shampoo, followed by another washing with our pet soap. The girls then got toweled off and were allowed to dry. Lastly, we slathered them with a sulfur-smelling medicinal ointment and let them return to their beloved herd and green pasture.

My poor Mama Boo has the absolute worst case of fungal infection. Her hair is very patchy, and her skin is dry. My poor old girl is showing her age. She is so skinny, her hair is a mess, and she has developed a monkey jaw in her old age, where her lower jaw juts out past her upper jaw, and she moves a little slower. This last surprise pregnancy did her no favors. Once she is no longer producing milk, I believe her body weight will increase considerably, but until then, so much is going into producing milk that her weight will probably remain low. She and my favorite girl, Big Red, go into a private stall and eat alone to their little hearts' content every morning, noon, and night. They have earned the right not to compete with the younger girls for feed. Although everyone has access to as much as they can eat, there is always much pushing and shoving regarding the grain. My five original girls deserve to be spoiled. All my girls deserve to be spoiled, but I have an extra soft spot for my five original girls. They deserve a soft retirement.

We ended the day exhausted, a little sore, and very satisfied. It was good to complete a big task and take care of my sweet ladies. I spent my day doing what I love, taking care of my animals, with the people I love. It was a simple, quiet day filled with everything that made me happy: my husband and daughter, farm, animals, fancy chickens, a good book, and good coffee. I was also gifted a new pair of barn boots, a Gilmore Girls t-shirt, a new mirror for my kitchen remodel, and fancy chickens. It might seem simple to most, but to me, it was perfection. Most importantly, I felt loved.

I hope you, too, had a good weekend filled with everything that makes you happy, whatever that may look like. Most importantly, I hope you felt loved and appreciated. On this beautiful, summer-like day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy what makes you happy, and keep washing your hands.