Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas from Black Rock Ranch 2010
John & Phyllis Williams

American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) is one of the most ornamental of our hardy northern vines.
Ring out, wild bells - Christmas Poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.  
Miniature Biography
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Nationality - English
Lifespan - 1809 - 1892
Father - Reverand George Clayton Tennyson, Clergyman
Educated - Trinity College , Cambridge
Career - Poet and dramatist
Nativity a Christmas poem

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A New Barn Guest

This little guy was first noticed this past Monday, when my DH went to use the tractor.  It has found a really cozy spot, and the barn is full of mice and other little goodies..I haven't had a chance to find out what type of owl this is.  I am sure it is a screech owl, just not sure what it's official name is.


Friday, November 12, 2010

Baby Deer....Button Buck

Well, deer season starts in the early a.m. tomorrow and it sounds like Armageddon around here tonight.  Doesn't seem to bother the baby deer...it is a little button buck.  Thought this picture without the dogs slobbering all over it would be good.



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Graphic Update on Amazing Dogs

The baby deer is doing much better today.  Here is a rather graphic picture of the deers problem.  The little guy is giving the dogs a bunch of attitude today..  I think we may be on the mend.  We have also left water and grain out for the little guy.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Amazing Dogs

Not sure if this little thing will make it, it has gotten separated from it's mom and really tired.  The dogs found it and are now watching, guarding and washing it's face!!  These dogs are amazing..they know it's a baby in trouble.






Sunday, November 7, 2010

All Kids need a Play Ground...


My brothers grandkids have out grown  this plastic play ground, so we decided that we could extend it's life and give it to our 4 legged kids to use.   They love the noise the hollow plastic makes and there are no sharp edges!



Monday, November 1, 2010

Deer Season

Our neighbor decided he needed something a little more comfortable for deer hunting this year.  I about fell off the trailer laughing when I opened up the door..  There will be a space heater too..  Sure hope he has the trailer anchored down!!!


Sunday, October 3, 2010

Herbs and Deer...


I decided I needed a couple more pictures of my herbs before I cut them off for the winter.  They say we have a frost warning for tonight.. You can see the Sage, Parsley and Basil.  There is Oregano, Thyme and a little Rosemary you can't see.  My herb garden moment was interrupted by a couple visitors.  Actually there were 4 of them, I could only get a picture of two.  You will have a hard time finding the one next to the tree in the second picture.  They have decided they love the pine trees.  They get under the branches and scratch..




Saturday, September 11, 2010

Any one for a little BBQ?

This little guy was a bottle baby.  As you can tell we decided to have a little fun with him. 
This is the way we do BBQ Goat up here on Ulman's Ridge.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Goat Cart Goat Kids.

These two babies belong to the Goat Cart Goat.  She had Kiefer first, the red tailed doe, and totally rejected her.  I was out in the barn  the next morning feeding Kiefer and looked down at mom..here she was pushing out another baby 24 hours later..a little buck kid.  Hence the name 24.  Both became barn brat bottle babies.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Goat Cart Ride

Late this spring one of my "Old" girls developed a foot/leg problem and was heavy bred with twins.  She decided to stop walking out in the middle of the pasture just before some expected rain.  Once she was in the wagon she perked right up and put her chin on the rail and watched the world go by..like she was riding in a convertible taking in the day...  Goofy Goat!
What are you looking at?
What are we waiting for...I'm hungry! (Pardon the burn barrel)
Man I thought we'd never get here...NOW FEED ME!!.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Goat Humor---"Busted" by Fred VanderMartin

Busted- Wanna go to the Showstopper Blues

My bills are all due and the nannies need food
But I'm busted
Whole cottonseed is down to a quarter a pound
but I'm busted!

I got a doe that's gone dry and a buck that can't lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county's gonna haul my goat herd away
I'm busted!

I went to Lance Ward to ask for a breedin'
I was busted
I hate to beg like a goat raiser who's needin'
But I'm busted

Lance said that there ain't a thing he can do
My bucks and my does all come down with goat flu
And he was thinkin' of bootin' me with his shoe
Cuz I'm busted!

Lord I'm no thief but a breeder can go wrong
When he's busted!
The credit line I ran this summer is gone

The Does are all barren and the bucks they won't grow
Me and Gwen can't pack up and go
To the showstopper sale over in West Monroe
Cuz we're busted!

Fred VanderMartin
Purveyor of fine Goat Gossip
Rancho Volsa Basias
www.rvbboers.com

Friday, July 30, 2010

If Goats Could Talk.....


My Mom said I could stay up here!!!

Take my picture...I'm SO Pretty....

Really... They Made Me Do It!!!!


Do you really like my Blue Eyes????

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Dog Days of Summer

It has been HOT here for the last week.. (Even though we had almost 4" of rain) just like the rest of the country...  We are lucky enough to have a wet weather creek run through our "Big" pasture.  The dogs can dig down into the gravel and make a "cool" spot for the heat of the day....  This is Beka in her spot...as you can see their isn't a big bunch of water in the creek... the ground has taken most of the water...in just a couple of days..

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

PAP Our Buck (Billy Goat)

I have put lots of pictures of our Does (Mom Goats) and Kids (Baby Goats) but I have never put a picture of our "Boys".  So here is Pap... He comes from Bear Creek Boers in Lebanon, Mo.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Summer Pasture

Every summer we move our goat herd to the "Summer Pasture", which is about 30 acres, which means the goats no longer have access to the barn area.  Most of their housing is "portable" so it moves with the goats.  The herd and the dogs moved into the summer pasture on July 4 this year, this is about three weeks later than usual.  These pictures show their bedding down area. which has been cleaned up so the baby goats don't get lost in the tall grasses.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Haying Season Done Here!!

We ended up with 75 bales in this field.  All time high was 78 last year..not a bad year.  It will all be out of the field before the weekend is done.  They are finishing the "Big" field today, should get somewhere around 100 bales from it.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Haying Season

Well, while we were out worming, banding and ear tagging the goats this morning, Our neighbor and his crew started haying the fields..So far they have the small field (5 acres) below the house and the middle field (pictured below about 25 acres) down.  They had just started the big field (about 35 acres)  We should get somewhere around 78 big bales out of this field (should be about 1200# a piece)


Sunday, June 20, 2010

Early Summer Blossoms

Couple things you can count on seeing when driving the back roads of Missouri, one is Yuccas and the other is Tiger Lilly's.. They are in yards and ditches...they have become wild..

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Road Runner

Several years ago we had a rather strange visitor spend the summer with us.  We thought there was only one, but there may have been two.  There is no difference in the markings of Male vs. Female...it was an interesting summer with them here dashing around catching and eating every lizard and toad they could find.  In the first picture it is on our roof, it seemed like it enjoyed being up there in the hottest part of the day...We  reported our siting to the Missouri Dept. of Conservation Wildlife Ecologist.  See note below.
Hello Mr. and Mrs. Williams,
I was copied on Ken Drenon's response to your report of seeing a road runner outside of your house.  How exciting!  I've never seen one in the wild and hope to someday.  Ken mentioned that these birds were not that
uncommon in the state, but only a few have been seen as far north as your report.  Most sightings are made further southwest in the state.

  I am writing to ask your permission to put your report into a database we keep of rare animal sightings.  This database is used to help us better understand the distribution of these rare animals in Missouri.  The information is primarily for internal MDC use only.  If we do share it with non-MDC researchers, we never give out exact locations; we would only mention that the roadrunner  was seen in Miller County near Ulman.  Would you be OK with us including your report in the database?  If you do not want to include it in the database, we will not do so.

Thank you in advance for your report.

Sincerely,
Janet E. Sternburg
Wildlife Ecologist
Missouri Dept. of Conservation
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO  65102

Monday, May 31, 2010

Antique Bits

These treasures came from my mother-in-laws OLD Oak barn, which is well over 100 years old.  These bits were just hanging on the wall inside a storage area.  I haven't been able to research antique bits yet..but from their condition they have some "age" on them.


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Goat Update

Remember the post of the very protective mom (Roswell) with Trance trying to get a look at the new baby?  Well here he is now.  He was born April 8..

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Spring Storms

 Our storms can be pretty intense!  We have seen it all here in our 20 years...  We have never seen a lightening hit like this before.  We believe the lightening hit the ground and found the tree root and traveled up as we found a hole in the ground where the rocks where thrown all over the place... exploding up through the tree...