Those of you who have been following me here know that Tonka has had a persistent front left lameness. Over the last few years he’d have a twinge now and then, but it would resolve quickly. Last August when Tonka came up mildly lame on his left front I decided […]

Tonka Has Surgery

On Wednesday Caper came to the end of his very long life. It was time. Nigerian Dwarf Goats can live a vibrant eight years. After that, it’s all a gift. Caper would have been thirteen this May. Ancient. He had a tumor in his mouth, few teeth, and was bow-legged […]

Caper

Happy Birthday to Tonka! He was born 16 years ago in Texas. Both parents were champion ropers, and that would have been his life if he hadn’t been purchased by a Maine woman who happened to be in Hill Country, saw Tonka as a four-year old (where he was living […]

Tonka Turns 16 Today

Hello! It’s time for a quick catch-up. Like many of you, the pandemic has kept me close to home. Here in Maine we’re dealing with winter weather. We’ve had frigid temperatures. I’ve been waking up to really cold mornings. This week it was -5 °F. (That’s -20 °C) It’s also rained (which just […]

Update on This and That

NOTE: This post has been updated since the original review! new comments in italics.) Tonka is stuck in his stall for the foreseeable future. He has a fractured phalanx (a bone deep inside of his hoof) and a bit of that bone is stuck to his collateral ligament. He hurts. […]

Haygain Forager Review

Not good news. Back at the end of the summer, Tonka was intermittently lame. Whatever was going on was mild, but it was there, so I went the whole 9 yards. Ultrasounds, x-rays, and finally MRI. The diagnosis wasn’t awful – he had inflammation in his coffin joint, a collateral […]

Affusion Fracture

In 2004 I decided that my family needed a new Thanksgiving tradition. We didn’t have relatives nearby to have a big feast with. It wasn’t worth cooking for the four of us – no one particularly liked turkey and stuffing, and it was too much work for a meal that […]

Pie Party 2021 Recap

A horse drinks up to 10 gallons of water a day, so to make sure that Tonka is never thirsty, there are two buckets in his stall. Each morning, what wasn’t imbibed the previous day is dumped out, the buckets given a quick swish with a scrub brush, and fresh […]

Bucket Fuss

The Goat Boys are ancient. Twelve years of age. I’ve been told by their veterinarian (a woman who specializes in goats) that every year past eight is a gift. For most of their lives they lived in my backyard at Little Pond Farm. When I moved to Maine they came […]

The Goats Need Coats