Out to Pasture: Out with the old, in with the new

In our last entry, we reported on the Goatmobile’s unfortunate encounter with a large truck.

Turns out that the poor vehicle was damaged beyond repair;

because the frame was bent so badly, it was declared a total loss.

(And just when we were enjoying that “new goat smell.”)

The replacement Goatmobile is a 2020 Sienna

with all kinds of technologically advanced safety features that the primary pilot finds more distracting than helpful.

What with the insurance deductible, depreciation on the two-year-old van, and increased cost of the 2020 model, we ended up paying a lot more than we should have for an accident that was entirely the truck driver’s fault –

not to mention all the time spent dealing with insurance companies, disposing of the old van, and traveling to Duluth several times to finalize purchase of the new Goatmobile.

Back on the farm, it’s been a winter wonderland since well before the official start of winter.

The Snowmageddon blizzard of Nov 30-Dec 1 turned out to be the 9th snowiest 2 day snow storm EVER in our area,

blessing us with almost 2 feet of snow.

Several subsequent storms have added to the blanket.

Since late October we’ve received around 47 inches of snow;

the normal area snowfall for an entire season is 86 inches.

All that precipitation was a big challenge for the wimpy little electric snow-thrower.

And, of course, each time the driveway is nicely cleared,

snow from the roof comes thundering down and blocks the front door and garage

with an icy barrier that has to be chipped away.

Temperatures often plunge right after a snow storm. We dropped down to -25 on Dec 15 and -24 on Dec 18, with wind chills well below -30.

Frozen spider webs hanging from the roof provide Christmassy garlands.

The deep snow makes for heavy slogging, but critters leave evidence of their travels through the drifts. We even saw a turkey tramping through the front yard.

This one obviously knew that our Christmas dinner was already planned and purchased.

It has gradually dawned on us that Orange Intruder Cat needs to be renamed. He used to encroach periodically on Momma Kitty’s territory,

but has now become a regular part of the MeadowWild menagerie, settling in as a full-time resident.

He shows up with Momma at 4:30 each morning for some 9 Lives canned food, snacks on Meow Mix the rest of the day in the garage attached to the goat barn, and beds down with her on top of hay bales.

He’s even more skittish than Momma, skedaddling whenever he sees us. Fortunately, he and Momma seem to get along without too much bickering.

We hope that we don’t get overwhelmed by yet more ferals moving in.

In an attempt to discourage Pepé Le Pew from hanging out in the garage,

we tried relocating the Meow Mix dish up by the house – not a wise decision.

We were soon feeding a huge flock of blue jays, who ate way more than the cats did.

So the Meow Mix migrated back to the garage next to the heated water bowl and the dish for goat milk. This buffet area is now frequented by the two cats, Pepé Le Pew (the rest of the skunk family has burrowed in underneath the compost pile SW of the barn),

and bold plump mice who recklessly tempt fate by venturing out even when the cats are nearby.

Sometimes they manage to elude capture:

Sometimes they don't:

The field camera caught yet another visitor trying to get to the buffet table:

The diverse critters resident in the garage are unanimous on this one issue:

Meanwhile, in total comfort sheltered away from snow drifts and subzero temperatures,

Dustin has finally won the battle over his plush new cozy bed. He stubbornly refused to have anything to do with it. When we placed it near his favorite heating vents,