Walking the kids...

What can I say?
Play time with Sven and Charlie.
Always fun.

This n that

Self exercising critters.

Play time at dawn in the meadow.

No animals were injured during the early morning photo shoot.

Just fun and happiness with a dog and his goat.

Sven still thinks Charlie is his best ever pal.

I probably should clip the rest of the long hair of Sven, but I love the look he has right now.
It appears as though he is wearing knickers.

Those two played in the early morning light while I took some 'dew' drop photos.

And a Japanese Beetle and his shadow on a milkweed leaf.

 Lastly, a bit of artistic license with a Fleabane flower....

~~~~~

Rich has an upcoming surgery so we have some hoops to jump through to get it all done.  It will have to be done at the larger facility as Rich has a complicated Medical History.

The surgeon's PA left me a bit bothered with his know it all attitude and frustrations with the fact my husband is a veteran.
Obviously he has never been trained to deal with a veteran with PTSD. One of the reasons I do like the VA staff much better.
However this will be closer to home and so will all the follow up appointments along with the Physical Therapy that will have to be done.

So last night to ease stress levels a bit ... I went out and called out to the mules.

Good ol' Fred came up! He is retired, but insisted.
So we took a very slow and easy walk on the ridge.

I dismounted and walked the steep parts, but all in all, ...
well
the old boy surprised me!

Goat Photo Bomber...

I was testing out a feature called *in camera HDR*. I put the camera on a tripod and set it up.
Sven managed to dart into the photo on one of the shots.

Now that the forest floor is springing to life, Sven is in goat heaven on our walks.
He nibbles and catches up. Today he learned a bit about soft creek banks as the dirt collapsed under him and he rode a pile of dirt and rocks down the ravine.

He shook his head and soldiered on.
Charlie kept a sharp eye on him.

We have been extremely wet this year. So wet in fact that when the township graded the road on the ridge -- they do this to fill the pot holes in with loose gravel -- ...and then it rained and rained more...
well.
When I went to town yesterday, imagine my surprise when I turned off our little dead end road and suddenly felt like I was in a road rally with slushy mushy gravel mud conditions. The Subaru handled it but it weaved and wobbled and bobbed side to side all the way out to the black top. The vehicle is now mud colored and no longer blue....

Anyway back to the goat adventure. Sven was ecstatic about being out with us and ran up and down the trail doing goatie things like bouncing, running, leaping, and doing sideways jumps. He even got exuberant enough to come up to me and try a head butt. His head met my stick and he decided not to mess with me.

He stopped often to nibble and experiment on different flavors that the woods offered.

I can see where goats would be incredible for cleaning up forests. They will eat the unwanted plants. My Dexters did the same thing however they left larger poo piles.

Donkeys did much of the same thing, but they and the Dexters cost much more to feed in the winter time.

Anyway.
We had an excellent walk about the land. I went into different sections of my property that I don't normally get to because by mid summer it is just too overgrown.

These were pretty neat and very different than the other ferns on our land. I think they may be Cinnamon Ferns. Not sure, but now that I know where they are I can make my way back to see them as they unfold.
Sven didn't eat them.

However, as I knelt to take some shots of Anemones ...

And then sat back to adjust my settings...

A curious goat walked up and stared at me then proceeded to eat all of the blossoms of this plant. I swear he winked at me as I moaned to him.

Later on I set up the tripod at the creek. Charlie wandered around and then sat on a rock next to me.

I set this shot up and took a few versions of it.

Next thing I know, I feel the gloves being pulled out of my pocket. Sven. He then reaches over and starts to nibble on the camera strap.

SVEN! NO!
He was unimpressed and very goat-like. I bonked him on the nose and he just shook his head.

I can say this. I am having fun with both Charlie and Sven and going on our walks. It sure kept my mood upbeat on a dull dreary day. I started my day with CrossFit learning a new skill and got to enjoy time out in the woods.
Even IF I had a Goat Photo Bomber/Pest along.

Friday is a new adventure. I'm going to be a *guide* for another photographer and take him to a few different spots so he can enjoy what our area has to offer.

Today? Off to the VA after CrossFit this morning....

A bit of fun with Sven and Charlie

And so the first great adventure with Charlie and Sven happened today. I figured to start them hiking together early.
Sven will grow to a full sized Lamancha wether.

Charlie is full sized at 7" at the shoulder and 10 lbs.