GOATS IN COATS

 

Mr. Tumnus in his new duds. Handsome devil, isn’t he?

Jazzie in her new cooling coat

 

Maggie in her new cooling coat.

Tillie’s coat is on the way today!

(She’s the wee coatless goat in the background.)

I got cooling coats for my goats, as you know, so they don’t have to hang out in my kitchen during the hottest summer days. This is Day Two of another three-day scorcher, so they’re wearing them now during the day.

 

I take their coats off at night to make sure they don’t get tangled in them or hung up on something while I’m not awake to monitor them. They didn’t get tangled in them yesterday during the day, but Jazzie did get her coat caught up in a part of the fence, so I’m not taking any chances.

 

I check on them every half hour while they’re in them.  I take them off whenever the evening temps drop below 85 degrees. Tonight that won’t happen until 10 or 11.  (I put the coats on them before the thermometer measures 85 degrees so they aren’t overly warm when I put them on. This morning I put them on when it was just 68 degrees.)

 

These cooling coats are  supposed to eliminate more than 98% of the sun’s harmful rays. I can  tell they do, because the goats stay cool underneath. Yesterday they actually went out into the pasture during the heat of the day to eat. They weren’t doing that when they weren’t wearing them.

 

The coat I got Tillie was too small*, so I ordered her the next size up, and in a different color (purple) so I can easily see which one is hers. (All of the others wear the same size, although Jazzie’s is a wee bit long on her.) It will arrive sometime today. I’m not worried about her because she doesn’t seem to suffer from high heat the way the Nigerian dwarfs (Maggie and Mr. Tumnus) do.  (Mr. Tumnus is a Nigerian/Pygmy cross.)

 

(*The good news here is that Tillie’s too-small cooling coat fits a friend’s dog, so it won’t go to waste.  It cost $39.99 and tax!) 

 

The two Nigerians have a tougher time in high temperatures; their sides heave a little.  Maggie is close to twelve years old, if not older, so she’s at the highest risk. Goats usually live about 14 years, so she’s definitely a senior…

 

UPDATE August 14 at 8:33 a.m.: Here’s Tillie in her new cooling coat, taken just minutes ago:

 

 

 

In Other News…

 

My relative with COVID has had a very rough few days. Things appear to be slowly turning around now, so I hope we’re out of the woods.

 

This Delta strain of COVID is four times more contagious than the strain I had, so it’s spreading like wildfire. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, do it now.

 

Vaccinated or not, wear a serious mask with several layers.  (To test how good your mask is, see if you can see light through it when holding a candle up to it. OR try blowing out a candle or a match while wearing it. If you CAN see candlelight through it, or can blow out a match or candle while wearing it, it will NOT help much when it comes to protecting you or anyone else from this new strain of the virus.)

 

So, buy and use masks that work. Wear one everywhere in public places and even indoors if you’re hanging with friends who aren’t living with you in your household. Wash your hands frequently. When you can’t wash, sanitize them with a sanitizer that is at least 70% alcohol.

 

Delta is no viral strain to mess with.

Not that any strain of COVID has been a walk in the park for millions of people. 620,000+ have died in the US alone.  More than four million worldwide. And there are survivors with long-haul symptoms that put them on the disability rolls for the foreseeable future, since no one knows how long they’ll last. This is a novel (new) virus. Scientists are learning more every day about it.

 

PLEASE PROTECT YOURSELF!

 

Still have a drainage tube 

 

Because I’ve been wrestling with goats and because I picked up a heavy root ball to put it into the yard waste bin, my output has increased again to about 60 ml a day, so I simply have to get less active if I want to bring that down to 30 or the mid-30’s before I can pull the final tube.

 

It’s so frustrating to feel compromised in this way. I feel fine so I frequently forget about the tube, and coating the goats had to be done, and the last yard waste barrel had to be done, too, so I’m feeling almost back at square one.  I need to behave until I can pull the damn’ thing out!!!  

 

One of my front teeth fell out

 

I’ve had porcelain veneers on my front teeth for about 25 years. They don’t last forever.

 

Two days ago, I was chewing on an ear of corn when one of my front teeth gave up the ghost, along with the porcelain veneer on it. So I have an email in to the U of WA  School of Dentistry to see if this is something they can deal with (getting an implant, or a bridge or some other appliance if my adjacent teeth are still in strong enough shape to accommodate them) and if so, what it will cost to have it done.

 

Needless to say, right now I’m doubly glad to be wearing masks in public. Otherwise, I’d look like someone starring in Li’l Abner!   And the new thpathe in my upper mouth giveth me a thlight lithp, too. It’th embarrathing!

 

And no, I won’t post a pic.  I want to ficth and forget about thith experienth jutht ath thoon ath I can!