Yes indeed, another raccoon found in my trap in the barn this morning. This was smaller one, so probably another of the babies from this year’s “crop.” I swear they must have a raccoon bulletin board out there in the woods that says “this way to the barn –>”

I drove him across town and released him in a wooded park that has a posted sign “wildlife refuge.” I really don’t want to shoot these critters; I just want to relocate them somewhere else, where they won’t get in human trouble. A lot of ranchers around me would kill them, maybe even eat them. I am afterall in the middle of red neck, ignorant Baptist holier-than-thous, who beat their women folk, go to the stripper bar on Sat night, and then sit in the from pews on Sun morning. LOL!

Yeah! The electric co-op crew came out and installed 2 poles and hooked up all the lines to the barn and to the night light. So electricity is fully restored to the ranch. They showed up with no less than 3 trucks. I  stood around and watched for a while. I  was pretty amazed at how the hole drilling auger attachment and cherry pickers all worked. The crew were mostly older gentlemen, and everyone knew their job. I found it al very interesting. These guys have obviously worked together for some time, as simple hand gestures were all that was needed to move to the next mini-step in the process.

That’s right, another raccoon found in my trap in the barn! That’s the 4th one this Fall. They must have a hotel around. This one is a little small, so perhaps he’s another one of the babies in that family.

I trapped another raccoon in the barn again last night. Not to worry, I use a humane trap that doesn’t injure the coon. This is the 3rd coon that I trapped this year; all in the last 2 months. I think this was a family. Today’s coon was a smaller critter, probably a baby from this year. They have been feeding on my black sunflower seeds. I drove him down the highway and released him close to a wooded area.

My neighbors came out this morning and baled the hay that they cut 2 days ago. This is the 3rd, and probably last, cutting for the year. These bales are about 6 feet tall and weigh about 1200 lbs. He got 15 rolls off about 11 acres. Not too shabby, eh, for a third cutting? I put away 70 lb square bales for the alpacas,  miniature llamas, and goats for this winter.

Yesterday, the mowers showed up for the last hay cutting of the season. 3 cuttings this year, and the pasture grass is still very green for late September. The balers will probably be out today. If you’re curious about how much hay to store, check out Estimating Hay Needs.

The does are giving much less milk now that the daylight hours are decreasing. This is their natural process of reduced milk production in preparation for breeding and kidding. I’m getting about 1 pint a day from 3 goats. But I have 2 maiden does thatregnant, so are clearly pregnant, so it won’t be long before I’ll have freshened does.

Today’s project is tree cutting. Get out the chain saw and start cutting away the tree that fell over the back fence when hurricane Ike blew through here. Also want to start folding up all the currugated metal roofing that blew off the loafing sheds.

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Yesterday, I made colby cheese from the goat milk. This is a very nice cheese that is somewhat milder than cheddar. It is basically the same recipe as cheddar, except that the curds are washed in cold water for about 30 minutes. I think that I’ll make another batch of it today.