Yes, before you correct me, I know "barely" is normally spelled differently. However, this time I have directed my staff to spell it b-e-a-r-ly for a reason. You see, our bear has returned once again. I don't think he ever really left, just comes and goes as he passes through our mountainous forest. Maybe it's an entire bear family and we see one or the other, sister or brother, and think it is just one. I don't know. I have never had a conversation with Yogi (which is what I will call him/her for lack of a better term)... the POINT is, we do have a bear and this creates a little drama around the mountain every now and again.

I think that Yogi is around this morning because Harper woke up Hunter and Wench at 2 AM, and when that did not produce the result she wanted (someone to open the door so she could go out) she tried again at 4:15 and this time it worked! Sunny is also barking, which is a good thing that he is protecting us, but can a GOAT GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE???!!! gack!

Last spring, Yogi ripped the doors off the garage shed where the trash waits to go to the landfill; he scattered the contents of a few garbage bags around the yard so the people had to clean it up... normally he likes the bird feeders if the neighbors leave them out. He means no harm, I'm sure --- a bear has to eat, ya know.

The people around here seem to be afraid of Yogi. I'm not afraid. I have a very healthy respect for a 300-400 pound bear with claws about 5" long that could easily rip the doors off something that builder built (we affectionately call builder "fred flinstone" around here...what he builds will stand for hundreds of years), but I'm not afraid. Just careful not to get in his way.

Anyway, that's enough about that. In other news, the rabbit barn has taken on a big change over. Since the demise of that distasteful part of the farm (the meat business); wench has re-conoitered into a different direction. The very best American Chins and Champagne d'Argent's have remained - they will be used for show, and breeding stock in the spring; and the angoras have been spread out to include most of the second floor. Litters are now more selectively bred, and stock will be available for show, brood or fiber probably twice a year. Builder has his own New Zealand experiment going on at the first floor rabbit area, but he is primarily goofing around with meat mutts. Wench, on the other hand, wants to make sure that the purebred New Zealand stay that way so that breeding stock is available there as well, but building doesn't want to be bothered with pedigrees, etc., so that's on wench. Good thing - she needs more to do. Anyway, about 18 cages have been removed from the barn and will be re-purposed. Some already have begun housing quail.

Here you can see some of the cages out for sanitizing; readying for the quail experiment... OH, and a few goats (because goats belong everywhere)... this is petunia and the as yet un named little white guy belonging to Greta.  We are thinking o… — Here you can see some of the cages out for sanitizing; readying for the quail experiment... OH, and a few goats (because goats belong everywhere)... this is petunia and the as yet un named little white guy belonging to Greta. We are thinking of calling him Spanky

Nobody knows what we are doing with the quail, just hatching and watching them grow... maybe they can be sold or traded, or go to feed the people this winter. It's an experiment; like a lot of things going on around here. The incubator has been running for several months; 14 hatched in the first set of eggs; and so far 14 in this set. One more set to go into the incubator, maybe two, and then I think the quail experiment will have to start to take shape into something useful. I am told that this is what retirement is about. Experimenting with things you never had time for when you worked full time. Excuse me, but, when we lived in New York, we had a big farm, with cows, more sheep, goats, rabbits, a pig, a couple of horses, a lot of guineas and chickens... and everyone was taken care of quite nicely. I think the difference was, there was no marketing going on. Marketing is a big part of farming, and it takes up the most time, a lot of times for little result.

I think that this is the reason why farms these days are huge, run by conglomerate businesses, and the family farm has been declining. It is a terrible shame. When the zombie apocalypse comes, who will grow the food? Who will take care of things when there is no electricity? Not the gamers or the wall street executives, and certainly not the generation that can't stop staring at their electronics. sigh. It's too much for one old goat to comprehend.

I would rather just wander from eating place to eating place...... doing what I do best

SO, instead of trying to solve the problems of the world, I will just continue to grow my fleece for your enjoyment. I think that's enough rambling for one morning. Sunny has stopped barking. Maybe Yogi has returned to his cave or found Harper (who is tied up outside) and maybe now I can get a few winks before I have to start work again. Thanks, as always, for reading Frankly speaking!