The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

After he stormed the tractor and was taken captive, Finn defected to our side.  Finn_Tractor7

As a trustworthy ally, Phil showed Finn all the controls and gauges so he could operate the machine. Finn_Tractor1

Finn  learns how the steering wheel works. Finn_Tractor2

Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have figured out which direction he should be looking. Finn_Tractor3

After his failed attempt at driving the tractor, Finn decided to downgrade to a simpler vehicle. This one doesn’t need to be steered. It just goes forward and back. Very easy. Please don’t run over Pac-Man! Finn_Circus

Farmer Lois and the War for the Tractor

When the tractor wasn’t occupied by Phil or Nubbin, Lois took her turn in the driver’s seat. It was a good vantage point from which to snap candid shots of the goat castle going up. 7:3:14_Lois1

It was also a good vantage point from which to snap candid shots of this photographer. 7:3:14_Lois2

Lois seems slightly perturbed by the full frontal assault being waged on her machine. 7:3:14_Lois3

“Where do you want me to dump you, Nubbin?” 7:3:14_Lois4

As more goats arrive on the scene, Lois attempts to deal with the one who has  breeched the top defenses and is now making his way boldly toward her lap. Finn_Tractor5

“What do I do if he refuses to leave?”Finn_Tractor4

“I guess I take him prisoner!” Finn_Tractor6

Nubbin lends a hand

I mentioned  that Nubbin is the Tower Queen. I did not mention that she is also the Tractor Queen. As those who follow the Goat-O-Rama adventures may recall, Nubbin has a great affinity for trucks. Well, it turns out this gal just likes machines!

While all the other goats sun themselves in the grass, where is Nubbin?

Why, on her tractor of course!

“Check out these hydraulics!”

“Power steering!”

“This seat is not made for a goat. Perhaps I can modify it!”

Turns out Nubbin was modifying that seat in more ways than Phil cared to discover.

Who needs right shoulder support anyway?

The construction of “Cuzcotopia”

Here’s how it all came together. We’re calling it “Cuzcotopia”.Phil and his dad, Jim, begin gathering the spools.

Cuzco is thrilled that Jim got his old shed back into working condition and goes in for an inspection.

Jim instructs Phil on the placement of the top spool.

The preliminary inspection.

Phil surveys his handiwork. Pac-Man also surveys Phil’s handiwork.

 

The Goat Fortress

When Phil’s parents came to visit, Phil and his dad built a goat fortress. The spools were generously given to us for free by the nice guys who work in the yard at the San Isabel Electric Association. We pulled up with a horse trailer and they got the forklift and loaded us up. For the base, Phil’s dad fixed Cuzco’s old shed that blew away and crashed in the scrub oak last fall. Phil used the tractor to stack the spools, and Phil and his dad built the ramps to connect them.

Nubbin is the nearly-undisputed tower queen. She and Finn have this thing figured out, but Nubbin doesn’t let Finn share a spool with her, so Nubbin claims her spool and stands up there looking down on everyone like royalty. 

An outing with the crew

Yesterday we took the goats for a walk around our property. Up to now, we’ve been calling our goats a “herdlet”. But I think they’ve grown beyond herdlet status at this point. With eight goats, it’s now a bona fide herd.

We’re all ears! June25:15_5

Snickers and Sputnik learned to play “King of the Hill”. June25:14_7

Lilly’s progeny. Aren’t they a colorful crew? They aren’t posing very nicely but they’re all here: Lilly the matriarch, her daughter Petunia, her son Huckleberry Finn, and her grandsons Snickers and Sputnik.  June25:14_6

Kids: meet kids

My mom, my sister-in-law Jill, and her kids (my niece and nephews) came to visit on Jill’s birthday. They wanted to see the  baby goats while they were still little.

Snickers was the calmest so he got held and cuddled the most. My mom helped Robert hold Snickers on his lap.  June25:14_1

Robert tries to engage Finn in conversation, but Finn has the attention span of a typical kid. Lilly seems casually interested though. June25:14_2

Jill poses for a portrait. June25:14_3

Finn enjoyed showing off his wall-walking prowess for my relatives. June25:14_4