I'm going on a bit of a rant today. It's about fireworks on the 4th. The big booming, sparkling loud rocket kind should be outlawed except for the commercial shows, like towns, etc. I don't even know what they are called. Bottle rockets? Just think of all the animals that get scared out of their wits every year because of those. All the horses that run through fences, the dogs that run away and get lost or run over on the roads, the goats that pile up in the corners of their pens and almost squish each other. Might be cattle stampedes, I haven't been around cattle on the 4th. But for sure the more sensitive animals get quite scared. Not to mention the wildlife. Plus all the veterans that have ptsd that get triggered by the fireworks. As you can tell, I'm not a fan of fireworks. It was nice living up here in quiet for all those years, but I guess as usual, all good things must end at some point.
After 29 years of peace up here, we have neighbors that have decided the last two years to launch the big, loud, booming, crackling kind, also waiting till late to do it. I don't mind the smaller ones that most people have, those are fine, but the big ones should be allowed only at the commercial settings. Last year we weren't prepared, so all the animals had panic attacks. Skippy broke out of his pen and hid somewhere. Luckily he didn't run away, but he sure was scared. He didn't want to come in the house, he didn't want to stay in his house, he was a basket case. The goats all piled up in the top corner of their pen shaking so hard they were holding each other up being packed together so tightly. The deer went running by heading up the mountain as fast as they could go, snorting and whistling all the way.
We live out in the forest far away from civilization, so not having those going off close by has been exceptionally nice. It's a good thing it was raining, one little puff of wind as those were falling could've caught the trees on fire or fallen in the grass and started a big forest fire. It had dried out pretty good up until yesterday, then it started raining. If that ever happens because of their stupidity and even one tree torches on our place, I will own them lock, stock and barrel, as the saying goes.
This year I was expecting it, so I was out there talking to Skippy and explained what was going to happen, same with the goats. Skippy stayed in his house and didn't panic, and the goats weren't as scared. It was raining and the dummies still shot them off. What a waste of money, too. Because of the rain, they didn't go up as high, which was nice, but it was still loud and scary for the animals.
On another note, I sold 10 goats on Monday. They are now over in Idaho. I sold my cashmere buck, too. Now I have to figure out if I want to continue breeding them or just age them out and not replace them as they die. On the 13th I will have been doing this for 24 years! Time flies. I'll have to find another buck if I want to continue on, one with short guard hair, no wattles, and excellent fleece coverage. Color doesn't really matter.
I got an ebike on June 4th. I like it! I can go up hills without an issue, and I can go up faster than John. I have to wait for him now, instead of the other way around. It's been quite a few years since I've had a bicycle, at least 10 I think. It's taking a bit to get my balance and agility back. But it's coming back rapidly, and I am enjoying biking again. Fun times. The other day we went on a ride up the county road below us and saw a moose and her calf, that was cool! Good to see they are still around the area. Only got dusted 3 times by vehicles, so that was nice to not have much traffic on the gravel road. It was a good ride. Couple days before that, we went with another friend on part of the network of bike paths in the valley now. That was also nice, although it was a hot day, and she had a bit of heat exhaustion at the end. Surprisingly enough, I didn't have any heat issues, which is unusual. I don't like the heat, but since I wasn't over working myself, there was a breeze, and I drank a good amount of water, I was ok. It was around 90, we were in the middle of the afternoon with the sun blazing down on us. Each ride I do I go another mile or two farther, so I'm building up slowly. 15.4 miles is the farthest so far. a whopping 65 miles on the bike as of now. For only having it a month, and only riding a couple of times a week, that's not bad. My bike has a range of around 60 miles, depending on how much I use the assist on it. Hills are the only time I really use any assist, flats and downhills I just turn it off or coast, so I don't use much battery power. I don't know if I'll ever go that far. John still uses his regular bike, he only has an ebike for commuting to work, which he's only done a couple of times this year.
Well, that's it for now. Hope you had a good 4th. Sending prayers out for all the people affected by the flooding and severe weather around the country. It's getting worse every year.
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