Apples + Gravel

November 5th, 2023

Good goat times today. There was a little rain on my walk there, but then the sun came out. Little bit of sun, little bit of rain later on.
Big puddle at the gate, but later on Jeanette came and put out some.. gravel, maybe? Little stones. But it seemed to help a lot, for me at least.
Spent some time on the bench, in its new position. There wasn’t really enough sun to really warm me up, but it was nice to be out of the house.
We had some nice visitors. Amongst the a girl called Lily who has been there before. And surprisingly when Jeanette took her into the goat pen she came running, not to the goats, but to me. I have mentioned her before, she seems to be kind of fascinated with me. And especially my camera. She’s non verbal, but was doing a lot of pointing and sticking her hands out to me. I showed her the camera and a picture of Bella. And then I took a picture of herself and showed it to her. I am not sure if it really registed for her that she was looking at a picture of herself, she didn’t react much more than the general interest in the camera. But she’s very sweet. She was with an adult and another kid named Otto. I guess he is non verbal too. They didn’t talk, but they had a hand sign or gesture for goats. I think it was a gesture mimicking the goat beard, because the gesture of putting your fingers up on your head like horns means ‘cow’ to them, their supervisor told us. But they can say ‘goat’ with their sort of sign language, so that’s nice.
30/10 2023

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Here is my new friend Lily. I don’t know why she is so fascinated with me, I’d think the goats are much more interesting. But she is very sweet. I hope she liked seeing the picture of herself.

30/10 2023

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Happy place.

30/10 2023

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I bought apples today. I usually buy apples to have for the goats. Today I bought more apples, to have for me. Instead of candy.
Sigh, I miss candy.
On the flipside I usually buy lots of tomatoes to have for myself. Now I only buy some for the goats, because they’re no longer good enough for me.
Turn turn the seasons turn.
30/10 2023

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Good goat times today.
Cold, though. Rainy and with a cold, cold wind. Gotta get my sweater out of storage. Wasn’t comfortable today.
There was a little lake over the gravel/stones that Jeanette laid out yesterday at the goat gate. Still, even with the water it was a lot better than when there was mud. Jeanette told me she’d went and got more of the little stones, so she’ll put more out.
So of course it was an indoor day, staying in teh goat house. With Red Sonja and Henrietta Solo too of course. The newfeathers poked their head in once, but ran straight back out. I’m sure they tell Halloween storied of the scary Luna monster. Actually, Luna hasn’t interacted with the newfeathers that I have seen. She did send Sonja squawking away once today.
We had a couple of visitors too, they had to come up to the goat house to say hi to the goats of course
Time to warm up with some soup now.
31/10 2023

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Well, the picture is really bad. But I thought it should be noted that Henrietta Solo started eating from Sky’s breakfast bowl too today. Red Sonja must have told her about the possibilities. It was kind of funny seeing both cluckers pecking out of Sky’s bowl while Sky was face deep in it.

31/10 2023

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Here’s Luna doing her best Keiko impression.

31/10 2023

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Happy Halloween and assorted feasts to those who celebrate. Sure hope the kids won’t be mad when I hand out apples instead of candy.
31/10 2023

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Rest in peace Richard Moll. I loved him on Night Court. Sad that so many of that cast are gone, but so it goes I suppose.
1/11 2023

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goatlog

1/11 2023

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Boy, my legs are tired.
I’m only casually metioning that so I can indicate that I exercised today. Someone pat me on the head and tell me i’m a good boy.
I’m enjoying the exercise, glad to be back at that. Not enjoying not eating candy. Mental withdrawal. Just want to stuff my face. As the nailer said to the sun. Maybe I should just forget about living healthily and hope the docs can medicate me to good levels? Isn’t that a good plan? Someone pat me on the head and tell me yes.
Feeling the depression, and the cold isn’t helping. But we carry forth, whoever he is.
1/11 2023

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I call this picture “A World Outside”. Portraying Bella as an inmate in the prison courtyard, staring though the fence. Yes I am very arty fart, sorry for tooting my own horn.
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1/11 2023

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Good goat times today. A tiny bit warmer and kept dry while I was out. Helped a lot.
I nearly got knockouted by Luna. She was standing on the wallmount with her hind legs and had he front legs on my legs and her head in front of me. And then Bella came up behind her and started trying to push her. And Luna swung her head and fell on the ground but knocked me right in the kisser with her horns. Knocked my glasses halfway off. Had to check that I didn’t ahve a bloody nose haha. Those kids.
On the other hand, Luna was nicer with the feathers today. Henrietta Solo actually ate a littel from the same bowl as Luna, I thought she’d get a knockout like mine, but no she got a gentle little head push. And later on there were several times when Luna was close to Henrietta and Sonja without going after them like she has in the past. I don’t know if this is a sign that she’s getting more accepting of their proximity or if it’s just random chance. Maybe she’d had her fill of bloodlust from her attack on me. She’s lucky she’s so cute and gets away with it all.
2/11 2023

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Fnurgnfnuff. Putting on a pot of soup. Turned on the wrong hotplate. Had an actual plate sitting on the one I turned on. And a plastic jug on that plate. Couple of minutes later… why am I smelling burnt plastic? Sigh. At least I was smart enough to use a cloth to take the plate off the hotplate. Put it in the sink where it promptly exploded into three pieces. Ruined plate, ruined jug. Well at least the soup is okay.
And in other news, I managed to convince myself to but apples instead of candy in the grocery store. While my depression screamed JUST GIVE UP AND GET THE FKN CANDY YOU MORON. But I got apples so. Hooray. Yay. Woo. Hoo.
But soup is good. All hail soup.
2/11 2023

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A gravel update. Again I’m not sure this is actually gravel, what even is gravel amirite. These are small stones. I’ll just call it gravel.
When I got there this morning there was more of it out, as Jeanette had promised. It certainly helps me a lot, the stuff around the gate. It’s also up on the hill now, in the dirt patches between the pavement tiles. In hindsight maybe they should just have put gravel on the whole path from the goat house to the fence and gate, and kept the pavement tiles stacked inside. It isn’t exactly the best looking setup now, with the white gravel between the dark (when it’s muddy and wet) pavement blocks. But the goats seem to appreciate it, they go out even though it’s wet and muddy.
Later on I asked Jeanette if she happened to have more of the gravel. She said she in fact had another sacj, So I suggested putting some at the gap in the fence between the small and big pen. As you can see in the lowest right picture. There was a lot of mud and water there, the other day I slipped but managed to not fall on it. And it’s right where the goats need to walk to get into the bigger pen, so I think it’ll be good to have it there. Could use another sackful even. But I think it helps.

2/11 2023

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Here is a new occurence. Bella jumping up on my lap. She’s gone on my legs when we’re sitting on the bench together, but actually jumping up on my legs when I’m sitting in the chair, I can’t remember the last time she did that. Luna does ita ll the time. Bella is considerably heavier. So it isn’t really comfortable for either of us, she’ll wobble around for a bit before jumping off. Can’t say no to goats though.

2/11 2023

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Butt what?

3/11 2023

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My depression has been pretty heavy today, but here’s a goat photo to turn that frown upside down.

3/11 2023

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Rise and shine.

4/11 2023

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Not feeling great, but I managed to get on the exercise bike. Pushing yourself physically feels good when you’re not doing well mentally, I find. Added some time and resistance, felt good. I have lost a little bit of weight since I started exercising, but not enough to be sure it’s not just random statistical anomaly. But it’s a start.
Now if you’ ll excuse me, I’m going to go picking apples.
4/11 2023

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Sometimes, late at night, I stare into the bathroom mirror and think to myself… “I should really turn on the light, I can’t see sht”
5/11 2023

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goatlog

5/11 2023

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I goatchu Sky.

5/11 2023

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That’s all for now.


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Start Again

October 29th, 2023

Good goat times today. Grey and cold, what else is new. But the company is good. Sweet goats running around. They had some willow branches. Might be stuff brought down by the big storm that passed through Denmark. Or maybe just stuff that people have picked for them. Visitors feeding and petting the goats. Jesper is working on putting a hatch in the goat house, something Jeanette had seen at another playground I think. We’ll see how that turns out.
Got my sweet smooches from Luna. She jumped up in my lap a couple of times and surprised. She also managed to jump up and stand on my shoulder, like a parrot on a pirate. Given my shoulder is still kind of giving me trouble I probably shouldn’t allow her to do that, just like it’s a go-go on my back. But it’s hard to say no to her. I was impressed she could keep her balance standing on my shoulder. But then you’ve seen her perched on the steep ramp.
23/10 2023

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Breakfast time with Red Sonja and Sky. It still makes me laugh how Sonja will just peck grains right out of the bowl while Sky is eating.

23/10 2023

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Some people look at half a pot of soup and say it is half empty.
I look at half a pot of soup and think “oh the pot of soup is empty because I ate it all while finishing this thought”.
23/10 2023

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I took one of the willow branches, I think it’s willow?, and put it in the hay rack. People often just throw the branches on the ground, but when it’s wet and muddy they really prefer it to be off the ground. So I usually pick up branches and prop them up on stuff.

23/10 2023

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Oh yeah and mark the calendar, I saw the first “Merry Christmas” thing in the grocery store today. Ho Ho Oh No No.
23/10 2023

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Back to the doctor today, for the results of last week’s blod tests. As expected, the results weren’t great. A year and a quarter of completely letting go and living unhealthily has taken its toll. So the readings weren’t great. They weren’t as catastrophically bad as I had feared. Part of me had worried that the nurse would go “I can’t sen you home, i’m sending you straight to hospital”. Kind of like it happened all those years ago when they diagnosed with diabetes. I don’t even remember why they were testing me back then, I just remember they measured my blood sugar and sent me to the hospital where I had to stay for… days? More than week? It’s all a distant blur now.
Anyway, not that bad. But bad enough that we have to do something obviously. I argued that in the past when things were slipping I managed to change my lifestyle and get back on the right track, and that I’d like to try that again. So I got 3ish months to change things around, before we start looking at other medications or whatever. So here’s to hoping I can do that. Gotta get back to exercising. Gotta get back to eating healthier. Really, I just need to stop eating candy. I know it makes me sound like such a child, but I have been eating lots of candy. To dull the pain. To fill the void. To take my mind away. Need more soup instead.
Hooves crossed I can get it done.
It was kind of funny, the nurse kept calling me Peter. She went right up to me in the waiting room. Peter? Peter?? Haha. That’s my brother’s name. I’m not even sure he is still seeing the docs in that place. I know my mother isn’t, but the nurse asked about her when I was there last week. She remember the family. She apologised for calling me Peter, then did it again a couple of times in her office. Haha. She made up for it by complimenting my cologne when she did an EKG on me. She said it was nice and asked what it was. I told her I didn’t even remember. It’s an old one I have had for a decade, only use it when I go out among people. Honestly I just don’t care about that stuff, usually I smell of goats and berries. Whattareyagonnado.
24/10 2023

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“It was the craziest thing, I was standing here just minding my own business and then suddenly this here tripod just falls over by itself I was like whaaaaa”
Likely story, Bella.

24/10 2023

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goatlog

25/10 2023

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Who’s got two thumbs and just did exercise? This tired guy.
Back on the exercise bike. For the first time in.. well more than 6 months I think. I felt it too. Just a couple of minutes with no resistance and my legs felt like spaghetti. But I kept at it and went for just over 30 minutes. Ten minutes warmup, ten minutes at level 2 and ten minutes cooldown. Something like that. Just good to take the first step. I am so out of shape. Even the relatively short walk to the goats leaves me out of breath these days.
Felt good to be on the bike though. I do love it. When you get into the groove, the music in your ears, your heart pounding, legs going. Feels good. I wish it was summer so I could have the sunshine and heat on top, but I made do with my space heater. I need it to be a little tough to get into it, I think. Hopefully I can keep at it. Find the time and motivation. I’ll try.
25/10 2023

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Other than starting to rewatch some old movies, in preparation for more current sequels, I have also started rewatching Mystery Science Theater 3000.
I have vivid memories of watching it late at night when we got cable. Part of our cable pack was.. What was it called? The SciFi Channel? I guess they’re called SyFy now, or whatever. Dumb. It may have been a European version of the channel I had, I don’t know. Anyway, they’d show MST3K. But then would show it at 2 am. I don’t know why. Was MST3K not popular back then? Maybe they only had the rights to show it late at night, maybe they were in a timezone than Denmark. I don’t know. Anyway, I’d set the vcr to tape it and then watch it at a more convenient hour. I thought it was the. Funniest. Sht. I laughed so hard at some of those episodes. When I came in it was already into the Mike Nelson years, so I never watched any of the Joel episodes. Which is why I started my rewatch at Mike’s first episode. That’s what I have the nostalgia for. If I do get through them all then maybe I will watch the earlier Joel seasons too. It’s probably a Kirk/Picard kind of thing, your first one is going to be your favourite.
Anyway, it’s nice to watch the old eps. I have watched a couple already and it’s such a nice nostalgia, trip, the robots, the music. Happy days.
Getting cable was such a big thing. As I often mention, I grew up when Denmark had ONE channel. And I was there when we got a SECOND channel called TV2. Weird to think of now when the default is a million channels, or everything streaming or youtube or you kids get off my lawn.
Anyway where was I. Yes. Happy I downloaded the entire run of MST3K to my hard drive many years ago. Good stuff.
25/10 2023

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Oh look, newfeather aaaalmost at the goat house. So close. Lured in by a dropped piece of cucumber from a goat feeding. I bet one of these days one of the newbies will make it into the goat… and promptly be chased out by a furious Luna monster.

25/10 2023

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Good goat times today. Cold and grey. A little rain, but we got a lot overnight. The rabbit house was flooded, Jeanette informed. Her and Jesper were working on trying to fix that up. Thankfully teh goats are up on a hill so the water runs down from there. Bella and Luna came to the fence to greet me, despite the mud. Maybe the new pathway is working. Sky came out with me when it was time for me to leave too. And Bella and Luna went to the fence several times to meet visitors. So maybe that’s working. There was a big puddle right at the gate, though. We could use some bricks there.
Because of the muddy conditions we stayed in the goat house. i miss summer, sigh. But it’s still good to sit with the goats. Luna made some sneak attacks, jumping up in my lap. One of them while Jeanette was there, which made her laugh. At one point Luna jumped up on my legs as I was sitting in the yellow chair. She stood there on myl egs and looked out on the grounds while she chewed her cud. Eventually I wrangled her into sitting position. She sat and chewed her cud. Eventually stopped chewing. I listened to her breathing. And then her louder breathing quieted. And then soon after I felt her eyelids twitching against my arm. Off to dreamland. She’s such a little cutie. Can we just all agree that she stops growing now? Thanks. She always was small one, she can just stay this size so I can keep having her sitting in my lap. Deal.
I was a little afeared that my walk there would be tough, since I got on the exercise bike yesterday for the first time in half a year or more. I thought my legs might be wrecked. But I actually felt better on that walk than I’ve felt in a long time. Less wheezing. I’m not saying one little exercise session has completely turned it all around, but I’m glad I didn’t feel bad at least. Motivation to keep it up.
26/10 2023

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Hey look! Newfeathers in the goat house. I knew it wouldn’t be long before they made it. They were only inside for a minute. It’s funny how they go along together everywhere, like a little chicken troop. I wonder if we’ll start seeing them hang out with the goats in time, like Henrietta and Sonja.

26/10 2023

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Here is a goat photo instead of the paragraph I just wrote and deleted after looking at the news, you’re welcome.

26/10 2023

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Pizza today, exercise tomorrow. Everything in its right place. Priorities. Just call me a life counselor, my wisdom dispensed for free. Whether you want it or not.
27/10 2023

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Heads in the hay.

27/10 2023

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Lunaskew

27/10 2023

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In the Tomato Dimension, this is the poster for the Jaws movie.

27/10 2023

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One from today’s exercise mix.
Yes, I kept my promise and got on the bike. Upped to 45 minutes this time. Didn’t have spaghetti legs at the start this time. But they did get pretty tired when I upped the resistance. Still, it feels good to be back to work. I do like it, so I just gotta keep at it.
And this song is one of my favourite in the exercise mix. I love the song, and it’s got a perfect thumping beat. Always gets me going good.

28/10 2023

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Oh yeah, tonight is the daylight saver switch in Denmark. I am not crazy about the whole thing, but I do appreciate getting an extra hour to sleep. And it’s going to help to have a little more light in the morning. Last goat trip I almost stumbled, I have a hard time seeing when it gets darker out.
So i’ll allow it.
28/10 2023

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Aw man. Rest in peace Matthew Perry. That’s so sad and way too soon.
I loved Friends. A lot of people like to put it down, but when it comes to sitcoms I think it’s one of the absolute best. It did sitcom perfectly, if you want easy happy sitcom, it’s hard to find better. Being angry at it for just being a sitcom is like going to McDonalds and being angry that you’re not getting five star Italian cuisine.
I remember it starting on TV2, like I remember Seinfeld starting. When the world was smaller so things seemed bigger. I taped it on my vhs machine. Comfort food for a sad, troubled kid. I loved Chandler Bing. Bummer.
29/10 2023

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goatlog

29/10 2023

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I don’t think we’ve had all the feathers in a photo together before. But here they are. Red Sonja and Hernietta Solo and the four newfeathers. The Newfs stick pretty closely together mostly I think. Henrietta And Sonja are together a lot, but not always. Henrietta especially will wander off on her own at times, while Sonja is often hanging with the goats.

29/10 2023

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Someone should do the Too Many Cooks video skit but with the Saturday Night Live intro, just introducing name after name after name and going on forever and ever, you know like the real thing.
29/10 2023

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That’s all for now.


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