My Anniversary! Also warning, pictures of my still born goat. Its for educational purposes.

Its our 17th wedding anniversary!  WOOHOO!  Some friends have invited us to their house for supper tonight, so we're planning on going.  I'm working today and my husband had to make a trip to pick up some supplies that will be going into the new store we will be opening on May 1!  Yep!  We have a HUGE building, and its going to house a candy store (mine, as I make about 50 different types of homemade candy, give or take a few!  (Need candy????, let me know!  I'll be glad to make it for you!))  It will also have an antique store, a tea room, a candle shop, where you can get my custom made candles, scented to your liking and for any special occasion you have including weddings, birthdays, or just a gift.

I can't hardly wait to get the store open.  I type as a medical transcriptionist right now, and have done that for 21 years, but the years have taken a toll on my hands, and I'm very ready to get back to "making things."   I love to see people enjoy the things that my hands have created.  Whether its candy or candles.

This past week has been one of joy and sorrow.  We raise Boer goats and one of my does had twins.  One is going to be leaving me today.  They were premature and she is just not going to make it.  The other one has taken off like a whiz and is doing terrific!  Another doe had 2 beautiful full term babies, and both were stillborn.  I found out my goats now have a problem called Iodine deficiency.  I had no idea, but a weed in the hay that they were eating, is what caused it.  The weed is called flixweed, and it really is a devastating thing.  I have one more doe to have babies, and I'm really worried about what is going to happen with her babies.  The only thing I can be thankful for is that I know what the problem is, and I have now taken steps to correct it, including giving salt, soda, and a block of minerals.  Now most folks give loose minerals, and I'd love to do that, but you can't get them here, so the block is the next best thing, and that is also why I'm also giving them salt.  Some folks also say to paint the underneath side of their tail with 7% iodine, which you have to get from a vet, and with my husband gone right now, I can't do that.  Hopefully I will be able to get it soon and never have to go through this again.

I'll post a picture here, if I can get it to come on.  Those of you who have goats should be very concerned about this happening to you.  The babies were all born with a goiter.  And the big thing about that (besides the size of the goiter), is that according to experts, the does that are born in this condition, generally do not survive.  But, I have at least 1 that IS going to make it. They also say that the bucklings DO survive.  Why that is, I'm not smart enough to know, but I am certain it has something to do with the hormones.

I can't get the picture to post, but if you can click on this link, please do so.  If you can't, please copy the shortcut into your address bar and go look at it.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d57/dunroven/100_1243.jpg

Please, take a few minutes and look at the neck on this baby goat.  I give you this picture and the information above about the iodine deficiency in hopes that you will have a care with how you care for your critters.  This could have been prevented had I been warned about the possibility.  Because even if the goats had eaten the flixweed, if I had been supplementing their diet with the minerals, salt, and soda, they would have been fine.  Now, I'm the loser as well as the mother goats.

Gotta get to work, but I'll be back more often now.  Things "seem" to be settling down a bit.