This little guy is my buddy. He's the smallest goat, but definitely the friendly one. He likes to be petted, even when I'm not feeding. He's the one that meets me at the fence first each morning and walks with me when I make the rounds.
The next photo is of hedge apples on the ground. I don't know what, if any purpose they serve. I've heard a tale that hedge apples can be used to keep bugs away.
Poplar leaves are turning. The old timers at the farmer's co-op thought that such a wet summer meant we'd have pretty fall colors this year. I'm not convinced, yet.
This is what I spent a couple of hours working on in the rain on Friday. The fence runs downhill and there was a slight gap underneath, which allowed a couple of the goats to roam. I took some stakes and chicken wire, and wired them to the bottom of the fence. For good measure, I found an old fence post to weigh down the chicken wire with, on the inside. 
Tennessee Renaissance Farm is here to benefit... me, mostly. The things that I do, the things that I choose not to do, the animals I bring in and the ones that were already here all serve purposes. This is the first real eviction from the Farm, but the rule here is everybody chips in. No free rent, right?
Instinct kicked in before thoughts, causing me to run. When I slowed down and looked back, it was a literal cloud of the pests, much like the bees when I have a hive opened for inspection. The yellow jackets gradually settled down again, but it would be their last hurrah.
As dusk happened, I gathered some tools: Mag Lite, camera, matches, leftover citronella oil. The flames weren't as impressive as I had imagined. (I really don't like yellow jackets.)
ALSO NOTE IN THESE PHOTOS: The yellow jackets (sortof) have similar coloration to honeybees. They are NOT bees. Bees are not aggressive (they are defensive). Bees have fuzz on them. Yellow jackets are naked. Yellow jackets' heads are shaped weirdly. Usually, yellow jackets will help themselves to sugary drinks on your picnic. Bees much prefer nectar from flowers. Bees also do their part on the farm, producing that liquid gold that The Gentleman Farmer loves.
My goats are doing well. They have definitely taken their piece of Tennessee Renaissance Farm and made it their own. The progress they are making in eating up the brush is amazing. As they have grown comfortable here, the goats seem to be more friendly. Now they come out and walk with me when I'm out and about on the farm. Even if I'm not feeding right then. Not a bad thing.
Howard is ever vigilant. When I found a gap under the edge of the fence the other day, he made took up a position beside that gap and would not let the goats near it. It's pretty cool how he picked up on that and did his job. He wears his hats as mayor and protector of the farm well.
The bees are slowing down after What I think was a very decent summer for them. Meagan, Taylor and Emily each have a good amount of honey stored up. Hopefully they will all come through winter in fine shape. I'm looking forward to that first golden harvest in a big way.
The llama and goats have gradually been getting to know each other and making the place their own. After much deliberation, the llama has been named Howard. It's been suggested that I find him a top hat and vest, and appoint him Mayor of Tennessee Renaissance Farm. Why not? Hah.
Howard was definitely the first to warm up. He's the first to allow anyone to pet him and not be (too) jumpy about it. He definitely takes his job as protector of the goats seriously. He keeps a watchful eye on the herd and is johnny-on-the-spot when a dog comes to the fence. It's very cool to know that Howard will be effective in case of predators visiting the farm to snack on my little goats. 
The goats have been slower to get friendly. I think part of this is because they are smaller and generally less confident creatures, and I don't know anything about their lives before the auction barn. It's obvious that they were handled and raised as livestock and not pets. 
Today was a first for the farm, also. One of the goats put his head through the fence and couldn't pull it back out. I think dislodging his head was easier than when my brother got his melon stuck in the railing of the stairs, but still traumatic for the little guy. It was the first time any of the goats ate from my hand, which seemed to calm him before I had to take him by the horns and help back his head out. It's odd how some animals will always look outside their fence when they have so much good stuff inside with them. Now I know why I count so carefully at feeding time and walk the fence a few times a day.
My post Monday from the Woodbury sale barn was the prelude to this: I aquired 10 pygmy goats and since then, a llama.
So far, the goats have been very skittish. At first, when I turned the corner of the fence, they'd disappear into the woods. They are starting to learn that I'm the one who brings the food that they like. They aren't quite friendly just yet, but they don't run away when they see people, either. So far the goats are pretty scattered, but I'm told over the next few days they should pretty much hang out in a group. They've had a hard week.
The llama is awesome. He has such character and seems to have a good nature about him. he'll come right up and smell your hands and then trot away to chew on a weed again. When you see his eyes, you know there's something going on in there. He seems to have some sort of wit about him.
