Monday, August 24, 2015

About Losing 57K in One Day and Finding a Home for the Goat





While the market was crashing all around us today I finished cleaning out the barn, burned off the old rotten wood I removed and most of the limbs that came down with the tree I cut up. The newly reclaimed chicken area of the barn is almost complete now. More on that later.

Last I checked and doing a rough estimate from the numbers on my screen I think we lost about 57K today. This is from all our accounts 401K's, Roth IRA's, and a couple of straight up investment accounts. Not been a good day for us financially but did I stress about it? Not in the least.

I know what some of you maybe asking. Why does a guy with a Homesteading/Prepping/ Sustaining blog even have money in the market? A very good question!!! I explained why a few years ago but perhaps it is worth doing so again.

One reason is that although Mrs. PP loves the sheep, chickens, gardens and such she deep down still feels my predictions of a financial collapse are complete Hogwash. She actually is kinda a liberal Femocrat in many ways but I tolerate it because she is so darned cute and all. There is no way I would ever stand a snowball's chance in hell of talking her out of making her retirement contributions each month and even less of a chance I could convince her into taking any of the money we have invested out either. It really is that simple and while a couple 100K would go a long way to building the ultimate sustainable farm for the future it would take a divorce for me to use it and my marriage is worth more to me than that.

Another reason is that I am not completely sure how long this train wreck is going to take. Now I stopped my contributions years ago. I used a large share of the profits I had gained for prepping. Why I even bought my Ford diesel tractor using money I made off the market. Once I reached the point I had pulled more out than I put in I decided to let the rest ride. The last several years of a manipulated market has been very good to us and our preps. Despite all of my best efforts to turn digital money into assets our accounts have grown by leaps and bounds. As the accounts grew so did Mrs. PP's happiness limit and well that leads to returns that are more valuable than money anyway.

Lastly I am not counting on any of that money for anything anymore. I make enough to improve on the place at a good pace. We did recently take another 20K out to pay the insurance deductible after Mrs. PP's hospital stay and buy a new outbuilding. Looks like the market winnings I been turning into preps might be a thing of the past now though.

We are more or less at a point that there is no real sense of urgency to get just that one more thing done before the day of doom anyway.

Still it's kinda hard to look at all that RED on my portfolio page.

Anyway I spent the day working on the barn as I said and playing with the Goat. Seriously her and I had a few adventures today. It all started as I was coming out of the barn to cut some 2x4's. The goat would cry and bellow wanting me to come over to where I had her tied out. Eventually I gave in and went to pet her and she jumped and carried on like a crazy goat. I took her over and tied her to the trailer hitch on the truck where I was working. She climbed up on the truck, the top of the cab mind you, and dared me to come get her. I got her down off the cab and took her for a walk.

As I said she is very well leash broken.

I remembered the West pasture was laying fallow so I thought maybe she would like it there. I took off her leash and she ran around at about 100 miles an hour but if I tried to leave she would throw a fit.

She is quite the pistol I must say. The vet basically said there is no way to remove those horns, at least no way he would recommend so we had a pow wow about her this evening and the general consensus is we are going to try and find her a good home. No matter how happy she thinks she is it just isn't fair to make her the only goat on a sheep farm. We will never be able to turn her out with the sheep because doing so with those horns would be like putting a teenaged serial killer, armed with long knives, in a room with a bunch of unarmed, bitchy, fat, lactating Women and their babies.

No matter what that scenario IS NOT going to end well.

She went back to her isolation area in the horse trailer tonight just as happy as could be. Didn't even hear a peep out of her.

If any of my readers within a reasonable distance want the cutest, friendliest miniature goat ever created please contact me. We have a couple of possible leads but who knows if they will pan out. If you want a personable pet goat this one is the ticket but I imagine there will be an interview by Mrs. PP before letting her go.

Seriously this goat acts more like a pet dog than a goat.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!


15 comments:

  1. I haven't looked at my account. I don't want to know, it wouldn't do any good anyway.
    Can't you just trim the sharp tips of the horns?

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    1. MV - I don't think so. At least the Vet didn't mention that we could. He did mention some blockers that can be attached to the horns but I am not sure that would be the best for her either. If we can find her a good home that has other goats of her type where she can have as close to pet status as possible would be the best I can think of. She really is sweet and I would keep her if I could though but I have my hands full with sheep already.

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  2. We didn't have a whole lot in stocks but were able to pull that out a few days before the first big drop. I am not sure that it really matters as the rules on withdrawing and taxes seem to be stacked against actually getting the full amount some day. The next big event will be the international money announcement coming on Oct 20th. Everyone might want to research that one. If stocks rebound soon, you might want to abandon ship and sell them to someone who thinks the country is going in the right direction.
    I never had much trouble with goat horns other than they would get them hung in fences. One large male was going to butt me one day but some how I did a kung fu type of move and grabbed the horns as I stepped to the side which flipped him upside down and then jammed the horns in the soft ground which pretty much showed him who was dominate. After a few minutes I let him up and we had an understanding which is rare for a goat. I have heard of a ram killing a goat as they have a much stronger skull so the goat might actually be in danger around sheep.

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    1. Sf - Well I am more worried about the goat putting a lamb's eye out or puncturing a ewe's udder. The goat is so small she would be under the ewes as it is. I will say she knows how to use those horns. None of the dogs will come near her.

      What's left of our accounts is pretty much out of my hands. Mrs. PP's faith in the market is too strong. Her Father did quite well for himself in the market and that bled over to her. I figure at this point it's her right and if it goes poof I still got us covered.

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  3. It does seem that the downward spiral continues PP though as for the 'market' tis not a problem for me as we rarely have two pennies to rub together. I guess I am like a lot of folk who are aware of what is happening but plod on regardless, though thoughts are moving to at least ensuring that I have the capacity to look after myself and my beloved George. The changing of mindset is a slow process though and I feel that most folk will be sadly lacking in the future.

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    1. John - I hear ya. Prepping for disaster right now is doubly hard as we have to keep one foot in each world to stay afloat. As is obvious by my mindset though I agree with you that being able to take care of yourself and loved ones during a financial collapse is the safer bet.

      Now if the wife would jst agree with me :)

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  4. Ii have a dog like your goat. If I so much as move she is up and right there to see what is either to eat or fun to do in the yard. She loves to run the outside yard and bark and anything including leaves that move. I don't live close so cant take her anyway, but if I could I wonder who would win the quest for my attention.

    I have my investments in a lifetime annuity that pay the exact same amount every month like clock work. No ill effects so far..But you just never know.

    Carl in the UP

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    1. Carl - My Dad has an annuity like yours and has had some great luck with it.

      I think the goat would win. She knows how to handle dogs. The ones we have here won't go near her.

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  5. We moved the wife retirement holding to cash a few years back, wished we'd waited awhile, but those are the breaks. .gov is going to end up with it at any rate, so I guess it doesn't matter.

    If we're lucky and the cash is still there when thing market finds a solid floor, we'll jump back in.

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    1. Matt - Moving it to cash was the safest choice. I moved as much as I could but the Wife wouldn't entertain anymore. I hafta admit by staying in the numbers sure went up but I know they are gonna flop back down like the did yesterday only further so I just count it as money lost now.

      Makes the red easier to take :)

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  6. oh I know the goat that acts more like a dog than a goat! I have one! Does your goat butt the sheep? We never dehorned any of the goats we had. I never had a problem except for the bug Angora Bucks I had... those guys were just mean and got me a couple times with those horns!!! Needless to say they didn't stay here long!!

    I am NOT a fan of the market.. I guess we are the opposite of you guys... DH will tell you as he has many that I have saved us loosing thousands because I am soooo adamant about risk...a couple time snow when many have lost their hineys over the last 15 yrs we stayed steady and didn't... Sure we won't ever gain the super fast amounts one can with super risky investments but we never loose the amounts either that they do... knocking on wood... I see the market as a gamblers dream come true.. lol... we have made money as well yes.. but I don't like the market.. I think its highly manipulated, untrustworthy and nothing more than legalized gambling... but as long as we stay in the more secure safe stuff I can compromise with the DH ... as you say one's marriage and spouse is certainly more important!! DH respects my thinking as well and so we just don't put all our eggs in one basket.

    That was so sweet you said that Ms PP was so darn cute and her happiness means so much to you!!!! You are ok Mr PP :O)

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  7. geesh sorry for the typos... I am always in such a hurry these days...

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    1. Texan - I haven't taken the goat down to meet the sheep yet as she is still in quarantine. We were told the old lady that had her had never even gotten her any vaccinations or anything so we used what we had since it was either goats or sheep and are keeping her well away from the sheep until we know all is well.

      The market is legalized gambling for us but a sure thing (right now anyway) for those in the know. The real issue is figuring out which companies the government want's to win and then investing in those.

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  8. We are down about 80k in under a year with oil being so low. Still thankful for anything that comes in but at times it's hard to stomach but we try not to dwell on what could have been.

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    1. Max - Ya oil and all commodities are taking a beating. I bought back into paper silver when it fell below $16.00 an ounce way back when and have seen nothing but loss on it. I am still kicking myself for it but damn I never thought it would fall below production cost even on paper.

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