New Home

Winter is here and all of the animals are warm and snug in the barn...wait, that isn't right. Let's try that again: Spring has sprung and the goats are out on grass again...obviously that's not right! It seems that our winter season is a little topsy turvy this year which works just fine for me. The goats and I have moved to a new home and I was worried that they would be cooped up in the barn for several months. Knowing that the weather was supposed to remain mild this winter, I thought to bring my portable netting fencing with me, thereby allowing my goats some time outdoors. Who would've thought that they would be grazing  somewhat green grass on the shortest day of the year?

The Final Baby

The final kid of the season has been born! Yesterday at chore time I was surprised by a new baby in the pen, already dried off with a belly full of milk. Petunia, the mother, has looked the same for nearly 2 months, so I truly had no idea when to expect her to kid. Since Petunia is Mom's goat, she got the honor of picking the baby's name off of Charlie's List: she chose Indus, the name of a constellation. Thank you to Charlie for coming up with such a great list of names. Now is time to  start thinking about next year's theme - Musicians?  Poets? Herbs? We'll see...

More names from The List!

Here's the newest additions to the crew. Pip had her set of triplets just 2 days ago. They are already playing King of the Mountain on the big square in their pen and are generally being cute. After looking at Charlie's Grand list of names I've decided to name the 2 boys Sirius and Polaris, the girl will be Vesta: 2 stars and a comet! Now we have only Petunia to wait for...when and what she has will just have to remain a mystery for now!

A little rain...

Needles to say, the goats and I got soaking wet on our emergency trip home from the school house pasture.

Cooper comes to visit.

We had a special guest visit us this morning: Cooper Sylling! He and his brother got to help milk goats, drink fresh goat milk, and eat a mound of hot french toast. It was a great morning with our most loyal blog-follower!

Back on the Blog :)

Soooo, it has been a while since any of us have blogged. I finally got around to getting my phone hooked up to this blog and I hope to share with you all the adventures of kidding this year, also know as: The Big Bang 2015! While we're all waiting for that to happen, here's a picture of my rocking chair that Bob just refinished.

Spring is here??

We've all purchased expensive items (cars, big trucks, shoes, etc.) and have all, for the most part, gone through what some call Buyer's Remorse. Remorse is, according to my computer's dictionary: "deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed." Well, I just purchased and received the largest purchase of my life (cheese vat: $6000, shipping: $300.33) and although I had hemmed and hawed before buying it, fretted over the methods of shipping and payment, and worried and wondered whether it really was the right time to buy a vat, I felt not the least amount of guilt or shame when I opened up the garage door to find this waiting for me:

Can you tell that a farmer packaged this?

Needless to say, I was excited to get my vat home, where it belongs! :) It will be a little while before I am able to put it down in the basement (ahem...Brad and Chad - I need that ledge tuck-pointed asap!). When that does happen, however, I think I would like to throw a Cheese Curd Party; I will invite all of my cheese-loving friends down to grab a (freshly washed) handful of curds from the vat!

Hmmm, what could these oddly-shaped packages be?

All the odds-and-ends that make my vat so special: a temperature probe, agitator, control box, etc.

The vat with the lid open.

The inside of the vat.

The paddle, tucked in securely under the vat's legs and almost unnoticed by me!

I'm still considering many name options. A new thought is: Capra Nera Sotto Terra (Black Goat Under Ground). Not only does it symbolize the love I feel for goats and soil, but as soon as I move above ground and out of the basement, I can just call it: Capra Nera. Added bonus, it rhymes! Or, maybe I should quit over-thinking it and call it: Just Cheese. Hmmmm... You guys better send any comments or suggestions this way to help me out!

Vat with the lid closed; also covered so that while it waits patiently in the garage the birds don't poop on it!

As I was loading pictures from my camera to my computer, I discovered a few that say Spring! like nothing else can. Spring will arrive...won't it?

What says Spring! better than...

Men with flowers! :)

Goat Man.

I found this article unique and pertinent in some way to our blog.

Goat Man.

And the sort of disappointing follow up story.

~Becky

*Well, now my post doesn't totally make sense because they seem to have replaced the first article, which was full of mystique, with the second article, so both links lead to the conclusion.

Hair is just Hair – Don’t over think it. (This applies to all aspects of life.)

Okay, that was honestly my quote for the senior year-book :)

Katie’s going to a ring-prom thing for the Air Force in Colorado after she’s done with school (she can expand on that if she’d like). SO we thought we’d practice a few hairdos to go along with her fancy one-shouldered, rented dress (renttherunway.com).

I kind of like her hair like this the best…

Woops, now this post has gone to the goats.

Charlie did not love the goats. Even though they are babies, and adorable.

I am blogging so much lately because I'm procrastinating finishing my taxes in my spare time (i.e. when Charlie is sleeping). Now I've outed myself, so Becky (in the third person) Get your taxes done! And Katie, hope that Thesis is progressing...

~Becky