And It’s Almost Done

I’ve been working to make a pen for Gazelle, Chocolate, Midnight and her boys this week. First I lined this garden space with pallets to keep the goats from ruining the weld wire. I added some pallets and T posts to make a little shelter from the rain and to have some shade. I’m using some pretty trashy wood, crooked, splitting out at big knots so some needed bandaids. 

Rafters up. 

I worked all day to get this far. It’s pretty janky, I didn’t even bother going for level, square or plumb. The covered space is about 6x8 feet. Needs a little more tin along the top line. The rest is the top of an old pop up trailer. 

My 6 foot pry bar in the hole where I’ll put a T post to wire the pallet and chain the gate to. I might have finished today but of course I hit a rock. I also need to cover the gate with small wire and level the ground to keep the kids in. Slightly disappointed I couldn’t move the girls in tonight. 

Digger was exploring the hill pen this afternoon and the goats immediately began telling on him, baaing and snorting until he came back down. Cracked me up. 

To Market to Market

Eggs

Goat Milk Soap 

Goat Milk Lotion 

Found a few small tomatoes 

Swiss chard

Had a lovely time at the Globe-Miami Farmers Market this morning. Sold out of some lotion scents. 

The goats cracked me up this afternoon. That’s Digger going to explore the hill pen. Bashful’s pen and Posie’s pen have line of sight to that area and they immediately began “telling” on him!

This afternoon made a batch of lotion and did some laundry and dishes then all the usual chores. And now, again it’s way past my bedtime.  Zzzzzzz. 

Farmer Friday

Bashful is still getting used to the puppy. 

Wednesday and Thursday and a bit this morning I hauled pallets and worked on this new goat pen. Chocolate, Gazelle, Midnight and her twins are getting pretty cramped. 

Made a fair amount of progress. Really hoping to be done on Sunday. 

Bashful and Digger were pretty cute today. 

Mmmmm. I suppose hay dust could be the reason my phone hasn’t been charging well lately.  I was feeling pretty crunchy too so got a bath and washed my hair before heading to Superior for deliveries. 

Little goat has been eating hay. He’s graduated to a lamb nipple with a bigger hole so now he can drink more in the same amount of time. 

My Digger, what big paws you have. 

Esmarelda. Always has to be difficult and different.  Bambi, Storm and Storm’s kid all laying in the shade, chewing cud and napping. While Esmarelda stands on the hay feeder trying to eat the tarp. 

Digger is not happy being restrained in any way and barks, howls, cries and growls because he can’t get to me while I’m milking. He also tangled himself up and chews the leash. Tonight he managed to chew it in half. It’s only 5 days old. 

I did get some Swiss chard picked this morning and made a batch of cheese yesterday. We had a little thunderstorm this afternoon. Digger paid no attention to it at all.  Not much rain but I’ll check the gauge in the morning. 

Wonderful Wednesday

The girls are still a bit suspicious of the puppy but are at least eating even if he’s in the pen, as long as he’s not noisy and doesn’t get too close. 

Early morning watering because I didn’t get here last night. I think I saved most of them. 

Today’s project, make this nematode infested garden space into a goat pen. 

I hauled a lot of the bigger rocks to add to this retaining wall. 

This boy is quite a water dog. 

And likes to play in the mud. 

I think I wore him out. 

Gazelle, the hay hog. 

The mmmm. Bambi, that bulge on your right side is mighty suspicious. (Goats rumens bulge on their left   Babies bulge on their right). 

Puppy is not sure he wants to come out. Tink the cat was just of the picture and he wasn’t too sure what to make of her. 

I did make progress on the new pen and got some more pallets to hopefully finish up the pen tomorrow. And of course did all the usual things… dishes, laundry, feed, water, milk, feed the puppy and the bottle baby and now it’s waaay past my bedtime. Good night 

Monday June 27,2022

So this morning was a bit crazy. Little dog followed me doing chores. When I went to take Bashful his hay I *thought* the gate was shut tight enough to stay closed but it swung open behind me. Bashful freaked out over the puppy and ran out. He’s pretty much impossible for me to catch up by myself but I tried to herd him back in. We just went around in circles so finally I just went on and got everybody fed and watered. I was already running late for work. I even tried getting him to follow a little grain and that was working until we were almost at the gate and little dog started barking and howling because I had penned him up again so Bashful bolted. Then since he was hanging around Posie’s pen eating my apricot tree I got the idea to use Posie to lure Bashful back into his pen. Whew. He followed her right on in. Posie didn’t fuss much about switching pens but Mocha hollered all day because her mom got to go over there. I was only 20 minutes late for work. 0.0

Got home and wrangled the bottle baby on one side and the puppy on the other. Puppy is catching on that he has to sit or lay down and be quiet when we do this. Then I got puppy some lunch. 

It’s been pretty warm and puppy was born and raised in cooler country so we fixed him a pan of water to play in. 

I went and got some lunch and managed a couple things in the house then it was time for chores. Feed the bottle baby again. Feed and water everybody and get ready to milk. 

Little guy seems to love water. 

Again I put him a little ways away from the milk stand and again he spent most of an hour barking, whining, growling and getting tangled up. The goats still don’t like him but things went a little better this evening. 

Bottle baby was crying when I got done so he got fed. While doing that my phone dinged I had a message and I realized I hadn’t taken Bentley any hay. Sure enough it was my friend who is keeping him for me reminding me. I called her (hard to hold the phone and text while also holding a bottle) and we had a nice chat. Since I have to work early tomorrow I took hay as soon as I was done feeding the baby. And on the way home realized it was bedtime. 

But I still need to put milk away and wash dishes. And just as I got that done I remembered I had udder washing rags in the washer that need hung up. Got that done and now it’s waaay past my bedtime! Goodnight!

What A Weekend: adding to my crazy train

Saturday of course I went to the Globe-Miami Farmers Market. 

Sold lots of lotion, word is getting out!  And I really appreciate all my customers, old and new, for buying products so I can keep running this crazy train. 

Got home from market and made two batches of lotion. Probably need to make about four more!

Sunday was a road trip up between Snowflake and Concho. 

Mmm. Am I lost?   Sure glad it hasn’t rained here recently, I’d never get the van down this “road”. 

An almost 3 hour drive to pick up this fluffball. Half Sarplannic and half Anatolian. Livestock Guardian Dog. 

Looks like he will look like his dad when he grows up. 

He barked and growled most of the way home. We stopped in at TSC to pick up a collar and new leash and he did pretty good in the store. 

I put him in the small pen next to Bambi’s crew that 

Bashful started out in.  He whined, cried, barked, growled and tried chewing on the fence, he wanted to get in with the goats so bad. But the girls were not happy. Lots of snorting and foot stomping. 

Since I have to take Bambi and Storm through that pen to milk I decided to just have him out near the milk stand but where he wouldn’t be in the way. 

After about an hour he finally just passed out for awhile.  After milking I fed little goat and little dog and listened to little dog howl and bark off and on all night. Hopefully tonight is quieter!

Farmer Friday

Mmmmm.  That is Bambi. Her head is facing to the bottom of the picture. Her left side is where her rumen is. But that bulge on her right *could* be babies. I didn’t plan things that way. The plan was to milk her through summer and breed her this fall. But there was more than one breakout so it’s possible she had a late heat and got pregnant. Sooo. That means we need to dry her up and she is currently half the milk supply because Midnight and Storm are feeding twins and Mocha’s girl is taking most of her milk too. Time for more pen building!

I did harvest some pretty Swiss chard. 

The wind blew, the sky got dark with lots of thunder grumbles. But not a drop of rain. 

Midnight’s twins are getting big. 

Did the usual feeding and watering. Feeding the bottle baby every 3-4 hours puts a kink in things. Went to Superior to deliver orders. I’m beat. See you at the Globe-Miami Farmers Market in the morning.