Showing Promise

The whole garden is showing promise right now. So many squash blossoms which hopefully will translate to a bountiful crop. Cucumber vines keep getting longer and longer with promises of more and more cucumbers. The evenings are cool and the days warm, perfect for my little veggies. We have gated the tomatoes so hopefully this year Lukiss won't eat them all. Having my weekend and getting a chance to spend some time connecting to this land and these animals rejuvenates me. Hopefully now with fresh peas in my belly I am ready for this work week to come!

What's that thing in the coop

After work last night Brian and I had a great dinner at Catelli's with some friends. After a night of delicious pasta and wine after a long work day you can bet I was ready to put the "kids" to bed and call it a night. Dahlia, Daisy, Marigold, and Ginger came up and did their usual night time routine with me. I secured the gate to the neighbors yard where they have been grazing and gave them all a few pats. Boy, are goats like dogs….with weird pupils. Step two, time to get the ducks in. For those of you who don't know our ducks are the late night party animals. They stay up way past everyone else standing by the water cooler talking away gossiping about this and that. I came in, did my usual clap and "come on ducks" call to get them inside the coop. The ducks ran in……the ducks ran out…….okay "come on ducks!!! Time for bed!" the ducks run in……. the ducks run out. We did this dance about three times and then I went in the coop. What is up ducks!?!? I am thinking. Low and behold in the corner is this black and white thing…..hmmmm. I do have Silver Laced Wyandottes so I thought maybe it was stray chicken not roosting……hmmm, that chicken looks awfully fuzzy. I go out and come inside to grab a flashlight, aka a cell phone in this day and age, while Brian is snuggling the foster kitties. He asks what is going on, I tell him, I think theres a skunk in the coop! He tells me to yell if it is once I shine a light on it. Sure enough, I shine that flashlight on that stinker, literally, nose right on an egg, and yell out "it's a skunk!" Brian runs out broom in hand. I got the last predator out, a bobcat, so I guess it's his turn. Backwards baseball cap, dress shirt still on from work and a broom Brian chases the thing out, but not before it makes a stinky mess in my coop. Ah the adventures of life in the country. I begin this morning walking the fence line figuring out how the little bugger got in. Meanwhile, time to air out the coop.

Writing a Business Plan

Our incomplete business plan stares at me on the kitchen table begging to be completed. So many things to know about starting a creamery. What is our ideal scenario? I want our creamery to be full of life so much so you can taste it in the cheese. We want lavender blooming, goats kidding and there to be babies throughout. Ducklings, chicks, goat kids, seedlings…..life! Our life is beginning at this farm, this land, these animals speak to us in a visceral way. Oh to express that in practical terms as well. Permits, grey water systems, milk rooms, cold storage, the list is endless and exciting. Come with us on this adventure of permitting, goat raising, housing harvest interns, taming winery kittens, and so much more. Today I sit in my kitchen with the foster kittens from Field Stone Winery hissing at me, Jasper dog and Max dog excited at the new arrival. Lukiss is dancing around the floor excited he just had breakfast and Huey our grey cat is staring at the foster kittens as if we have betrayed him. Life is good, life is wonderful, now time to go to work!!!

Crazy Foster kitten, needs a lot of love 

Cute foster kitty is already ready for its forever home

The goaty girls greeted me this morning as they do every morning with a big loud MAAAAA! Especially Ginger our queen. She is a full size Nubian who likes everyone to know she is the boss of all goats. She and Princess Daisy, our 1 year old "baby" of Dahlia, our mini Nubian, both have horns. The largest and the smallest enjoy matching horns as they travel up and down the hill. For the past week the girls have been tending the neighbors property. They are so fat and happy they can barely move. Dahlia was even rolling around like a tortoise on the back of its shell trying to right herself….by the time I ran over there she had. Goofy, goofy girls.