Libby's 2014 babies

Miss Liberty had three beautiful babies last night. I think they are the most beautiful babies that have ever been born at our farm but I'm partial to loud colors and chamoise with random white coloring and dark buckskin with random white. Liberty gave us a little of both. OK, really it was God who designed them and Liberty just took very good care of them for the past 149 days. Thank you Lord and Libby.

 

 

My Administrative Assistant

Slipping Through the Cracks

     Bear with me, this is one of those 'trains of thought' that takes a few twists and turns but it does arrive at a point.
     Those of  you who read this blog know that I have a favorite blog. It is written by Baby Belle of Herron Hill Dairy and it is called "This Goat's Life", (http://goatcentral.blogspot.com/). This past Tuesday, Baby Belle wrote about "Blue Monday." Apparently, Blue Monday is the saddest day of the year. The term Blue Monday, was coined as being "the date calculated by using many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action." Someone decided all of these factors make up a specific formula that can pin point the saddest day of the year. Typically Blue Monday occurs in mid to late January. OK ~ really ... Someone decided there was a mathematical formula for this? I'm just not even going to go down that path.  
     This year the formula determined that Blue Monday fell on January 6th. That alone is extremely sad as it fell on the same day as the Epiphany this year. The Epiphany is a celebration held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ. Obviously, for those of us who love the Lord, this is the last day in which we would ever consider to be Blue Monday. The word Epiphany is also defined as a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way.  A light bulb moment. There is a lot of irony swirling around this whole incident. Keep reading.
     Blue Monday was in fact a day of true sorrow at Herron Hill Farm and no one was probably thinking of the three kings or even the baby Jesus because as Baby Belle told us all, it was the day that, ironically, Monday, the yearling doe, delivered her baby way too early. Too early to have finished developing inside the womb. It was heart breaking to read and I wept and I wanted to drive right up to Washington and hold her and feed her lots of goat cookies and just be with her. She has a wonderful farmer of her own, she doesn't need me at all but still this is what I was feeling and I carried this around in my heart for days.
     On Thursday night, Star, one of our first goats, starting talking. She is not much of a talker, except at kidding time, now that she has learned not to scream for grain at the top of her lungs. In fact she is down right quiet most of the time. So when she started talking and talking I took notice. I had estimated that Star was due to have her babies on February 21st or so. Instantly I thought of Monday. I'm a very positive person by nature but a true hypochondriac when it comes to our animals. Other than her talking, nothing seemed amiss. I told myself I was just over reacting and I tucked all the goats into the barn for the night. The next morning, Star was arching her tail, a sign of pain in most cases when it comes to goats, and she kept stretching. She didn't want to eat. She walked outside with the other does but then came right back into the barn and made a little goat nest and lay down. Oh no, was all I could think and I didn't know what else to do. I moved Star to one of the kidding stalls and waited. I wept. I told Star how very sorry I was and that I would be there for her. I kept thinking maybe she is just tired and she is trying to get the babies into a different position. Maybe she was fine and that I was just being an idiot. I could feel a baby moving but I knew that it would not survive being born five weeks early and if Star were to go into labor then it would not survive. My brain was searching for some other possibility. Perhaps one of the bucks was able to breed Star through the fence. I write every breeding down. I searched and searched through my calendar and my goat notebook. Nothing other than Star being in with a buck on September 20th. The babies must be coming five weeks early. I gathered the birthing kit and several clean towels and waited.
     Well ... Star delivered two beautiful doelings, both are healthy and to term. I can't remember her being bred in late August, even though I looked through many emails that I had exchanged with a wonderful person who had planned on buying Star. I had mentioned in one that I was planning on breeding her "any day", that was in early August. Obviously I went through with that plan but writing it down on the calendar must have slipped through the cracks of life.
    I wish I could share one of these little babies with Monday so she could have a little baby to love but then again I guess that is just a crazy human way of thinking.  Well, this crazy human's way of thinking anyway.

     Thank you Lord.

Winter Skies

Merry Christmas

From all of us ~ to all of you ... we hope your holiday is filled with the blessings of Jesus' birth.

The California Misconception

      Several years ago I went to North Carolina. While I was there I met several people who were just in awe of the fact that I was from California. Time and time again I was asked if I went to the beach every day and if I saw movie stars all the time? After I explained that I lived nearly three hours from the beach and ten from Hollywood a visible change took place and you could see the disbelief on the faces of the natives. The wheels of thought actually shuddering. Then they would ask if it was sunny year round where I lived and if it was like being at the beach? Again I dispelled the California misconception. I was thinking about this today when I woke for the second day in a row to 12 degree weather but considering it was minus 5 degrees in Missoula, Montana, (where most of my family lives) I guess you could say it was balmy here ... OK not really, but how can you complain about 12 degrees when you realize it is all relative.



Within an hour of pouring hot water into this water trough there was an inch of ice on top of it again. It is quite handy for the goats who want to nibble the dry leaves though.



It is hard to see in this photo but the bucket of water is frozen ~ and it is inside the barn! So much for providing a warm place for the goats to sleep at night. I can only hope they all put aside their differences and cuddle.

Pita Chips

You can make your own pita chips fairly easily. Not only are they delicious but they take very little time and the variations are nearly limitless*.

 

Ingredients: 

 

One package (or more) of pita bread

Oil* of your choice ~ typically we use Olive Oil

Salt

 

Preheat your oven to 375.  Then start preparing the pita bred.

First cut the pita bred or pocket in half as if you were planning on stuffing it.

 

 

Then cut again in wedges like you were cutting a pizza.

 

Each pocket should result in a total of eight wedges.

 

 Split the individual wedges in half and lay them on an un-greased baking sheet.

 

Coat each triangle with a light dab of oil and sprinkle with a tiny amount of salt (optional).

 

Bake at 375 for about eight minutes until golden brown. Enjoy! 

* You can use any type of oil or none at all. Sunflower oil adds a wonderful nutty flavor. My personal favorites are basil infused olive oil and the oil that sun dried tomatoes are packed in. The possibilities are endless. You can also use a milder oil, like canola and then instead of sprinkling with salt you can sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. It probably goes without saying but if you make your own pita bread these would even be more delicious!