Say Hello, George

Meet George, the Nubian Buck.  George is going to be busy over the next few weeks.  He has been chosen to be the sire of our next crop of goats.  We are very excited about his great coloring.

Our friends, the Burks, have allowed George to come stay at our place.  The gestation period in goats is 5 months.  In one week from getting George, all of our does have come into heat.  If you are wondering how I know... Mostly I know because I know how my goats behave and its easy to tell the difference.  Just picture a classy mature lady who suddenly begins to act like a teenager with no raising letting her hormones get the best of her trying desperately to get the attention of the star football player.  Now to be certain we will keep George in with the does for another 21 days, the time it takes for does to come into heat again.  So, if the goats are bred the first week in December, the babies will be born the first week in May.  

I usually like for the kids to arrive in January or February, but this year I didn't get all my business together so we are just now getting a buck.  Really, it is not a big deal, I have a Nubian, Julia, in milk now and she will take care of us through the spring.  Then we will have 4 does in milk come May. 

Because of our doelings that were born last spring, we will breed again in April.  This will give us kids in September and 3 more does in milk for the winter.  I like this plan because then I will never have down time waiting on babies to be born.  We will have fresh milk year round!

I thought that milking every day would be a real drag, but to my surprise I really like it.  There is something so grounding about being in the barn early in the morning.  When I first get in there, all the animals are talking and reminding me that they are hungry.  So, I feed the kids their Alfalfa, the pig his pig grower and the show goats their show feed.  Next, I put the oats in the feeder and get Julia.  She hops up on the stand all by herself and goes to eating.  As I am milking, all is quiet and I can get to milking.  While I am milking, I can hear all the barn residents munching away.  That, my friend, is a very soothing sound.  For a few moments there is peace.  Add to the munching the milk squirting into the pail, and all is right.  It is very rewarding and I have come to look forward to my "chores".

See what I mean about color?  George is awesome.

That's How We Roll

Big Rocks Park, it was getting too dark, but this is still pretty.

After all that Tony and I have been doing over the last 3 weeks with First Monday, tearing down the nursery equipment, and Third Monday Trades Days, the last thing we wanted to do last Saturday was get in the car and drive to Glen Rose.  But, we did.

You see, it is time to start thinking about the Van Zandt County Youth Expo in April.  This is the big event every 4H kid looks forward to all year long.  So, Savannah had been searching the internet looking for goats that could be her meat goat project that she will show at the Expo.  Our Awesome extension agent, Tommy Phillips, had given us some contact numbers but they had no goats.  Well, she located a pair of wethers (boy goats that have been castrated) in Glen Rose that looked good and were at a great price.  Although, we really wanted to stay home, we asked ourselves “If we don’t go now, then when do we go?”  There was no good answer given that we had Third Monday McKinney coming up and we would be setting up a new booth at Ye Olde City Antique Mall in Tyler.  So, we went.

Well, I am happy to report that we had the best time!  For one thing, Tony and I love that area of Texas.  The land really changes, the altitude really climbs – enough to make your ears pop- and there is an openness out there that is good for the soul.  So, as we drove through scenery that makes you understand why pioneers moved west, our minds began to shift into neutral.  We were without kids, which is unusual for us if we are headed to Glen Rose, so there was a comfortable silence in the truck.  We needed that kind of down time, just taking in God’s handiwork.

The folks we were getting the goats from lived down a county road that had some of the best vistas.  They were really nice people and had good quality animals.  So, we loaded up two show goats and headed home.  We stopped in the town of Glen Rose; I might add that the town boasts a lively town square with shops and a farmers market, for some dinner. 

 After some great burgers with REAL French fries at The Green Pickle, we were feeling very relaxed.  The Green Pickle was just off the square and had an outdoor area for dining, for some unknown reason we were the only ones out there.  The weather was perfect, the air out that way is dry and it was neither hot nor cold, it was just right- kind of like baby bears porridge.  So, we sat under the massive pecan trees ate our food, laughed and talked.  

As we headed out of town, we decided to stop by the Big Rocks Park.  This park is aptly named for the rocks that reside next to Squaw Creek.  Now, when I say big rocks you should picture boulders the size of your house piled up and down the east side of the creek.  The park is free and we have spent many an hour playing in this little river, Cheyenne and Savannah were 4 & 2 respectively  when we first started coming, now they are 18 & 16.  The crazy thing is despite how huge these boulders are, back a few years ago we had so much rain that the rivers were flooding, once the water went down, these boulders had been rearranged. 

The sun was setting as we walked about the river bed which still had a bit of water running through it.  It is hard to describe the beauty that evening.  The normally white rocks were reflecting the golden orange of the setting sun, the scruffy cedar and elegant Live Oaks casting shadows on the boulders.  The water reflecting it all as it babbled on its way to meet the Paluxy.

Standing there with my love the last little bit of my soul that had been wound tight just came undone- I was for the first time in a while, completely relaxed.  It was like a rubber band that had been twisted tight, then you let it go and it unwinds to the point of being all floppy.

God is so good.  If we had stayed home, we would not have relaxed.  If you have been by my farm lately you have seen piles of this and that, fences in various states of being torn down, plants that need re-potting and fallen trees that need removing.  There is a lot of work starring us in the face.  That is how we would have spent that Saturday, not in rest.  The thing we needed was the last thing we wanted, a drive.

Tony does love a good burger!  Just the basics, beef & cheese.

Mushroom & Swiss Burger, MmmMmm Good