Whirlwind Whirlwind Spinning Fast

Every year I look forward to the slower pace of summer.  But, whenever summer comes you find me cryin' all of the time (wait that's Monday, Monday)...whenever summer comes there is no slow down, so little just chill out time, that all spring I think is heading my way.

This summer I am completing the last leg of my graduate career.  Which entails thesis research and a full time externship.  Plus, I am working.  So here are a few of my personal goals, things I was looking forward to accomplishing during the summer "lull":

1) Plant a giant raised bed garden
2) Make said garden a lovely sanctuary
3) Get some goats (CHECK)
4) Exercise by taking Vader for a walk everyday and completing the Chalene Extreme plan
5) Eat and preserve the yummy goodness from the garden and local harvest
6) Lose weight eating well and exercising

Here is my goal check in:

1 and 2) raised beds in and some stuff planted, 4 boxes still need dirt and the fence needs to be put up, oh and I need to build my compost bin

3)Got that covered:

4-6)Total wash out thus far.

Well off to extern, going to ruminate on this for a while

Life Changing Moments

A while back I was in a pretty serious depression.  I was overwhelmed, overworked and medicated.  It was not good.  Then tragedy struck our little community, another hit closer to home and yet another shocked our entire nation.  I wasn't dealing with it well, but most of that was on the inside.  I had a bit of a freak out.  I needed something life affirming so I came home with this:

Baby Vader

A 7 week old, pitbull/something curly and really smelly mutt.  This dog, this silly, scardey cat, nutty fur-ball did more for me and my state of mind than any medication could.  I adore this dog.  I love, love, love my Duncan dog, a 13 year old lab mix.  But, this puppy is my bestie.  He is MY dog.

Vader after slip and slide fun

In  the months since he has arrived, things have not been perfect.  I still have issues with depression, but I am not on medication.  He brought me out of a serious funk.  He makes me move, he makes me get out of my head, much like my kids do.

I have noticed that since I got Annabeth and Percy I spend MUCH less time plopped on my couch.  Yes, I know that it has only been two days and it's not winter yet.  But, perhaps this is one of those moments that changes everything.  I got goats b/c I needed something to anchor me here that was all mine.  If I have to live on this farm then I need something to look forward to, something I control and either thrive or fail at.  But I found  that as I researched more I found myself again.  So in addition to my goats and other such antics, I will be posting about my weight loss goals and healthier eating adventures.  Maybe these creatures all around me will spur me to be a better, healthier person.

Annabeth and Percy

Meet Annabeth







And Percy









They are so stinking cute.....

But I had no idea goats cry like human babies.  We spent some time feeding and getting to know these guys.  Then we came inside, at which point Annabeth CRIED and CRIED and CRIED.  Really LOUDLY.  It sounded like a human baby!!!

I had to sit in a chair outside the fence and slowly back away.  She still whimpered some, but is now quiet.  Hopefully, they go to sleep!

The ride home

The Boy and Percy

The Girl and Annabeth

Annabeth

HI!!!

Tasty Camera Strap!

GOAT day! Hopefully

I am waiting for the girl to get off  the phone so I can call  the breeder to see if i can pick up my goats.  The fence is up, hubby is working to get it turned on.  The building is in, need to get some straw inside.

Additionally, my garden is tilled and my boxes are down there.  I am waiting for the peak sun to pass before I got really hard core down there.  Exciting doings around here.  Actual pictures to come!

Foundation

One day while wasting a ridiculous amount of time that would have been better spent on my thesis or house work or paperwork for my, or anything really other than wasting time, I thought to myself that it would be fun if the kids could show goats at the fair.  They are already showing pigs, and a calf.  Plus, you know I have always had a secret obsession with goats.

I started randomly Googleing dairy goat breeds and came across THIS:

OMG I needed those!!!!  This is a pure bred Golden Guernsey Goat.  These lovlies are from the Island of Guernsey in the UK.  How does one get their hands on one here?  YOU DON'T! :(  sad face.  There is no import of goats into the US.  However, in the 1990's a few embryos where imported and implanted in surrogate goat does and there now exists ONE herd of pure bred Golden Guernseys in the US.  You can find them here: Southwind Farms.  They sell only bucks, never does.

So, how could I get my hands on one of these?  Further reading led me to the Guernsey Goat Breeders of America.  I learned that there is a group of dedicated goat folks that are working to breed a British Guernsey through a breeding up program, with hopes and hard work to eventually gain recognition of an American Guernsey Goat breed through the American Dairy Goat Association.

It works like this:

 1) IR (Identification Register) – any female dairy goat of any age.
 (Nubian, LaMancha, Miniature, and fiber or meat goat breeds are not allowed).

2) SR (Supplementary Register) – female of any ages with a GG sire.
1/2 British Guernsey

3) FB (Foundation Book) – female with GG sire and SR dam.
3/4 British Guernsey

4) HB1 (Herd Book) – female with GG sire and FB dam.
7/8 British Guernsey

 5) HB2 (Herd Book) – female with GG sire and HB1 dam
15/16 British Guernsey

 6) BG (British Guernsey) – female or male goat with GG sire and HB2 dam.
Full British Guernsey

I am on step one.  I have purchased a Saanan Doeling (young female) and a wether (castrated male).  This little doe, will become my IR doe and the foundation of my eventual Guernsey Goat herd.  I plan to document the entire process.

Goat Float

I wanted to start a goat blog to give an account of my foray into dairy goats, but I also figured since I am totally random and have the attention span of a flea this said blog would include other random goodness.  I really didn't know what could encompass this eventual modge podge stream of consciousness, free flow of crap that I was about to unleash on the world.  Then I was wasting valuable time on Pinterest and found the above picture.  Which if you know me you realize that it absolutely cracks me up!  I have no idea where it came from but I would love to give credit where credit is due if I find the source.  

It pretty much sums up exactly what I wanted to blog about. Whatever floats my goat.  I will probably have recipes, crazy rants about unimportant things, pictures of my four kids (2 human and 2 caprine), stupid crap I make, attempts to be a domestic goddess inspired by Pinterest, you know whatever strikes me fancy at the moment.