I do not agree!

After reading the headline on CNN.com tonight about the former Beverly Hills couple who now lives in Oregon on a farm...I just want to say...

Link to article

I thought these people have it awfully good considering that someone offered them a great piece of land to live on in the middle of beautiful Oregon.

I felt this article was very self-absorbed. The "oh poor me...I'm used to serving wine to my friends at dinner, now I have shovel poo." attitude really turned me off.

Well former Beverly Hills folks, I'm here to tell you that many people in the US right now don't have a farm or a travel trailer, or poo to shovel, or nice parents that rescue them from the hole they are in. Let alone money in savings!!!!

Your story does not evoke sympathy from me. In fact it made me mad.

This is just plain whining.

Our First Casualty

We're expecting wee goatlings starting in February out to possibly April...

So when one of our goats took sick, we did not think she was in labor. Instead I made the brilliant deduction that her labored breathing was because she had pnuemonia.

She was standing alone away from the herd for a long time and would not eat so we put her in the garage with some straw to sleep on, and hay and water. In the morning - she was better - but she had a very small dead baby.

It was awful and has left me questioning my capabilities as a goat farmer.

The bright side is that we are now flung head first into the milk business without even so much as a how-do-you-do.

Two more of the lovely mama's are looking like they might kid any time now too.

Yikes. :)

More later.

Snowed in & loving it!

We're snowed in here in western Oregon. It's really pretty!



Our sky was all orange tonight so it made for some really pretty pictures.




More snow...



This one is blurry but I really liked the artsy style of it.

Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Neither - we use reusable packaging items (baskets, pillowcases, etc).
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real and as HUGE and untamed as possible.
3. When do you put up the tree? The week before Christmas so it lasts until Russian Christmas (the fiance is Russian).
4. When do you take the tree down? After Jan 6th.
5. Do you like eggnog? Maybe. But most likely I would take a sip and remember why I never buy the stuff.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Not sure.
7. Hardest person to buy for? The fiance and my oldest son - neither give me lists.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My mom.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I've given a bunch as gifts. Does that count?
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Ha. Neither. Call me Scrooge.
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My parents wrapped a watch up in a giant box with paper and bricks in it and tricked me that it was a saddle. It was awful. I did NOT get the saddle.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Bishop's Wife or Miracle on 34th Street (1947).
13. When do you start shopping? Usually it's right after Christmas the previous year, but this year we are being poor and giving ONLY free things. Now before you get all in a tizzy...let me 'splain. I work in the movies industry and get movie samples almost every day. I am giving a season of Monk, CSI, Las Vegas, Law & Order, Lost, Lexx, and 4400 to random family members (I have more too! yay). I love my job.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Gingerbread cookies.
16. Lights on the tree? Hundreds, maybe a thousand or more white lights in various shapes and sizes.
17. Favorite Christmas song? I love Christmas music too. I play the local station from the day after Thanksgiving until New Years. They play ALL Christmas music all of the time. My fave song is anything on the George Winston Winter CD. I know that's not traditional fare but well...it is what it is.
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? We always go to my mom and dad's huge farmhouse and have a huge party with about 16 - 20 people.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Not without *Google*.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A white metal Eiffel Tower...
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Eve at my parent's house, then we come back to our house and open more (it's 2 AM!!) then in the morning we have our stockings.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The need to over-do, over-spend, over-decorate. UGH. That said, you should see my tree, it's glorious!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? White, Silver, Red, Gold. It has to sparkle and shine. Also our collection of Hallmark Ornaments are scattered all over the tree. These range back to 1979!! I tell ya, we have to have a huge tree or else the ornaments wouldn't all fit.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? The traditional fare...but I am trying to talk the family in to doing Indian food this year.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A better barn for my goats, peace on earth, and a happy family, oh yeah - and to live on my sustainable micro eco farm happily ever after.

Now I know why I LOVED the Billy Goat Gruff story when I was a kid!

Seven Nubian does and two doelings showed up at the farm yesterday; and as soon as my son gets home with his camera I will post the pictures of the girls.

We estimate that between February and March somewhere between 22 and 27 babies will be born. Yikes. And to top that bit of daunting news off, is the fact that one of the does had 5 (YES 5!!!) babies last year. Uhm.

Oh my.

I guess I really am in the goat business.

One little brown doeling fell in love with my 18 year old son yesterday. She followed him everywhere and gave him longing glances when he was on the other side of the shed he was building for them. We have renamed her Elizabeth and we joke that she is our son's new girlfriend. She's very cute, but somehow I think this relationship isn't going to go very far :o).

My fiance is a city boy. I mean, seriously a city boy. He has no farm experience at all but I am learning that he is very open and willing to my farm inclinations.

Yesterday as he worked on the shelter for the girls, they massed around him - helping him - and he just looked at me with the biggest smile on his face and said "I like goats!!"

He also keeps showing up with goatmilk yogurt, kefir and milk from Whole Foods. He's really getting into this!

Stick with this channel for the most up to date dairy goat adventures that money can't buy!

Cheers,
Heather

A milking we shall go

First off, I am sorry I have been so remiss in my posts. It's 4th quarter and I work for a major chain of stores that really wants to make some money, so I am a wee bit preoccupied working on that.

However, that hasn't stopped me from accidentally finding a herd of dairy goats to buy. Yes, me the girl who lives in the city still has just agreed to purchase 9 Nubian does, most of whom may be with kid.

Luckily this is where the family farm comes in. And my wonderful dad who is retiring next year...he will become the reluctant goat farmer hehe.

You see, there are about 2 acres that overgrow with bushes, grass, tree starts and blackberries every year and these wonderful girls will clear it for us and make us lovely milk.

Lucky they come with their own keeper. His name is Luis.

I am going out to the goat's current home on Wednesday to work out the details of their purchase.

I am - now - one step closer to the dream of becoming a farm girl once more.

Yay.

change.gov

Go here President Obama's Website and see what great things are in store for us.

PS I am thrilled beyond belief about the results of the election on Tuesday.