Salsa and Imbri Go To School

I got to work early this morning and hustled to get as much done as possible.  Being the end of the month, I felt badly about having to leave early, as some of the month-end work was going to go to my co-worker, who has enough going already.  I made it as easy as possible, knowing I would do the same for her.

First, drive home.  When I arrived, I backed the truck in and got the items from the house I would need:  milk bucket, sanitizer, paper towels, grain, a jar of milk, and soap samples for the class.  I grabbed my gloves and messed around with the wood pile, finding a more substantial piece of plywood to use as a ramp for the goats to get into the back of the pickup.  Even though we'd cleaned out the back, there was still plenty of damp alfalfa and mud to muck things up, so the gloves were a must.

I went into the goat pen and put leashes on all the big girls, intending to find a way to lead them out while leaving the youngest goats inside, and somehow do this without getting tangled up.  Normally eager to get out of the gate, probably because of the odd scheduling of my appearance, the goats scattered.  I eventually got leashes on Imbri, Salsa and Lily and headed to the gate.  Moonshine decided that he wanted to be first out, but he wasn't GOING out, the stinker.  I realized that I would have to put a lead on the youngest and tie them to the shelter so they didn't escape.  Easy, right?

Wrong.

When I came back in with their dual lead, both the little goats scattered and ran helter skelter away from me.  Moonshine, being the more loveable of the two, eventually came to me.  Then it was a matter of following Luna around, cursing at her, with Mooney by my side.  I owe Salsa a thank you for helping eventually to corner her.  While Luna had previously scampered by me when I cornered her, this time she couldn't get by me, and wouldn't dare try to pass Salsa, who was sure to charge at her.

"Babies" secured, I put the leashes of all the does around my wrist and led them to the truck.  They wouldn't go up the ramp.  Salsa and Lily were too busy trying to ram into Imbri.  I figured if I put Imbri in first, the others would come up after her, so up went Imbri.  Salsa followed.  Lily wouldn't walk up the ramp, but walked around the side of it.  So what happens next?  Salsa decides to charge back down the ramp to fight with Lily.  Imbri follows.  Then I can't get ANY of them into the truck!  It's warm outside, and I'm starting to sweat and lose my breath, and I'm tired of ducking and turning to make sure the leashes don't completely wrap around me.  I decide that the solution will have to be to leave Lily behind.  As I'm opening the gate, Imbri gets loose and runs into the pen.  I put Lily back in, and then Salsa.  Then have to chase Imbri.  Eventually, I grab her leash, and lead her and Salsa BACK out to the truck.  This time, both of them go up the ramp and mostly stay in as I try to push the ramp into the truck bed and close the back.  They start head butting each other, but at least they are in.

Grumbling to myself and worried about time, I hop into the truck, take a swig of coffee, and head down the driveway.  Halfway down, I remember that Mooney and Luna are still tied to the shelter, and I didn't turn the electric fence on.  Turn around, go back up, take care of business.  Imbri and Salsa start head butting each other in the back of the pickup again (they had stopped when the truck started moving).

Back down the driveway, and we wind through the back roads to avoid freeway speeds for the goats.  After falling once when a yellow light flashed so briefly (stupid light) and I had to brake quickly, Salsa settled in and laid down next to the cab of the truck.  Shorter, sturdier Imbri stood in the center, and sometimes walked to look out the back window.

I called the school to let them know I'd arrived, as I circled the parking lot for a relatively close spot.  Becca came out to the truck as I started to unload the goats.  Imbri jumped out right away.  I had to tug on Salsa to get her to get out of the truck.  All those strange cars and smells on that big black asphalt ground!  Becca's wonderful principal met us at the truck and helped bring the goats to the lawn in front of the school.  She really enjoyed seeing and petting them.

Becca's Ag teacher and the rest of the students from class came out.  They circled around us and I asked if they knew what breeds these goats were.  I was surprised that one student actually guessed Salsa's breed - half at a time.  His first guess was LaMancha, and when I told him he was partly right, he got Saanen.  Another student knew that Imbri is a Nigerian Dwarf, but then let it slip that Becca had previously told him.  The students seemed to enjoy the back and forth Q and A, and they had some good questions to ask.  Another teacher joined us - this was becoming a popular lesson.  The girls especially enjoyed feeding the goats grain, though unfortunately Salsa wasn't cooperative enough to allow some of them to try milking.  Some of the girls I was talking to giggled when I said teats.

At the end of our time, I gave the teacher a jar of milk so the students could see how similar/different it might be from cow's milk (they look the same to me).  They couldn't taste it, because it's not pasteurized, but I'll bring some pasteurized milk for the class later.  They cut the soap bars up for the students that wanted to take some home.  I'll send some cajeta and apple slices for Thursday's class.  Eating while being around goats is not a good idea, so we'll separate those activities.

Becca had the same teacher for her next class, and she said it was okay for Becca to leave after Ag class so I didn't have to wait an hour for her to get out of school.  We got both goats into the truck, and then Imbri  jumped out before the tailgate was closed.  I had already put the ramp up, so Becca and I lifted her round little body and put her inside.  The drive home was uneventful, and even though they were home, it took a while for the girls to come to the end of the truck to get out.  They seemed happy to be back with their herd mates.

All in all, not a bad afternoon.  I sure am pooped after all the goat chasing earlier.  Time for chores, dinner and REST.

Muddling Through

After hearing the rain pour down earlier this evening, we now have a brief break and some quiet.  I really shouldn't complain, as we have had a couple weeks of warmer weather, including some record breaking high temperature days, but now the rain is back.  I don't know for how long, but hope that we can get some breathing room in between storms.

The goaties are behaving for the most part.  Becca and I check in with each other before moving them, so that we are aware of who's in heat and most likely to try to run off.  No escapees.  I have started putting leashes on the younguns, Moonshine and Luna, because they are starting to wander off and not follow the typical routine.  There's nothing more frustrating than trying to herd two small, feisty, jumping, bouncy goats that act like kids (they are almost 2 years old) while holding an older, cantankerous, wannabe herd queen at the same time.  Clipping the "babies" together encourages them to keep each other in line.

We have been craving bacon sandwiches lately, and are hanging out this Saturday night after having enjoyed a BLAT(O) feast.  Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato (and red Onion for me).  The brownies just came out of the oven, so it's really a perfect rainy night, just hanging out together.  This morning I spent most of my time after chores sorting through a couple years of accumulated bottles and cans, getting them ready for recycling.   We got out too late to make it to the center today, but will go ahead and turn those in this week.  I was planning a dump run for tomorrow, but discovered too late the dump is now closed on Sundays.  Really?  I guess that will wait until next Saturday.

It's time to put some of the goats into Bugs' old pen, so they can eat down the growing grass and help get the area garden-ready.  This is the spot where my landlady and I plan to install our common garden this year.  I'm looking forward to the larger space and the camaraderie that I have missed from a previous home, where my then-landlady/friend/neighbor and I gardened together.  I really enjoy B's company and am looking forward to being able to spend more time together.

Becca is whining about cutting into the brownies, so it must be time to go.  I'll post more later about our planned excursion with the goats to her school next week.  It should be a lot of fun and I'm sure will generate some entertaining stories for me to share with you all.  I hope to remember to bring the camera to share some photos!

Happy New Year, everyone.  Here's to a good year for all!

Foggy Thursday Morning

This morning, I clipped leashes to all five goats.  Luna and Moonshine are tethered together, so not only do I have only one lead to hold onto, but they tend to keep each other in line.  When one doesn't want to move, the other is tugging in the right direction; when one decides they want to walk on the wild side, the other will usually hold them back.

Lily likes the deck.  She didn't hesitate to scramble up immediately this morning, before I could take care of the milking does.  This time, she stood in front of the sliding glass door, staring in at what I am sure was Breezy, likely staring back at her, quivering with excitement.

Mooney and Luna were slow enough this morning so that I could pick up their leash before they got into the muddy pen.  I much prefer to take the leads off at the gate, rather than have to wade into the muck and grab gunk covered leads off the ground!

My landlady leaves today for a four-day visit to family for the Christmas holiday.  I volunteered to help care for her critters, so our routines are going to be extended and should prove to be very interesting, possibly very entertaining.  The last time I did this, Mandi was here visiting and helped me the first night we needed to get 10 does and kids into their nighttime enclosure.  They didn't know me very well, and it took an hour of getting most of them in, having them escape and run around the pasture, chasing, slipping, sliding, laughing, and yelling.  I think we have experience and a better plan in place now, so I hope this won't be a huge ordeal.  Mina (Bette calls her MamaLlama), the female llama and the last remaining sheep are also in that area, along with the pony and mini horse.  Looking forward to seeing how this will all work out!

Winter Solstice Week

The rhythms of the ranch seem to ease the days into weeks.  Not much changes suddenly here, but then, after days of very slow movement, without expecting it, we see that things have, indeed, changed.

The uniform of light clothing for summer milking, feeding and moving animals has definitely gone by the wayside.  No more t-shirts and shorts.  We are solidly into the territory of a wet, muddy and often cold season.  The bottom of jeans tucked into the tall shaft of black rubber boots (covered in multi-colored polka-dots), a t-shirt under a long-sleeved T, and a yellow slicker with hood covering the ball cap that holds a small flashlight clipped to the brim.  We don’t wear this gear in public, that’s for sure, but it sure works well and the goats don’t mind at all.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed slight changes in the demeanor of the goats.  Normally ready and waiting at the door of the barn when I open it in the morning, these days I find most of them lying in the hay, looking at me with surprise that I actually want them to leave this cozy place.  Normally, Lily is the first out the door, leading the rest of the goats toward their pen and morning meal, nudging them along if she has to, me running to catch up.  This past Monday, I nudged and led the other goats out of the barn and walked about 20 feet before realizing that Lily wasn’t with us.  I turned around and looked at the barn, and there she stood in the doorway, staring at me as if I were nuts.  I have to hold onto Salsa and Imbri so they don’t fight over the milk stand, so this meant leading them back to the barn to grab Lily’s leash too and get her moving on.  At the milk stand, Lily walked onto the patio, paused and sniffed at the stairs leading to the deck while I loaded Salsa up and tied Imbri to a post to wait her turn.  It took a solid tug to get Lily to move, and we walked back out onto the wet gravel driveway to urge the two youngest (Moonshine and Luna) on to their breakfast.

I knew then that this spelled a change in Lily’s future behavior and in what I was going to have to do with my routine to ensure a smooth transition in the morning.  I had no idea what was to come.

Tuesday morning, I knew to take Lily’s leash in hand and tug to get her out of the barn and moving.  She again seemed interested in the steps, which I don’t want to encourage.

This morning, those subtle changes that have been building came to a head.  I am so thankful to be on vacation this week and able to deal with these things in the daylight, instead of pitch black and rain!

Lily came out of the barn with less urging, but I could tell that she was going to do more than sniff at the steps when I was securing Salsa and Imbri.  I saw Lily’s foot go onto the first step, and called out, “Don’t do it, Lily.”  As I moved toward her, she scrambled up all seven steps and onto the deck, rushing all the way to the other end, which ends in a banister that she couldn’t get through.  Grabbing her leash, I turned around to see ... Moonshine and Luna had decided to come have some fun on the deck, too.  I herded them all back down the stairs, and Mooney ran to the milk stand to try and steal some grain from Salsa.  She tried to head butt him, rattling the stand, and he turned away.  The little ones were slow, and I had to pull on Lily’s collar to get her to move.  As we neared the path to their pen, Moonshine slowed and started to turn, but Luna stepped up her pace as she went right by it.  Uh-oh.  She was headed toward the end of my driveway and into the land of 15 other goats, a pony, miniature horse, llama and sheep, and no fences to halt her progress for a very long way on over 200 acres.

I circled to Luna’s left as I caught up to her, Lily by my side, which usually causes Luna to turn around, but she started to trot, and then suddenly turned onto the path to the chicken coop.  With Mooney behind me now, curious as to what his sister was doing, I knew that I had to get at least 2 of the 3 loose goats secured, so I focused on herding him into his proper place.  Once he remembered there was food to be had, he scurried through the gate.  I urged Lily in behind him, closed the gate, and then looked at Luna, trying to figure out how best to round up the rascal.  She cautiously took a couple steps toward me.  I called her gently, and opened the gate up so she could see it.  Within moments, she trotted right to me and veered through the opening, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Tonight’s adventure?  Moonshine running back and forth at full speed, between me and Becca, trying to fly by me, rather than trotting to the barn like a good boy.

I have been enjoying the fact that most of the goats have learned their routine well enough that I don’t have to hold onto 5 leashes, especially in slick mud.  With this new development, I may well need to add at least one more goat to my leash collection.  I sure hope this doesn’t last long.

Seven Weeks Already

Well, it’s hard to believe it’s been seven weeks since the bucklings made their way to a new home on that rainy Saturday.  Surprising, too, that it’s been that long since I’ve posted to the blog.  As sometimes happens, the days become routine, and blur into weeks, and - apparently - months without the muse tapping me on the shoulder to write and share.

I still miss the babies, though I have been grateful from Day One for the fact it takes much less time to handle all the goats in the morning and at night, especially now that it is pitch-black dark at both of those chore times.  I also don’t miss the smell, though I do miss their spunky playfulness and cries of greeting when we come home or step outside.  I have yet to move their crate from the barn to create more space for the other goats in there now that it’s no longer needed.  Perhaps this weekend will be time.

Salsa’s milk production is slowly lessening as time goes by, and I wonder sometimes if she will be as good as Imbri and continue to produce milk long after her babies were weaned.  I hope she will because, though she makes sure to remind me every three weeks that she can be bred again, there are no registered bucks within easy reach to breed any of the goats to this year.  Time will tell.

One reason I decided to update the blog is that I made a mental note this morning of something that might be of interest, which is something that hasn’t happened in a while.

My days begin when the alarm clock goes off at 5:00 a.m.  I look out the window and groan at how dark it is outside.  It feels like I should still be sleeping, and I don’t want to venture out with my flashlight to begin the rounds.  Rainy days are especially difficult, facing the chill, wet and mud.

The routine in the morning is that all the goats go out of the barn except Salsa.  I lead Imbri to the milk stand, while Lily, Luna and Moonshine stop and hang out nearby until I herd them toward their pen.  Even though they know the way, they seem nervous in the dark and don’t want to go without me or without my flashlight guiding their way.  I put the three goats into their pen, milk Imbri and add her to the group, then fetch Salsa for her turn on the milk stand.

Often I find half of the herd snuggled down in hay and reluctant to get up when I step inside the barn with leashes in hand.  Lily is usually up and waiting for me, so I often clip her leash on first, and scratch her neck and shoulders while watching to see who will get up first.  Salsa starts pushing the other goats around, head butting them to continually establish her position as “herd queen,” often sending goats careening into my legs.

The youngest goats (Luna and Moonshine) are most reluctant to go outside.  During the winter time, leashes are a must or they will refuse to leave the barn, or worse, go walking right by the entrance to their pen and up the driveway.  Being that she is in heat again, Salsa was in fine form this morning, jostling the other goats, and trying to get to the door and get outside, baaah-ing loudly the whole time.  I had a hand on her collar and was tugging on the leashes for the other goats, trying to encourage them to get out into the dark mist..... 

Suddenly, Salsa jerks forward and out the door, pulling me behind her.  I knew I didn’t want her on the loose in heat, because she travels far and fast, so I hung on and dug my heels in, skidding on mud as the rest of the goats decided that it was fine to go outside after all, and ran past us.  Muttering curse words under my breath, and glad that I didn’t fall on my keister in the mud, I got Salsa back to the barn and inside, hearing her jump on the door as I turned the latch.

Moonshine had his big head in the feed dish on the milk stand, and I shooed him away while getting Imbri up and situated, telling Lily that no, she’s not allowed to head butt Imbri while she’s on the milk stand.

Thankfully, the rest of the morning routine went as planned, and hard rain held off long enough so I didn’t get soaked to the skin.  The mud on my jeans is something I’m starting to get used to again, and the head cold I’ve been struggling with all week the biggest annoyance.  I will be glad to get extra rest this weekend, and hope that I can find the space for that, amongst household things that have to be done, transcription, and preparing for the holidays.

In case I don’t post before then, here’s hoping each of YOU have a wonderful holiday season, filled with light, love, peace, joy, and renewed hope for the best and brightest future for you and your families.

The Stinky Brothers Are on the Road

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes - and participated in the transfer, as well.  Ebony and Ivory are on their way to their new home.  In the back of a Ford Explorer.  Seriously! 

It was pouring rain when the mom and sister of their new owner (she had to work this weekend) arrived after a two-hour drive to pick up the bucklings.  They oohed and aahed over how cute they are, and what beautiful bucks they are going to grow into.  We went into the house to get out of the downpour and go over the paperwork together.  Paper and green bills exchanged hands.  I really didn't expect to be able to sell these guys, and even though there was quite a wait for it and I got 25% of what I'd hoped for, I am quite pleased.  Our first goat babies are going to a fabulous home with people who are going to care for and love them and know exactly how to make them happy and productive bucks.

On this rainy Saturday, with the smell of freshly baking focaccia in the air and my clothes and hair still drying after getting drenched outside, I am remembering that fresh April evening when I got the call that Salsa had delivered her first kid on April Fool's Day.  By the time we got home, there were two little fuzzballs, wobbling around and trying to leap.

They are always playful and friendly, eager to explore and get lots of lovin'.

Then there was that fateful day when I knew that they were going into rut and we had to separate them from their mama.  Despite that ever growing smell, they never lost their cuteness or affectionate personalities.  Much as I hated them rubbing their heads all over my legs, it was part of who they are.

So today, they are on their way to their new home in Arbuckle, a good 2+ hour drive from here.  It wasn't a 4Runner that showed up to pick them up, but a Ford Explorer, even smaller.  Good thing is, from talking with them it was apparent these folks have done this before, and knew exactly what they were doing.  The back was completely encased in a tarp, so any errant spray wasn't going to get in the wrong places.  The boys were reluctant to get in, but once inside, settled in nicely.  I'm sure they were confused about what was going on - they've only been off the property in a vehicle twice.

I wish I could have gotten pictures, but in the pouring rain that just wasn't going to be possible.  I am happy for the reduced feed expense and half hour plus of time regained each day, but am going to miss the Stinky Brothers.

Bye-bye, boys.  We'll miss you.

Finding a Home for the Bucklings

I revamped and updated my craigslist posting for the bucklings.  I added the words "can be registered" and actually used the word "goat" (duh) in the title.  I promptly got two responses, and one more followed a day later.  That's the largest response for these guys.  Ever.

I'm now down to two people.  The gal I've been communicating with the most and who is first in line seems like she has a good set-up and support.  I like that she treats her goats like family, has a night time shelter for them, and has experience raising and showing goats.  However, I am beginning to wonder how much experience she really *does* have at dealing with bucks.

I advertised these are bucks ready to "work," meaning BREED and "make beautiful goat kids."  To the experienced buck owner, this means they are in "rut."

When I sent her pictures, she said her 3 and 6 year old nieces who live on the property were excited because they are so cute!  Yes, these guys are cute...

They are also SUPER SMELLY.  I responded to her with some comments about how the girls would learn quickly that they can't really play with these guys - they are too smelly - but that if she breeds them to her does, her nieces will have a blast in the spring.  I told her how I wear old clothes and gloves to handle them, how they rub their smelly heads on my legs, and if I'm not careful, how they might spray urine on me.  Seriously!

So we are talking about her making arrangements to pick up the brothers this weekend.  I ask her how she's going to transport them, and she says her parents will bring them home in a 4Runner, which is what they use to transport all their animals.

A 4Runner.

This is a 4Runner.

It's an SUV.  It's a very expensive SUV.  There is no separation between the two front seats and the back.

She said they would put the seats down and put a tarp over them and some hay for the boys so they'll be comfy.

She lives 2 hours 18 minutes from Healdsburg, according to MapQuest.  That means closer to 3 hours driving time.  One way.

When we brought Bug home last year, he was in the back of a full sized pickup truck with a camper shell over it.  Becca and I spent most of that 1 1/2 to 2 hour ride with our heads practically hanging out of the windows because of the smell.  I cannot imagine the two bucklings inside the same vehicle with me.  They will rub all over you.  They will spray urine all over the place like two 3 year olds with super soakers.

I've written back to her about my concerns, and will see what she comes back with.  I'm beginning to wonder at her level of expertise with bucks ...  I hope they find a pick-up truck, or decide this isn't the right move for them.  Then I can move on to the next potential owner.

I'll keep you posted!

Short Work Week

Just another week in paradise.  How lucky are we to be able to live in Sonoma County's wine country?  This is the time of year when the grapevines begin to turn, spectacular colors beginning to appear, as they prepare to lose their leaves and add to the Fall glamour of bare vines and trees waiting for the warmth of Spring.  The air as we drive down Westside Road is fragrant with the smells of harvest and crush.  Grapes freshly harvested have a spicy smell that makes me want to start baking, and I don't mind as much being behind a large truck filled with the fruit, or a slow tractor making its way to the next vineyard.  The crushed grapes tantalize with a hint of the wines to come, and I wish that I had the time to stop at one of the many wineries just to taste and bring a bottle home.

Sunday afternoon we got aaaaall dressed up for a wedding, our first since CorSica (Cory and Jessica) were married in May.  Guess what?  I can wear my mother-of-the-bride dress again!  It's too beautiful to keep in a closet forever, and I was so happy to be able to put it on again.  This time I wore some sassy shoes, though after about 5 hours, Becca grabbed my boots from the car and I got my feet into something more comfortable for dancing.  Becca was going to wear her bridesmaid dress from CorSica's wedding, but decided to change into a cute little blue print dress that she looked really sweet in.  This was the wedding of the mother of one of Becca's best friends.  Diane has been through a lot the last several years, heartbreak that was just too public (in the newspaper) and helping her kids to pick up the pieces while she did the same for herself.  She and Reuben met in a divorce group and started out as friends.  Their friendship grew into a beautiful loving relationship, and they celebrated their wedding and new blended family on 10-10-10.

The wedding was hosted by a family from their church, who provides a beautiful setting on Mark West Springs Road AND catering and decorations to boot, as part of their ministry.  Diane and Reuben didn't have the means for a fancy wedding, and Diane's expectations of something very simple were blown away by the gift of this fabulous setting for their wedding.  The oak trees were filled with paper lanterns and accented by tiny white lights that sprang to life after the sun went down.  It was a perfect day, still warm even as guests started dancing to fun music.  I hope for a lifetime of happiness together for these generous, loving people.

Monday was a day off of work for me, but not for Becca.  Columbus Day is a "charged holiday" in this household, you could say.  The partners at the law firm I work at select the court holidays that we'll get off at the first of each year, and they normally would have chosen Cesar Chavez Day, but the mid-week holidays are more difficult, and definitely not as fun, so we had off the day commemorating the person who supposedly "discovered" North America, and who decimated and enslaved native populations wherever he traveled.  At our house, this is Indigenous Peoples Day.  Take that, Columbus.  This has happened before, where I have a day off work, but Becca still needs to go to school.  A few years ago, the first time this happened, I made the assumption that Becca was off school, too.  Imagine my surprise when I got the phone call from the school that she was absent!  Whoops!  I am always careful to check now.

What to do with myself?  I had a whole day to myself.  I made it productive and fun, too.  After bringing Becca to school, I took a trip to the feed store (of course) and headed home.  Lots of laundry to catch up on, and some major reorganization needed in the living room, meant that I could do both AND catch up on some of the television programs I'd recorded on the DVR.  I started some focaccia in the bread machine, and got busy.  I needed to leave about 12:30 to meet Dr. S and pick up a tape to transcribe, otherwise, I was on a roll at home.  For lunch, I decided to use all these wonderful things I had from home.  I grabbed the chevre I'd made the previous weekend, and some of the pesto I've been making and freezing from farmer's market basil.  I mixed them together, and spread it on the freshly baked focaccia.  Good food like this is even more special when everything has been made by you from the freshest ingredients possible.  A lovely interlude!  (I used the bread, cheese and pesto as lunch for most of the rest of the work week, adding fresh tomato slices from our garden!)

I picked up Becca early and we headed back home.  She is getting really good about using her time after school to work on homework, so that it is much less stressful for her in the evening at home.  She had all of her homework assignments completed - yay!  We pulled up to the gate on Westside and Becca got out to open the gate so I could drive the car through.  She hopped back in, and we started the car, looking up the driveway to see a deer grazing by the road, just past the orchard.  We don't get to see deer very often lately, so it's always a treat.  Then it raised its head, and Becca and I both said, "Buck!"  He was a beautiful young boy, probably four points, and he started to move up the driveway as I slowly approached in the car.  We followed him for quite some time, as Becca and I laughed joyfully at how his jumps and hops reminded us of Mooney, our wether goat, who boings just like this deer was.  When the buck found a break on the side of the driveway, he leapt down the hill and was quickly out of sight behind the trees.  We never know what we will find on our .8 mile drive from Westside to the house, and love seeing the wildlife.  We were too transfixed, and he was moving too quickly, to get a picture.

Tuesday evening, I handed Becca the filled grain scoops and she headed off toward the milk stand while I gathered the alfalfa for evening feeding.  I heard her call to me, cautiously.  I popped my head out and asked what was up, and she said, "Snake," very quietly.  "Where??"  "In the grass there," pointing.  As she was walking by an area behind the house that I let get a little overgrown, she said she heard it slither, and saw the tail end of a brown snake go into the grass.  She didn't see or hear a rattle, but we never know, so we took it easy and avoided that area for the night.

The next morning, I heard water running and realized that I'd forgotten to turn off the sprinklers for my potted garden.  I turned off the faucet and went back to investigate where the sound was coming from, because it shouldn't have sounded like a water fountain.  Something had dug into the arugula, lettuce and two of the four blueberry bush pots the night before.  The lettuce was almost completely destroyed, because the soil in that pot had turned to sludge, and they'd been buried and floating in water, which had filled the pot because the sprinkler had been pulled up and unhooked.  I quickly transplanted what could be salvaged into another pot, and fixed some of the mussed dirt in the other pots.  It wasn't the cat, because he likes to use leaves and there was no evidence that he'd left anything in there.  It's a puzzle that I'm still trying to figure out, because whatever it was dug into the arugula again last night.  No evidence of raccoons, because nothing is eating Star's cat food.

We headed off to school, and as we were driving along Westside, I saw a coyote dash down the hillside to the side of the road.  She grabbed a newspaper, of all things, and ran back up the hill a short ways, standing there with the newspaper in her mouth as we drove by.  We wondered if she was making a nest for the winter, or what it might be for.  We often despair at the garbage and items left dumped by the roadside, but if the animals can make some use out of some of it, good for them.  Despite signs along some of the roadways warning of the illegality of dumping and camera surveillance, we see cartons of beer cans, mattresses, old appliances, even car seats - and I don't mean the kind you strap children into - full-on car seats from a vehicle.  We stop and pick up the items that we can when they are in a safe place for us to get them, but sometimes we have to complain to each other for months about something left that we can't get to.

The rescue of the miners in Chile started on Wednesday.  I had heard about the collapse when it happened,  the discovery of the surviving men and the start of the long process to retrieve them.  When I heard about the size of the capsule that was going to bring them 2000 feet up to the surface, I started to feel claustrophobic just thinking about it.  I recognize that I'm not suited to be a miner underground that far in the first place, so I'm sure that they were more okay with it than I would be - and the impetus to get out of there had to have been great after 69 days.  I was really surprised, however, when I got to work and asked someone if they'd heard about the rescue starting, and she ... didn't know what I was talking about.  She hadn't heard about the accident, about the discovery of them alive, about the preparations to get them out, or even the rescue that started that morning and was on all of the radio stations and the front of the local newspaper in our lobby.  I know I have a lot going on in my life, and I do get hyper-focused sometimes on my day-to-day living, but how can one be so out of touch with what is happening in the world to miss this story - completely?

Thursday morning, drive to school.  Only two more work days left until the weekend!  We listen to country radio on Froggy 92.9 in the morning.  A song came on the radio that we didn't recognize, and that always causes Becca and I turn up the volume and listen to it.  Wow, was this a good song.  Brett Eldredge, an artist I hadn't heard of before, singing "Raymond."  It is such as sweet song, about a man who works in a nursing home and one of the residents who has taken to him.  He brings her coffee every morning, and listens to her talk.  She calls him Raymond, and thinks that he is her son.  Such a tender song, sad to think of all the lost souls alone and without family, but such hope recognizing those who give of themselves to love and care for them.  Don't miss it if you can listen to it or watch the video here.

And then, that same afternoon, I learned that one of the sweetest, smartest, strongest ladies I've had the pleasure to know in my life, passed away at 92 1/2 after suffering the attack on her body by cancer.  I knew Ruth from R Ranch at the Lake.  She loved the place and had been a member there even before R Ranch was started, when it was a Napa Valley Horseman's Club.  Her daughter, Nancy, has had the struggle of helplessly watching her mother suffer in pain and trying so hard to make her at ease, knowing she was going to lose her.  My heart goes out to all of them.  I'll miss Ruth, but will always carry her and her example of quiet and loving and happy strength in my heart, to remember and learn from.

And this is what the beautiful sky looked like on the day that we lost Ruth.  A fitting tribute to her ...

The bucklings were trying to bust out of their crate last night, so this weekend I'll look for their mother's paperwork, see if I can get the boys registered, and see if that will help me find new homes for them.  I was able to get up early enough this morning to start a batch of yogurt and some honey wheat bread. Soon Becca will be up, and we'll get ready to head to Santa Rosa and meet up with Jessica, Amanda, and Amanda's future mother-in-law Marie, for an afternoon at the wedding expo.  This will be the first I've ever been to, so it should be interesting.  I know that it will definitely be fun to spend time with all my girls and Marie.  I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend, too!

New Beginnings

There has been a huge gap in my blog postings, which I really didn't expect to happen.  I suppose it's a combination of things.  One is that the speed of life has been so dizzying, there hasn't been a lot of time for contemplation before a keyboard.  The wee hours of weekend mornings that I love to use to write have often been consumed by oversleeping because I'm transcribing too late at night, transcription because I'm trying to keep up with a big onslaught of work at home, or a pre-teen who surprises me by getting up early.

There's also this thing that has happened over the last couple of blog postings.  I like what I've written, and an audience began to develop.  I saw people checking the blog regularly to see if something new was posted.  That made me feel great.  I also allowed it to make me feel as if I had to do something more than just be me.  I set expectations for blog posts higher than I'd had when I started this mission.  I started believing that I needed to have a "wow factor" in order to post something.  It had to be entertaining, funny, insightful, educational, or ... something more than my everyday life.  What happens when I set goals too high is that I start feeling that I can't reach them, and just sit and stare at them for a while.  Uh-oh, I got stuck.

The way to get unstuck is to just start moving again.  Or as Dorey in "Finding Nemo" says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming," paraphrased of course - this is from memory.

Moments over the last month?  Here they are, and I hope you enjoy.  I know I have, for the most part.

Cooking!  Baking!  I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  Part of it is that I'm trying to do weekday prep on the weekends, so we have food that's easy to prepare and healthy to eat during the week.  Another goal is to use as much milk as I possibly can, so it doesn't go to waste.  I've been making a crockpot yogurt every weekend with mixed results.  I love the flavor, and Becca uses it with fruit to make a smoothie to down before we head out to school - often drinking it in the car.  The downside is that I've had a hard time with the texture.  It's been like a slightly thickened milk.  That's fine for smoothies, but not much else, and I don't like drinking my yogurt all the time.  I used a different starter yogurt culture last time that worked better, and picked up a tip that using a little tapioca flour might help.  I'll try that and let you know how it works.

Cajeta is a fixture every weekend, and more and more people are trying and loving it.  I've been told it will be okay to sell some at the school Christmas craft fair, so that is on deck.  I've been trying to figure out how to provide samples.  I started off thinking of buying tiny spoons, but don't like the idea of so much waste.  Next, small cookies?  Maybe.  After the apple/pear/cheese tasting last weekend, I decided that apple slices are the *perfect* way to showcase the deliciousness of cajeta, in addition to providing an idea for its use in a real fashion.

I discovered a fabulous honey wheat bread recipe that I modified and have been making every weekend.  When Becca doesn't want yogurt, we toast slices of this bread and smear homemade apple butter on it for an easy start to the day.  Yum!  I'll post the recipe below.

In addition to the apple butter, which is fabulous and also made in the crockpot, I've been making focaccia.  Dropping ingredients into the bread machine and using the dough setting makes prep easy.  After that, shaping the dough on a cookie sheet and brushing with olive oil before baking is all that is needed to finish it.  I discovered a lovely Meyer Lemon Olive Oil at the farmers market a couple weeks ago, and it is *perfect* brushed on top of the focaccia.

I make both the bread and focaccia using whey instead of water, which imparts more nutrients and lovely flavor and texture to the breads.  It also allows me to use the whey so it doesn't go to waste after making cheese.  I am still trying to perfect cheesemaking, and currently have a Camembert attempt started in the fridge.

Those goats are still keeping us on our toes!  They have been well behaved the last few weeks, but a couple days ago we made a mistake and ended up on a trek in the dark looking for an errant goat.  Typically, we put leashes on the big girls (Lily and Salsa) and Imbri, letting the youngest Nigerian goats trot off to the barn themselves, as they are most likely to do.  Imbri has a habit of going to the barn instead of waiting at the milk stand, but Salsa is good about hopping right up for her food.  Lily likes to wander about and nibble on interesting plants, so she needs firm guidance to get to the barn.

It was Friday night, and dark when we got home after dinner at my parents' in Novato.  Salsa was loudly telling everyone that morning that she was in heat, and she greeted us with a yell (and another and another) when we drove up.  When we put leashes on the goats and let them out, Becca and I both forgot that when Salsa is in heat, she doesn't behave properly.  As soon as she was out of the pen, she walked the opposite direction, and we both realized that we were going to have to chase her down.  We decided to get all the rest of the goats into the barn first, so we didn't have to run around after FIVE instead of just one.

We walked in the dark, with only the light from the flashlight gizmo mounted on my cap (I LOVE THIS HANDS-FREE FLASHLIGHT), stars flickering in the sky, but no moon.  The motion-detected light at the front of the house was on, so we could see Salsa standing near the gate to her pen, in addition to hearing her bleat loudly.  She started to walk away from us, so Becca headed down behind her, while I walked the upper driveway in an attempt to head her off at the pass.  Too slow.  I was 2/3 of the way there, when Salsa popped out of the path between the bushes and started walking away from me.  I called her gently, and she started to trot with intention.  She was on a mission to find bucks.

Becca joined me, and we held hands as we got to the end of our driveway and turned left, up the hill toward my landlady's house and animals.  It was so dark that we couldn't see anything but the circle of light from my flashlight on the driveway in front of us.  This made me a little nervous, and I suggested that we go get the car, but Becca was fine.  I angled the light up a little, we saw a faint glint of white up the drivway, and kept on walking.  Salsa had quit yelling, so it was hard to tell exactly where she was, but as we neared the gate to my landlady's goats, we saw her white coat glowing on the right side of the driveway.  She had her nose pressed against the fence, and one of my landlady's bucks was on the other side of the fence, nuzzling her nose and making blubbering noises.  She didn't want to leave him, so Salsa didn't try to run away when Becca grabbed her leash.

We turned and headed back down the dark driveway, and she was fine until the buck quit following along on the other side of the fence.  Then she started to pull back and yell again.  I had to grab Becca's arm a couple of times on our way to the milk stand, so that she didn't get pulled over by Salsa trying to go the other direction.  She is a LaMancha/Saanan full sized goat, and outweighs Becca.

The rest of the evening was uneventful, but it was a lesson that we didn't forget the next night we got the goats out of the pen.  Salsa is in heat for 2-3 days, and should be over it by tonight, but we'll still hold onto that leash at least for another couple nights to be sure she doesn't run off.

We had a good day yesterday, meeting Amanda, Jessica, and Marie for Amanda's first foray into wedding dress shopping.  What an endeavor!  The selections are so overwheming, and so beautiful.  We had a ball looking around and helping Amanda select dresses to try on, and then watching her model each of the selections for us.  The first one she tried on blew us all away.  It was absolutely perfect on her, and there was nothing else after it that gave us the same impact.  She tried it on one more time at the end, and we all concluded that this is probably *the* dress.  There are two wedding shows next weekend, however, and Mandi wants to see if she can win a gown before committing, so she will wait.  I think this is the winner, though.  If you are looking for a wedding gown, check out Wine Country Bride in Santa Rosa.  They have a fabulous selection of reasonably priced gowns, and the service is SUPERB.

One of our favorite restaurants, Las Guitarras in Cotati, is closing.  We are so bummed about it.  It is hard for me to make it there since we've moved, but that has always been one of my favorite restaurants.  We made it a point to meet up with my parents for lunch there after wedding dress shopping, and had good food, times, in good company.

We will be getting ready to attend the wedding today, 10-10-10, of the mother of one of Becca's best friends.  It's the perfect day for it!

You might wonder about the title - New Beginnings?  Where?  Well, it's me starting to blog regularly, even if I'm worried about what my "audience" might think.  It's wedding dress shopping for Amanda's new and renewed commitment with Anthony next year.  It's a farewell to a good restaurant, after losing a good man that managed it, and a new beginning for that building, while Las Guitarras Novato continues on strong.  Finally, a new beginning for Diane and Reuben - may they have a lifetime of happy years together.

Honey Wheat Bread - Bread Machine Recipe

This recipe is modified from the Mabon Marigold Honey Wheat Bread posted by girlichecf on blogspot.com. You can find her original recipe posted here.  The link also contains the recipe for the AWESOME Apple Butter I've been making with local, in season Gravensteins.

1 cup warm water (or warm whey)
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients into the bread machine in the order listed, making a dent in the side of the flour to place the yeast in.  Select the wheat setting, choose the crust color and loaf size, and start.  My bread machine bakes this in about 3 1/2 hours.  No fuss, wonderful aroma in the house, great treat!

Goats Running Amuck

As usual, last night I began the evening chore routine by chopping carrots and a banana for Salsa, a treat that she enjoys (none of the other goats will eat them).  After I was done, I started out the door to begin setting up food and fresh water and bedding in the barn, and Becca went out the back door, saying, “Mom, I’m going outside.”  Okay.

After putting the fresh cut fruit and veggies and milk bucket, etc. at the milk stand, I headed to the grain shed, and was surprised to see Becca on her way to the barn with grain and hay.  Cool.  She was getting a head start!  When I started to the barn to help, she shooed me away.  “No, Mom, I can do it.”  Um, okay.  She won’t let me help with the barn, so I’ll do the chickens - okay with her?  Yes.

By the time I was done feeding and putting fresh water in for the chickens, tucking them into the coop, it was time to get the bucklings from their pen.  Becca was on her way to the gate, putting my gloves on.  Let me back up a little to note that we now don gloves when handling the bucklings.  Their “lovely” aroma is hard to get rid of, so we take as many precautions as possible to avoid smelling like buck.  As I approached the pen, she asked me to go away, because she wanted to do it herself.  “Are you sure?”  She’d never done this part by herself before, and it can be tricky.  Yes, she was sure.  Go away, basically.

I went to the faucet to turn off the water for the night, keeping a close eye on what she was doing.  Smooth as silk, she had the leashes on them, and started walking them down the driveway toward the barn, both acting like proper little gentlemen.  Smelly gentlemen, but with manners, nonetheless.  Even Ebony was behaving himself, not trying to jump on the back of his brother and attempt unspeakable acts.

She said that I could do the milking, so I waited on the deck for her to get the rest of the goats out and set Salsa up on the milk stand.  She put the hobble on, cleaned her for me, and then walked up to me with a smile and the sanitizer spray bottle in her hands.  She said, “Hold out your hands.”  I did, and she sprayed my hands and said I could get up.  I was laughing so hard.

I figured that episode was an interesting one-time modification in our routine; however, Becca wanted to repeat it tonight.  She insisted on handling the bucklings again herself.  This time, she walked them to about 50 feet from the barn, and decided to remove their leashes so they would - presumably - run into the barn on their own.  It didn’t work out that way.  The leashes came off, and they wandered off to the side to nibble on weeds.  When I approached she said, “No, Mom, let me handle it,” and swung the leashes around, which usually puts enough pressure on goats for them to move away - toward the barn.  But these are young bucklings, and they went the OTHER direction - at a mad run.  There was no way I could catch either one as they rushed by me, and I turned around and started running after them, cowboy boots pounding on the gravel.  I shouted, “Keep them away from the does!” as I saw them head that direction.

Fortunately, they ran around the back of the house instead, and I heard them clip clopping their way across the deck.  As Becca rounded the far side of the house, they ran back toward me, doing their little deer/bunny hops and kicking up their heels.  I was able to grab collars, and Becca put the leashes back on.  She was somewhat upset that I’d caught them, when she wanted to do it herself, so I let her handle getting them back to the barn on her own, staying far away.

Becca wanted to get the rest of the goats out, so I set up the milk stand and waited for Salsa to come.  And waited.  I took a look at the goat pen, and Becca had let all the goats out but Imbri, but they weren’t coming my direction, just wandering about.  When Becca started to shoo them my direction, they did what the bucklings had done, and it was a mad dash around the house - this time four goats instead of two.  I got Salsa to come to me, and loaded her onto the milk stand, while Becca chased goats up and down the driveway and around the house.  She caught Lily, and was walking her down the driveway.  Lily started choking herself by pulling against her collar, and I saw Becca stop and lean over her, stroking Lily's sides gently to calm her down.  They walked calmly out of sight, and I turned my attention to Salsa again, while thinking that Becca is a “good goat mama.”  Then I heard galloping hooves, and looked up to see Lily dashing by like she was running for the roses.  I bent my head down and laughed quietly, but really hard.  As Becca walked by, she said “Stop laughing!”  I looked at her over Salsa's back, and she had the biggest grin on her face, which made both of us laugh even harder.

Becca got a good workout, chasing those three remaining goats around until they finally went into the barn, and I was very entertained, watching them running headlong up and down the driveway with her in hot pursuit.  After all the goats had disappeared with her around the corner, there was quiet, the barn door closing, and then a scream.  It didn’t sound like she was scared, but I wasn’t sure, so I yelled, “Are you okay?” while getting ready to get up and help if needed.  She rounded the corner and said, “Yeah, that was just a yell of VICTORY!  You should try it sometime, Mom.  It’s very freeing.”

A friend has often told me that we should have a web cam here, to catch some of our crazy adventures.  As I tucked the last goat in for the evening, I thought, “This was a night for the web cam.”  Maybe some day.  Or maybe some of these things are best left to the imagination.