.........Oh My

Happy Tuesday!

 

On Sunday morning Chrys and I went out to milk and as seems to be the “normal” at this time of year, the girls were being much less than cooperative.  Chrys had gone out first to bring them into the holding area and when he hadn’t come back in what seemed like forever, I decided that I had better go help.  After chasing about 10 of the girls up and down the fence line (by the boys) forty two times we finally got them into the barn.  Some of the better behaved girls were already in the holding area, as they should be, but glancing up I immediately noticed that something was NOT right!  I could see that “someone”…….and I won’t mention any names, but Chrys did NOT shut the door to the milk parlor tight enough and guess what?!  There were about 30 goats in the milk parlor and they were having a party!!!!!  I ran in there and it was literally wall to wall goats!!!!  There were goats on the milk stand.  There were goats underneath the milk stand.  There were goats all around the milk stand.  There were goats EVERYWHERE!!!!  Chrys came in right behind me and  we managed to get all of them out except the 8 girls that we would milk first.  Once the dust settled, the only logical thing left to do was laugh.  Sometimes that’s all that you can do and these girls certainly do keep us entertained (and busy). 

 



mmmm..........

Using our new Pumpkin Goat Cheese, I took mini filo shells and filled them with Canyon Ridge Farms Pumpkin Goat Cheese and then topped them with whipped topping.  Very simple.  Very pretty.  VERY GOOD!!!

 



Mom used our new Pumpkin Goat Cheese and made this DELICIOUS no bake cheesecake! 

Out Of This World!!!!

 





Goat Dating Service

Well, the Canyon Ridge Farm “Goat Dating Service” is officially in full swing!  Two of the boys, Bob and Ed, have been given their own individual bachelor pads, mainly because it is easier for us to move the girls around than it is the boys (and a person doesn’t get quite as fragrant doing it this way).  Woody and Alvin…….well, we still have to move them around each time we need to, but both of them are very easy to handle.  You know what this means don’t you???  We will be having LOTS of babies in March and April.  That seems like a really long time to wait for babies, BUT what we haven’t told you yet is that our younger group of girls have been in with the boys for some time now and if everything goes as planned then we should start having babies in December.  J  We always love baby time, but I notice our daughters begin to hyperventilate each time we talk about kidding (baby) season since they have pretty much taken over the baby raising.  J

 

A couple of weeks ago, one of our babies from last spring, Carly, became kind of sickly acting.  Our daughters told her that since she was such a pain to get to take a bottle when she was a baby that there was no way that they were going to let her die.  They started her on antibiotics AND put her back on a bottle twice a day to make sure that she was getting plenty of nourishment.  Well, Carly had absolutely no problem taking a bottle again and she seems to be doing pretty good at this point……..except that she EXPECTS a bottle every time that she sees someone now.  LOL

THE BOYS

 

 

I always talk about the girls.  Today it's the boys turn to be in the spot light.  :)

 

The boys (bucks) are a very important part of the herd and our boys are normally sweet, beautiful and loving.  Normally.  As you well know, it is that time of year when the girls are wanting to go visit the boys.  Well, the boys want to visit with the girls too!  So much so that they spend quite a bit of time "fixing" themselves up for their encounters and can think of nothing else.  In fact, we spend the majority of the year making sure that the boys are eating well and are in top physical shape because at this time of year they don't eat as well and what they do eat, they normally run off while chasing the girls around.  They also sometimes have a tendency to lose their manners at this time of year.  Thankfully, the manners always return after the breeding season.  :)

 

 

Bob is a beautiful pristine white Saanen boy.  He has a soft coat of hair, a lovely long goatee and a funny almost humiliating toupee thing going on on top.  :)  Notice, in this picture, that Bob's goatee and toupee are NOT the beautiful pristine white.  Neither are his front legs and chest.  This is all part of the breeding season "fix yer self up" thing that happens for the girls.

 

 

Below is a picture of Woody.  Woody is a Nubian buck and is now almost 4 years old and he is ALWAYS the perfect gentleman.......even during this time of year.  He is so sweet and kind and is always perfectly behaved.  I know that under those dark colors that Woody and the other boys look just like Bob does.  How do I know this?  Because they all smell the same!

 

Ed is the next boy in line.  Ed is a LaMancha buck who is long and tall.  He has turned into a very pretty boy, but he is still lacking in the manners department during breeding season.

 

Next is Alvin.  Alvin is a  Nubian LaMancha cross and will be 2 years old in December.  He is one HUGE guy!  He just recently (within the last 2 or 3 weeks) has figured out that he doesn't have to bow down to the older boys.  I was wondering how long it would take him.  He is taller and he is definitely more "hoss" than they are.  Alvin is very friendly and sweet.  So much so that it is somewhat annoying when you try to walk through the field and he as to "touch" you at all times.

Last up is Si.  Si is a Nubian and he is the baby of the group.  Being only 7 months old, he is not getting in on much of the "dating scene" this year.  In July we finally had to make our daughter stop giving him a bottle, although I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she still sneaks one to him every once in a while since he only throws a fit when he sees her.  :)  Si is very sweet natured and we are excited to have him join the farm.



Airi

Happy Tuesday!

I was just thinking about how well the first fresheners (first time milkers) are doing at milking time now.  Occasionally one of them has a relapse, but it so much better than it was there for a while.  Anyway, this got me to thinking about Airi.  Have I ever told you about Airi? 

Airi is an absolutely drop dead gorgeous LaMancha girl that came to us from Colorado about 2 ½ years ago.  If we are out in the field or in the barn, Airi is so sweet and loving.  She wants constant petting and will rub and love on you until you are just about rubbed and loved out.  After she had her first baby here we were so excited to finally get to milk her because she is so beautiful and there was lots of milk there.  That feeling continued………..until we actually did milk her.  She went into the milk barn fine.  She went up on the milk stand great.  We started milking her and OH MY GOODNESS!  The rodeo was on!!  She would kick and jump and literally stand up on her front feet only with her back feet almost touching the ceiling.  Honestly, it would take at least two of us to milk her.  One to milk and dodge the stray foot aimed right at your head and the other to “try” to hold her legs so that she couldn’t hit the afore mentioned head.  Now, we are either hopeful, stubborn or just plain dumb because we endured this twice a day for two full milking seasons (a milking season is generally 300 days).  Well, Miss Airi kidded this year and it was finally time to bring her to the milk stand.  With a sense of dread, we brought her into the milk barn.  As we bring her up onto the milk stand the dread heightens.  We finally get to the milking part and Queen Airi is a calm, well behaved little angel.  Each day when it is Airi’s turn to milk, there is still some anxiety, but thus far she has been a very well behaved little lady.  I guess endurance does pay off. 

New Baby Chicks!

The new baby chicks have arrived!

These are Red Sex Link Chickens.  

They are a cross bred chicken that the sex of the baby can be determined by its color when it hatches.

I'm not sure that you can see them very well in the pictures, but there are also 3 Ameraucana  chicks.  They are grey and they will lay the "Easter" eggs (colored eggs).

We expect these little girls to start laying in September sometime.  :)

The Burying Tree

On our farm stands an Oak tree.  This Oak tree is not the tallest tree on the place, but it is by far the tree with the most expansive reach.  This tree is a real beauty to look at.  In fact, our house is situated so that when you look out of the big kitchen window you can view this tree.  I have no idea how old this tree is.  Daddy said that it was already a big big tree when he bought this land some 45 plus years ago.  As children, my siblings and I climbed its sturdy branches and played beneath the refreshing shade which it provided.  For its beauty and memories alone it is a special tree, but what makes this Oak tree so very very special is that it is the burying tree.  So many pets from my childhood are buried beneath it.  There are dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits and squirrels just to name a few.  This week, sadly, we laid two more beloved pets to rest beneath the protective arms of the Oak tree.  Motzy, our daughters little Shih Tzu dog, passed away on Thursday.  She was such a sweet little dog with lots of love to give.  On Sunday, our cat, Dharma, passed away.  It is always difficult to lose a pet, but it is also consoling to be able to lay them to rest in a safe and comfortable place…..to lay them to rest beneath the arms of the Oak tree.