Meet Bridget, Little Seed's First Goat!

What a week! I guess it actually hasn't even been a whole week, but the whirlwind of it all has made the past few days feel like only a split second and a month at the same time. We've been on a mission since last Thursday and I'm just now getting a chance to come up for air and bang out a blog post. And ooooh ho ho, what a mission!

It all started last Thursday around noon when I went to go take a look at a goat. The plan for this season is to find 2 does in milk for a steady cheesemaking/experimentation/yummy personal use supply and several kids to build a herd with. Ideally, I'd like to have one Nubian and one Alpine doe to have the opportunity to compare milk qualities. Nubians produce an amazing quality of milk known for its higher percentage of butterfat. Alpines, while also giving a wonderful quality of milk, are known for being heavy producers. I'd like to have the chance to try the same recipe with one milk, then the other, and then a mix of the two and learn what what will work best for the cheeses we want to make.

 

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Spring Storm

We had our first real thunder storm here on the farm yesterday. At around 5pm thunder started rumbling in the distance and a big low black cloud emerged on the skyline. It moved closer and closer until it was right above us, seemingly touching the tops of the trees.Thunder sounded more like a light saber swing and crash than the usual bowling - a spine tingling loud reverberating buzz that sounded like it could split mountains. Wind whipped and for a few minutes it "snowed" petals from the trees. Lightning darted in long, sometimes intertwining veins, looking like cracks across the sky and rain came at us sideways, seemingly from all directions. We were curious to see if Sophie would hide out in the barn or her shelter, but she was out and about, unconcerned with the flashing and booming, patrolling and chasing away the LGD from a neighboring farm that came over once it really got ugly to look for a cozy place to hunker down for the storm.And then and hour later, with the same suddeness it arrived, it stopped. When we peeked our heads outside to check on the coop, there was a beautiful double rainbow (the 2nd one is on the left - very faint in the photo). And moments later, on the other side of the farm, an amazing sunset. Man, I love this place.

Settling In

I can’t believe it’s already been a week. It feels like two days! Or, I should say, it feels that way when you step into our house. We’re not entirely living in a box maze, but about half of the house is still covered and stacked. With two special helpers here (thank you Pat and Catie Bug!) the first week, we decided it would be smartest to focus on outdoor muscle tasks like building Sophie’s run and a coop for her chickens. As a result, when our friends pulled away down the driveway Friday afternoon, Scrapple and I were still living in what closely resembled a storage facility. The kitchen, for necessity’s sake, was the only room that was fully functional and could be inhabited comfortably, albeit lined in layers of empty packing boxes. Although I’m sure we could have plugged on, camping in our house, for another week or two, with no other distractions on a Saturday night for once in weeks, beers with dinner turned into an all out house decorating party for 2. It’s amazing what a little clear floor space and wall art can do to make a space feel like your own! It may only be one room, but sitting here with Scrapple, all cozy in our living room with memories on the wall and stacks of our books on the shelves, typing away, I feel like we’ve settled in.
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