Chaos

I don't even know where to begin, it feels like so much has happened! As per my last post the goats have arrived and are settling in to their new home. The peas are growing very nicely. The babies are now laying about a dozen eggs a day... holy crap! The bees are working tirelessly on honey production. I had my very first craft show. We've had many visitors to our little garden the past 2 weeks, and I'm lovin it! Nothings perfect or 100% clean but God we're having so much fun. That's the overview, now let's get down to the nitty gritty.

The veggies are doing nicely in the greenhouse, my petunias aren't as healthy as I would like, the peas are about 4 inches high, the little swiss chard that grew is about an inch high and doing so-so. Tony the gardening guru has already planted beans and zucchini out, he wins again. Hopefully this week end I'll get a little lettuce outside and I'll start the beans and zukes in the greenhouse.

The babies are no longer babies they are CHICKENS. A very pretty flock, I am adding pic's today. They have almost gotten the hang of laying in the nest boxes, I have my dummy eggs in there show them but there is one chicken who loves to lay under the ramp. There is always one in every family, human or otherwise.

Goats, who knew? I'm quickly becoming the talk of Madison. I started out as the chicken lady, then the bee lady, now the crazy goat lady who makes soap. My mother always said I'd have a reputation, I just don't think this is what she meant. Milking is alot harder then it looks. I almost have sympathy for all those teen age boys in the backseat of cars, well you know what I mean. My first attempt at milking was bright and early on a Sunday. The sun was breaking through, the air was crisp, I had my bright, shiny new milking bucket and pure determination. I entered Kota's pen and tied her gently to the post and gave her yummy sweet feed, sat down, took hold and was promptly knock over and Kota was gone. Grace immediately started yelling, thinking I had been trampled to death in the little pen that I was attempting to do something so foreign in. After 3 more failed attempts I called Patty, the real goat lady crying at 6:45 on a Sunday morning. The goat hates me and I'm never doing that again! I stormed inside and got the bottles for the babies, Oreo and Brownie, to hell with Kota I thought, I hope she explodes. Well, the babies are charming. They jump right in your lap and drink a bottle in about 3 minutes. Just adorable. My confidence back on track and a long and soothing conversation with Patty I decide to make another attempt. This time I take her outside of the little house and tie her to a tree, better, ,more room to run like hell if she flips on me again. She looks like she really might explode. It was a feeble milking, but it was a milking. Next time I brought the big guns, my husband, which has become the routine here. We head out together at 6:30, morning and night and talking quietly and milk our Kota. It has become a wonderful part of our day, still not perfect milkings but definitely better. I'm getting around 9 to 10 1/2 pounds of milk a day, which is about a gallon and a 1/2. That's alot of milk. The babies are growing so quickly, they are bottle feed 3 times a day 7:00, 2:00, and 7:00. Not to be missed if you'd like to stop by. Kids are acrobats, who knew, they jump and well, frolic, (never thought I'd use that word) all day. The newest trick is when someone sits on the log in their pen and leans forward the 2 of them jump on your back and use you as a launching pad. Hopefully they will out grow this. Too much fun.

The bees are busy and a bit neglected, the goats have been overwhelming. I will be back on track this week.

My first craft show was yesterday, it went very well. I sold out of Grandpa's Lilac and French Lavender. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I was more than a little nervous. I had taken a break from making soap thinking that if I didn't do well at this show I would rethink the business. The deal I made with myself was if I sold 1/2 my stock at the show I would continue on. I brought 108 bars of soap and sold 58 bars. Looks like I'm in business. Time to make the soap. I will be at the Madison Green Fair this coming Thursday downtown 3:30 till 7:30. After that, Maplewoodstock is the other definite in July. I'm appling to Chatham's festival in June. Very exciting.


My boys have informed me that no one else in Madison has to do the weird chores they do. Nobody has to feed baby goats or close up chickens. I told them they are absolutely right, aren't they lucky! Joseph informed me he was leaving for college as soon as possible. I told him he better work on his grades. The rest grudgingly do the required work except for sweet Grace, she is up each morning early to bottle feed her babies. They come when she calls and follow her down their side of the pen when she leaves. There is a waiting list for play dates, if your interested talk to Grace. Every child that visits feeds a baby goat, collects the eggs, and Grace is now teaching them to sew pillows. Not a bad deal for a play date. Maybe a should charge a fee? lol

Beyond all that I'm tired, but it's a good tired and things are starting to really fall into place. Destiny, I believe in it, I know some may scoff but the choices are ours to make, take a chance, you never know. I tell my kids I'm giving them pavers, how they choose to lay them for their life path is completely up to them. I can only give the foundation. Time to fix breakfast, fresh eggs from coop and a cold glass of milk? I hear them waking up...