Well, the barn and run are finished, complete with a new shelter in the run (thanks to the help of Jeff's brother, Bill), where we're hoping to be able to make big round hay bales available for the goats. Our first experiment with that didn't go so well. We did not secure the bale in any way, and the goats just had a big party in it, wasting a ton of it.
Bill visited in mid-November to help us out with farm and house chores, since Paul and Terra are still on honeymoon and I was having pregnancy complications. Jeff has been working really hard, and Bill was a huge help. My mom, Bert, and Jeff's parents came for Thanksgiving, since Jeff and I couldn't travel. We got a heritage turkey (New Jersey Buff) from a local farmer, and Jeff prepared an incredible feast utilizing homegrown sweet potatoes, beets, mushrooms, and mustard greens (with a little help from my mom and I). Maybe next year we will raise our own turkey! Our
friends Lauren and Josh joined us for the big meal. It was a lovely family visit. Jeff and I got to show off our sonogram photos, and we talked about the new family member on the way. Jeff and I are very grateful for the wonderful love and support of our family and friends (particularly during the rough first trimester) and that I have made it to the second trimester with the complications apparently resolving. We are very excited about the little one on the way! ETA May 2011.
We are now down to 4 goats. In October, the 4 kids we had pastured at another farm were killed by a couple of big dogs. Sniff! All of our remaining doelings were killed, so now we will only have 2 milkers for next year, Lily and Zella, who were hopefully bred by Pete again before he went to the slaughterhouse a couple of weeks ago. We still have Remus and Romulus, the Nubian bucklings, one of whom will be our next breeder. Radar, the young blind cow that was here for about 6 weeks, went to the slaughterhouse with Pete. Radar was a rescue animal given to us by another farmer, but we are not really equipped to house a full-grown cow. We're hoping that the young meat will be really good.
Bill visited in mid-November to help us out with farm and house chores, since Paul and Terra are still on honeymoon and I was having pregnancy complications. Jeff has been working really hard, and Bill was a huge help. My mom, Bert, and Jeff's parents came for Thanksgiving, since Jeff and I couldn't travel. We got a heritage turkey (New Jersey Buff) from a local farmer, and Jeff prepared an incredible feast utilizing homegrown sweet potatoes, beets, mushrooms, and mustard greens (with a little help from my mom and I). Maybe next year we will raise our own turkey! Our
friends Lauren and Josh joined us for the big meal. It was a lovely family visit. Jeff and I got to show off our sonogram photos, and we talked about the new family member on the way. Jeff and I are very grateful for the wonderful love and support of our family and friends (particularly during the rough first trimester) and that I have made it to the second trimester with the complications apparently resolving. We are very excited about the little one on the way! ETA May 2011.-Annie
Posts
