GOODNESS!GRACIOUS ACRES

More Better Publicity

2011-12-13T23:11:00.000-05:00

Here is the article written in last months Palm Beach Post

Holiday Gift Guide. Theme was "Buy Local, BY locals." :)

Funny though, I received more calls for cheese requests

then Soap. I sell the cheese only to longtime milk customers.

Nice article. Thank you PBPost.

I crack myself up!

2011-11-18T16:14:00.001-05:00

Delilah's "you better feed me look".

Today I said something that just made me laugh out loud. ... The PBP was here to get some photos of my soaps and goats for an upcoming gift guide. And while I knew that well fed goats are pretty boring from past photographers coming here to shoot, unfed 2 hours past their feed time was going to get them to pay attention to what the photographer wanted.

But as the day wore on I was grabbing unruly goats and sequestering them before they hurt someone. Add some goat chow to the mix and It was like a shark feeding frenzy. They were trying to knock over the reporter. And trying to eat the photographer. One goat almost got his camera. Although I can handle much anything "the girls" throw at me, I forget these aren't "trained" animals.

All I could do to not slink in the mud from embarrassment was to say,

"you know, these aren't petting zoo goats".....

Like there's a difference.

Now that i'm finally sitting down thinking back, I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement.

But, Hey! It worked. They agreed. We moved on. And no cameras were injured in the process.

And I guess maybe they aren't "petting zoo" goats.

They're much larger!

Rudeness!

2011-11-12T19:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, i had an encounter that hasn't sat well with me all day.

And it only dawned on me now what exactly the problem was. Rudeness in its simplest form. I'll explain. And hopefully one takes away something.

While I was in the house working on a project, the dogs started barking. I went outside to find 3 people, smiling and all happy at my gate. Hmmmm! I went to the gate to see what was up. They explained that they wanted to see the goats. I told them I'm sorry but I was in the middle of a client phone call, and project and that they really should have called first. They said they did call. They drove all the way from Coral Springs. They didn't leave a message. I checked later. They called while i was working not 8 minutes before they showed up...

Couldn't i just let them in for a bit?Hmmmm.
Ok!

I again mentioned I was in the middle of my work day. He replies its a farm you're outside all day long. I respond NO I'm a designer by day and goat milker by night. :) I work in the house most all day on the computer, I have deadlines, and phone calls to make. He was unrelenting.

Once again they ask to come in. :(
My hair on my arms were raising. I'm stuck.

A little girl gets out of the vehicle, now i'm really stuck. Be rude to this man or let a child see some goats. I caved.

I agree. and mention I have 10 minutes for you to come see. That is all i can spare. He replies, 10 minutes? thats not enough time.... They come in. Can they feed the goats? Ride the horse? See the chickens?

At this point i wanted to pummel this man. But I felt bad for the embarrassed kid standing there? And they have granma and another daughter in the car as well as wife and sister. All piled out of the car. 6 of them.

I put aside my aggravation and did my best to introduce them to the girls. The kids. The chickens. And I was happy to be able to educate. They thanked me after an hour of my time and left. Prior to that they did want to "buy" some milk but I told them NO. No cooler, No ice, No milk. And that I wasn't BUDGING on this... They were more then welcome to run to Publix and pick up a cooler and ice. I never saw them again.

What truly is bothering me is that this is rudeness in its simplest form....THis man was pushy and clueless with regard to me and my time. They come to my home. MY private home. THEY see this is a home. And then above happens. THis man took advantage of me and I'm pissed. He literally pushed his way onto my property and without making a scene I needed to comply.

Never again. Be forewarned.

What irks me so is that they didn't give me the courtesy of a phone call. They didn't make an appointment. They didn't care. and THAT'S JUST RUDE. What's worse is that if i was steadfast? What would come of it? I'm the bitch. I'm the rude one. I'm the problem. I could see it now their story to others how they went to this goat farm and the owner chased them off the property. :(

What does one do?

Don't just Pop over at a farm without calling... I do know that when I asked how they found me they said the internet. Well.... I have it so written in various places to NOT POP OVER. I have set times and a set schedule that needs keeping. What makes their time more important then mine. And this is the crux of it.

What happened yesterday was just plain ole rudeness. In the future I won't be so kind.

Sometimes Cute Overcomes!

2011-09-13T03:48:00.002-04:00

As a typical Monday takes hold.

And a break is needed.

Going outside to the barn, and seeing this just broke that

UGLY MONDAY spell.

As I walked into the barn, Daegann stood up.

HUH? what is on your back boo? Don know ma. Get it off.

Boo they sure look comfy. Let them stay. Ok ma.

Boo... you lost one what did you do that for?

HEY! where'd you all go?

Oh well! I'm staying....

HAPPY MONDAY!

Good Riddance August!

2011-09-03T13:12:00.002-04:00

August, (well the entire summer) has been difficult. As, Im trying to muddle through we had a few things happen. Setbacks. Progress. Heat. Life..... Yes... As you might have known by coming to visit, my house is a barn.

Linny became hypocalcemic. I didn't know at first what was wrong, just that she was tying up ( horse term) legs stiff, wobbly, her sugar and calcium levels obviously dropping deadly fast. I do think that catching it in time save her. I kept her in the house for over 8 days. Everyone said to save her, dry her off. I was able to save and keep her milking. Not easy. And the easier route I'm sure was to dry her off. So this took up almost half the month in nursing care for her. When one goat gets sick the others suffer too. :( all is well though! And September is looking up!

Especially the weather! I can feel fall in the air! woot!

Meet Desire :) She has the prettiest face. But not so much the milker i was hoping for. I can already tell she'll be just like her mum.

The good news is that we received our DNA typing for the 4 doelings - Noble did it again. All four doelings are out of Noble. As a part of my "airheadedness" due to circumstances, I will blame on life issues, I couldn't ascertain who bred who when? I was almost 2 months off on birth dates. SO.... we had to DNA test the boys and the kids.

Here are the other three. Now I do have higher hopes for Delilah's two on the right. Their names will be (left/right) Desdemona, Sable, Fern. I think that Sable is showing signs of being quite nice. Desdemona has some serious potential, but she was the runt that lived in the house for 3 weeks, her two littermates died at birth or in utero. She had extra help. But only time will tell on the conformation dept...Delilah's kids heads always more refined then Latte's line. Desdemona is latte's. And obvious that they are just more milky and just like their mum. I'm keeping them all till freshening. At least.

The "Pekin 3" need to be congratulated job well done. One of them bred to my Malley (Muscovey mix) and we have 3 little ducklings now running around. What fun! I do think if the three ducklings are girls they are end game ducks. They can breed and lay eggs but will be duds. I'm not sure about this though.

My pullets are just starting to lay!!! Time for them to go into the coop. That will make 6 in the coop. And hoping for more consistent eggs. As they grow I put them in the coop so they will lay and not want to brood. I've created monster chickens that free range and do everything in their power to NOT let me find their eggs. Well, that and trying to find them before the dogs. I'm hoping to quell this by pulling the pullets and cooping them.

Truly an odd couple. Here we have my silkie (black gal) with my mutt roo. They can be found always together. Its such a funny little coupling. I've tried to coop her. Not!!! She escapes all the time. So I gave up.

Goodness Gracious sooo glad we are out of August!

September has always been a resurgent month for me. Since the time I was a kid and school started, the weather was changing, and always the end of summer vacation. It's to me a back to work month.

And back we are! Delilah's Dairy is now in two stores. We sell the milk to Heritage Hen/Lay'ed in Delray as well as the soaps. And in Lake Worth we are selling our soaps and artwork at Hennevelt's Gallery. (both are also on Facebook). Goood! Zazzle is still doing well with goat designs selling more and more. As well, I'm back up on Etsy in case anyone wants soaps.

My newest endeavor is taking my "doodles" and creating fine art prints and some notecards soon to come. So like I said earlier, Good Riddance August, so happy September is here.

A little bit about soap

2011-08-07T09:17:00.000-04:00

Hand made (home made) soaps are nothing like store bought soaps. That's a good thing. But there are some things to keep in mind prior to buying.

Firstly, since there are no additives you can't pronounce there is nothing to PRESERVE the soap. You need to. Keep your soap bars aerated as best as possible. Use a soap dish that can let airflow around it between use. It keeps the bar longer. If you buy more then one bar. Keep the unused ones out of the sunlight. Store in a cool dry place. Where it can keep curing.

Every bar of goat milk soap will have natural Glycerin in it, unlike store bought where they remove the glycerin. To put where? moisturizers. (go figure)... Glycerin is an expensive product. This is why many store bought bars of soap are so drying. Goat milk soap is not drying, but moisturizing.

People think "moisturizing" and think clogs pores. Not true. All natural soaps will help keep the moisture your skin needs to combat any clogging. It's hydrating. What clogs your skin are the un-natural ingredients you find in a store bought soap.

When purchasing your all natural bar of soap, ask about cure times. The longer its cured the better. Some fragrances will take much longer to cure then others. Or even some recipes high in oils. Recently, I'm finding lavender is curing slower then vanilla. All the soaps should cure minimum 4 weeks. As they age scent might dissipate after a year, but the soap is still good. And once you start using it, the scent will permeate again.

If at any time the bar smells rancid. Toss it. Never buy a bar of soap that has an off scent. Unscented should actually smell a bit waxy.

Are you on hard water? or soft water? This will react to your bar. You will likely get a better lather in a soft water environment then hard. You will have to work a bit hard to get a good lather in hard water. Either or all natural soaps will help with whatever water your home uses.

Lye and lard seem to scare consumers away. WHY? We are conditioned by advertising that these two items are bad. NOT. You can't make a true cold processed bar of soap without lye. After the saponification process there is no more lye in your soap. After curing there is no more lye in your soap. One thing I do is superfat every recipe at least 5% sometimes 7% which means the recipe is not equal lye to oils, always more oils then lye ensuring the lye is gone at cure. You can make a bar without lard, but find that they are never as hard and long lasting without. As well, superfatting will make a softer bar. Lard helps keep it hard.

Ask about what they use to scent the soap. Essential oils or Fragrance oils. I enjoy using both. Some people are allergic to fragrance oils while the same scent as an essential oil is not allergy forming. I would think its the synthetic nature of fragrance oils. Here synthetic is not a bad term. Just a less expensive way to get your essential oils scent without the cost. ie. Eu d' Parfum vs. Cologne. Just one is more intensely infused then the other. Essential oils are always the natural plant extract, while fragrance can be a combination of plant and synthetic made. Essential oils are always more expensive then the fragrance oil. So when it doesn't matter to you on this, essential oil soaps will cost more on average.

If you have skin problems go back to basics. Start out with unscented. See how it works for you for a couple months. Then try an essential oil soap if you want a scented experience. Go back to basics with everything that touches your skin. One thing noticed is I use every thing "original". ie. Tide detergent. I look for original recipe, original scent on all products I can't live without. Even Bleach products now have "new and improved" or new scents to it. Stay away from this kind of advertising ploy. Stick with original.

Have any questions on soap and all natural soaps? Email me. In the meantime, buy handmade, buy local, support your farmers. And enjoy the fact that your bar of soap is made with love and passion, as simply as possible.

family milkers vs production milkers

2011-06-27T11:03:00.001-04:00

Linny full of milk in the mornings. 6lbs given most milkings if I'm consistent in my care.

What is a family milker ? What is a production milker? What is a heavy milk line? What does very dairy mean? There are so many things to consider before buying a dairy goat. The most important thing is what are you realistically going to do with them? And how much do you want to spend?

What are you going to do with 1 gallon of milk a day? You think you will have plenty of uses for it. But in reality 8 gallons or more a week from one goat? I guess a growing family of four will use this much. but it adds up. Where do you store it? Can your fridge handle 6 or more gallons of milk? If you want a milk goat, plan to milk daily for personal use, then a "family milker" is more than perfect for you. Even milking once a day is doable with a family milker. If you try to go once a day with a production milker? they likely won't let you. Or you'll create more problems then you'd want. Delilah even when i try to dry her off? won't let me.

I have here a heavy milking nubian. Her offspring also produce along her line of production, if not better then her because of my buck. Then I also have what we would call a family milker. She will NEVER be a heavy producing milker. And her offspring might increase because of my buck but only incrementally. Her production will always top out at 6-7lbs. More likely she will average 5lbs a day. While my delilah (heavy milker) and Linny (lamancha shown) will produce a gallon a day or more.

8.33lbs = 1 gallon of milk

The other thing to consider is breed of dairy goat. Lamanchas are (i'm learning) extremely consistent, hard working, love to work, milkers. More so on average then the nubians. Linny consistently has given me 5-6lbs a MILKING. 12 lbs a day. and she bounces back easily more so then the Nubians. I'm extremely impressed with Linny. And i'm going to add a few more lamanchas to my herd because of her. And will try to find girls along her line.

Look at that foam. I need a bigger bucket with Linny.

The other thing to consider in the MILKing of them is the care you give. There is a direct correlation to what you feed, your consistency, and general husbandry with how much milk you will get. Poor feeding and no matter the milk line, they won't produce or worse they produce but then can get sick because they use up their body stores. Same thing with general care. Worming care and so on.

Lastly, age of the goat and the lactation they are in is very important. Linny was purchased as a 3rd freshener (bred 3 times). Each lactation # will increase with age. Or it should be that way. I'm noticing my "family milker" line of goat they cap out at 7lbs and thats it. Nothing I do will make them milk more. It is possible that Linny still has it in her to increase. Delilah is a 7 year old 4th freshener with a scar tissued udder and she is producing 8-10lbs on average a day. Even at her age.

So before you buy, think what you want. Be honest with the breeder. And certainly plan ahead for all this milk.

A Legacy to live up to.

2011-06-08T12:25:00.004-04:00

Pauline "Penny" Milano 1937-2011

I'm Sorry I've not been around for a couple months. My mother died May 26, It seems the last post i wrote was right before Mother's day. And that was the last time I've felt like writing. Mother's day It was obvious not much time was left. And well... wasn't interested in much.

I want to write but of course can't even begin. I'm going to just put some things up for you to look at, read what others wrote, pictures. I want you to meet my mother. She has left me a hard legacy to live up to. And I will miss her terribly.

Tony, me and Mom when our journey began. Earliest photo i could find of us.

Mom died of a little known disease called PSP. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
TO learn more please CLICK HERE TO READ Site explains all about the disease and how its so difficult to diagnose. There is no cure. It's progressive and awful. I think Alzheimer's is a kinder disease, if that's possible. And because its so unknown very little funding is there. Though in the past 3 years of involvement have noticed it is getting more help in public's eye.

Her Obituary article. CLICK HERE TO READ
The photo in the article was taken 10 years ago. I can see it starting in her eyes. PSP. This write-up is just a snippet into her life. She was so much to so many kids over the last 25 years. Old students that had my mother as a teacher came to the wake just to say how she helped them, or changed their life. People she hadn't seen in 25 years. She was that good. :)

My cousin Paula who is like my mother's third kid, best friend, and cousin rolled up in one wrote a beautiful eulogy. I wanted you to be able to read it too. I couldn't have said it better.

From Paula: Most of you know me and know when ever I speak the usual purpose is to make you laugh. Today however, my heart is heavy and broken so I apologize in advance if this is not as light spirited but I need to share with you some of my thoughts about my cousin, my hero and a woman that was known to each of us by different titles but with one common feeling love.

Each one of you sitting here today shared a special relationship with Pauline Milano, called Penny by her family. She was given that name by my Dad, (her uncle) who said she had such skinny legs like Pins so Penny somehow derived from that. Our grandmothers name was Pauline and their were so many of us girls that had some form of that name that at family gatherings it was the cause of a lot of confusion when someone called out Pauline or Joe or Tony 95% of the family answered. That’s an Italian thing….

To JoJo and Tony her two children she was Mom, Michelle and Jackie now too. To Cookie and Jean she was sister, and I need to add how remarkable it’s been to witness the extordinnary loving care you both gave to Penny this past year The three of you have always had such an unbelievable bond and love, to Maria, Vince, Calla, David Gina, Cooper, and Holden, she was Aunt P. To Louise and Jude she was Pen, or Mrs. Milano as Louise often referred to her, and often I did too, which always made her laugh. To the rest of you no matter if you were her co worker or student, parent or alumni she was friend. To me she was every one of those titles wrapped up into a woman that has had such an incredible impact on my entire life.

Today I stand before you all with a whole new respect for this incredible woman. Over the past year we witnessed this beautiful, strong, energetic, hard working, humble giving woman courageously fight this little known disease with grace and dignity. Day by day it stripped away at her physical body but never was able to touch her spirit her hope and her essence. It amazed us all to watch her go through this and reminded us again of how strong a woman she was.
Penny had so many talents that she selflessly shared with all of us.   She was driven through out her entire life by love of her family and by doing what ever was needed to make sure they were happy.

Her other passion was the love she had for all the students through out her career as a teacher at Notre Dame School in Miami. St Coleman’s, and as Development Director at Gibbons. She did whatever to took to enhance the lives of each child she came in contact with. Nothing was impossible if it was for the Kids and she proved that over and over again. Every part of Gibbons has been touched and enhanced in someway by something she took on to make Gibbons the best it could be. Her contributions will be ongoing and her mission was definitely accomplished.

Through out the last few days I’ve been hearing from so many of you about the things that you remember about her. They all are filled with how someway she touched you personally. The common theme with each is how she somehow made you feel better, happier, safer, and most of all loved. There was never a time that she would not reach out a hand to anyone that needed a little dose of love or advice. She was always willing to do whatever it took to help and seemed to always be there with open arms and sincere concern. Time didn’t matter; day or night was never a problem.   There was always a way she would help.   The uniqueness about it is that she made everyone feel like they were special and that nothing was impossible.

She did all this and was the most incredible cook you would ever meet, and bake, wow could she bake. She would call Louise, Jude and I after a long day here at Gibbons and say why don’t you guys come over for dinner? Before she could finish the sentence we were there. No matter what she cooked it was always the best, and managed to become our new favorite. We all tried to attempt to copy her famous cookies this past Christmas. One of the things robbed from Penny was her ability to speak, so communicating recipes and secret strategies was nearly impossible.   Needless to say, (sorry Maria and Calla) no one came close to replicating her candy canes, doe does or canollies. The good news is we all were a few pounds lighter after the holidays.
She had so many other talents that left us all in awe.

Everything Penny did she did with enthusiasm and love. She taught me so much and made my life so happy. The memories we shared are priceless keepsakes that over time will help to put the pieces of my heart back together.

Finally thank you to Carlos and anyone that had a part in organizing this beautiful mass. I’m sure Penny is smiling down on you all right now.

With all the love that fills this church today my greatest wish is that she knows how grateful I and all of you sitting here are to her as well, and I want to thank you Penny for the gift of your presence in all of our lives.

“If love could save your life, you would have lived forever”

No doubt, my mother was beautiful inside and out. My brother and I were both very lucky to be chosen to be her kids. It's one of the reasons I believe so much in Karma. What good Karma we had so early in life. Life isn't always a bed of roses, so to speak, but it was always with love, light, caring, nurturing, attention, adulation, and care. I am who I am today because of her influence and love.

All i hope for now is to be able to channel a few good things from her every once in a while. Her ability to cook and clean would be nice. Her attention to detail. Her ability to keep going even when exhausted. Her never ending ability to make everyone in a room feel special. Her ability to multitask so easily. Her ability to be firm and strong, yet mild and loved all at the same time. She was exceptional yet humble. And going to miss all this and so much more.

I Love you mom....

For mom:

http://youtu.be/dcnd55tLCv8

One of the last photos i took of her enjoying one of her visits.

Help me. Help you.

2011-04-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

When you have a sick goat what do you do? Call a vet? Call your breeder? Get on the internet? With a normal pet like a dog or cat, horses too, there are vetrinarians galore. Every corner down here has a vet clinic. But what do you do when you call a vet for your goat? Usually, the answer is "We don't treat goats". Or we'll see it, if you bring in, but we really don't treat them. More times then not the vet is not knowledgeable in livestock. And more importantly not knowledgeable in RUMINANT functions. And Cows are NOT goats. Remember this.

So what do you do? Most people in the area call me. I'm becoming that resident "crazy" goat lady. And I'm more then happy to help. But here's the deal. You need me to help you but, I need you to do your due diligence, too, BEFORE you need assistance, before the emergency. Too many times I get a call with a downed goat. :( Sadly, as one friend just pointed out:

A DOWNED GOAT IS A DEAD GOAT.

By the time your goat is down its almost too late to do much for it. Of course, if you have all supplies on hand, have 20 hours of free time, and can constantly medicate every few hours its possible to save. I've done it here. Its not how most people's lives go. The worst of it is if you don't have supplies on hand PRIOR to a goat going down then precious time is lost running around town looking for things. Simple things. Time is of the essence with a down goat.

Here is something else I've learned

90% of all goat problems stem from management

and that goes for me too. No one is perfect. No one gets it right all the time. And no one can foresee serious problems like hypocalcemia, milk fevers, ketosis, mastitis let alone figure it out if you're new to goats.

But, many of the issues with a downed goat likely starts with PARASITES. More times then not the goat hasn't been wormed. Or if it was wormed, but under the amount needed, and all that did was piss off the parasites. Did you know that goats require MORE then the recommended dosage? NO? Go and learn about parasites and goat metabolism. 9 times out of 10 the goat has been under dosed based on weight and under dosed based on recommended COW or HORSE label amounts.

I'll always help you find the items needed. Recommend goat vets near you. Help in the detective work of what is wrong with your goat etc. But I will NOT be kind, 3 months later when another goat goes down, and you call, and you still haven't gotten the items recommended when the first goat went down. Yes, this happens all the time. And the reason I'm writing this blog. It happened just this morning. So frustrating.

Most people find me from this site. If you are here now. Reading this. Have goats. Here is a link to the page (also found upper left of this blog) called GOAT MED CABINET... Every item on that page is something you should be purchasing if you own goats. Don't ask. Just do.

http://jojosfarmlife.blogspot.com/p/goat-med-cabinet.html

I'm NOT advocating not going to a vet. I do understand the livestock mentality. Goats aren't dogs. I don't expect you to fork over thousands's to save its life. And I understand this is why you are calling. BUT get the supplies. Be prepared. Goats are fragile animals. They can be fine in the morning and dead by dinner.

Sadly, I get far too many calls where the goat is down. or off. or something isn't right. If we can discuss what is wrong and its an obvious ailment chances are if you have a stocked cabinet the goat can be saved with minor diligence. If you don't? then I can't help. And its very frustrating when this isn't the first time a goat owner calls, and the goat in question now has the same symptoms as the dead goat last month.

Linny the redneck Lamancha

2011-03-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

Ok so... who knew? Linny has a love of beer. And of billy's. Not the buck kind of billy. The billy the neighbor kind... Who brings beer to the fenceline.

My elegant nubians would never. They like wine. ;)

Linny on the other hand? is probably still out there by the fence waiting for billy to come back with another can... :)

Hey... Lemme try some. I'm of age. Billy isn't into sharing...

Ok.. well just a sip.....Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

hmmmmmmmmm.....Linny's in love! with beer and billy.

didn't you know beer is good for bringing milk in?

Poor Rodney...not old enough to drink beer.

Billy! Billy... come back.....

It's working!

2011-03-08T10:49:00.000-05:00

woot!!! i've got eggs. :) Ok, so only 3 of them are laying. And only a couple of them are resigned to this terribly boring lifestyle. I'm not letting anyone out for at least another week. This way maybe i'll retrain them to roost at night in there.

Baby monitor is coming out today! March 15 is Latte, Linny, Delilah, possibly Magnolia start of due dates. So, it's possible anytime from the 10th to end of month.

Latte looks like she is going to be first. Huge. When the time gets close they start talking to their unborn kids. It's so cool. They get this rhythm going and its almost soothing to hear. They also are extremely cranky, very bossy, and not nice to each other at all. Especially at feeding. Likened to one day sales, 70% off at Macy's kind of cranky, pushy, neanderthal behavior. The poor little yearlings are just getting the brunt of it all.

They are constantly hungry. Last month we started with the alfalfa pellets again. $16.95 / bag.. Killing me! I couldn't take a chance on the hay quality this time of year and the waste was awful. It's the CA:PH ratio that is so important right now. And then they're getting some goat chow from Walpole to add a bit more energy, protein, etc. No BOSS. Can't. I think I'll add some Manna Pro back in as you only need a cupful.

Latte stuffing her face.


Yearlings are getting pushed out and have to share buckets.

No milk till April 5th at least. :(

Chicken coop finalized.

2011-03-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

Youjust have to love my milk customers. I've said it before, goats introduce you to the most amazing people. Yesterday, one of my handy carpentry talented milk customer came by and finished building for me the part of the coop that was desperately needed. The NEST boxes. :)

It's one of those things that I've been meaning to do. Couldn't figure out. And couldn't really afford to pay someone. Way to go Frank! You're truly awesome. And it's much appreciated. Everyone clamors for eggs when I have them. It was always a hit or miss kind of deal. Catch the chicken laying the eggs before the dogs did. Not anymore.

Chickens weren't too happy this morning when I wouldn't let them out. No more free rides. You lay an egg, you get to come out. Lay that egg and its your free pass to freedom for a few hours.

We'll see how this goes. My hens are spoiled. I might have to buy a few more that don't realize the freedom they just lost. Or happily return to the coop at night.

Frank designed this on the fly. Pretty cool.

2 rows available. Top row is blank for the moment. If needed can add to it.

This morning chickens stood by the door waiting for it to magically open.

Thelma is upset why she wasn't invited to go in.

Side view. Girls are pacing waiting for breakfast.

The disgruntled girls. Sorry girls. not coming out today.

Count down to kidding.

2011-02-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

In approximately 23 days, it all begins again. At the moment, all girls are dried up and sitting pretty till they kid again. :)

I haven't milked in 3 days and I'm already missing it.

All supplies are bought. The kidding stall is cleaned and disinfected. The goats are fat, fatter and fattest. Twiddling thumbs. Till it all begins again.

Circle continues. And I can't wait.

ah!

beekman in palm beach

2011-02-09T19:32:00.001-05:00

These two boys intrigue me. They've created in a short time what many of us have been striving for, but just aren't lucky enough to have the in's they do. Brent is a marketing genius. And... They've started making a cheese that I'm wanting to try called BLAAK.

They are doing a great service to our industry and dairy in general (though i'd like to see them promote raw dairy). I like them. And when I can watch their show. It was a good giggle and fun to watch what I must have looked like 8 years ago when first starting out.

Josh and Brent will be at Williams-Sonoma this Friday, Go visit.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tip/beekman-boys-book-signing.html

screenshot of temp out by me.. 64˚. temp reported at the solid waste site.... 68˚ 5 miles away. uh lol...

2011-02-01T23:51:00.001-05:00

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Costume Contest 2011

2011-01-17T08:15:00.001-05:00

Rodeo Girl

This year at our 2011 South Florida Fair Dairy Goat Show we did something a bit different. All the kids were great and the costumes were amazing. We had some extra time in the schedule with our fair changes and Costume contest was a hit. What do you think? Clever costumes right?

Ghost busters!

Marilyn and her paparazzi

School bus of "kids"

All the kids participated. Even the grown up ones!

Ms. Kathy and her school bus of "kids".

Hunting!

Prom Queen

The lone ranger!!!!

Caveman!!!

Bathing beauty!

FLEECE NAVIDAD!!!! my twitter friends!

2010-12-25T09:41:00.001-05:00

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Bunny Central

2010-12-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

milk anyone?

Two days ago, I went into the bathroom and found, YES found, this little guy in my shower. I have no idea where he came from. Or how he got there. Though I can surmise one of my cats might have brought me a pressie. The night before I had heard sounds thinking oh no, critters. But ignored it. The cat will take care of it. HA! I did find a bit of scratching on him. slight and not vet worthy. Other then that he was a bit dehydrated. Very Scared. and just displaced. If i knew where his nest was i would have brought him back. Mom Buns are great moms.

He is likely a Florida Marsh Rabbit. Hence not domesticated, and its obvious from his constantly trying to escape. And his inability to mellow, though he is sitting cute here cause the milk is flowing. Once that stops he's trying to escape.

Not quite sure what to do with him when he gets big enough to leave. And not sure how much handling I should or should not be doing with him. Something this tiny you just want to love on and carry around with you all day. :) no.... well... ok, I have at times.....

He sure did come to the right house. Goat's milk is the perfect wildlife food.

More cuteness photos below. Enjoy!!

Ah!! The culprit. Baxtor must have brought him in.

Guesstimate 3-4 weeks old?

Marsh rabbit. Ears dead giveaway. Much rounder then cottontail.

Just makes you want to keep him. :( But not sure what to do.

This little guy is just adorable.

Rodneys' Hawk?

2010-12-13T18:58:00.001-05:00

Beautiful.

For old Hawk Story, CLICK HERE

And his release. CLICK HERE

He's a youngin. Look at the beak color.

Don't think this is a red shouldered. Need to confirm.

I'd like to think that Rodney's HAWK came for a visit today, I can't say for sure.
Rodney's story is above on that link.

Today, this hawk wouldn't budge. HE stuck around for an hour or so. Billy taking pictures. Me taking pictures. He just sat there. I immediately thought OMG could it be Rodney's HAWK???? Cause he's awfully friendly towards people. I mean stranger things have happened right?

Could be. This is a youngin. Though the coloring looked a bit different from the one we had in our care. As they age possibly the coloring changes too.

Never the less, VERY cool. Not often to get a picture this close up of one. :)

All these trees are dead in this corner. Always afraid they will drop on neighbor's.

On a windy day, I always get nervous a tree is going to fall. I have a few dead ones from last hurricanes bringing in the pine bore beetle. :( They are insipid and kill everything in its path. I know i have them, you can see their handiwork. LUCKILY, this one fell into the bamboo. I'm always afraid it going to hit the tarp. EEEK.

Being sick has its benefits

2010-12-10T10:19:00.002-05:00

First I draw. Then I scan. Then I colorize.


shoes were started in the ER clinic. Took about 6 hours.

Then I go to Zazzle.com and create items for sale.

Tshirts. hats. postcards. posters. all sorts of fun things.

Being stuck in the house there is only so much you can do. I don't really have TV anymore. Not the click the remote kind. Laying in bed is not an option. So I've been catching up on drawing. This has always been a way to clear my head. :) and I'm having some fun with it. Draw. Scan. Illustrator trace. Colorize. Save. Put up on Zazzle. And possibly make some money. Saving my butt. I would be pulling out my hair right about now trying to stay in the house and not exert myself. Interestingly, the meds are making my hands shake. I kind of like the line it creates. So there are benefits of being sick. You just have to look for them.

flamingo took me about 3 hours

coming out of the fog

2010-12-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

Balance!

Today is the first day I feel slightly human again, I actually went out and sat with the goats for the first time in days. Goodness Gracious, I needed the break from me.

Rejuvenated this morning, I woke up at 5 am and finished 3 projects before 8. Then exhausted myself by noon. ha. I only stayed away from the computer for 4 days. But it surely was needed. Seemed like a whole lot longer. note to self: Take a damn break every once in awhile.

Last Thursday the ER Dr. told me if I didn't stay in bed for the next week, at least, I was headed for full blown pnuemonia and a real hospital stay. Or worse.

OK! I'm LISTENING NOW!

The loss was HUGE, my lack of picking up on myself heading for a total meltdown, losing my most beloved friend in the process, I'm finally coming out of the fog today and realizing i just lost my balance. Totally LOST IT. And what sad outcome. What a dastardly 3 weeks. Everything is on hold. Milk. Soap. Goats. Work. Friends. Personal. Fair. And I know what it is... Damn Economy. Damn mortgage meltdown. Damn worry. Panic sets in, bills need to be paid, work can't possibly be turned down, can't say no, and so the snowball gets bigger and bigger.... Till finally, meltdown. And what is so interesting about this is...

THIS IS THE REASON I MOVED UP HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

**BALANCE**

Somehow this year I slowly started losing it.

I wish every one of you could have a neighbor like mine. :) If it wasn't for Patti I'm sure i'd be in the hospital now. Especially, she had the terrible chore to help when the removers came for Brandy.

Thank you Patti for picking up prescriptions and feeding me and going to publix. Sheryl for stew. And Bill for Soup. And clients who were understanding. And Janice doing my banking.

Here are some of my favorite photos that just make me smile. And think Balance.

Willow and the chicks.

Delilah 10 days old.

Hemingway being the goofball I can count on.

Cyprus stealing my apples and getting caught.

Brandy! will be missed.

Lost a friend yesterday

2010-12-05T08:30:00.000-05:00


Brandy 20 years ago when i first met her. It was love at first sight.

Brandy died yesterday. and I really can't think of anything right now except that she was a wonderful friend and I was the luckiest person to have earned her trust over these years. Even to the last breath she and I were on the same wave length. It was especially hard to let her go. I have to say I'm a bit confused this morning.

She's not at my window hollering for breakfast. She won't be at my back nudging me to go faster at feeding. I'm saddened to think we never rode much this past year. I'm going to miss her terribly.

I was very sick this week with bronchitis and missed any clues she might have been giving me the time was near. Or possibly able to save her for a few more. I think the universe doesn't do coincedences is all I can say about that. My health was at serious risk. Her health at risk, both at the same time. If I had known I might have killed myself trying to save her.

Brandy was 27 years old. And we were never separated for more then a few days in all of those years. She is the reason we live up here now. I wanted her to be able to roam her days not sit in a stall.

She taught countless friends children's how to ride. Hell! She taught me how to ride. She truly was one of a kind.

I wrote this post a few years ago about Brandy, and I couldn't possibly give her any more credit now then I did then. Have a read to honor my best friend.

http://jojosfarmlife.blogspot.com/2006/08/perfect-horse.html

Sick for the first time in years

2010-11-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

UGH! I caught a cold. How? I'm convinced my neighbor (who had a cold) was petting the "pris" and then i picked her up and, voila... possible? yes. He is the only person I've come into contact with a cold. And I never touched him. We conversed thru the fence. Oh well.

Being sick with animals poses problems. Firstly, so not in the mood to do extras. Barely feeding on time. But, the worst of it is I never have questioned my hygiene and cleanliness and so forth. Piggy could get my cold. What about the parrots? And my milk. I can theoretically get my customers sick. Rare. But still. On my mind. I pulled all milk the days I think I was contagious. And will just keep it for myself. Can I give the goats a cold? i don't doubt it. Something to think about though. All this thinking is making my headache worse. But, wow! I got a cold.

This is the first time I can remember being sick in years. And of course, convinced it would be worse if not for drinking raw milk, almost a half gallon a day right now. (need to do something with that pulled milk).

One of the oldies but goodies to cure the common cold is a HOT toddy. So I dragged my butt to the store and bought some B&B... If it doesn't kill the cold. At least I'll be happy!

j

Tester And Hagan Amendment

2010-11-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Jon Tester and Kay Hagan added an amendment to the S.510 food safety modernization act. IT would help save the small farmer in this bill. Big AG is now fighting it and will not support the bill with this attached. The question is WHY do they care what someone like me, who is no threat to their bottom line, does?

Read more:

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

snipppet of letter they wrote in retaliation of this amendment:

The letter from the Agribusiness groups states: "[B]y incorporating
the Tester amendment in the bill, consumers will be left vulnerable to the
gaping holes and uneven application of the law created by these exemptions.
In addition, it sets an unfortunate precedent for future action on food
safety policy by Congress that science and risk based standards can be
ignored."

this is what i think they are afraid of:

taken from the pdf attached:

The growing trend toward healthy, fresh, locally sourced vegetables, fruit, dairy, and value-added products improves food safety by providing the opportunity for consumers to know their farmers and processors, to choose products on the basis of that relationship, and to readily trace any
problems should they occur.

Good news on the food safety bill!

2010-11-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

Sounds promising but it hasn't passed yet. I think that the small farmer's voice has been heard loud and clear, it's just a matter of will they truly listen. And will they exempt us from requirements of a factory farm establishment?

Read more below.

Good news on the food safety bill!