And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

I keep waiting for some calm in our lives, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore.  Our stress is as oppressive as a humid summer day.   So much to do, so much happening, so much going wrong, so little in the checking account, it makes my head spin.  I find peace in cuddles with the kids, in prepping meals for the critters, in goat kisses.  Those simple actions take me away from the daily grind, the thought of what will go wrong next.  I need to cherish the simple, look for joy throughout the day, leave this little pity party I keep having for myself.

My head swims most days with tough choices, second guesses; should I do this, was this right, why does every decision seem wrong.  I'm blessed with an amazing man, who listens to my crazy, who brings the calm.   He reminds me that not all of my decisions are wrong, but supports me through all of them.  I am blessed with amazing children.  They enjoy my crazy most of the time, it's given them the opportunity to commune with animals, build tepees in the woods, and be kids without technology.  Granted there is a lot of technology in this house.  I am blessed to live in an amazing home, nestled in the woods, away from the hustle of city life.  Sometimes the hustle gets too close though.  Cherish the quiet moments, look for beauty in the simple, take time for those I love; that alone will help me weather this current life storm.

Kitty Kisses

Purrpikitty's favorite nap spot.

Other than our lab mix puppy, Buster, there is a rotating cast of characters that share the bed at night.  Usually it's a cat or 2, some nights it's our little Cocker Spaniel, Cookie.  The other night my beautiful little tabby, tortie, Purrpikitty, joined me in bed.  At some point during the night I woke up, used the bathroom, put on some lip gloss, and headed back to bed.  Shortly after returning to bed I felt something wet touch my nose followed by a sandpaper tongue on my lips.  Purrpikitty was licking off my lip gloss!  This goofy little cat loves peppermint, and I had put on peppermint lip gloss.  I don't know why she likes it so much.  She will even try to lick the toothpaste from my face if I sit down on the bed to watch the news while brushing my teeth.  What a goofy, sweet girl!!  Gotta love the personalities of animals.

Milking Time

I have had the new group of goats here for a couple of weeks now and every day things get a little easier with them.  Goats are very skittish by nature.  They think I want to eat them.  It's taken a year for my first two does to feel at ease with me.  My two black does are learning slowly but surely that I'm not a threat.  I'm finding you can't rush things with them, slow and steady will win this race.  

Milking time takes about 20 minutes for me.  I know it can be done more quickly, but it's not a wham bam thank you ma'am activity.  Erudite, my milk doe, now walks nicely on a leash to the milk stand, this used to be more of a tug of war.  She dives into her grain instead of calling out to her herd mates.  Even her herd mates now ignore our twice daily excursion.  I brush her before I milk and talk softly, this calms her and teaches her that I won't eat her.  Erudite now stands calmly munching her grain as I milk her.  The 2 pounds of daily grain are putting weight back onto her slight frame, having nursed twins before she came to live at Big Buck Ranch.  This is a peaceful time for me, a time when I can focus solely on the bond between my goats and myself.

This is why I've been MIA

Things have been slightly chaotic here at Big Buck Ranch.  Other than chasing down my goat, Houdini, on a daily basis, I've been selling pine cone firestarters and herb infused vinegars at our local farmer's market.  I still have grain bag and burlap totes to complete, but the rest of my product is ready to go.  Hopefully, I'll start having more time for other things, like chasing my escape artist goat!