The farm is pretty quiet at this time of year. My daughter is home sick today, so I kept her brother home, too (we live a bit out of town from where school is). So Simon went out to visit the girls. Moments after I snapped this picture, Hazelnut jumped up on Simon and completely knocked him over backwards! Luckily, we had a good laugh over that--no feelings hurt.
I am in the process of trying to find a buck to romance my girls. Most folks breed their goats in the fall, and I have done that in the past as well, but I'm thinking that summer babies would be a lot easier than babies arriving during the April frosts. I'm planning to breed all four girls. I don't keep a buck here because they tend to be ornery, and they are famously stinky. This stink, while a great turn-on to the does (I guess), affects the taste of the milk, and the reputation of goats in general. Sans buck, my barn smells sweet with hay and earthy with the goats' manure. I like it that way.
Anyhow, it's a little tricky finding a buck close by. Last year, a friend from another farm actually brought his young buck over for a month. That was ideal. He is available again this year, but although it is common practice, I don't want to breed his daughters (Hazelnut and Sula) back with him. So the search continues.
We have a new animal out at the barn. The other day after another snowfall, I noticed paw prints going down our path straight to the barn. Nestled in the hay, I found a little scrappy, skinny, orange and black calico cat. We locked eyes for a few moments, then it took off. I will try to catch a picture of her. There's plenty of good mice-eating out there, so I hope she sticks around. I just wish she was more friendly. . .
