Changes

It has been a time of change around here this week, both sad and happy.
First we lost our beloved goat, Iva, after a short battle with illness. My heart has been heavy with guilt and sadness, but we were quickly faced with finding a companion for Iva's buddy, Milton, who has never been alone. He's a bit of a surly fellow so I searched for a friend who could handle his moods. He's been getting lots of extra attention in the meantime, accompanying us on a blackberry picking excursion down the hill.

Mmmm, blackberries!

Introducing Stella! She's a 2 year old milk goat, a mixture of breeds, and very sweet. She rode home in the back of the SUV like a champ and seems pretty at ease with this crazy place. Also she loves to eat! So far the goats have butted heads gently in greeting, but I'm keeping them separated for the most part until she's settled.

 

She's a first-time freshener meaning she kidded and is now being milked for the first time this year. My goat milking experience is pretty limited, so it has been a learning experience for us both. After my first attempt, I quickly set to building a milking stand.

It'll take some time to adjust to the new routine of 8am and 8pm milkings, but so far it has been great. Her milk just tastes like milk, not the pungent tang I was expecting. I'm pasteurizing it for now, until I feel more confident about my own sanitary practices and the goat's health. She's not producing enough for cheese or ice cream yet, but I'm hoping the boost in grain and regular milkings will up her supply and provide enough for recipe experimenting.
Another bright spot of the week was finding a new home for two of our roosters. The flock of seven baby chicks produced two new roosters, and four roosters quickly proved too many. I posted the two oldest on craigslist, and this nice couple came to collect them.

We have a strict don't-ask-don't-tell policy with chickens we give away, but hopefully they're ruling a harem of hens somewhere.
This hot summer has really given us permission to relax a little more than usual in the afternoons because it's way too hot to do much of anything outdoors. These are the times I will remember when I think back to summer.

Sharing popcorn with Pepper.

Everybody needs a little time away

The summer weekends slip away, lost to yard work and errands, so much so that I deliberately schedule in fun or we'd never leave our yard. This past weekend Alex and I got away for a bit--our first time away from Ole in who-knows-how-long. We didn't travel far, just two hours north to Olympia, where Grandma and Grandpa whisked Ole away for a fun night of spoilage and lavish attention.
So we hit the town, bar-hopping and browsing shops, foregoing schedules and meals, surviving on hors d'oeuvres and desserts. It was great.



Olympia's a very mural-friendly town!

Washington's beautiful state capital

The nighttime view from our hotel. Capitol Lake is in the distance.

We went out for breakfast, wandered through the farmers' market, and browsed antique shops. 

The only photo of us. I'm not sure what's going on with my shirt there.

The capitol building looms in every scenic view.

Back at home I tackled a tasty problem...too many cherries! The neighbors graciously offered to let us pick our fill of sweet cherries from their bountiful tree and we did. I spent the next two days pitting with the awesome Oxo cherry pitter and froze several quarts. I also dried two full trays in the food dehydrator. Then I got creative and made Bourbon-soaked cherries and canned the rest in a yummy syrup with vanilla and lemon. Sweet!