Goat Love

Somehow our girl caught the Farm Bug.  

Throughout the freezing winter mornings and chilly, early, dark and low-visibility evenings, Moo was the one we trusted to make sure chores got done.  

She's our worker and this weekends springlike weather was the sweetest reward for work.

As I spied on her from the house, I saw her talking, clapping and laughing with the goats.  

They've stollen her heart like nothing before.

If I had to guess, I'd say our goats are Italian.

They LOVE dry spaghetti.

And the Goat Maternity Ward is coming soon.  

As Willow continues to swell from side-to-side, we've begun researching kidding pens, nutritional needs and signs of labor as we await the arrival of Ross' 4-H project.

Lord help us.

Meanwhile, that bag and udders are starting to fill.  

Willow is our nervous goat- aka: our Trauma Goat.

This photo could have been better, but I could tell she was already feeling violated.

Oh Goats.  

Your adorable, stupid, easy, friendly, and most importantly, your poop doesn't stink.

What have you done to us?

Because I'm NINE

Conference nights always suck for the high school Culinary Instructor.  

However, this Snapchat message made my night.

This Valentines Day I'm thankful for logical people... like Molly Boyd.

Years are Short

The flu, colds and sinus infections have left the house!!!

Meanwhile, this may not be as exciting for you as it is for me... but our girl has finally 'popped"

See that bump on her right?  

That's our March baby!

In other news, Mikes been traveling, my final semester of college classes are in full-swing, Valentines Day cards are ready for class parties, Maisie's discovered a love of make-up, Ross' season of wrestling has ended and Ross starts drivers ed in less than 2 weeks.

They (and I) have always said the days are long but the years are short....

Short doesn't even begin to describe it.

Flu, Basketball and Zombies

This week felt as though we'd been hit by a rocket ship.

Apparently, 5 out 7 down with the flu will do that.  

How Jayson and Maisie got through it unscathed is beyond me.

I spent 3 days in bed, sweated through sheets, felt my eyeballs were detached from my skull, saw visions that weren't there, and contemplated writing my Will, while the other family members missed 2 days of school.  

I'm not pointing fingers or developing new theories, but...

I'm the only one who got a flu shot this year.

And I swear to God the boys watched Z Nation CONSTANTLY.

And when I told them Z Nation needed to end, it became Office Reruns.  And that, in a nutshell, has been my week.

There were conversations about shutting the school down to sanitize.  Over 20% of the school was out sick.  Parents WEREN'T sending their kids to school to PROTECT them.  

I had to cancel the Friday Cafe due to our head Chef having Influenza B!

WTF?  This isn't China!

Yet Maisie, chipper as ever, wanted chocolate chip cookies after school one of the days I was comatose.  She made a pouch and swore it was too dry.  She had to take photos of the batter and bring the imaged to me in bed to diagnose.

"Gotta get your hands in there girl and melt that butter"

That's the ticket.

And this poor thing who went out for basketball only for the Nike headband and social time is struggling. 

Not only does she dislike sports 100% now; games keep getting canceled and postponed which means the season WILL NOT END.

It's gonna take some strategy, but she and I are ready to put this puppy to bed. 

Seriously, we were only here for the shirt.

Meanwhile, today was what we THOUGHT was going to be her last day of the season and the only way she'd go willingly is if I made cheese souffle for breakfast.  

So that's what I did.

Maisie's number 19.  

She does everything in her power to avoid touching the ball. 

But doesn't she look amazing out there?

Sports aren't for everyone.

Amen

Joy and Rectums

As we continue our "Joy Sparking" quest, I felt it was important to emphasize to the kids that not EVERYTHING you do in life will spark joy- some of life is called responsibility.  Which is how I wound up as a gate worker for the Rich Gray Wresting tournament with a sore throat, headache and fever this afternoon.  And why Ross is working at a Soup and Bingo night at the church with his youth group tonight.  On the other hand, the idea of getting Maisie to an 8:00 A.M. basketball game in Downtown Des Moines this morning did not spark joy for any of us, which made calling in sick, 'joyful.'  

While resting my pounding head against the rough, yet cool bricks of the school wall as I acted as "gate keeper" I talked with fellow goat-friends who asked if Willow was plumping up.  She's due the 3rd week of March, you know.  It's so hard to tell, I explained.  It's possible, but she could just be 'hay- full' too.  It's kind of like the 4th month of a human pregnancy.  You don't really look pregnant, more like you just finished a heavy lunch.  I got home snapped some photos of Willow and passed them along to the experts.  

The first round came back inconclusive before I was asked to send some straight up rectal shots.  

Willow wasn't so sure about that.

As was I as a goat berry was dangling off her butt which I wasn't about to brush away.

Although this task didn't spark joy, we did it.  And according to my goat expert: Yes she looks bred based on the rear pics. She may not show belly wise as I am assuming she’s a first timer. She may not even start to have a bag until right before kidding.

And even more interesting...

The rear photo shows that her rectum is in a circle not a flat line. It very odd but they say that a bred doe will have a ‘hole’ that’s rounder in shape.

So I marched back out to the goat house to snap butt pics of the unbred... for comparison.  Maple wasn't cooperating- I don't really blame her though.

Jerseys rectum- unbred

Ashes rectum- unbred

I'm not entirely convinced.  However, I guess well find out for certain one way or another Mid-March.  

Sorry this got so weird.

Sparking Joy

Any guess what we've been reading?

Followed up by finding her searching Facebook for, "old raty houses'.  

God I love this girl.

January

It's been a mid-January, no school, colder-than-a-witches-tit kind of day.  

The goats didn't even try to leave their shelter- which calls for large Tupperware bowls of hot water to be carried into their dwelling for proper hydration.  

But goats are so stupid, they actually poop and pee in their food and water buckets.  Therefore, I'm having to bring bowls of frozen-poop-ice into the house for a few hours to thaw so I can dump it out.

It's getting weird.

My final semester of masters classes have begun, my school catering business is taking off faster than I can keep up, I've been introduced to audiobooks thanks to Heather, and I miss my camper.

And this crazy youngin' of mine cannot sit still.

He's wrestling now.

 I tried to hold off, but you know Ross and when there's a will there's a way...

In his first meet of the season, he pinned the first 2 and won 1.

So yeah, I guess this is the scary part. 

Otherwise, known as Faith.