Cuddle Up: January 2008

I have been so busy and/or sick since we came home that I haven't got my posting done. Lots is happening.

First, we got Lillian's food sensitivity results and a lot of stuff showed up. She has intolerance of gluten, dairy, and soy!! Also cantaloupe (this was very high), hazelnuts (also very high), peas, and navy beans. wow. what is even more amazing is that within 2 days of taking these things out of her diet, she was a different kid. no more crying, tantrums. she is no longer argumentative. she (and we) are so much happier. it is a true miracle. she is taking it in stride and has been very understanding. she even told she she is much happier now. both of her teachers have told me she is a lot more alert in school. yeah!!!!!!

She has shot up recently and is very busy crafting and working very hard on learning to read.

Paco has finished moving the electrical box for the house. He is now putting the wall and ceiling back together. It will be great to have the new dining room for summer.

the other big news is that on Friday 11 we got our goats. We have 2 Nubian does that we have renamed Mabel and Lizzy. Mabel is a young doe that lost her kid prematurely is we are milking her now. Lizzy is a 4 yr old doe and she is due with twins (we think) on Feb. 5. This is her second time settling (pregnancy) and should be a good milker. We are getting a quart a day from Mabel and expect at least twice that from Lizzy. Mabel is very quiet and nervous. But Lizzy is a hell raiser. They came from a herd of 20 and now the very pregnant Lizzy is trying to assert her dominance in the new herd which includes all us humans. She has gotten several good smacks to her muzzle daily. This feels strange to me, but this is goat language. I have to tell her I am the herd queen. Even though I am often milking in subzero temps, I LOVE it. I love the milking, I love the barn, I love it all. And now I have dairy products that Lillian can eat. She can have grilled cheese thanks to my Mabel mozzarella. I have made chevre and kefir also. The chevre was great, but the kefir will need some work.

My seed orders are in and I am working on plans for the chickens and turkeys. We are going to turn one of the lean-to's into a poultry house. We are going to get a few laying hens, some broilers and turkeys for meat.

I am giddily happy with my early farming efforts. I am nervous about our upcoming births but also excited. I just love it!! I found a GREAT podcast called geek.farm.life about 2 silicon valley city nerds that moved to Indiana to produce their own food. They have a "farm phone" and they play and answer the calls on the podcast. Check out episode 102 to hear my goat question. I am sure I will be calling lots more. I highly recommend the podcast for it's entertainment value.

I am taking a nutrition course at Morton Center with Dr. Lightstone. It is good. I know a lot, but am learning a lot too. I found out about agave nectar!

I am taking a mediation class tomorrow. namaste;)