Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Remember when.....

.....I said that I had too many freaking goats.  Like three years ago.  At that point in my blog, I was lamenting on about how we had a whole SIX pregnant goats for a total herd of twenty or just under/over.  At this point in time I cannot tell you the exact number of goats we have.  It's hovering around 40.  I think.  I just know that there are, like, a lot of goats.

In general, we've done pretty well breeding and caring for the goat herd.  We've put countless goats in the freezer & canner, sold a few (not nearly enough!) and lost several to old age, but we've been pretty lucky that only four have died without our wanting them to in the last three years. One to bloat, one to hypothermia, one stillborn and one to an unknown malady.   Oh, there have been several close calls though.  Broken leg, hypothermia, overextended tendons, dam rejection, bottle kids, etc, but we've done well if I do say so myself.

And done pretty well digging a money pit in the process.

You'd think that with all the people freaking out and screaming.....

OMG, there's NO chicken! then the
OMG, there's NO beef! then the
OMG, there's NO pork! (do you see a trend?  Anyone.....anyone???)

that there would be a demand for some of our meat goats.  But alas, there is not.  As anyone who tries to sell anything via FB or Craigslist, there are plenty of people who want this or that nowNowNOW, but when push comes to shove there is never a follow through involving actual cash.

We have made a couple hundred goat burgers.  Slow roasted goat shoulder. Goat sausages.  Goat meatloaf.  Pulled BBQ goat sandwiches.  Goat broth.  Goat enchiladas / tacos / fajitas.  Goat pot pie.  Goat chili.  You name it, I've made it with goat. 

So we continue to plod on and butcher them for our freezer.  Which really isn't that bad.  Except that I'd be apprehensive to do a cost analysis in fear that I would immediately suffer a stroke, knock my head on the countertop and the cats would eat me.  Because frankly, they're sick & tired of eating goat meat.  And honestly, I don't blame them.




Friday, May 22, 2020

Sneaking back in

Please forgive me if this post is all katywampus; it's been a wee bit since I've logged on to the Blogger site.

I've come back to blog for several reasons, but the final push was because Small Farm Girl (https://www.smallfarmgirl.blogspot.com) hinted that she was going to start up again and I'm like, "Not without me, you ain't!!"

The world, as many already painfully know, has officially gone to the crapper.  TwentyTwenty is going to go down in history as "That year pretty much sucked".  So I'm not going to discuss virology or economy or political-ology stuff (not yet, anyways) because frankly, I'm sick of the shit.  And I have only myself to blame because I have taken FB on as my main "outlet" and pushed my blog to the back of the closet (along with my size 10 jeans and high heels that I swear I will mash myself into one day).  It's time to start focusing on the GOOD things, and the things that I personally have control over.

I've been working full time since 2015, so things have obviously changed around the homestead.  Oh, the homestead is still here, if only to provide me with moments of rooster-rage or goat-screaming but  I'm just not the one dealing with it full time now.  Paul is now the sucker - I mean -  the Head Human in Charge, with Rhiannon as his Second in Command.

Following your blogs used to be the highlight of my week.  And I hope to bring that spark of joy back to my life.  And honestly, I miss writing here as well.

Oh, the stories I have to tell.  Some good, some bad, some downright so ugly that you will have to wash your eyes out with lye and then squirt salted lemon juice in them to flush it out.  But tell you about it, I will.

See ya soon!

Stay safe.  Stay well.