Milking Lolly

Lolly, the goat on the right in the pic, was the only goat in milk this year and it was a real treat to have fresh goat milk each day for coffee, and the cheese Bev made. The dwarf goats, like Lolly, have a milk with a bit more fat than the other breeds, like Simone, the larger goat in the pic, who is more an Alpine goat.

In year's past there were enough goats to justify a milking machine, but that was sold earlier this year, knowing that there would be only one goat. Lolly was milked by hand or by using  a pneumatic milker. In spite of her smaller size, Lolly produced a lot of milk for several months, and the freezer is full of a soft cheese, like cream cheese called chevre cheese, we will be enjoying for months to come. Bev also made a simple cheese called Farmer's Cheese, made with vinegar, that caused the milk to curdle. The curds were added to lasagna with delicious results!

Thank you Lolly!

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©2020 

Farewell to a Buddy

Farewell to our buddy Cody, on September 19, who was a faithful companion to Bev through some trying times. Cody had a great personality--adored Dan and Steve, and was always willing to roll with whatever was going on, so long as food was involved! You could find Cody with the hens trying to figure out if they had any connection with grilled chicken, one of his favorites, with the goats when he wandered into their pen, and couldn't figure out how to get out, with Steve on the four wheeler, having breakfast with Natalie, who always save a little something for him, just hanging out beneath a blanket next to Bev in her reading chair, or in his bed by the wood stove.

We already miss the Cody paws in the hallway and beneath the dinner table, helping us cook and clean up for dinner. It is hard to imagine sitting by the fire without him napping between us, and the "long walks" from the wood stove to the crate when he would walk ever so slowly to bed...Bev promised him we would regularly pick on Homey the cat, who took great pains to tease him and instigate a scuffle. 

 We will miss you friend and will share many stories and smiles recounting Cody stories sitting by the fire. Thank you for your spirit and the many smiles you added to our lives over the years!

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©2020 

Flying Lobster

“It looks like a little flying lobster, with two eyes on it's tail,” Bev said as we looked at the flying creature hovering over the Cleome flower. It was completed undeterred by us watching it as it moved from floer to flower, hovering like a humming bird.

In no time, we were able to find that it was, in fact, called a hummingbird moth. I was intrigued by the thought that this moth was able to flap its wings at a speed close to what a bee might be capable of, and in a much larger body than a moth. I wondered what the caterpillar must look like, and how common these were in our area—this was the first I’d seen.

The Cleome attracts an amazing number of bees and nectar seeking insects, and smells a bit like an onion. By the end of our short season it has turned into a flowering bush.

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©2020 

Fork in the Road

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.,” Yogi Berra.


Twilight, as August moves more quickly into September than we might want, the quiet settles in. The frogs and crickets are still in chorus, but the geese have left , and the red-winged blackbirds, who owned the pond for the whole summer.The barn swallows, who chose to raise a second brood this year are nearly ready for flying lessons, so they too will be heading to winter’s quarteters shortly.


It is so cliché to remark that the time goes quickly, but it does seem like yesterday when we were awaiting the longest day, and reveling in the warmer days. Does looking to the future take our gaze away from the present, or is that just a part of the moment, an eye to the future?


Is it possible not to choose the right fork in the road?

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©2020