Slice of Almost Heaven Blog

Hold Me Mommy

4/16/2022

Vicki gave birth today, we induced her yesterday so she could give birth today. We do this so we can be there when they give birth, just in case there are any problems we can assist. Vicki is called in the goating world a "First Freshener". That means this was her first time kidding and she was a bit a scared. She had cried all night trying to figure things out. It was mid-afternoon and Michelle knew the time was close. She sat down on a bucket and started to pet and hold Vicki to comfort her. Vicki knew that now with Mommy here all was well. She relaxed and got to the task at hand. Within 30 minutes she gave us a beautiful buckling.

We raise all of our kids on a bottle so they associate Michelle as "mommy" and they never forget that mommy was there when they were born and she will be with them when they have their own kids. This bond of trust forms at birth and lasts a lifetime. They will always remember!

Haulin' Water

3/19/2022

This may not look like much, but for us this is a wonderful thing. As temperatures have moderated, we have been able to turn the water on to the barns. This saves us from hauling water out to all the buildings. For us this is a wonderful sight.

But just in case we have a cold snap, we have heat tape in the does barn and we run the tap when the temperatures drop below freezing.

Now if we could just get an automated system for when the goats poop in their water! But that is another story!!

Goat Boxing

2/28/2022

You have heard of Kick Boxing and Shadow Boxing, but have you heard of Goat Boxing??

Our bucks, are lovable furry fuzz balls. They are so sweet to us, but they love to fight! It is not that they hate each other, but they just love a good fight! During breeding season they fight to see who will get a girlfriend, an endeavor that is fruitless since they have pre-arranged girlfriends. Then at meal time they fight over food, flinging buckets, snorting and head bashing you would think they are starving. Just a bunch of drama! It reminds you of a bunch of HS boys in the school cafeteria, they even throw food at each other. We have resigned ourselves that they just like to fight. When the dust clears and everyone has eaten they all curl up in a pile and sleep off dinner, just to start again come morning.

Afraid of the Dark

1/25/2022

This morning when I went to take care of the goats. If you look close you can see one of them looking at me.

We are currently having an interesting problem here at Slice of Almost Heaven. You see the farm is set up with three different areas containing goats. In the front (closest to the house and milk barn) is the does barn. Here is where the adult females (adult meaning over a year old and have had kids) reside. They are closest to the milk barn since their job is to feed kids and us yummy milk. Usually in the middle area where we have a calf hutch we keep the doelings (females less than a year and have not kidded). Most seasons I keep 2-3 doelings, but this year I kept 5 so I had to move the bucks to the middle area. This means the doelings are in the buck barn. The buck barn is the structure farthest away from the house because bucks STINK during rut. There is no nice way to explain it, they are gross (they pee on themselves, aka "cologne") and are just generally greasy. But this year the buck barn smells nice (for a barn) since the doelings are there. But I digress, so because of playing shuffleboard with the goats the doelings are lucky enough to be in the larger buck barn. So they are also lucky that Peter installed lights in the barn so it would be easier for me to take care of the animals. Up until this point, we would occasionally find the lights on but it could be an any time of day or night. There was no rhyme or reason, most likely someone got lucky and flicked on the lights.

That was until the doelings moved in.......

But now we have someone who is intentionally turning on the lights. How do I know it is intentional? Because they only turn them on at night! What I figure happened is someone (and I have my "suspects") got lucky when they were bored and turned on the light. This smart cookie did it again the next night and now it is every night. Right now it is ok that they are "Afraid of the dark" but come spring we will have to figure something out, because one of the lights she turns on is attached to a solar cell in the warm months and we do not want her to drain the battery. Thankfully right now it is attached to a battery tender so the battery stays charged.

They said "Get Goats", since that time 12 years ago we have had antics of one sort or another to keep life interesting.

Christmas of the Farm

12/25/2021

Today is Christmas, the day we celebrate the earthly birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Michelle and I observe most holidays here at home. Being up in the mountains, you would think it would be cold and snowy, and we would be enjoying a White Christmas. Well, not this year; it has been cool and dreary all day. Light rain has been falling. The goats are bedded down in their barns, munching on hay. The chickens walk around searching for seeds while the ducks play in the mud. We have lots of mud. That is why we long for the colder weather to freeze the mud. Michelle is cooking a duck for dinner and making cookies. The cookies are from a recipe that has been handed down over four generations. The smell of the duck in the oven and the sweet aroma of the cookies waft into the office.

I am at my desk with a pencil and paper. I am laying out a new barn to build in the spring. Michelle wants a separate kidding barn and a new place to house the newly born goat kids. As I look down on the paper it is slowly forming from my mind's eye. All the measurements are done now; it is put to paper. We will break ground in April.

As I take a moment's break, I ponder the day. For us, it is now not what we receive this day, but what we already have. A bit of land, livestock to care for, a warm home, and for me, the love of my life near. With that, I do not need anymore.

Put Another Cat on the Bed

11/20/2021

There is an old country song, "Throw Another Log on the Fire." Around here, it is "Throw, Another Cat on the Bed!" As the weather turns cooler, they come. One by one, they jump up into bed. As the night passes, more come. Soon you wake up sweating and not being able to move. In the inky darkness, you peer down at a whole clowder of cats snuggled up next and on top of you. Too bad for you if you want to move or, worse yet have to visit the facilities. They are quite comfortable and not in any mood to move. With great difficulty, you extract yourself from the tangle. As you return, you are cold and would like nothing better than to slip under the nice warm covers. To your dismay, you find your spot taken now. You must unload cats to get into bed, and fight to not to be hanging off the edge of the bed. Then the alarm goes off, and they pile out of bed. They are well-rested and ready for a snack before going back to bed. Cats have it tuff around here!

Goat Kisses

10/16/2021

You probably heard of butterfly kisses. But have you heard of goat kissies?

Our milking does, and sometimes the bucks will give you kisses. What this is as you get your face close to theirs, they raise up and nuzzle you. They press their wet nose to yours. It is a sign of affection and trust. All of them will give you some, but some that you have a special bond with will provide you with more.

This picture is of “Big Moma,” aka Lois, our herd queen. She is a gentle giant who rules with an iron hoof and a heart of gold. She gives lots of kissies!

Rule with the Iron Feather

9/30/2021

On the face of it, this seems like a strange title. Let me explain; earlier this year, we picked up some ducklings. We wanted ducks that were better egg layers. So after much thought, we settled on Khaki Campbells. They are adorable ducks that are much smaller them our Muscovy Ducks. We feared the Muscovies would push around the smaller Khaki Campbells.

We were wrong!

If you look at the picture, you can see how much larger the Muscovy Ducks are...but it turns out they are complete cowards. These new ducks make up for size with attitude! These ducks are here to kick butt and chew bubblegum, and they are all out of gum. The females can and do push the big males around, and a chicken better not look at them the wrong way, or they will get an attitude adjustment. It is comical to see. Time will tell if the big ducks will ever grow a backbone!

Seed and the Sower

8/31/2021

Most of you know about the parable of the seed and the sower. The farmer goes forth in his field and starts to sow seed. The seed is good and will yield well given the right conditions. As he sow the seed it is caught by the breeze. As it falls to the ground, some seed falls on rocky ground, some is consumed by the birds of the air. Some falls on good ground.

As he sow the seed he does not truly know how the harvest will be. His job today to to sow the seed. As he looks back over time he sees how the seed he has sown has produced. Not all his seed has born fruit. But he takes pride in the area where the seed has produced much fruit.

As we all go through life we sow seed. Depending on the seed we use, it will determine the harvest we reap. As you look back on your life did you plant a good crop that will live on after you or a life that is best forgotten?

The choice is yours…

The Power of One

7/5/2021

The title of this post is a bit vague, but in its simplicity, there is great depth. So, what do I mean by “The Power of One.” Look at this picture; what do you see? A hand holding a stone, if you look deeper, there is a lot more to it than that.

Take that stone and toss it into a still pond. That single stone will send ripples through the entire pond. As those ripples encounter something, they interact, causing a cascading reaction until they eventually fade or reach the shore.

Each action we take, every word we say causes ripples like that stone. Nothing we do is done in a vacuum. When you toss that stone, will it hurt or help? Did it do what you wanted, or was it misunderstood? Only time will tell. Each choice you make has consequences. Each of us are here for a purpose, to play a critical part in life. Some will take their talents and use them to help; others will not. The choice is yours. Think before you act. That simple act of kindness you bestow on someone can mean more to them than you will ever know! I have been the beneficiary of these gifts. The person did not know how much it meant to me, but I will always cherish them.

I have kept this stone and will pull it out to look at it. Not because it is unique but, on the contrary, because it is so ordinary. It still can be a huge difference; it is all in the way it is used. This stone reminds me of Jesus; he tossed that stone(Himself) into the pool of my life, and the ripples will never fade or reach the shore.

Jesus loved us so much that he gave his own life to pay a debt that was not his, but he was the only one who could pay it. This is our Lord and Savior, whether we accept him or reject him. When that day comes when I see him face to face, and I see the scars in his hands. I will only then start to understand what a debt he paid and the love he showed me. A gift free to all who ask!

The Power of One!