SOS. Kids are wearing me down.

My kids, of the two-legged variety, are taking a large toll on my mental and physical well-being.  The youngest, let's call her E, is 2.5 yrs and just now arriving at the terrible-twos, indicated by her spontaneous hour-long tantrums at a decibel to hurt anyone's ears.  I am waiting for my neighbors to inform the police over the I-want-a-cookie-for-breakfast dispute that ensues daily at our home.  My oldest is 5.5 yrs, which is when kids apparently manipulate, lie and torture their younger siblings and parents, for the purpose of amusement alone.  We have a lively household of unadulterated screaming, spankings, and tantrums of the adult variety.  My foot is bruised from kicking a door yesterday in a rebellious act against the methodical mutiny and rebelliousness of my YOUNG children.  I am trying to find someone to blame for this uprising, which should be considered typical of someone from my X-generation.  File this complaint under "blaming my parents for everything and the school of thought concerning child rearing during the late '70s".   Where did it all go wrong?

The goat kids were a ton of work to raise and have gratefully moved along to their new homes. They were always hungry, pooping everywhere and jumping at me and nibbling like a lot of hooligans, but they think I am "Mom", which is really rewarding.  If I had never been able to have children (which was a reality without drugs), goats could have filled a real void, emotionally and briefly.  As much as I LOVE raising Nigerian Dwarfs for their hardiness, personality and beauty, they are prolific and those kids take quite a bit of care and patience before they are ready to scoot along to another family.  What can I say, besides that I miss them already and may consider trading my human kids for more of the four-legged variety....after we get them through college, of course.   
       

Baby Goat Mania!

Trench Foot

Towards the end of last year's kidding season, my feet were in terrible shape.  I've had athlete's foot and peeling feet before, but this was something new.  This was painful swelling and itching on the tips of my toes and at the joints.  They were actually purple when my husband joked that I had gangrene.  I rubbed them down with antifungals, cortisone cream and soaked them in Epsom salts every day, but nothing seemed to help.  I also bought new boots, boiled my socks and limped around like an idiot for a month or two.  Finally, summer came and they gratefully healed. 

We are halfway through our goat births and my feet are purple, again.  The expensive boots I purchased last season have sprung leaks from everyday wear and are constantly wet from trekking through snow and puddles.  My socks are wet, my feet are wet and thus my Trench Foot has returned especially early.  I can't sleep for the throbbing pain and fear of spreading it to my children through our common shower.  Maybe this year I will find a boot that is made for constant use and will keep my feet dry (any suggestions?).  So, I now have a name and remedy for this particular ailment.  Since I can't stay out of the "trenches" when my goats are kidding, I will have to work harder to keep my feet warm and dry between milking and feeding sessions.  Thankfully, kidding should be over by St. Patrick's Day (see a three leaf clover below?).  Back to goat watch.

Kidding Commences!

Two first freshening does have already kidded, while we wait and carefully watch for labor in the remaining five.  Sugar Moon Cassiopeia delivered a single buckskin doeling and Capsand Creamery Titanium delivered a single big buckling, unattended during the very early hours of morning.  Both were jumping and playing after their lunch this afternoon.  The new mothers have been extraordinary on the milk stand already, but Titanium is blowing away all of my expectations and outpacing her older compatriot.

Now, if only the kids would all hold still for a picture!  So frustrating and so MUCH better in person.  Back to goat watch.  What a great start to this season!

Remorse

A little belligerent negativity goes a long, or shall I say deep, way towards a desired outcome.  We've had about 15 inches of snow in the last several days, which has exceeded all expectation for a white Christmas (see previous post).  As such, I am taking a physical holiday off tomorrow, before my body gives out completely from shoveling snow.

Why?

This occasion has also reminded me how very off-track my attempt at omnipotence can become.  I am not admitting to being wrong (no, never).  However, 8 out of 10 times I am nearly never right.  This is why I don't gamble and feel lucky to have not had the opportunity to make bad decisions, when it REALLY mattered.  Thus, my reluctance to be decisive at all.  My husband is similarly afflicted, which makes life most dull and cumbersome when trying to move forward on projects, including home renovation.  In the end, I wield the major cutting utensils and take "full" responsibility while we do a dance over which part of the "new house" needs to be cut out.  But, that's another story.

Looking back, I am old enough to remember the television advertisements for computers in the '80s.  As I recall, it was a public service announcement with cartoon characters promising an easier way to file important documents, for dad, and store recipes, for mom.  Let's not lament nor belabor the implied sexism.  At an especially dumb early age, I recall thinking, "What a waste of time, why would anyone bother to use a computer when they could just write it all down on paper and put it in a file cabinet?".  Let's just say, it was a good thing I didn't have an investment portfolio.

So in retrospect, I really wish it hadn't snowed so damn much and maybe if I hadn't said (posted) anything it wouldn't hurt so bad.  But I am in no way superstitious!  Fingers crossed Mother Nature will go easy on me from here on out.       

No SNOW for you-know-what

So, we are celebrating the Winter Solstice!  Yeah!! Whoo-hoo (insert backflips here, b/c 20+ years ago, I could do them)!!  Days are getting longer from now on, which means 3:30 pm sunsets will be in our past for another year.  However, we are only a few days from Christmas and still have no snow.  Oh, and we live in VERMONT!!  Officially, I am not complaining because at $45 per snow plow, who really does lament the lack of white stuff.  But, think of my children and their innate desire to eat fresh snow, sled in our driveway and skate on frozen ponds!!

We nearly reached 50 degrees Fahrenheit today, as well, which means the big storm blanketing the northeast is rain.  It is predicted to become cooler over the weekend, resulting in snow, but the forecasters are off by 5-10 negative degrees, on average and by my estimation.  More complaining, I know.

On the bright side, I have post holes to dig this season and another freezing day will mean breaking/thawing ice out of my animal's water buckets.  I'm sure this will come back to bite me, but as a not-so-wise man once said, "bring it on!"  Screw you Old Man Winter, I have other plans...that have been delayed or otherwise postponed under better judgement and following the principles of nature, which apparently do not apply in this age of Global Warming.

2013 Nigerian Dwarf Kidding

 We are making preparations for our 5th kidding season!  With seven expecting Nigerian Dwarf does, 2013 will be our largest and most diverse group of kid goats, with outstanding genetics including progenitors from Old Mountain Farm, Rosasharn, PromidedLand, Sugar Moon, Dragonfly, and Twin Creeks!  We will have a fairly even mixture of first, second and third fresheners.  Based on previous seasons and reasonable expectations, I expect to have 16 bundles of joy bouncing around in the barn. 

Milking time has been temporarily suspended for our girls as their bellies grow and bodies miraculously adjust to the gift that is pregnancy.  They will receive an extra copper bolus, shot of selenium/vit-E, and an annual booster vaccination for CD&T, within the next several months.

March will usher in another three weeks of lost sleep over nighttime pregnancy checks, birthing participation, and hand-scrubbing goo out of all my good linens.  It will be a great month of hard labor and much love.  May will bring a work reprieve and sadness as we see our babies to new homes.  Summer-time is filled with milking and cheesemaking, fall breeding and finally a winter rest.  Which is where we are now.  It's a wonderful cycle that I am eager to repeat.
  
Join me and many others in raising these curious, intelligent companions, who support your homestead dairy.  Our kids are weaned from unpasteurized Nigerian milk (CAE-free herd) at 8 weeks and eating hay/grain supplemented by kelp and minerals.  They are also disbudded (no horns), vaccinated against CD&T (Rabies is optional), and castrated (for wethers).  Does and bucklings are tattooed for registration purposes.  I demonstrate hoof trimming and vaccinations (subcutaneous injections) to new goat owners and offer full support after kids go home.    

photo courtesy M. Mesler

If you are interested in reserving a kid(s) in 2013, please send me an email capsandcreamery@gmail.com.  We accept verbal reservations until all of our kids are born.  After which, a deposit is required to hold a kid until weaning age.  We offer a breeding service, at reduced rates and optional boarding for doe kid customers!  I will also demonstrate milking and cheesemaking to customers, when the time comes.

For now, though, I will enjoy my break along with the hard cheeses and frozen chevre that I've been fortunate to set aside for our winter meals.  Happy Solstice!!