A Long Stretch without a Word

Heather our #2 daughter due the end of October.

And a goat accident that ended with having her bag sewn up. (Story below)

Trip to the Zoo for David's birthday. His brother and parents came with us. The puppies are ready for new homes and are eating us out of farm and milk. (16 pounds of puppy food and 2 gallon of milk a day)

Got to deliver a baby for a friend. Both neighbor and goat are doing well.

Heather, her sister, is pinning Danyel at her Civil Air Patrol ceremony. Aug. 29.
Danyel is now ahead of Ali in rank!

My new front door screen is done. My dad built it for me and stained it to match the deck. It is really great to be able to open the front door and turn the fan on and no flys come in - or puppies.

Since I'v not wrote in such a long while, I thought photo's would be the best way to sum up the last three weeks. We have been very busy and I have been very tired. All our farmers markets are going well. We finished Stilecoom which was only a 9 week market (thier first year), it went very well. I went to the last market with David so that the folks there could meet the cheese maker in person. It was a great market, both financially and community.

The girls got to go flying again in the power plane. We have just bought the first airline ticket for Ali to go to Texas in December. She'll be gone from the 16 to Jan 13. Talk about excited these two girls cant wait. Danyel will go the middle of Jan. to the middle of Feb. They both picked the best time when we are not milking or kidding to go.

We got news that we are going to be grandparents again. Heather is due the end of October and Tami our daughter in Texas is due in March. So I will be heading to Texas the first of March for a week. This is right when we start kidding at the farm. Danyel will then have to earn thier keep while I am gone.

One of the sort of suttle notes I have mentioned was the financial part of our dairy. What I didn't say was we were a thread away from loosing the dairy. But the bank has decided to give us another chance. I am so thankful to MY GOD for blessing us with this dairy and our way of life. We have worked so hard these last six years (in Dec.) to loose it all. We are now looking at servicing about 12 resturants, we are currently working 9 farmers markets. So we are here for another year at least.

My parents went on vacation for a week and I had to go back and start labeling cheese again. WoW! Its true you don't know what you have till its gone (even if its for only a week). We have talked to a young girl that loves animals and has helped us out before - to see if she would like to come to the dairy this spring and help with the kidding and maybe lable some cheese for me.

I was suppose to go to Africa in October, but that has been post poned until Jan. or Feb. as the cheese processing plant hasn't been finished yet and will take longer than they expected. So that is a good postponement though... . gives me more time to make cheese and get it stored away for winter.

We went to a friends 70th wedding anniversary. That was alot of fun. Got to see people I hadn't seen a long time.

The goat - So here is the story. We went out to milk in the morning and everything was great. But the evening milking was interesting. Danyel came to the processing plant to tell me a goat had a hole in her bag. I am thinking she got poked with a stick kind of hole. When I got there - there was milk and blood comng out of the same space. It looked like someone had cut her teat almost off and straight across. I was on the phone to the vet and had the doe loaded into the truck in about 15 min. Our vet sewed up inside her bag and the outside. The picture is at the vets right after he got done sewing her up. The goat is doing great, she has mastitis on the hurt side - but the vet said that would happen. We are still milking both sides. She had her stitches taken out on Friday and is out in the pasture with the other goats.

The puppies have gotten their shots, wormed and are growing leaps and bounds. We let them run around the farm twice a day and then get them back into thier pens with goat milk.

We will start breeding does in Sept. and that should start kidding in Feb. this year. And the cycle starts again. We will dry up the does the middle to end of November. That will give every one thier vacation.

We started homeschooling three weeks ago so that the girls won't have to do schoolwork in Texas. They will each take two classes at the High School this year. Danyel is taking woodshop and keyboarding, Ali is taking Biology and Drawing. It will work out great as its the last two classes of the day so they can ride the bus home. We will get Danyel's permit for driving so she can get her license when she is 18 in May.

Well I hope this makes everyone happy, cause I know you'v been wondering whats going on with Blue Rose Dairy.

Stressing Week

Our front door complete!~ The goats and puppies meeting!

How time flys when your having fun. Its been two weeks since I last wrote you. Well I can assure you I wasn't sitting around tanning on the deck (not that I didn't think about it). We have been busy beavers here. Those 8 markets a week sure keep me hoping and I am not gaining on my cheese supply. It seems as fast I make it, its selling. I haven't been faithful with my three batches a week, which might explain some of my wow's. Its a good delema to have but means more work for me. Such is life. I am going to go backward this time.

Yesterday it was HOT! David put a sprinkler on top of our huge barn to keep the roof cooled down, we have a swamp cooler (David made it) in the barn too. We have a sprinkler keeping the ground wet in the bucks pen. And the girls have been going out three times a day to fill water buckets. So far the goats are fairing pretty good. Had one come down with diahreah but she seems to be doing good now. We gave a tour to our neighbors family yesterday. I am not sure but I think the puppies trump the goats. They sampled cheese and loved it. Gave our business cards out so they could find us at some of the markets.

Sat. the market was good, David went and introduced himself to some more resturants in the Pikes Place Vacinity. Hopefully we'll hear back from some. And I held my 2nd cheese class for the year - one more to go. Everyone seemed to have learned the lesson and was ready to go home and make thier first batch of cheese. I haven't heard back from any yet. I had 25 people come for the class. One couple who own a tavern/resturant came and spent the night in thier camper at the farm. They were awsome people. David and I enjoyed their company so much. We stayed up till 12:30pm visiting. The funny story about Nancy and Chris happened early in the morning, about 4:30am. Nancy heard the rooster crow and thought I was yelling "Nancy and Chris", She shot up out of bed checking the windows in the camper seeing if she could see anything. She woke Chris up and he told her it was a rooster and she tried to convince him it was me yelling for them. She thought I had cut off my arm or something and needed thier help. She finally layed back down. Chris said he didn't go back to sleep and when we went out to milk goats at 5am he came out to help and take pictures. So by the end of the day they were both pretty tired. What a great couple. Hope we get to visit with them more.

All day Friday I was getting things ready for the cheese class. Made my soup and in the afternoon I took all the stuff down to the grange hall and set it up. We or I should say the girls shampooed my rugs. We had a farm tour, a young couple from Idaho, Boise. They sampled our cheese and asked a bunch of questions. They want to do a small scale dairy someday. Danyel and Ali went over to the neighbors for a birthday/swim/sleep over. They came home in time to milk the goats and we traded children. Ali went to thier house for the night and Katie came here to help at the farm. Our guest arrived about 8:30pm from Tacoma. David got home about 9pm - took him 4 hours to drive home from Seattle. Our guests brought Pizza for dinner from thier resturant....Yum Yum!

Thur. Our Markets were really good. I brought home a couple new plants - one is a red seedless grape. I am so excited. David brought home veg.'s. Yum! We were tired so things went well and bed came soon.

Wed. David started the Tumwater market and Danyel and I finished it. David and Ali headed for Stilecoom for the 3-7pm market. This was the first time since it started that Ali got to hear the concert. Each time she has gone the threat of rain loomed and they moved it in doors.

Tue. I had a 4-H meeting so we could plan our fair decorations. It went well and I was back on track getting ready for the cheese class. Mom and Dad came over and helped lable and weigh cheese. Dad is building screen doors for the house and he sure enjoys it. It will look so nice when its done. He is about ready for the screens. We'll paint it before he does that though.

Monday - David and I went to Intel @ DuPont to demo our cheese to the employees there. It was a nice afternoon. And hopefully we'll be getting some cheese orders from them too. I got up at 5am and made cheese before we left. We also had a new refrigeration unit delivered. We bought it from Black Sheep Creamery. Its big and will sure help with storage of my cheese. It actually all came together too.

Sunday -We all went to church. David and I ran to Cash and Carry and got some supplies. We ran to the fabric store and I bought some muslin to try on my cheese. (It worked great too!) I made 2 gallons of yogurt and Mom and dad cmea at about 3:30 to help lable and weigh cheese for me.

Sat. My daughter came to pick up Kiara, my granddaughter. I was so tired from doing market and the heat. I don't think I was in a very good mood when I got home. I found my house a total mess. After I had paid the girls to clean it on Thur. It all ended alright with saying I am sorry, but what a stress out! Oh yes, a main water line broke in the basement and flooded the carpet again. This happened when we were at market and the girls were home. They couldn't tell where the water was coming from. When David got home at 4pm he called a plumber and they fixed it for a couple hundred dollars. We had the fans and such down there trying to dry out the carpet. The girls helped David move all the funiture and and stuff into the library. Now my basement is a total mess.

Friday. I was getting cheese ready for Sat. markets. Had alot of packaging and lableing and weighing to do. Mom and Dad were here to help.

So I think that gets us up to this week now.

Have a great week. Stay Cool! but enjoy the Sunshine.

The new Chevre Flavor

This is the before of the front door and the other photo is what it looks like now!

Hello: As usual its been crazy around here. We sold about 400 pieces of cheese last week not counting the yogurts or restaurant orders. We are packaging and weighing alot of cheese.
Our new cheese is, "Summer Breeze" Its a chevre with fresh zest of a lemon and then the juice from the lemon and some fireweed honey. Its been the big seller this last week.

This is a picture of two of our puppies eating breakfast. The other picture is the garden in front of my milk parlor this year.

Last week we had a grange meeting at the Porters Patch, we watched a 4-H club do some horse demonstrations and at great food. Wed. we did our two markets, Tumwater and Stielacoom - the weather was pretty iffy all day. But the markets did pretty good. Thur I did the Olympia market and I did pretty good. David did the Broadway market in Tacoma. When he got home he had to turn around and head for Olympia for a schoolboard meeting. David had such a headache it was a good thing he was a passenger not the driver. He has been having this headache for a few days and that makes it hard for him to sleep. I made cheese on Wed. Friday and on Sunday. David didn't do the Pikes Place Market this week cause his head was hurting to bad. So he stayed home and supervised the finishing of the painting of our house and deck. Sherwin came on Friday and helped package and make some Grande' Rosa and Pepper. Mom and Dad were here labeling the cheese and weighing for me. We were done with all the extras by about 6pm and then we did chores and ate dinner. We then packed up our car and truck for market.

Sat. I was in Puyallup and David was in Longview. When we got home about 4pm the girls had already started miking the goats. We were done unloading and getting things ready to go to Rainier Daze in Rainier, Oregon for the Fireworks at 9pm. We met our daughter and her husband and their three kids and my son and his girlfriend and her two kids and saw a bunch of our old friends. It was a great fireworks and the company was great. We got home about 12pm with our granddaughter. We had to be in Tacoma for Art on the Ave. event at 9am.

Sunday I got up at 5am to get the parlor cleaned and start loading and cutting samples for the event we were going to today. It ran from 11-5pm. We did alright but the music was really loud and that made David's headache even worse. So he went to the truck and slept and I worked the event. We packed up at 5pm and headed for home. David and I stopped on the way home to eat some Mexican food and relax. When we got home David went to lay down and I unloaded the truck and counted inventory. The girls had to give a tour on Sunday while I was gone and from their report it went well. So all in all the week was a success.

Monday we just kind of hung out. I went and got our weeks worth of grain. David ran and got dog food. David had a DR. apt in Longview for his headache's and Ali had Waldo castrated today so she can take him to the fair this year and her cart. The girls milked early so they could go to the movies at 8pm - Ice Age. Picked them up at 10pm. They went to bed and so did I.

Today I have to hang chevre and package and weigh an label cheese. My parent who usually help me are visiting some friends and won't be here to help till Friday this week.

I hope I haven't tired many of you with my week. I actually feel pretty good. David is on his way to 6th Ave market in Tacoma and I am working in the cheese room.

Have a great Week and relax when you can and work hard when you need too.

A Weather Change

Good Morning;

Well its been about one week since I wrote to you all. So lets do the usual catch up.

We gained a new Restaurant - Il Fiasco in Tacoma is now using our cheese. We are scheduled to do a Sustainable Farming talk at Intel at DuPont, Wash. next week. Our markets are busy. The newest Market we picked up is Stilecoom and its a really fun market to do. We sold 350 pieces of cheese last week. WOW! My parents come over on Tue and Friday to help label cheese and weigh it for me. Other wise I'd be up all night. My yogurt is selling like hotcakes too. I made 7 gallons of it this last week and only had two people didn't pick up their orders.

Danyel was in the Egg Day Parade on the Hope Grange Float. The girls had fun attending the parade in Winlock and checking out all the fun things going on.

Our puppies are growing like weeds. They are so rolly polly. They are eating about 1/2 gallon of goat milk and baby cereal mixed with it twice a day. What they don't eat Cloe does. Our milking is going well. The goats are getting wormed today. I use a pour on wormer and I watch for shaggy goats and then worm - it comes out to maybe two or three times a year. Ali has been working with her cart...... as you see in the picture. She has hooked her goat up a few times this week.

The 4th of July is a very stressful event around the dairy. David and I walk to all our neighbors and explain why shooting off fireworks is harmful to our dairy and the big rockets that boom. Our goats as usual ran from one side of the barn to the other trying to escape the booms and the flashes of light. One family around us did the fireworks thing and they had ammunition from the reservation. David stayed up until 3am to try and keep a handle on the upset goats. Needless to say they were very tired the next morning and production was down. Most of our neighbors understand and comply. But you always have to have a few that are compost.

I made three batches of cheese this week - in two days. I don't know where times goes but I have looked for it under the bed and in the dryer and cant seem to locate the hours I'v lost this week. I have to say the weather was so great this week. But the rains or at least showers are coming back for a quick reminder - and that's alright too. I work inside when the weather is bad. I am starting my veg. and meat diet again after taking a week off. I just need to cleanse my body of toxins - so maybe I can gain a little energy and feel ready to run away with the wind. Ha! Ha!. My granddaughter is coming to spend a week here at the farm next week. She is a sweety. My daughters really enjoy her too.

This week is always playing catch up. We may be going down to Tacoma for the ART ON THE AVE on Sunday.... but we are trying to move scheduals around. Ali may be getting baptized on Sunday and we won't miss that. Also the girls have thier goat class this Sunday on Breeding.

You have a great week and I'll be chatting with you all next week.

A New Cart for Ali

A trip to the zoo for Father's Day

A bunch of Fluff!

This is the Good Life!

Ali and Waldo and her New Pink Cart!

Good Morning:

Well Blue Rose Dairy has been busy this week. We are doing 8 markets a week. We picked up our 10th market on Wed. at Steilacoom. We sold 350 pieces of cheese this week which is up from last week by 20 pieces. We are supplying cheese to 94th Stewart Restaurant in Seattle, Country Folks Deli & Bistro in Longview. And will have about two more restaurants ordering this next week.

I made Chevre this week as well as Black Jewels, N.W. Comfort, Grande' Rosa and Pepper Rosa. As well as 9 gallons of yogurt. We are naming our yogurt "Goat- Gurt". My parents came over on Tue. and Friday and helped label and weigh cheese. This is a family affair for sure.

Our house looks so nice. My brother will come after the 4th of July and finish the trim and deck. One of our refrigerators went out this last week. I am down to three refrigerators and its hard to keep everything cool. We are going to go next week and buy another refrigerator. (One of those is in my house). Today we got me a industrial style Kitchen Aid mixer. David will take my other one and have it refurbished so I can move it into the house. The bigger one will work great in the processing plant.

We had a new great niece born this last week too. Cassandra had her baby. Congrad's to You.

It seems we keep running around here. I don't think I get much time to rest. We are still homeschooling too.

Danyel took her dog, Maggie and had her spayed on Monday. So she has been on bed rest for this week - the dog.

I should make note the girls are paying for these things themselves. I still can't believe Ali saved $500 for that cart.

Fathers Day was spent at the Zoo in Portland. Heather and Jamie and our grandson CJ met us there. I had made a picnic lunch to eat at the Zoo. We had chicken, salads, rolls, cookies. It was a great day to visit the zoo.

Well enough. I have to get dinner done so we can go see Star War's at 9:45pm tonight.

Have a great evening and think of me at 5am cleaning the parlor and getting ready for a busy day tomorrow.

New Look to Blue Rose Dairy

My brothers business
Before

After

Well I guess the biggest news is our house. My parents paid my brother to paint my house. Well this week was the week. They worked on it for 5 days and then the rain came so they will be back to finish the last of the trim and stain the deck.

It looks great! Thanks mom and dad and Steven.

The farmers markets are going well. We are all feeling tired but still going strong. We pick up our tenth market on Wed. of this week. People are looking for us and the Chefs at the markets are using our cheese to demonstrate with. That's great. The more people know how to use our cheese the better for us. We have picked up a couple more small restaurants. Keeping up with making cheese three days a week is quite the challenge. I need to stay home those days and that almost seems impossible. There is always something pulling me away from the farm. Anyway it is getting done. I am not getting a head though as we seem to be selling it about as fast as I make it. One of our refrigerators went out so I am down to three refrigerators and that doesn't hold all my cheese. So I am having to package more cheese than usual. A friend has an extra refrigerator and they are going to sell it to us... soon I'll have my fourth back.

The car's water hose to the heater broke the other day and it goes to the doctor on Monday to get fixed. Danyel is having her dog, Maggi fixed on Monday too.

Ali went and ordered her goat cart this last week and it will be here this next weekend, florescent pink with a pink seat too. She can't wait. She saved up $450 and bought it.

Today is Father's day, Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads. So for David's gift we go to the Zoo. This year its to the Portland Zoo. A long time ago we asked David's parents to buy our family a zoo pass and they have done it ever since. We use to go all the time --- but farm life and cheese making and Farmers Markets keep us from enjoying it very often. But David's favorite place is the zoo. So we will be leaving as soon as the milking and chores are done.

Danyel just came in and said Waldo (Ali's cart goat with big horns) just had one of my younger boar bucks stuck in his horn and now the buck can't walk. So David is moving him to a pen. And Waldo is going to have a pasture all to himself. Possibly one more goat to add to the butcher pot too. (Not waldo - I already threatened Ali with that and he was saved last year).

There is never a dull moment on the farm that's for sure.

The puppies eyes are starting to open. We have to chain Cloe in the pen - she wants to hide the puppies. We don't let anyone in the pen so she will feel more protected. Once the eyes are all open she won't want to move them anymore. Those babies are chunky and cute. I don't have a new picture of them yet. As soon as their eyes are open I'll post another one. Heather has picked her puppy out and we have picked ours out. So now the litter is open to get your puppy. We are doing a stimulus package special $1500 a puppy.

Both parents are working and are AKC

They can leave in one and a half months from now. So Aug 1 they are available to take home.

The girls babysat some friends animals this last week. So every evening after chores we drove over to their house and fed their animals and watered their plants. We had their milk doe at our house too. They got home yesterday and had to come right over - bearing gifts of Thanks. I even got something. That was so sweet of them.

Oh yes I started a cleansing diet this last week. Candida. Anyway I am feeling better and its been a challenge. I can eat veg. and meat. I am doing well on it. I haven't killed anyone yet so that is good. My mom is on the Atkins diet for a few months too. So its good to have someone to talk to about the NOT EATING.

The girls and Amanda (sort of an adopted daughter) gave a goat clinic this last weekend and they had about 10 people come to it. It was great. The girls each gave demonstrations about different things and then they followed up with a tour of the dairy and some cheese tasting. The comments the kids got after the class encouraged them to do some more classes. So if your wanting to learn more about goat care from some down to earth kids that have been there done that and are still doing it - this is a few classes that you'll want to check out. They are doing four classes each with a different topic and they are not connected so you can take the ones that interest you. They are charging $20 for each class.

#1 Breeding July 12th from -2-5pm

#2 Goat Nutrition Aug. 9th- 2-4pm

#3 Goat Hoof Trimming Aug. 23 -2-4pm

#4 General Goat Class Sept. 13 - 2-5pm

My next cheese class is fast approaching too. So if you haven't sent in your money do so cause there are more than 25 that want to attend. It will be first come first serve. Thanks to for all the participation in those classes.

Well I'll stop with the news and say have a Great Day and smell the roses.

Puppies and Cheese!

This is Cloe and her puppies on 6/12/09

Good Morning:

I thought I'd up date you since the puppies change so fast.

On Wed. we got our cheese ready to go to Olympia and Broadway in Tacoma. We packed the cars that night ready to leave Thur. am.

The markets on Thur went well. People were buying for graduation parties - so that went very well. David brought home from his market strawberries and I brought home smoked salmon. We had strawberry shortcake and garlic and dill chevre and salmon on bread --YUM! On my way home from Olympia I had to run out to Adna and pick up two rounds of our aged cheese so David could take them Friday to a new Restaurant - 94th st. Restaurant in Seattle. Danyel and Ali cleaned the house while they were home. We unloaded cheese and started chores. Then I could sit down and relax.

Friday I was swamped with cheese.... had to package, label and cut, about 250 pieces. My parents came over and helped me cause I wasn't going to get done. Danyel's last day for Biology. One less place to drive to everyday. We will continue homeschooling through the summer - just three days a week and only work on three subjects.

The girls are babysitting a friends farm so each evening after our chores we drive 6 miles and go do their chores. Luckily they don't have near as many animals as we do.

David got home about 9pm after really bad traffic. He worked at Pikes Place Market all day. He also got new orders from the Pikes Place Creamery, which is carrying our yogurt and our chevre.

We unloaded David's coolers and then loaded up both or our coolers for Sat. market.

Sat. I was up at about 5am cleaned the parlor and packaged yogurt and put the feta in the refrigerator - and was on the road by 6:15am for Adna to load up and pick up Meg at Blacksheep creamery. We were on the road by 6:40 for Puyallup. David got up and hayed the goats and filled the grain cans in the parlor and then he was off for Longview at 7:30am. Danyel and Ali were also getting picked up for Civil Air Patrol at about 7:30am. They will get home about Noon. David got home about 3:30 and got unloaded and paperwork done. I got home about 4:15 after dropping Meg off at Adna. David helped me get unloaded and cheese counted. And he turned around and headed back to Longview to go pick up a pressure washer at Rogers our friends house. He was home by 9:30pm. Amanda got here about 9pm - she is spending the night and tomorrow the girls and her are putting on a goat clinic here at the farm. I ran the girls over to the Jones to take care of their animals at 8:30pm and was home by 9:30pm. I think I went to bed about 10:00pm. I have to say since the TV switch thing - our TV isn't on so much. We get 7 channels - most which are OPB. Its awesome.

Sunday is crazy; 5am up to do chores and milk. 7am the girls get dressed for Civil Air Patrol - I'll take them to the airport. At 8:30 one of them will be fl ying a glider, and the other will follow in about 1 1/2 hours. David and I should be picking them up about 1pm no later. David and I will go to church at 10:30 where we will meet up with Shawn and Susanna and they will come home with us. I'll heat up some chili and we'll have lunch. Heather and Jamie and CJ will also be here about 1pm to eat lunch with us. Then Amanda and Danyel and Ali will put on their goat clinic at 2-4 today. At 5pm our Worship/Potluck starts and so do chores. We will probably worship until about 9pm. I want to make a batch of my non-pasteurized cheese today too It will take about 2 hours to get it into the molds. My new hose works so good and sure makes my life easier. Then its to bed for this one tired lady.

Well I hope I didn't give any of you heart problems or Anxiety after reading my week.

Have a Great Day - Plan our your days so they don't look like mine.

Puppies!

These are three of the 10. The different colors.

WE HAVE PUPPIES!!!!

Hello: Here I am again. Another month has almost passed by since I last wrote. We are crazy busy now. We are doing 7 markets a week and by the end of this month it will be 8 markets a week. We are rotating 4 markets on the weekend. As you can see these are a few of our new additions to the farm. Cloe had 4 males and 6 females. They are cute. We are going to run a special economy stimulus sale on these puppies.... $1,500.00. So get your order in. I'll be putting up pictures here as they grow, so everyone can see what these pups are going to look like. They should be ready to go to homes in 8 weeks - First week in Aug.

Last week we sold almost 400 pieces of cheese at the farmers markets. Thats about 57 pieces per market. So I am making cheese and packaging it. It seems packaging is the bigger project. We have picked up a couple more resturants and possibly two wholesale distributers too.

My parents are paying to have my house painted this next week. My brother is a house painter and he will be doing it for me. It will be white with Navy blue trim and a purple back door. I can't wait. Thanks MOM and DAD!

The new hose that brings my milk down to the processing plant works great. It takes about 15 min. to fill the pasturizer. My back will be saved now. The cheese is turning out great. Our aged cheese is now out of the cave and selling well. I am also selling quarts of yogurt - only by order though. And that seems to be going well too.

We had a load of chips dropped off today so we can pick the date to clean the barn. Probably next month.

Two of our vehicals are having issues. The van is having altimers ( it can't remember where to put the gas to run the van) The car's heater hose from the radiator broke - we have a bypass one on right now with the part on order. We don't know what we are going to do about the van. I guess that one costs a bunch of money to fix the computer.

Our house loan is being looked over to see if we can redo it for a better rate. So don't know how that will turn out.

Our does are done kidding for the season. And we have one kid still on bottle - Ali's pack goat for fair.

The girls are both saving thier money for big projects. Ali is buying a cart for her goat. Danyel is paying to have a hernia removed from her pack goat kid. I sure am glad its them and not me.

Today I have to package about 100 pieces of cheese and lable it too.

Danyel only has one more day of school for her biology class. We will be homeschooling all summer - a few days a week. We are paying the girls to clean the house on Thur. when David and I are both at markets. Its nice to come home to a clean house.

My parents are up from Arizona for the summer. This year they brought up thier bus and are staying in it, in Centrialia at some friends house.

The girls and another friend are putting on a goat clinic here at the farm this weekend on Sunday the 14th at 2pm. The cost is $15 a person. They will cover health, feet, feed, and good care of your goat.

So I wanted to get you all alittle caught up on our life here on the dairy. You have a great day. And put your feet up for me.

Last week in May

Our New Lambs!

Good Morning: I know your surpised to see a blog so soon. Well I am inbetween cheese making days and so I thought I'd write. Our Memorial Day was very nice. My parents came over for a short visit. We went to some friends house for a BBQ. We took potatoe salad and cheese and crackers...of course. We stayed until 5pm and came home and did chores. I worked in the processing plant cleaning and getting ready to make cheese on Wed. Oh yes, my hose that I was so excited about was to short - so now I have to get about 30 more feet....have to wait for the farm store to order some more hose now. I was so bumbed. Oh well I'll be carrying milk for the batch on Wed. The processing plant in town came and picked up my milk on Sunday evening - only 100 gallons. So thats why I can't make cheese till Wed. We only have four baby goats left to bottle feed. And two of them will leave this next weekend. Only to return in a week to be goat sat for a week. Ali has picked out a pack goat and its in this group and then a single buck that will probably join our freezer goat bunch when its weaned. We are all done kidding until July if those two does took. So we are onto bigger and better things.

We are working on our new loan - so we can stay here. With the economy and all, its crazy with the finances. We pay what we can and try and sqeeze by on the other bills. We are one of those families that don't have health insurance - and no unemployment left to speak of. But somehow we are doing it and we are still here on the farm. I think God has something to do with it personally. But It will all work out the way its suppose to - because we do trust the Father Above. We are thankful for what we have and enjoying the grace God has given us.

David has a new market tomorrow starting.. Tumwater. Its a short market 11-2pm. We haven't done this one in two years. So it will be interesting to see how it is now. We have plenty of cheese left from last week - so I don't have to package and label for tomorrow. But will be back into swing of things Wed.

My chevre turned out great yesterday. I took it down from hanging and put it into the refrigerator. This will be packaged for this week. My Grande' Rosa and Pepper Rosa are getting a nice rind on them and will also be packaged up Wed. I think I'll be making NW and Black Jewels on Wed. I'll have helpers here to learn how to make cheese and run a dairy all day... so lots of help. Ya!

Maggi and the Frizy

David has been working with Maggi (border collie and blue heeler mix pup), to catch a frisby. She is doing great. So when we go outside there is Maggi with her frizby wanting someone to throw it for her. We also have a lambs now. They will be put in the freezer about October. One of them is for my daughter and her family. And two for us. We also worked on a new flower bed in front of the milk parlor. But the other new garden is where our blueberry's are. David made it square and added the plants we bought from the Herb Festival. It looks great. That is the other photo.

Our Blueberry garden

Well I'll write more as soon as possible. Have a Great Week!

Memorial Day Weekend

Good Morning:

These pictures are of our 4-H sleep over weekend.

I just want to say that I really enjoy writing to you all when I get a chance to sit down. Its a great jounal of our life on the farm. I know sometimes its kind of dull - but then there are the times when things are hopping. So put on your running shoes for this weeks blog;

May 19 - This was a day off - truely. Couldn't make cheese didnt have enough milk, goats have been liced and wormed and the girls have been trimming toes during milking. I did go out and clean the processing plant and dust the high spots and scrub the low. My inspector is coming tomorrow to test the thermometers on my pasturizer and inspect the farm and the processing plant. We worked on the yard and my parents came over. I made dinner for us all and looked through old pictures they brought me. (Boxes and boxes) Mom decided after a friend passed away that she didn't want us kids to have to go through all her stuff when she passed away. So she thought she would start disperssing it now. So that is what is going on. And since I am working on the family photo album I should get the photos. They are great too. Looking at people that are not in our lives any longer and remembering. So today was a relaxing day.

May 20th - I made some Grande' Rosa and Pepper Rosa, 50 gallons so it makes about 35 pounds of cheese. I had to package and lable cheese for market on Thur. This is going to be my first day alone at the Olympia market. David will start Broadway in Tacoma market. So I need to have alittle extra cheese packaged cause you never know what your opening market day will be like. The weather is suppose to be sunny so that always helps bring the people out. The girls worked onHistory and math and Bible today for thier homeschool class. David did running around picking up bits and peices of stuff. Like grain and Hay and such. We didn't get to go to Church this evening - due to the extra things going on this evening. The goats are producing great and everyone is healthy. We do have one doe with diahrea in a pen and are doctoring her. She doesn't look very good... but you never know.

May 21 - We were both on the road about 7am for market. The girls are home today. I left them with some chores and some schoolwork to do. Market was pretty good. I met alot of nice people at this market. David did pretty good at his Market too. When we got home at about 4pm the girls had thier friends over. I paid Katie and Nichole for helping the last weekend milking and doing chores while the girls were gone. I have to package up an extra 20lbs of chevre for the Seattle Art Musem order. And David will reload up the car for Pikes Market tomorrow. My parents came and picked up the girls and took them to where thier motorhome is parked right now - so Ali could climb under it to get a number off the front axel.

May 22 - David left at 6:15 and took Ali incase they get really busy due to Memorial Day. So it was Danyel and I all day. I had so much cheese to label and package it wasn't funny. I started working on packaging cheese while Danyel milked the goats this morning and finished about 11pm. We had to borrow vaccum sealer bags from Black sheep creamery - I ran out... OOPS!

They loaned us some and I was on my way again. Danyel and I did some running around after Biology. I started making cheese in the morning too - Chevre. I thought about the milk I'v been hauling down to the processing plant - 52 gallons each batch. Its heavy and time consuming. So we went to the farm store and had one of the gentlemen help us figure out how or what we needed to make a nozzel for the bulk tank and then buy 70ft of hose. I think it will work. We got home and I finished my cheese and tried my new contraption in the bulk tank... it fits. I'll try and make cheese on Sunday after church. It was really pretty out today and I washed the table and chairs on the deck. Watered some of the plants and planted a few more in the pots.

David and Ali got home at 7:30pm. Danyel was n't finished milking yet cause we started at 6pm cause it was pretty warm out. My back hurts and so do my legs. But all is well at the dairy.

May 23- I was up at 5am to clean the parlor and cut up samples to take to my market. I need to leave at 6:15 or close to that. I am driving to Adna to pick up Meg (Black Sheep Creamery) and we are car pooling, or as it is truck pooling to Puyallup for the market. We arrived at about 8:30 in puyallup and the market starts at 9am. David went to Proctor street in Tacoma and had left our house at about 7am and was set up ready to sell by 8:30am. I did get set up in time and was selling right off the start. I am inside the pavillion and in front of one of the big open doors. So I wore my coat all day at the market while it was hot outside. But the market was busy and I sold alot of cheese. At this market there are three cheese venders. David did very well at his market too. I had David buy some pork steaks at the market for dinner. He also brought me a bunch of spinach and some greens. We were both home about 4:00 and I went out and cleaned the parlor then hung my chevre that I made yesterday. Then into the house to cook dinner. David unloaded and counted the cheese and the tills. We all got to sit down about 8pm. I fell asleep about 11pm but took a nap at about 6pm for half an hour. Ali had a friend spend the night - so they slept in sleeping bags out in the barn in thier fort.

May 24 - Sunday. We got up at 6am and went out to do chores. I cleaned my parlor and then headed to the processing plant to clean and wash dishes. I want to be ready to make Black Jewels and NW Comfort today - using my new hose to get the milk to the pasturizer. I'll let you know how that works on my next blog.

You all have a great Memorial Day and remember the men and women that have given thier all for us to enjoy the little freedoms we now have. Please enjoy these freedoms as it may be the last ones you'll know. And you need to remember what it feels like so we can again work for our independance when the air has settled. Have a great day.

Back in the Saddle Again!

Good Morning: Ice and One of our Boar bucks lounging --- One of Ali's frogs

Well chores are done. I am in the house and its only 8:30am. Pretty good for lately. The girls have run down to the neighbors to check on her stuff while she is gone. David is on his way to pick up two round bales of hay. The house is quiet except for the crunching of dog food by the Maggi. The weather is kind of foggy and the moisture is in the air. Its suppose to be a nice day today. The local processing plant is coming to pick up my excess milk which is over 200 gallons for this week.

My parents are in town so they came by on Wed. to see us and bring me some goodies... books photo's, towels, and linens. And my understanding is they have more for me.

I thought we had this week pretty together but plans changed about Thur. morning. The girls left by 4pm for the Search and Rescue Confrence in Randle. Thier friends, Katie and Nichole came and spent Thur. - Sat. morning here to help me with chores. It worked out great. I sent them to do the haying, graining and watering and I milked and cleaned the parlor. I didn't have time to make much cheese this week. I did get 100 gallons of milk turned into cheese.... but I have to say it got away from me this week. So David had market in Olympia on Thur. and Then Pikes on Friday. Sat. morning we both left the farm at about 6:45am for our farmers markets, David was in Longview and I was in Tacoma. Our sales were pretty good. Katie and Nichole finished milking Sat. morning and then thier mom came and picked them up. When Katie comes she has to bring her milking doe which works out great for all of us. But this week I had an email from a gentleman who had a nubian doe he wanted to give to me.. she was dry. So I asked him if it was alright to give the doe to a 4-H member in my club and he agreed that was fine. So Katie went home with two goats on Sat. She was very pleased and can't wait to show the doe in the pack compotition at fair this year.

David and I drove to Battleground and went to the herb festival on Sunday. What a nice relaxing day. It's not often we get to be alone and go somewhere fun.

David bought some tomatoe plants at the farmers market on Sat. and so Sat. evening he built a raised flower bed and planted the plants. So our goal at the Herb festival was to pick up some herbs for his rose garden he's working on and to get some more veg. for the raised bed.

We got some cucumbers and squash to plant on the edges of the tomatoe garden. Can't wait. We got some fennel, basil, lavenders and a few other herbs to plant around the farm.

We got some goat milk soap at the Herb festival too from Silver Star Farms - awsome soap. David found a planter there too for his strawberries. We stopped at a garage sale and picked up a few things.

This morning we are going to do some lititure and bible study for homeschooling. Danyel has biolgy and Ali will work on her science. I need to find places for the pictures mom and dad brought to me and do some laundry. Won't make cheese until Wed. morning so I best use my time wisely and get some stuff done around the house. David wants to mow the lawn and plant plants.

Have a great Day

Keeping up with Farmers Markets and Home

Hello: The sword fights the whole 4-H Group for the sleep Over

Wow! its been along time since I last wrote to you all. So you know what that all means right.... This will be a catch up chapter or book. I'll condense it down or I'll have to be writing for a long time. Here goes.

The first thing that happened is my X husband died of cancer on the 16th of May. My daughter from Texas flew in on Friday. I made cheese all week - about 150 gallons into cheese. I did a presentation at the Proctor Farmers Market. I made my marinated Feta white sauce and put it over noodles (that were sold at the market). I also made my lemon and honey chevre and a ranch chevre. It took about an hour for the demonstration. Ali went to the market with me so she could man the booth while I taught. David went to Longview Farmers market. The days before I had made 80 garlic and dill packages - 50 plain chevre's. And about 50 of the Marinated feta and the fresh feta as well as Grande Rosa and Pepper Rosa. I was busy counseling my older children about their dads death and comforting them. It seemed I was on the phone or hands in cheese that week.

We were also working with our 4-H club getting ready for our sleep over. We had a meeting every week on Wed. for about 2 hours each time. Our club had to make the swords and get the map ready for the "Risk - Lord of the Goats" Game.

Our family went to the funeral on Tue in Longview. It was great to see all the family there. David's mom and dad even came for the funeral. As well as my girlfriend who lives up the road from where my x lived. In all it was a good funeral as funerals go. Tami flew back to Texas a few days after the funeral. Danyel and Ali and I drove into Longveiw on Wed. to have lunch with Tami and Mike and Heather and Jamie and CJ.

Our sleep over stared on the 24th at about 5:30pm. Everyone showed up and we milked the goats and did the chores. Then we went to Hope Grange and unloaded our gear and ate dinner there. Then made our crafts and got into our groups for the game on Sat. We roasted marshmallows and made somemores for dessert. Lights out at 10pm and then the alarm went off at 5:30am . We all got up and dressed and headed back to the farm for chores and milking. We finished the farm chores and headed back to the grange where one of the moms made breakfast for us which was french toast and goat sausage, juice and fruit too. Then we packed up our stuff - cleaned the Grange, vacuumed the carpet, swept and mopped the floors and put the tables back. Then back to the farm for the game. The kids ran all over the field having sword fights to win territories. It was alot of fun. We built a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for lunch - and ate the left overs from dinner and breakfast. It was a fast weekend.

David went to the Tacoma's farmers market on Proctor street. To get ready for the weekend ment I had to package and label cheese on Monday and Wen. and that was a busy week. I have to say I was glad when it was over. But the next week was just as bad.

We had a 4-H meeting to get ready for the youth fair. We were suppose to work on showmanship and clipping with our club from 9-2pm. I had cheese going too! It seemed I had to keep moving. David did the Olympia market on Wed. starting the 16th of the month. So all together we had three markets going each week. Danyel and Ali went to a Civil Air Patrol Spring Conference for the weekend. Katie and Nichole came to spend the weekend with me to go to the Youth Fair and help me do chores for the weekend. It was a busy weekend again. We had to get up at 5am to milk and do chores in order to be at the fairgrounds by 7am to get the animals ready for show by 9am. We did it. We had to do the same thing on Sunday for the rest of the Fair. David did Pikes Place on Friday and Tacoma on Sat. and then came and hung out with us at the fair. The girls got home about 5:30pm on Sunday -- just in time to help with chores.

The next week I had Grange - so I had to make a potluck dish. I didn't have to prepare anything as our speakers were going to talk about the Levey for Evaline School District. I had to make a potluck dish for a funeral that our grange was doing the lunch for too. I made four batches of cheese for the week, 200 gallons. And again packaged and labeled enough cheese for four markets. Danyel and Ali again are gone on Friday and home on Sat. They went to a Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue thing up in Randle WA. So Sat morning I had to get up at 4am to set up the milk parlor and milk the goats (1 1/2 hours) and be over in Adna to pick up Meg (Black Sheep Creamery) to go to the Puyallup Farmers Market (1 1/2 hours drive). David had to leave also by 7am to get to the Tacoma Market, so he got up at 4:30am to bottle feed 9 baby goats, hay all the goats, water all the goats, and grain the ones in the pens. It all came together somehow.

So Now I am up to this week and its Tue. Monday we went to two events. One in Shelton Wa, Farm to Table workshop - we only got to stay for an hour.... but wished we could of stayed longer. Then we went to Seattle for a Chef Greet and Meet. It was local wines and cheeses. We sampled our cheese to chefs - who we hope will want to buy our cheese. This event was from 5:30-8pm. Needless to say we got home around 10pm. The girls had to milk and clean the parlor and feed all the animals without our help. They did good.

Oh! yes, and Danyel turned 17 on the 6th of May. We will celebrate her birthday with Ali's in June. And Mothers day - Heather my #2 daughter came and spent the day with us at the farm. I got a great email from Jami and a card and call from Tami. I really am doing Mothers day next Sunday - The Herb Festival - Just David and I are going!

Today I made our raw goat cheese and our chevre - used 100 gallons of milk.

Tomorrow is another day and we are getting ready for four markets again this week. We also got a 30lbs order from the Seattle Art Museum Taste. This is up from 10lbs every week. David will deliver this on Friday. So I know my schedual makes some tired. And now that you mention it I am tired too!

Have a Great Day, until next time.

I'll try and blog more often..... or at least a word or two each week.

Good Morning:

Well as you all suspected we are running around like a chicken with its head cut off. We are up to four different markets right now. I am making cheese three days a week, between 35-50 gallons a batch. We are just about ready to put our second batch of aged cheese in the cave over in Adna. The sunshine is going to shine today and that gives me energy to do this running around stuff. So lets recap the week:

April 6th - We took a trip to Olympia to tour the capital building and walk along the waterfall. It was great. The picture is my grandson and granddaughter and thier mom from Montana the other daughter and husband are from Texas and then of course my two daughters and I - David was taking the photo. My daughter wanted to try a new cheese, dill and lemon rind. I made her a small round to take with her. Of course we all tasted it and it was good.

Tue. April 7th - We got our chores done and did some of our homeschooling. We have our house back after having it full for 5 days. Food, visiting and catching up was good. We got busy cleaning up the farm and lost track of time. I made dinner and was getting ready to sit down and eat when the phone rang and it was our Master from Hope Grange.... reminding us we had a meeting and the speaker would be there at 7pm. We ate in 10 min. and got to the grange a little into the speakers talk - but we made it. We got home around 8:30 pm. The guy that spoke at the grange was from Raintree Nursery... and he had some great tips for pruning and some information on some new plants that are coming out for the NW. I think I still had some labeling to do for the markets - since we sold out almost all our stock last weekend. I made a batch of Chevre.

April 8th - We had three does kid, one had triplets 2boys and 1 girl. The other two had twins one buck and doe and the other two does. Its funny because most of the people that want kids from us want does and my goats are having a hard time delivering for me. Anyway all these kids are sold except one buck. The other 8 does left are bagging up so hopefully its will be soon. The Olympia Farmers Market is coming this morning to inspect us -make sure we are doing what we say we are doing. And they said we are alright to sell at thier market as a guest this year. So we will sell at thier market on Thur. starting April 16th. We started chores a little late due to our running around, David went to town to get dog food, grain. and also Hay this morning,and cleaning up after a full house of people. Danyel had biology this morning too. Cloe our Anatolian got bred today so we'll have puppies soon. Bernie is the dad. We are also trying to turn Cloe loose with the goats in the barn. She does fine in the barn but when we take her out to the pasture she is afraid to come back into the barn so that is a tug a war. We have tried everything to get her to come back in. Maybe its just time. David was trying to dig a hole in the top field and he broke his tractor its 5:30pm so off to the tractor store to get parts. Looks like we are not going to make it to church this evening. By 7:30 he had the tractor running again and came in to eat dinner. I am still labeling cheese for Pikes Place on Thur. We sure used alot of cheese last weekend. I think I went to bed about 10pm - after along day.

April 9th - we have a 4-H club meeting to finish up some of the loose ends for our 4-H sleepover. The club must finsish thier Risk Map so I can take it down to get it laminated. The sleep over is the 25th. - Jami and the grandkids are leaving about 7am for Montana to pick up her husband and come right back as her dad has cancer and isn't expected to live much longer. David left for Pikes Place at 6am and I am woring on packaging cheese today for this weekend. Our fresh feta is ready to be cut and packaged so I'll work on that. The rest of the feta will go into the olive oil for marinating. I need to call Thurstan county about the health certificate they were suppose to be sending me and I haven't recieved. We need that permit thing to sell on Thur at Olympia. I have to get some brakes pads for David cause his friend is going to change his pads on the car while he is at market on Sat. in Longview. I also have to call the Seattle Art Musem and get information on how to do thier visa purchase. The new visa machine is working great. Danyel had biology today and we got some math done. Our house is quiet. I am getting my last min. stuff together for my Sat. market.

April 10th - David took his order for the Seattle Art Museum, and left at about 6am for Seattle. He called me and said he was in Seattle by 7:40 this morning -the traffic was really light. I am making Black Jewels and NW Comfort today. So I'll be home all day working on the finishing touches of labeling and weighing and making some aged cheese. I have a guy coming out to pick up his kid. Danyel has biology today. We got some lititure in today as well as some math. David got home about 7:30 and the girls and I had just got in from doing chores. It was a busy evening - we had to pack up both vehicals for Sat. market - tents, tables, ice chests (packed), garbage cans, hand washing station, money box, and anything else. We got done about 11pm. And I went to bed. I have to be up at 4am .

April 11 Sat.- I was up on time went out and finished the cheese process, cleaned the milk parlor for the girls. Got the girls up at 5am to do chores they need to leave at 7am for Civil Air Patorl. I am leaving at 7am I am going to Tacoma and David leaves at 7:30am for Longview. All's quiet on the home front as everyone is leaving. I didn't sell as much as last weekend but the weather was really messy. David did about the same as last weekend. We all got home close to 4 and 4:30pm. Some people were here to pick up thier baby goat at 4:30. As soon as we get home I head up to the milk parlor to clean it and set it up for the girls to start milking. We are having something easy for dinner like Pizza. By 8pm we are all in the house, David is home with the pizza and we can put our feet up.

April 12th - We got up did chores and went to church. It is a quiet Easter. I put a ham in before we left for church. No one is coming for the holiday. The older children are in Portland at thier dads bedside. And that is alright with me - cause that is where they should be. Jami and the grandkids are coming here tonight and then will leave tomorrow for Montana to pick up her husband and then head back here to Oregon. They got here about 9pm and the kids went to bed and we all followed shortly behind.

April 13th - We got up at 6am and got busy doing chores. Jami and her children got up at 6:30 and got ready to leave by 7am. They have to go over the mountains and there is word that snow is coming and she wants to beat it. She did too. David went and got hay at 9am and when he got back and the hay unloaded we left for Olympia to get that health certificate for Thurstan county. The girls are staying home today. No biology for Danyel as the school is taking the WASL. I have a lady wanting to come and get a buck kid today when we get back from Olympia. We got the certificate - it was easier than Longviews. And then had a few pit stops before we got home. Turned in my cookbooks to be put together, picked up labels. Then stopped at the health food store and picked up some sesame oil. Then onto walmart to get a few things. We got home about 1:30pm. We unpacked and got back in the car to head to Portland. We are going up to see my X. Heather my #2 daughter is up there as well as her aunts and uncles. It will be good to see the family - Akin's. We got up to the VA hospital about 4pm. Visited with eveyone and prayed with the family. On our way home the girls called to say they were doing the haying. So that gave David and I an opportunity to go out for dinner and take our time coming home. We ate at the Oak Tree in Woodland. It was great to spend some down time with my husband. We got home around 9pm. Watched some Tv and wind down.

Tue. April 14 - The weather is good enough to start one of the burn piles on the top field. The girls opted to work on the burn pile than do school work. Had to take Bernie to the vets. He has been limping. When we got to the vets he stopped limping but the vet checked him over and didn't find anything wrong. So I don't know. I made Chevre this morning and will make feta this afternoon. We got chores done and the girls spent thier extra time helping with the burn pile.

Got news this evening that my kids dad was talking and eating and laughing - things may have turned around. Pretty Cool. We ate some pasta from the market on Sat. Broccoli,Chicken Fetachinie (spelling wrong). It was great. David will monitor the fire alnight. Cloe was loose all day and she went out of the barn and CAME BACK IN on her own. WOW! I really want to leave her in the pasture with all the goats loose so she can have her puppies in there too. She has always been with the bucks so she wouldn't get bred. But since she is she can hang out with Bernie in the big pasture.

April 15th _ We have a 4-H meeting this morning and Danyel has biology. David is going to starat another fire since its going to be nice out. I am working on my cheese in the processing plant. I have three different cheeses going at the same time.

Farmers Markets Starting

This is the tour of 4-H kids checking out the dairy. They are tasting cheese and touring the processing plant. The other photo with Maggi (border collie/Blue Heeler mix) catching bubbles with Tami and CJ blowing the bubbles. The picture with all the people is my family at the Capital in Olympia.

Hello:

Its been awhile. We are getting really busy now. We only have about 20 does left to kid and we'll be done with this part of the dairy for one year. But oh, something else will take its place... Like cheese making. We are getting about 130 gallons of milk a week. Which I have been making it all into cheese. And I have no extra, so its also been selling. These are good things.... just haven't been to this point before.

We had a lady come out and spend the whole day, helped me make cheese and milked goats and observed our daily routine. Her name is Sherwin Fergason, she wants to start a sheep and goat dairy and make cheese. It was a great day and I hope she learned alot. I know she did - but I really hope she got inspired to start her dairy. That same day Amanda came by to trim her goats feet that are staying here for awhile. And she visited a bit too.

It feels like our days are running together. I think I'v mailed all 9 of our Farmers Market applications in and I also think I have only one more health department to pay.

You know the whole farmers market is great except if your sampling your product and then you have to deal with the government. And each county is a whole different game. Like one of our counties only charges $25 for their fee - then we have one that charges $260. This is for the same permit and they only come and check you once in most of the counties we deal with. I personally think they should charge the same amount and have it valued for what they do for you. After all they are getting payed out of my pocket and yours. Off of my soap box
I made 8 rounds of my non-pasteurized cheeses on the 27th. They turned out great. Took them over to the cave in Adna about 5 days later and they will be ready the first of June.

David went to Seattle Pikes, Thur, Fri and Sat. and did fairly well.

On the 28th the girls and I went to an Appreciation lunch put on by the police dept. for all the help in search and rescue and other activities that the Civil Air Patrol have helped them on. It was fun and the food was great. We all won prizes and that was great. But after that I have to get back to work. I had to label a bunch of cheese as David was selling it fast. I turned my Grande Rosa and Pepper Rose that I made. I also made a batch of chevre on 29th and so when you walked into the processing plant I had three different types of cheese out - doing something in their process.

Sunday the 29th we all went to church and came right home. We were suppose to have a 4-H meeting to finish up our map for the up coming 4-H sleep over. Well no one came so my girls finished the map and I'll take it down and get it laminated for the the sleepover. Made my chevre and cleaned the bulk tank. Chores have been going pretty smooth. We put Ice our sannen buck in a pen - he was limping and I wanted to see what was the matter. It was his front foot, and I think he got an infection in it from the mud in his pen. So I'll treat it and get him walking good.

David got a $75 order of cheese and I needed to mail it to Arkansas today. Pretty cool. I also received my new mailing packages. It will bring my shipping cost down to $5 instead of 25. Pretty cool. So send in the orders I am ready to mail out cheese. These are insulated bags and I just have to put my ice pack in and send them. Instead of the Styrofoam boxes that cost so much. Anyway thats pretty cool.

The girls and I are working on homeschool. We are starting our slow down school season, but we also go through the summer. We just take days off during the summer when we have other things going on. I usually have them work about 2 hours a day on school during the summer.

March 31 David had to go get hay this morning. And I made a 50 gallon batch of feta. Which takes about 6 hours. David is off. We are also starting to clean the house as my daughter and husband will be coming in on Thur. from Austin Texas.

April 1 - We had a tour of 20+ . It was great because I had all this cheese out and they got to see it in different stages. This was a 4-H club. They helped milk and feed kids. The weather was drippy so no tractor ride. After they left I had to label more cheese to get ready for This up coming Sat. which is our first farmers markets -Tacoma, Proctor and Longview. I took Black Jewels and N.W. Comfort to Adna to age. Then went grocery shopping. I really want to have most of my stuff done before my house is full of people.

April 2- We had a doe have triplets, boar cross sannens. Cute. We got our chores done and went downstairs to do homeschool. Sent David off to do some running around. Danyel and Ali went to the Winlock Lions Club to talk about Civil Air Patrol and be treated to lunch. They did well at their presentation. They took pictures of some of the stuff they have done with Civil Air Patrol. David took Bob, from church, to Pikes with him today. The girls and I cleaned house and are waiting for Tami and Mike to get here.(won't be until this evening). They did get here about 10pm and the girls hit the sack right after that.

April 3 - I got up at 6 am and got the girls up at 7am. We got chores done and Mike, my son - in -law made breakfast. Ran to Walmart to get a few more groceries for dinner. Mike B-B-Q some goat. It was so good. They had some of their friends over for dinner too. Lots of food people and children. I labeled and Packaged cheese all day too. I think we are ready for Sat. David got home about 7:30 and got to eat some goat and visit for awhile with everyone. He had a fair day at market. I started making Grande Rosa and Pepper at about 7pm --- Big mistake. I got the pasteurizing done, midnight and thought I should just finish at 4am.

April 4 - up at 4am and working on the cheese. I cleaned the parlor and got the girls up to do milking at 5am. They have to be ready to leave at 7:30 for Civil Air Patrol and David leaves for Longview market too. I should leave at 7am to be there in Tacoma by 8:30am. But the cheese took alittle longer and I had to hurry. David put the weights on the cheese, I ran and got dressed and hair brushed and left 7:15. Had to still get gas too. I had a wonderful day at market really busy. I had probably our best Farmers Market total ever. David did so so at Longview. But everyone was glad to see us at their market. When I got home my daughter & husband and grandson from St. Helens was here along with my adopted daughter. So I had 10 people for dinner. I made Spaghetti. It was all good. Had a great visit. I was in bed at 9pm.

Sunday April 5 - Up for chores. Two does had twins. Mike cooked breakfast for us all - Chocolate Pancakes with chocolate chips in it, then coconut on the top and more choco chips and then syrup. It tasted pretty good too! Went to church. Home again and started dinner. I am making chicken and dumplings. Also my son was on the couch sleeping this morning... He came home with the kids last night when they all got together. Well chores came quickly and we got the job done. Shawn brought his girl fiend and their two kids and his cousin Bryan and his son. So we have 18 for dinner. After dinner we cut the cake and blew out the candles. Shawn and Heather Birthdays - Mike and Tami anniversary. After dinner Jami and Justin and Ashlynn got here from Montana. Now our total is 21. Six left and the rest spent the night. I stayed up till 11pm visiting.

Monday April 6 - Got up at 6:30 and got the girls up at 7am. Got chores done and one Doe had a single kid. Today I have to make chevre and four people are leaving by Noon today. The rest are going to go to Olympia to see the State Capital and check out the falls. I had to pull a baby today. It was a big buck kid. I sold two buck kids also. We took the van filled with Jami and her two kids, Mike and Tami and Danyel and Ali and David and I to Olympia. We got to go inside the Capital took lots of pictures and then went for a walk around Falls Park. It was a really great day. Very pretty. We stopped to eat a hamburger on the way home. Got home at 6:30 and started milking at 7:15. I started my chevre at 8:50pm and will get it done before bed. Bed being 12 midnight. We have no extra's spending the night. But Jami and the two grandchildren will be back on Wed.

Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine.