Fall Sprang Ahead!

Yesterday I was watching the yellow leaves fall. I think we are early for the leaves... but our weather has been alittle off too. All my does are bred already, we should kid the last few weeks of December. Thats the earliest we have ever had kids here. So if you want kids mark those weeks on your calander.
I have cleaned the milk parlor and checked on my cheeses in the processing plant. The chevre is ready to come down from hanging and the feta is looking pretty nice and will be salted after milking this morning.
Today David and I will have been married 20 years. He made reservations at Bud Bay in Olympia. Looking forward to dinner. The kids are doing all the chores tonight and we are leaving about 6pm for Olympia.
I have also started my new diet...HCG. My eldest daughter tryed it and lost weight. So I will try anything once. So the next two days I can eat what ever I want and the third day I am on a strict diet for 40 days. Which will get me off before my birthday/Thanksgiving - in Oct.
Also my new scale is coming today and it has a printer with it... cant wait!!!!
David got the llama house up last night - so Knight wouldn't get wet. It didn't rain much if any here. Its warm outside and over cast... but I like it.
Well I will keep you posted about the new events tomorrow.

Early Thanksgiving and Market News

Hello to all:
Yesterday was market day. So I am up at 5am. I went out and cleaned the parlor and then came in and woke up everyone at 5:30am. We are short one kid so we have to do her chores - so everyone adds one or two things to their own list. I went in and turned my NW Comfort and Black Jewels aged cheese and put the weights back on them. They look really good. Then into the house to get dressed - Ali doesn't have CAP today so she is staying home to watch over the farm. She is on the milk line and that is another reason she is staying home. So we all don't have to get up at 4am to do all the chores. We use to do that and man by the time it was time to milk again after market we were all pretty grumpy and tired. This way we all leave by 6am for our markets and she is still milking. I had to get gas before I hit the road. But we made it to the Proctor Tacoma Market on time and even a little early... thank goodness. Cause as soon as we got the tent up and the sides on it poured and poured and the wind blew. It got it out of its system and the rest of the market was fine. David's drive to Pikes was fine too. He said he was there on time, no traffic messes. But the good news to the day was that David and I sold the same exact amount. And that made our market day great because we can pay bills that are looming over our heads. I was so thankful to God for the blessing of sales.
When I got home at 4pm I had to unload and get the blue ice back into the freezer so its frozen by the time David loads his car up at about 9:30pm tonight for market the next day. Then I got the call from David that he had sold out of his Chevre and Garlic and Dill and had only a few Grande Rosa left. This all means packaging up more cheese and labeling. So I got onto that right after we started chores at 4:30. I made pancakes for dinner - easy and fast. And then I packaged up 15 lbs of chevre for Sunday market and then labeled about 12 more Grande Rosa for David. David pulled in about 7:30pm and unloaded his car and counted his cheeses and Money. Thats when we found out our $ amounts were exactly the same. By 9:30 I was so tired and we still had to load the car for market and do the bookwork. So I was on the couch by 10:15 with my head on the pillow and asleep shortly after. David woke me up at 11pm and said he was going to bed. Amen the day is over.
Today we will go to church and then do some running around and then be over at the gun club to pick up Danyel by 2pm and then we should be home by 3pm or close. By then I'll know what the stasis is with the cheese in Seattle. I'll do some laundry and mop some floors. I have to have my stuff done in case I have to pull a Monday in Seattle (David is getting a cold).

David did really well on Sunday at Market and fairly good on Monday.

We are having an early Thanksgiving dinner today. My daughter and grandchildren will be here from Montana. So the house smells really good. We will have a small version of my Real Thanksgiving dinner - but everything will be served. Homemade rolls, pies, dressing, gravy, real mashed potaotes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and a cottage cheese salad. YUM! I will take my aged cheese over to the sheep creamery today too. And label some more cheese and package some chevre for market tomorrow. Today will be hopping just to get everything done.

Well I hope I didn't wear anyone out with my routines.

Have a Great Day and enjoy each others company.

Don't Give Up Hope!

Wow! Its really warm outside, its about 59 here. Doesn't feel like morning.
Don't Give up Hope! God will use even the tough experiences of life to build your child's character, as well as your own. An not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
I think this sums up the next four years we are about to endure.
Well it took David about 6 hours driving time yesterday to get to Seattle. There were wrecks all over. He averaged going and coming 3 hours each way. That is crazy. He was pretty tired after waiting in traffic that long. He doubled his sales of last Thur. so that is good - but its still not enough to make it feel like its worth the drive and time.
I cleaned off the deck yesterday. Took the table and chairs and stacked them and then raked - yes I said raked the leaves on the deck. I bet I had a pile big enough for a 5 year old to throw himself into it and not feel the ground. They were pretty red leaves off my Chinese Plum tree. I love that tree in the summer but fall it makes a mess. Anyway there was still a deck under those leaves.
The girls Thanksgiving Survival Book is making headway. They have been devoting about 3 hours a day to this project. We will start making pies and rolls in two weeks, so they have to have the actual cookbooks done. Then we get to start the decorations and table setting stuff. I'll have to take a picture and show all of you.
I love teenagers just because they can do their own thing... like wash and fold laundry. I remember when I had six small children in the house. I think I was doing laundry everyday and folding every evening and then putting the clothes away. I was much relieved when they could put their own clothes away. Now its like I don't even think about laundry for them. I have to say also my husband is good about doing laundry too. I actually haven't had to do our laundry for a year or so. I have to put away now. He does wash, dry and fold in the evening. That though has all come to a stop.... now that he is driving to Seattle everyday to Market. But I am ready to take the task on again.
I have to go get change for our banks today, for the two markets tomorrow. Its already Friday, how time flies. I guess I was so worked up for Tue. I forgot that the other days would follow behind. Anyway I have lots to keep me busy today.
Yesterday I made bread and donuts (chocolate).
Yesterday a few does came in heat so we just stuck one of the Boar bucks in with all the does. This will just make sure everyone is bred in case we missed someone. The funny part was our sannen buck broke the fence to get to the barn and does. We put him back three times and then I said enough. I stung some hot wire around the pen. As soon as I turned my back he touched the wire with his nose and jumped back. He hasn't climbed the fence since.
Well have a great day and look for the Son to come.

Farming just keeps going, and going and going - like an battery!

The leaves are so beautiful today. A good rain and wind bring down the leaves. Our cement pad in front of the processing plant is covered with red leaves while the path leading to the buck pens is covered with yellow. The mountains show such pretty colors all around us. I think Fall is one of my favorite seasons. And Thanksgiving falls in that season and thats my favorite holiday.
Well David is going up to Pikes Place everyday. What a grooling week. The market hasn't done very good since we started going back up there.
Yesterday we had two girls on holiday from Australia stop by and tour the dairy. What sweet girls. They headed onto Portland to visit a friend there then onto Calf.
I made Chevre - 42 gallons, yesterday and so this morning I hung it to drain. The left over milk was picked up also yesterday. We are down to about 113 gallons a week now and dropping. Not sure I'll have any milk to pick up next week for them. I want to make a batch of Northwest Comfort and Black Jewel. And some feta, that should use up all the milk I get this week.
This evening we have to milk early in order to be at Grange by 6:00. I am the lecturer and its kind of important that I am there. We are having a guest speaker tonight, he is a Cowlitz Indian and he is going to tell some Indian stories for us. He is such a nice guy and we sure enjoy having him in our grange.
I think I'll make a refrigerator soup for the potluck. That is all the left overs in your refrigerator - no older than three days old - It always is very interesting. So I know there is stir fry and rice, spaghetti, roast with carrots and onions to start with.
I made chocolate cake donuts yesterday. YUM! Needless to say they are gone this morning.
I got grain last night too. I remember when we first moved here and was paying about $6.50 a bag for our wet cob and then $7 for our alfalfa pellets. We are now paying over $10 for both of those grain today. We shop around to find the best deal. Right now we are spending close to $300 a week on feed for our dairy, where it was about $450 a month for grain before. That is crazy. Our finances are really tight due to this huge increase in feed. Thank goodness gas prices are down. But the grain prices haven't started coming down yet and I expect they won't either.
I am taking our ballot into the court house this morning.
I just want to thank all the people that have bought our cheese and supported us through the year. We are also going to have holiday baskets for sale this year... if anyone is interested just contact us.
Well have a nice day. Will talk to you all very soon.

Sat. Market - Running

I must of set my alarm for 5pm instead of am, because the girls woke me up at 5:30am. We started a half hour behind this morning - when timing is everything. I have to leave at 7am and David leaves at 7:30am and the girls get picked up for Civil Air Patrol at 7:15am. Milking takes 1 1/2 hours and the other chores take about 35 min. each. David loaded the truck and car for market. I filled up the water containers with hot water, and my thermos with hot coffee. Danyel has to get all the uniforms ready today, for a uniform inspection. Anyway every one is moving in some direction.
I cleaned the parlor last night so all I needed to do this morning was hook up the suckers. I had to take a bag of grain to the milking parlor too, so Ali would have grain to start milking. David can fill the grain thing up when he goes out.
I packaged Chevre up last night too and labeled, Marinated Feta and Fresh Feta. My chevre didn't turn out as good as it has been. Its too soft for my liking but it tastes good. I packaged up just what I needed and let the rest hang over night. This morning I put it in the refrigerator and it looked alittle more firm. I also made another batch of chevre, 50 gallons. I'll hang it up this afternoon when I get home from market. I have only one more market to do and then I'll finish the month off with my cheese class. Speaking of that I have 16 people signed up. I am getting calls daily though to sign up.
Well got to go get dressed for market and hit the road. You have a great day and remember to smell the flowers one last time, for winter is here and the smell needs to last you till spring.

A working Day

We are up at 6am to start chores. Its cool outside. The does that are with the bucks are crying, wanting out. The bucks stink and the smell travels well this morning. As I am in here writing on the blog I can hear the coffee pot perking, the motor for the milking parlor humming and still a goat crying. These are all good comforting sounds to a farmer. My two papillions are still sleeping in on my warm bed with my husband. I am heading out to take my chevre down, mix up my yogurt and package, and start another batch of chevre before the guy comes to pick up my left over milk this morning. Oh yes I have to clean the pasteurizer and sanitize it too.
Yesterday Danyel and I picked apples from our little grove of trees. She climbed the tree's and handed down the apples. They are such nice apples, I wish I had the time and energy to make apple sauce or to make juice from them. I have just been putting them in a room out in the barn where its cool and safe from critters. I am hoping they last into the winter. I also got a sack full of plums the last on the tree's. This is such a nice farm, I just wish I had more time to do the things I use to do before we became dairy people. I think if my husband was the main dairy person I'd have more time to do those things. But as I am the main person for all of the operations it leaves me with little time to do the things that I enjoyed in my previous life (mom, housewife).
David is going to run to Longview today to the accountants and pick up my computer stick, so I can download last years taxes so that David can drop them off at the accountants on Sat. so we can get that refund thing. Another this I dont like doing is bookwork and that too falls on my shoulders.
We are homeschooling today even though public school is out. Maybe we'll run to the library while David is in Longview.
This picture is of my two reg. papillions enjoying some sunshine a couple of weeks ago. Dutches is the darker one and Reese is the other one. Dutches is the one who helps herd the goats.... and she is good. She looks like a Boarder Collie working sheep.
Enjoy the quiet time in your day.... it refreshes and builds strong minds.

Grange Night

Yesterday was a very nice day. The milking in the morning went well and the goats were all healthy. I have my two daughters trade off each week doing the milking of the does. This way the other one has to grain the other goats. So Sunday night is a big night when they switch jobs. They do a good job and I have to pay them cheese and yogurt for their work. I think its a fair trade and it sure makes my life easier. I took the cheese over to Rocky Run Dairy and gave it to my girlfriend, she was very appreciative. I visited with her as she was giving a work crew directions on things that needed fixed around her dairy. I didn't stay long. Got home and home schooled Ali until Danyel got home from her one class - we ate lunch and then hit the books again.
We had to do chores and milk early, because we needed to be at the Grange by 6pm. I am the lecture for Hope Grange in Lewis county, Washington. That means I do all the programs, either find interesting people to give presentations or I give them. I love doing this it gets all my artistic juices going. Last night a lady talked about her great grandfather who drew for the audobon society. He made several books and painted pictures too. It was a very interesting presentation. At grange we take a potluck dish and eat dinner as a group. There were about 30 people there last night. We meet once a month. Next month we are having an Indian Chief tell us some Indian stories. Anyway the food was great last night. We got home around 8:30pm. I read for a half hour to the kids before they went to bed.
I still haven't made my cheese yet.... Today! I have no choice its down to the wire now. Glad we are not doing Pikes yet, as I have to make cheese up until the does give me no more milk and I have to make it as often as I have enough to go into the pasteurizer. Right now its kind of lazy. It shouldn't be as I have to get stocked for the three months I have no milk. I just feel lazy and tired.... anyway I'll work on the cheese today.
We have to go over to Adna and vacuum seal some marinated Feta for market on Thur. so I will be in and out of the house all day. It really puts a strain on my home school day. This morning we are going over to the grange hall to do computer class. The girls like working on the computers and they are learning a lot. Then we will run Danyel to her Biology class and come home. I'll go pick her up at 11:30. Then come home and eat lunch and then work on school until 3pm today. David also has to get some grain today. It seems we are always running.
I like staying at home and having him do the running. David will do inventory today and load up the truck for market tomorrow morning.

This photo is the Broadway Farmers Market - our booth set up- this summer.

Well, hope your having a great day and enjoying your freedom to come and go to worship and to communicate with your neighbors - I am and do.

Just another Day at BRD

Yesterday was a blustery day and wet. The boar goats head out rain or shine but my dairy girls stay put in the dry barn.
Up date: on sick goat. Her milking was fine last night. No blood. Its was probably just getting butted in the bag. Gail was back on line and out with the herd.
I didn't make cheese yesterday, I guess I was still recovering from Sat. and Sunday. But I am ready to go this morning. I'll haul about 40 gallons over to the processing plant (across the driveway) and start my batch after chores are done this morning. I'll be making Chevre. I have enough for Thur Farmers Market but will need it for Sat. Markets.
My cheese class is filling up, I have about 7 slots left and the 25 slots will be full. I am going to go get some more colored ink so I can work on those booklets I make for my cheese class. My rennet and cheese cloth is ordered.
I saved some of my Pepper Rosa for a dear friend who convinced me to make it. So after I drop Danyel off at Biology class at Napavine Highschool, I'll run over to her house. I'll also ask her if she will have milk for sale at my cheese class. She has a "raw goat milk dairy. By the time I get back from Napavine and the cheese drop off it should be time to cool down the milk.
Those frozen yogurt cycles turned out great. I'll start another set this morning. Its cold out but the kids still love those things.
I scrubbed down the floors in the milking parlor last night, with bleach. It is a little cleaner looking and smells fresh. I think this week for occupational education - painting skills - the girls and I will put the finishing coat of white in the milk parlor where my bulk tank is. My painting has come to a stop as the weather is not helping me inch my way around the farm. I am sure I can find things to do though, so don't worry about me being bored.
This picture was taken this summer. This is my daughters truck parked in the field. And this is the only goat that thought she should climb the mountain. I bet she was dared to do that. Ali is trying to get her off.
Have a great day, climb every mountain - up there you'll see more clearly!

The day after!

We got up at 6am on Sunday and did our chores, things went well. David loaded up the van for our treck back to the Pomeroy Living Farm to sell one more day,9am. When we got there at 11am it pored down rain harder than yesterday. We put the tent up and set up our wares and waited. The festival didnt open until 1pm. So we sat under cover and ate some garlic and dill chevre and some bread. Oh yes, the girls and I dressed up in our civil war costumes and then took a gift of cheese and bread over to the civil war team that was set up at the festival. Needless to say they bought some cheese by the end of the day too. You would be surprised to see all the people that came and got pumpkins. I think there were more people on Sunday than on Sat., but we sold more on Sat. than Sunday. Crazy! But we all had a good time, it is always good to see old friends.
We got home at 8pm and then did our chores. We got done at 9pm and boy were we tired. We unloaded and counted cheese and put things away and then everyone went to bed. The goats were very glad to see us. As were our inside dogs who were locked up all day inside.
I got up at 6am and went and cleaned the parlor, and then woke the girls up at 6:30am.This morning David is heading over to get some hay, and then unroll it into the barn. We had one goat with bloody milk last night. It will be interesting to see what she does this morning. We don't put that milk into our bulk tank and that is why we strip one squirt into a cup before we hook up any goat on to the milking system. Last night we put this goat - Gail - into a pen for observation. She is acting healthy and ate fine and there are no visible sores on her udder. I suspect another goat hit her hard in the bag while they were playing or fighting over hay. But we'll wait and see.
This afternoon I'll start 50 gallons of milk pasteurizing to make a batch of chevre and yogurt. Oh all the yogurt that didn't sell this week I'll put sticks in the containers and freeze them. The kids love fozen yogurt. Well try and have a good day and see the blessing in rain. Like green Northwest.

Busy Day at the Cheese Plant

Well its windy this morning but its warm. It fells like fall and smells like it too. I think this transition is my favorite time of year. It always feel clean and crisp. The goats are beginning their new year. It will be five months from now that those kids will be on the ground. Its the anticipation that really keeps us all on our toes. Everyone here at the farm has their doe that they look forward to how and what kind of baby will come. Our boar bucks look so good this year and Ice, our Sannen buck looks great too. These guys are our back bone to the dairy.
David didn't do very well at the market yesterday..... I hate the end of the markets - they slow down so much its like why bother. But because of your customer base you stay and the market managers are great too.
My feta is ready to be cut and salted in the processing plant. That will keep me busy this morning as well as packaging Marinated Feta and Grande Rosa and Pepper Rosa for this weekend. David will take the packaged cheeses to Adna, Black Sheep Creamery, to use their vacuum packager. I need to run to town to get ink to print out some more flyer's about my cheese class Oct. 25 (More info on my web page). I will start making my booklets for the class. I designed the booklet about 3 years ago and they are still working great. I up date anything that needs to be done before printing. I need to order Rennet also, its gone up $50 for one gallon now. That is crazy. I'll order cheese cloth also and that way I'll have some to sell at the class. I started my list for shopping for the soup I make at the class also.
I have to mix up my yogurt and make labels for them today too.
I am also going to work on my bookkeeping and get the homeschooling done.
Last night I painted a cute table David got me at Tue. farmers market. Its the colors of my milking parlor. I'll tole paint some roses on the top of the table.
Well we are ready for the day and I hope your ready for your day. When things look hard or bad just look at a flower and the beauty it brings and watch the sides of your mouth curve up into a smile. Its the simple things that keep us going. I think for me what keeps me going is just the smell of the rose.

Winter is coming

Well this morning it is warm and if you didn't know rain was coming you'd believe it was going to be warm and sunny out. But the weatherman says its going to rain. So I think I'll make Feta today. Today is also Milk pickup today. Mt. Capra comes and picks up my left over milk from the week. I use the first three days milk for my first batch of cheese and then I do another batch in two days and then they pick up the last bit of milk, its usually about 50-100 gallons left in the pot. So that its fresh milk only 2 days old. So we are all within the guidelines of the State of Wash. I packaged the peach & honey yogurt and some raspberry yogurt yesterday.
This will be a pretty slow day today for me. David and Ali (my daughter) are at Farmers Market in Tacoma and Danyel and I are left at home to do school work and putt around the farm. Though I'll be in and out of the processing plant working on my feta. I'll have to get out and get the milk this morning before the milk pickup truck gets here. So I guess that is my sign off note.... and hint of getting to work.
Have a Great Day and Enjoy the little things in life --- like a spider web in the garden.

Well yesterdays work pays off. This is a picture of my Pepper Rosa. Its a really pretty cheese to eat and serve. Its not Hot just warm and has a texture like a mozzarella. Its one of our popular fresh pressed cheeses. My peach yogurt turned out great too. Wow! even tired I can win. Amazing. Yesterday I painted some more on the fence and am almost done with one side. I have to start painting the work barn shed next. David pressure washed it so its ready to do. We have a market this afternoon so I'll try and get the girls home school work done so that one of them will leave at 12:30 for the last Tue market today. We have only bred a few does in the last couple days, but I am sure it will start again real soon. I look forward to the kidding season only to say the babies are really cute. Because its the beginning of a lot of work here on the dairy. Just keeping the kids separated and then the extra time it takes to bottle feed them individually is a chore in its self.
The weather was great yesterday, sunny but not to hot. Today should be nice too. Its crazy how the weather effects what you do and the energy you have to do it with. On the dairy if its wet out we pretty much stay inside - the processing plant is usually where you'll find me. David chooses the Barn and his shop and the girls pick their fort in the hay loft in the barn. No one one wants to be in the house cause then you have to clean and pick up stuff. Though we all eventually end up in the house and clean and pick it up - its just our last choice.
Painting is on the schedual for me today. Have a Great Day! Eat some GOAT Cheese today!