Just Another Day at the Dairy

These are picture when the water was receding and when the water was raging. This is a barn on Twin Oaks Road, heading out tword Adna, WA.

Good Morning. David and Ali went to market today. Danyel and I did the chores and then did some Algerbra. I took Danyel to Biology and after that we are heading to Olympia to drop off some chevre at the Dockside Bistro. David also took some more chevre to Michou. The market yesterday was slow, meaning not alot of sales. Yesterday, I ran and got some grain and the girls unloaded it. We went to church in the morning. The girls had two neighbor girls spend the night, which means I don't see my girls because they are all down stairs playing board games or watching movies or playing on the computer.

Danyel took another goat off line today. Now we have 7 milking and that will be slowing going away, as she takes them off one by one this week. I have milk saved in the freezer for making yogurt. My last batch of feta is in the pastuizer today - I skipped out yesterday on the task. But in the end its alright because I ended up with 17 gallons. Won't make alot of cheese but will help with the fresh feta.

The goats went out this morning and are enjoying the grass. Its overcast but not raining or snowing. Its great. Tomorrow I'll have David go get some hay.

Danyel and I ran around and did a bunch of erronds today so didn't get home till 4pm. But we got done.

Have a great day remember Jesus is the Reason....... even for FARMING.

Freedom!

Good Morning:
Well we were there - when they opened I-5 to the truckers. We stood on the over pass and waved as they went past. What a site. And I know they were very glad.

It was alot of fun to watch the trucks go by.

This is the bridge the morning 1/9/09 Water going down.

I went to market with David on Sat. We did pretty good for this year, but we are about 1/2 of what we did last year. Now the gas prices are going up and that means feed will go up and so will other commodities. David had a guy yesterday say to him we should just have a straight gas price of $3.00 a gallon. David said sure that would be great..... we could all stay home, have no fresh produce (that you could afford), and the small farmers go out of business because grain is to high for us to affordably feed our stock. And for the diary person - we have stainless steel equipment and filters and rubber stops and chemicals to clean with. And then the cheese side its the containers, bags, processing equipment. All these things drive the cost of our cheese up and then no one can afford it. Thus the big guy wins again..... and the little guy gets lost in the dollars. Who can we trust to take care of us if we can't take care of ourselves? God! I can for sure say it doesn't matter if we are farming or not - that MY God will take care of us no matter what the economy is doing. AMEN!

Alright off my soap box. Just one more word..... shop the farmers markets this summer ..... WE NEED YOU! And while your at the market why not thank the farmer for his hard work to bring you good quality food.

David got to come home on Friday. He was sure glad. Thats why I know the truckers were glad to get on the road. He sold in three days $25 dollars of cheese - though it paid for two nights in a motel and ate six meals too and bought toilet things. Crazy. Oh well- God is Good.

Have a Great Day.

The Flooding!

This is Ali and her glowing hair. A covered Bridge at 3:30 today

Heading twords Adna, Wa.

The water is covering fields.

Good Evening to you all. To let you all know we are high and dry this flood around. We got up this morning to rain and the knowlage that the rivers were going to flood. So we decided to take a drive after chores this morning. We couldn't get very far from home. We tried going across I-5 at exit 68 and there was a road block. Then we went to Winlock and tword Toledo and viewed the Cowlitz River - it was pretty high. Then we went on Jackson Hwy and had to drive through three water over the road area's. (we could see the yellow line and we went slow). Then we headed out tword Adna and viewed the corn fields flooded and the ducks and geese and swans swimming on them like no big deal. We went on to a road called Twin Oaks and came to the road block. At this point there was alot of water rushing over the road. A house was surrounded by water and the barn doors were open with water rushing through the barn. Then we turned around and went through Napavine on hwy 603 to look out over the ridge. It looked like last year. It was pretty bad. I know Black Sheep Creamery got their flock out and to high ground and they got everything in thier house moved upstairs and I am sure they got evacuated out. When we came home it was raining again. We watched movies and played games on the computer and worked on our puzzel today. David on the other hand is still stuck up in Seattle. He stayed in a motel last night and went back to the market this morning to sell cheese. He said he wasn't sure if he was going to stay another night in a motel or try and get through. He said he needed to go get a shaver and shaving lotion and a tee shirt to wear tomorrow if he stayed.

So the girls and I did all the chores today. I have to say I am glad its David that is stuck - cause I wouldn't do very good in this situation - by myself.

I turned my cheese today, and froze milk from this morning. Tomorrow will be the same as today.... Hopefully David will be able to get home.

Have a Great evening.

Rain - Can we get a break - weather wize!!

The Before Picture of Danyel's hair and the after picture of Danyel's hair. She is giving about 12 inches of hair to Locks of Love.

Hello again. Well everyone's eyes are on the rivers around here. The rain total is getting higher and higher. We sit on a hill why would we be worried about rain totals? Well the water runs off the last year tree harvest area above us. We are keeping an eye on our back property for that river trickle that turned into a major water way flooding our basement.

As of 1o:30 the radio said we have had 1.75 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. We took Danyel to Napavine school for her class. Her school is one of the few schools that haven't sent children home yet. We are going to go drive around and take some pictures when we pick Danyel up from her class. We have loaded the girls 24 hour Civil Air Patrol packs and our boots and rain coats in case we see a need we can help.

Our goats are dry and the chores are all done. David went to Seattle to Market today and his report from there is that the wind is blowing really hard. Its not raining so much but very windy. We will keep him posted on the water issue so he can get home tonight.

Our big thing yesterday was getting Danyel's hair cut. She hasn't had it cut since she was very small, around 3. She loves her hair cut too. Ali had to have something so she bought hair color and dyed her hair very gold blonde. She looks fine - but I think she is glowing.

As for David and I we think we look fine and decided to let the girls have thier fun.

I'll give you another up date on the flooding tomorrow.

Have a great day and stay dry.... take an umbrella out with you today I think it might rain.

Here comes the Snow again.

This is a picture one of the girls took of ice and snow melting off the roof of the milk parlor.

Good Evening. Wouldn't you know it.... the snow returned. But he brought his friend the wind with him. Together they could cause everyone to worry. And we did. Cloe, our female anatolian shepard was back out in her dog house. The snow started coming and coming and coming - soon all the green that we saw the day before was gone and the driveway was white and untouched again. But it was the wind that caught us watching the trees and roofs for damage. Then I remembered Cloe in the pasture with her dog house.... and sure enough that wind had blown it over and Cloe sat in the snow waiting. The girls put her in the barn. Where she dried off and was more protected

David went around and fixed fences today. Man the snow really messed up our fences, with limbs and packed snow pushing it down. The goats knew yesterday the fences were down. As they were out of the pasture yesterday and today. Its crazy that they can hear that hum on the wire.

I turned the cheese over again in the processing plant. I am getting about two gallons a day of milk that I am freezing so that maybe I can make another batch of feta. We only have two pieces of our fresh left. Anyway we'll see.

David took Monday and Tue off and is going to try Wed. at Pikes Place Market. He'll work

through Sunday.

Market has been going pretty good. We are selling alot of our Grande'Rosa and Pepper Rosa. We are cutting the rounds at the market. It seems we are selling more of the cheese doing it this way.

I am back to homeschooling the girls after our Christmas Break. Its hard to get back into the routine. We got a lot of school done today. Danyel had Biology today too. David ran around town paying bills and picking up a few things we needed.

Tomorrow David will go get some grain and set us up for this week. We have a big day tomorrow. Danyel is getting about 14 inches of her hair cut off. Her hair has never been cut before. But she wants to donate her hair to Locks of Love. Her hair will be a little longer than her shoulders. She is really exicited. Getting ready for Civil Air Patrol will be alot easier putting the bun in. I'll show pictures tomorrow the before and after.

We will have Grange tomorrow evening too. So I have to make a potluck dish to take.

Sunday we finally got to go to church. It seems like months since we were there. The music was great and the message was good too. After church we had company, Lacee and her husband Ben. They ate chili with us. We visited for a long time. It was really good.

We started our next puzzel,1000. Our last one was 550, so we figured we were ready for more of a challenge. Everyone works on it.

If you can find good in everything you will not be burdened with the heavyness of worry.

More Snow and Ice

Good Morning:

These are our goats on a snowy day! Warm and Dry. Bernie (Anatolian Shepard lives with the goats and Dutches (Pappillion) herds our goats.

I was up at 5am to make garlic and dill chevre for David to take to market. I also had to package and label some more marinated feta. David sold alot of cheese yesterday. Its a blessing cause our house payment is due in 15 days and we needed the sales. Ya!

I turned my cheese yesterday and this evening they are coming out of the molds and will be salted.

Danyel and I got the house cleaned and all the Christmas stuff up in the attic. Its refreshing to start with an orderly house for the new year. Now I just have to get my desk cleaned and all the data entered. Our tax guy likes the taxes early like January so I need to finish that too.

Today I need to get to town to get dog food. Its pretty icy this morning - hope it warms up cause I couldn't go yesterday because I was waiting for my son to come - and I didn't want to miss him. But around 2pm I called him and said don't come - the snow started coming down pretty heavy and was sticking again.

Danyel and I did chores at 4:30 and when I was done haying, watering and cleaning the parlor I came in and made stew for dinner. Then we worked on the puzzle and watched Pirates of the Caribbean, until David got home from market.

Today its Ali and I all day. We have no big plans.

Have a Great Day and take a deep breath outside and smell the crisp air.

Looking Ahead to the New Year

Good Morning,

This is a picture of "Kusco" this summer looking through the milking parlor window to get a grain treat from Danyel.

Well, we all celebrated the New Year. But..... I was thinking Jan. 1 isn't a farmers New Year. Our New Year starts somewhere in the middle of Feb. when our does start having babies. Anyway I hope everyone has a Great Year! I can't believe we have two inches of new snow this morning. The forcast says warming but possible more snow. I hear the water dripping outside and its 36 degrees - YA!

I cleaned the bulk tank for the last time this season. We are milking only 8 goats and they are slowly giving way to thier bodies message of stop producing. I would love to make one more batch of fresh feta to get us through till Feb. I made a 22 gallon batch of Grande Rosa and Pepper Rosa on 1/1/09. That gave me about 6 rounds of cheese. We are down to two gallons a day - so maybe in a week I'll have enough milk to make a batch of cheese. I have to also make yogurt for the Pikes Place Creamery each week too.

Yesterday we went and got some hay. The van is fixed - David stayed home on the 29th of December and took the van to get the estimate. OUCH! but now we can haul hay again. I took it in on Tue and it took about 1 hour to attach the new hitch. Danyel and I sat in the lobby and read our books and glanced at the TV (a real treat for us). We went to the library in Winlock after the van was fixed. Then we went to the Thrift store in Winlock - looking for a new coat for Danyel. We found - a swade black coat, a formal blue velvet dress trimmed with black around the neck line, black satin shoes, and a black small purse - I got a new jumper and dress. The cost was $18. WOW! I was so excited. Danyel loves her new stuff too. I am so thankful my daughters don't have to have designer stuff - and that second hand is as exciting as brand new. Thanks Lord for such awsome daughters - in fact all my children are like that. I think its because I don't do it. Its the same with make-up. The girls do it for dress up and play rather than to hook a guy or to make themselves look HOT!

Well I am going to call the vet today about Kusco.... I haven't shared this with everyone because its hard to tell about such serious sickness. But Kusco disloacated his hip bone. We have waited to call the vet. because we thought with tender loving care it would relocate. It hasn't and then our next thought was to put him out of his missery - which I can see in his eyes each day when we feed, water and re-adjust his position. But David told me yesterday to call the vet and see if there is anything we can do for him. Kusco is Danyel's pack goat. She has been training him for three years and he is an awsome goat. The call to the vet, didn't do any good - he's out until the 5th. So I'll call then. I'll keep you posted.

I'v finished the book Animal, Veg., Mircle and I got so inspired. I have to say the last chapter talking about evolution turned me off. But I can glean alot of information from this book. It was a fun book to read.

We went to Market on Wed. and did pretty good on sales. Then we came home and unloaded the car and packed the girls sleeping bags and such so they could spend the night at the church with the youth group. They of course didn't sleep - but they got to ring in the new year with friends. David and I spent about an hour at the church playing scrabble and cribbage. Then we came home counted cheese and then went to bed. Before the new year!

New Years Day was mostly just relaxing and catching up on like fixing the fence after the snow - making cheese and working on our puzzle. The girls slept most of the day, and were in bed by 9pm that night.

Today Danyel and I are taking down all the Christmas stuff and putting my house back in order. And clearing some of the other stuff on the china hutch away and simplifying my house again. This time of year is when our house slows down for a few weeks and there is so much I need to get done before kidding season and the really serious cheese making takes place. I'll be back to three times a week making cheese and two times a week going to markets. We are planning on doing at least 10 different markets this year. On top of milking about 80-100 does. This will be a very busy year.

Hope everyone is taking a look at thier plans for next year and keeping our sites on the future and realistic goals. Have a Great Day.