Washing Lockets - Yum just love that smell

Today the winds (45 miles per hour) has trapped me inside the house. What a great reason to get out the big pots and start washing Angora Lockets. Over the years I have created a processing system which will get the best results out of those lovely lockets but it is a large and smelly production. This is also not the time for weak stomachs. There is nothing like the smell of fiber as it is being boiled on the stove and dried thru out the house. Normally this is also the day that I just juice my meals. I have tried to cook a meal while the washing pots are going but everything ends up tasting like smelly fiber. Heck, it is my idea of a cleansing fast !

What you are seeing is a rack of "Dante's" Mohair lockets. He is a offspring of my "Ret" who is now the breeding male at another organic farm down in Pueblo Colorado. "Dante" has a tri color fleece - very soft grey, soft cinnamon and sable brown. I just love the way this looks. On one locket you get this color combination that when spun you could never in a million years recreate in dyepots... Mother Nature sure is one talented lady. When the lockets are dry they will be up for sale on my Etsy site. If you wish to get your hands on this marvel of nature let me know soon because I guarantee it will not last long. Last year a lady purchased the whole batch before it was even dry.

Off to the juicer because my tummy is growling....

So ALONE

Peter was trying to join in the game playing that Jack and Jill had started but everytime he got close they moved away and started the game again. He tried about six times and finally gave up. He walked off but not with his normal spring in his step but rather like "I'll show them, I don't need to play in their silly games".
I know his little feelings where hurt but he is sure to find something fun to do very soon. Wait a bird on the ground - off he went, way too fast for the camera to catch.

Ring Around the Roses

Jack and Jill art taking advantage of the pasture without the big boys - they have been circling and circling and circling - soon if not to dizzy they will but heads. After watching them go round and around they sat down and waited I think for the little brains to unscramble. Monica was first out this morning to go run around but now she is fast asleep. She was so brave this morning walked out the barn with no one with her not even the dog - I must admit I was scared for her but I was watching from a distance to make sure nothing would go wrong. No I am not a helicopter Mom just know that the fox is out and about at that time of the morning and Monica is just the right size to grab.

Go out and play some Ring Around the Roses, Jack or Jump Rope - remember those good old days, live them again because we are never too old!

I need toothpicks to hold my eye open

No one slept much last night because of the boys crying in the barn. I know some say that you should just move them to the other side of the farm so they can not see their Mothers. Been there, tried that and all it did was make the problem worse. Many years ago we would place the kids being weaned on the other side of the farm and the boys would spend all their energy tearing fences, getting caught under gates and hurting their bodies in the process. When we teach our two legged kids that they can live without us we do it in steps. We don't just drop our kids at school or daycare and never come back - we show them that over time they can make new connections, interests and take care of themselves. I think my way has provided Billies that are not distructive, hurtfull and genetlemen when it comes to breeding time. So a strong cup of coffee, toothpicks and maybe a nap.

This morning the boys came up to me wanting hugs, snugs and back with their Mother's. Tough love and tons of snugs will see them thru. The moment I got back to the house the crying started up again - remember it is a process...

Busy Day in the Goat Barn

This morning when I went out to do morning feeding I noticed we must have had a hormone spike during the night. It seems as every little young man was in the mood for more then food. Love was in the air and that is just plain WRONG

I did not have this on the schedule of things to do today but Mother Nature was scrapping my list and giving me new plans. So I set about dividing up the barn - Girls and Boys. Tearing down the kidding pens and constructing a alley way to the new pasture for the boys and reconstructing a nursery on the girls side. Now while all this is going on the goats are not stupid - they knew something was up but could not quite put their hooves on it until the divider panel went up. Right then and their the Mother's remembered this from year gone by and they started up with loud vocals. I jumped into action grabbing a boy by the horns and walking them into their new pasture - wait did I say WALKING, more like dragging. You know the kind when a kid has a tanturm, drops to the floor and becomes a million pounds - Yes, that kind of walking. One by one I walked them into the nice new pasture with lush grass and dandelions, their fav's. You would have thought I was walking them to their deaths. Who says there are only Mom's Boys in the human world. I found boys have a harder time weaning from their Mom's then any of the girls. With five boys screaming and their mothers calling back, it was anything but a quite Sunday Morning at the Funny Farm.. Now that the sun is setting they have started up their crying because no nursing for them before bedtime and the girls that are with their mothers and are rubbing it in the faces of those sweet little boys - doesn't just break your heart??? Llama boy is guarding them tonight and he is already sick and tired of hearing their cries - he keeps looking at me like "Make them STOP". Hope all has a quite night because the Funny Farm will be anything but quite. Sweet Dreams

Last but NEVER Least

MONICA is her name... The winner of her nameing contest is also MonicaT - Congrat's and her prize is going out Monday morning.

For those who have been following this blog you might recall that Monica is the baby of Masquerade (Mishka's Mother too) who has not taken care of her own babies for the past four years. It was such a thrill to my heart when Masquerade determined that she this time would participate. I will not kid you we both worked at being Mom - I gave bottles while she worked at getting milk in. Then she stood still as I cut some of her massive fiber away from her milk bags so the tiny girl could find them. Last we battled rattling in her lungs. I admit it, many times I stayed in the barn during our bitter snow storms that seemed to come one right after another, to make sure this little girl would thrive. Now, this incredible gal is holding her own with all the little goats and is even throwing a big attitude when things do not go her way. The rattle is almost gone and she is eatting grass and dandelions - also a favorite of her sister Mishka. Monica is a pure Angora and will I hope have the same wonderful long lockets that Mishka carries. We are all thrilled with the mothering skills of Masquerade and the strong will of Monica.

On a side note - Mishka is heartbroken that Masquerade took care of Monica and not her. Mishka would sit next to the pen they where in trying to get her mother to notice her too, but all Masquerade would do is bit her ear and push her away. So poor Mishka became even more of a clinging mess. I could not move without her under foot. Her need for me to hug and snug her grew a million percent but that is what us two legged mothers are for. Poor Mishka...

The last set of twins are finally named

First we have "Peter Peter" you know the Pumpkin Eater. He is the wonderful black accented little boy. The winner for his name is ErikaH...Yeah! Erika is getting a spinning lesson per her request..

Second is "Boy Blue or Bleu" and he sure has some blue eyes. The winner for his name is NormaJ who is loving her book on natural dyes. Putting her garden to use in a whole new way.

This set of twins can only be described as pure energy. When I let them out of their pen they are at full tilt - running, jumping, butting heads and just about anything else they can think of. I laugh myself silly because after running around "Peter" pants and sticks out his tongue. The first couple of times he did this I was concerned so I checked his heart rate and he was fine - just his silly way I guess of showing he is excited. Peter was the one I had to feed with a bottle for a week to get him started but now their is nothing that he will not eat. Bleu is very outgoing with the other goats and is trying to work up the nerve to play with me but he still is not sure.. He also is a foot stomper - their way to show they are not afraid - funny because I know he is. These two will be the one's to keep an eye on if you can!