We are fostering two dairy goats for some friends who needed to put up new fencing, and that has been mighty interesting. The organic, raw goat milk is heavenly. Especially when I drink it fresh and still-warm. It's so creamy it's similar to half-and-half. Goat's milk is already homogenized, so the cream stays suspended in the milk evenly. And Nubian goats are known for a high milk-fat content. Oh heavens, it's delicious. Since it's so rich, a little bit goes a long way. We only drizzle a tablespoon of this milk over our oatmeal and it transforms breakfast. It also makes our fruit smoothies superb.
BUT.
I really don't like how tricky it is to harvest the milk. The milking itself isn't a tricky chore (unless she kicks the milk pan over). It's unexpectedly satisfying to milk her and watch the hot streams of milk spray into the milk pan. It's It's an odd thing to discover I don't mind milking a goat, But some days Missy doesn't want to be milked, and refuses to come when it's milking time. She ignores all our treats and bribery and actually runs away from us. Darn thing. Chasing her is no good; she's faster than me and won't be caught. Ornery thing. So I don't milk her those days. And when we DO get Missy successfully into the milking stand, all the other goats like to mob the milk stand to steal the grain I use for MIssy. They push their way onto the stand with the goat being milked. Heavens, it's so frustrating! The other dtrick is the non-negotiable commitment it is to milk her each day. Some days of the week my schedule is too full to even squeeze in milking chores anywhere (such as Thursdays, when I teach art classes all day between other commitments). Sometimes I milk her after dark in the evenings, or before sunrise in the mornings....but I really don't enjoy that commitment. I've decided I do not care to actually own a dairy animal, so we are going to gradually let her go dry.
Joseph has enjoyed having me all to himself during the day while the Big Kids are all at school. This week I was working on a painting project in our art studio, so Joseph worked on his own little painting project next to me. He felt like such a big boy getting to work in the studio, and he just giggled the entire time. I love quiet afternoons like this!
My art classes have been up and running for over a month now. This semester I am teaching four classes, but they are all on the same day. It's a fully-packed day for me, but it's a delight to teach. This year I decided to post official studio rules, so I created this poster to join our studio decor.
Matthew has been making home made marble run pieces from random things around the house. This spot was a very popular place to hang out last month as boys designed different ramps and tried to make marbles jump into the air. I loved the rules Matthew posted next to his marble station!
We've been enjoying several hikes this month now that the summer heat has (mostly) died away. Every Saturday Sarah suggests a family hike. These are some glimpses of one hike around Lake Georgetown.
Our enthusiastic hikers at the start of the trail.
Daniel had so many rocks in his pocket, I thought it would rip the fabric. They had SUCH a hard time narrowing down their selections.
I appreciate the way they remind me how glorious our world is. Everything around us is so fascinating and wondrous. I love the way my children help me rediscover the beauty in the rocks beneath our feet. I love seeing the world through their eyes!
We hiked for hours, played on the shoreline, discovered fossils, and created memories for a rainy day.
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