This afternoon I decided to try milking our new goat. I have squirted a stream of milk from her udder a time or six, just messing around, but tonight I was aiming to bring in a measurable amount of milk. I brought my clippers home and shaved her udder of excess hair (so no errant strands would fall in the milk.) I washed her udder, dried it, and tried milking into a jar I had sterilized with boiling water. She was very good, despite the fact that I do not have a milking stand to keep her still. And this is not even mentioning that I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MILK A GOAT! The buckling, on the other hand, wreaked havoc! He jumped on her. He jumped on me. He jumped on the table beside us, and leapt over us. He knocked over his mothers food, he knocked over the bowl with the udder wash, he tried to eat the paper towels. Then he knocked over the small amount of milk I managed to get out. This was a learning experience. I will be patient with myself, learn from my mistakes and soon Luna and I will be pro's at this milking thing! I spent the weekend in New Jersey at a big trade show, "Intergroom." Greeted old friends, met new ones, and savored the experience. But oh it is good to be HOME. My mother used to say, "It is good to go away, but better to come home." I recognize her wisdom. After a long dry spell we had a lot of rain over the weekend. The grass became greener and more lush looking almost immediately. The trees are budding out and spring is well under way. I love this time of year, and try to savor every second of it. This year I'll savor it with goat milk! If I can master getting the stuff from udder to bucket, that is.