Because there is a holiday coming up, I only have one day off this week... (but I get 5 delicious days off during the 4th of July!) I vowed to cram a lot of "weekend" into today. And I did. I started the day by milking Luna goat and feeding the kids, taking care of the horse and chickens and duck and rabbit and dogs. I had my treasured weekly morning chat with my oldest sister, then made myself a smoothie. I create these with home made yogurt which I make from goat milk. I add local honey, vanilla, frozen fruit and OH! They are so good. Goat yogurt has a certain tang that cows milk yogurt lacks, and I just can't seem to get enough of it.
A walk through the gardens revealed that the Peonies were in full bloom. I made a big,blowsy bouquet and it has made me smile several times today.
I spent several hours cleaning... vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing bathrooms. Then my friend Carol came by and we hung out a bit, chatting happily. Shortly after she left I noticed that my while goat, Luna, had been rubbing herself on the smoker to scratch some itch. She was smeared with grease. I didn't know how it would go, but I filled a bucked with warm water and some lovely lavender shampoo, then I took a big sponge and scrubbed that goat from nose to toes. She LOVED the scrubbing part, she's been very itchy this spring. The cold water rinse was greeted with a less than enthusiastic response. Then I clipped a lead line to her collar and took her out of the pasture for a nice, long graze in some fresh places. This she loved. I then cast my eye at Chanel. She was dusty, itchy and plagued by biting flies. I put her halter on, tied her to the picnic table and gave her a nice bath,too. She loved it, every bit of it. I ran the sponge full of soap over her from her nose to her toes, and she stood very still and exuded happiness. I would have taken pictures but I was busy. Then I hosed her off, rinsing her mane and tail and back and legs and hips and chest. And she loved it. Then I took her out for a nice walk so she could graze new territory. While she grazed I brushed her. I brushed her mane and tail and back and belly. She was pleased by all the attention. When it was all said and done she was clean, with a fluffy mane and tail.
I cleaned the run in shed and put down fresh shavings. Normally in the summer I don't use shavings, just let the animals lay on the rubber mats. But to celebrate their cleanness I splurged.
The doelings are getting big. Tonight I let them into the garage, one at a time. They happily hopped up on the milking stand, and I fed them a mix of grain, alfalfa pellets and sunflower seeds. I trimmed their hooves for the very first time. I petted them all over their sturdy little bodies, especially where their udders will be when they grow up. They were un-phased. Celeste was a perfect angel, acting as if this had happened to her a million times. Novella struggled a bit, but I was able to get the trimming done. After that I clipped leashes to their collars and took them out for a walk. They did very well, and I think it will be no time until they are leash trained.
The meat chicks are getting... huge. They bop around their enclosure, take long dust baths, chase bugs, eat and eat and eat and rest. And poop. So much pooping with these birds. They seem quite happy.
I am happy, too. I had a wonderful day off at home, my favorite place to be.
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