Important things...

 There is always more to do on a day "off" than we can ever accomplish, but little by little, we nibble away at our list. One thing on that list for a few months was setting up a way to feed my goats the new mineral buffet I had purchased. For all the years we have had goats, we have offered them goat minerals that come pre-mixed and supposedly balanced. One of my goats showed signs of zinc deficiency this spring, even though I provided mixed minerals in multiple forms. I bought a special zinc supplement, and soon, the symptoms (patches of hair loss on her face) disappeared. But it got me thinking that there had to be a better way to get balanced nutrition to my herd. I looked and found a company that sells packages of individual supplements for hoof stock. The idea is that the goats will ingest what they need. There were many photos of how creative people had set up ways to arrange how to feed the buffet. Chris and I brainstormed and had some ideas, and today, in the hot sun on a muggy day, he made the magic happen. He cut sturdy wire mesh (the kind they use for lobster traps) to fit a space against the back wall of the goat cozy. He found a way to snugly attach the little individual dishes I had bought, but I can still remove them to clean if need be. 

We stood back and let the goats in, and they had a veritable party with the new addition. It was fascinating to me to see what they found most enticing. Today, iodine and silicone were at the top of the list. 

While Chris assembled the feeder, I scooped and swept the floor. It was hot out, so I sat on a bale of shavings and drank some water before I moved on to my next task. Little Charm, now seven weeks old, came over to say hello. 

I scooped her up, and she snuggled down on my lap. She nibbled my shirt, snuffled my face, and tickled me with her long whiskers. Then she put her head against my chest and shut her eyes. Productivity went out the window for a while. 

When she hopped down, I was ready to get up and get back to work, but just then, little Merriweather, who has only lived here for a few weeks, brought her four-month-old self over for some attention. She was a little shy when she arrived, so this pleased me. I lifted her up gently, and to my surprise, she settled down calmly in my lap, just as Charm had done. 

She stayed a long time, and I had to weigh what was more important: enjoying this sweet snuggle or weed-whacking the paddock. I decided the whacking could wait, and it did for a while. 

We didn't accomplish all that we might have this weekend. 

But at the end of the day, all of the important things were done.