There are times of the year that are fast paced and it seems to be a sprint to a invisible finish line. For us one of those busy times is Spring… Our kidding season starts for our small herd of Nubian Dairy Goats. Which is one of the first signs it’s time to roll with the punches… And I do mean just that!
The girls go to work making Rich sweet milk that we use for cheese and our wonderful Hand Crafted Goat Milk Soaps.The balancing act is in full swing…. Between washing udders,delivering goat kids, and washing the never ending parade of dishes from the added workload…. And a zillion other things, It’s time to get the entire garden planted and ready to grow our summer bounty. The meat rabbits are delivering their first litters and the kits are growing in leaps and bounds. It seems like almost over night they are Fuzzy and then it’s time to have them head off to freezer camp. While my husband deals with that business you’ll find me patiently waiting for a doe in labor to deliver their babies. Our wonderful Honey Bees are also looking for the first signs of spring flowers, and are ramping up for the nectar flow that will be released with with colors of every color your can imagine as the flowers & Cactus bloom here in the beautiful Sonoran Desert.
The circle of life is in full swing now.
Where do you find the time to breath, rest or even relax. The truth is you find a harmony in the craziness of it all. It also is imperative that you plan and get things organized prior to the full onset of the insanity. My vet supplies are all ordered and delivered,and the vet kits, kidding kits and restocking are all done. The lamb bars are all washed and sanitized. We’ve got the kidding stalls up and loaded up with fresh straw, the water and feed buckets are hung. The vet kits and my comfy chair are also present and accounted for. The newborn kids pen is also awaiting its first arrivals…. And my LGDs are well aware we’re going to have the little ones running around soon. The clock is ticking and we’re headed into the final stretch of prep time before the real work begins.
So now roll your sleeves up and get ready.
Each morning the doe’s arrive at the holding pen right on time for the early morning milking, and trust me they are opinionated about this routine running right on time. They are ready for some relief for those full udders, and of course their animal cookies along with the grain they get while they are milked… And 12 short hours later you can repeat this process all over again. Pasterizing the milk and getting the babies fed is also at the top of the list each time I milk. At the start 90% of all the milk produced goes straight into feeding the kids. We weigh our milk so we can tract the production of each of our girls. We also hand raise all our kids on a CAE/CL program and are a tested clean herd. We also maintain a G6S Normal herd as well. But that’s another post for another time. Just know that to us here it’s important.
Once the kids have all moved onto their new homes, we start to create our Hand Crafted Goat Milk Soaps. After all what do you do with the tidal wave of milk that comes from super productive Nubians. Please stop in and shop in our Our Etsy Store for these wonderful Soaps. Here are a few of our creations on our loaded curing racks that will be headed to Edible Garden Tour Where we will have a booth set up for our Hand Crafted Goat Milk Soaps.
You see my passion for Herbs and The benefits that come from Fresh Rich Goat Milk have come together in the creations that are made in my Soaping Studio that is located right here at the Homestead.
This year were also adding 6 more colonies of Honey Bees to our existing hives, we use the Top Bar Hives that my husband built ( he is very talented) and a huge part of all we do here. Yes we’re bee keepers and lovers of Raw Honey. So that as well is on the list of things to watch and maintain. This is also the time for swarms that we collect and gently place into a new hives.
These are some of the Langstroth Hives we saved from a 30 year abandoned bee yard, It was a adventure that again is another post all by itself. We’re enjoying Our Bees and this added spoke in the wheel of our self reliance.
We’ve almost made it, the kidding season is finished. The kids have moved to their new homes and are doing well there. I have the garden planted and things are sprouting up and growing well in the Arizona sun. The mesquite trees are starting to bloom and our bees love that 🙂 Our planning and prep for each spring gets more organized and I’ve learned to relax in the storm of it all. Hot cups of tea, frozen crock pot leftovers from the winter save me on those…. I don’t have time to cook kinda days. And the well stocked pantry means that the toilet paper and paper towels are here and ready ….. As well as the other must haves for my family.
You see the most important tool you have is yourself, and the simple truth is that you must take care of yourself and your family first. So remember that a nap, or a quick snack may help you along this sprint thru spring…. But you must enjoy the storm of it all. Laughter is also the best medicine to have as you sit in a barn with your hair pulled into a crazy bun… With your comfy cloths on. Your sense of humor must be intact and in full operation at times like this, you have to be able to laugh at yourself and enjoy the simple wins that happen in each day.
So Embrace it with open arms, the love of an amazing man and enjoy this beautiful wonderful life you have.
We’re glad to have you here, reading my ramblings of this life that I love and the beautiful craziness of it all.
Country Homesteads 