I Am Thrilled to Introduce Ya'll to Our Newest Homestead Members!

      I've been goat sitting since April. I have to admit, I have grown attached to these little critters! They are Nigerian Dwarfs, relatives to the ones we sold earlier this year. So it got me to thinking about becoming a goat owner again. This time, I wanted a larger goat that I could get more milk from. I started searching and found nothing. More searching. Nothing. Seems no one around here has Nubians for sale. I don't even know if there are Nubian owners around here! I started looking further away. Several came up outside the Atlanta area, but that would be about a 3 hour drive or so. I kept looking. Still none here. I found some on this side of Atlanta. Still a bit far. More looking. By this time, I'm putting in an ad in search of Nubians. In two separate places. No answer. I finally found a place that was only an hour and a half away. Bingo! The right goats at the right time! And delivered to our property! That was a God answer! For us and for the former owners! We ended up with two does in milk, and a beautiful doeling! I have been on cloud 9 ever since! It's such a wonderful thing to have God answer your prayers! Even if it's not exactly when you ask for it. He knows the right timing for everyone! So if you're praying and it doesn't seem like God is hearing you; much less answering you, keep on praying! He is listening, and He will answer you when the time is right! 

      Randy is having to assist with the milking process. I believe in time, I will be able to do it by myself, but he is so very helpful. He doesn't actually milk her, although he tried a time or two. He gets her out without all the other ones coming out. That is a job to hold all the other goats in there, all the while, letting only Bambi out! He gets her onto the milk stand and stands there keeping her occupied while I milk. The first time was terrible! I barely got two cups of milk! The milking has gotten easier and she now gives us a quart, twice a day. I love this process! Tomorrow, I'll be making mozzarella! I'm excited about all the things I can make with the milk. I have some buttermilk culturing now that I will use to make chevre. Then I plan on making ricotta with the leftover whey. I hope there won't be much waste of anything. What's leftover, I'll feed to the dog and chickens. 

      It's gotten really hot again so I'm having to stay inside until the sun begins to go down. Then we still have heat and humidity; and mosquitoes! I get eaten up every evening when we milk the goat! Oh well, it's worth it for me! Just like getting chiggers to get blackberries! I have poison ivey too! I think I got it from petting the goats, since they eat it! Got to take the bad with the good sometimes!

      We saw all the girls this past weekend! I am so glad we spent the weekend hosting them! They are growing up so quick! I don't know when they'll be over again, but I'm looking forward to seeing them soon! I hope ya'll are staying out of this heat! Stay hydrated as much as you can when you do have to be out in it! Have a great week! Blessings from Bama!

Meet the girls: Trixie, Dixie, and Bambi! Bambi is the light colored one I milk.

Going to be made into cheese tomorrow!

What sweet faces! Yasmine with her icecream cup and Riley with her playdough!

Lulu giving her Mom a hug since she hasn't seen her since the day before! Mommy's girl!