Our goat babies are here!

      We are so excited about our baby goats! They are so cute! And they sound like a real baby when they cry! They love our attention, and when you are outside, they cry loudly for you to come and visit them! Right now, we have them where the chicken yard was. We closed off the entrance so the babies could not go down to where the chicken feed is. I'm afraid they'll eat too much and get bloat! It's a temporary thing, until we get the back fenced off. The hubs wanted to go ahead and do that this week! So when he gets home every evening from work, we'll be working on the new fence. We purchased them from a very sweet couple, that we new from church, years ago! They have a very nice farm, garden and orchard! She also sells homemade soap that I purchased, and I absolutely love it! It smells better than any soap I've ever smelled! And, its all natural with essential oils!
      
      Oh, did I forget to tell you? The goats are Nigerian Dwarfs. They originated in Africa, thus the name. They are the perfect size for the smaller homestead. The milk has as high a butterfat content as an original sized goat! Maybe even more! You can be assured, I'll at least give cheese making a try! I just think about all of the things I can make from their milk! But, I've got to find a billy to breed them with. Local, of course! I know God will hook us up at just the right time, like He has done now! I still have to look, though! 

      I just planted some more swiss chard, turnips, beets, and spinach. The other seeds I planted are turning into small plants! It's dry again, so I'm going to have to water everything. The okra is coming in nicely. I will cut some more today. I have some photos to share, so I'll end for now. I can hear the babies crying for me as I write this! That is so sweet! Ya'll have a great week! Blessings from Bama!

Hot banana peppers and jalapenos, ready to come out of the water bath.

Dried green beans and zucchini chips.

Skylar loves animals! The neighbors horses love attention, too!

Notice, the grey horse is looking at the baby goats!

After coaxing out of the doghouse, they seem to be enjoying the blackberry vines!

It so funny how other animals react with different kinds of animals!

The markings on these girls are so pretty!

The dog house makes a nice shelter for them.

A better view.

They seem to like this tall grass!

Even the dogs are watching the goats!

Randy really likes his new 'babies'!

What is this? It's everywhere out here!

Daisy and Delilah like the shade!

      

We're getting goats!

      I read Craigslist before we went to the Amish country last week and saw where someone was selling Nigerian Dwarf goats. I figured they would be gone by the time we got back. Just because, I decided to look at the website that offered them, and lo and behold, they were still for sale! I was ecstatic! Ran and I had talked about where we would put the goats if we got them, which is where the chickens are. We don't even have to put up more fencing or a shed! We're just going to modify the hen house area a little bit. Getting goats may not be as interesting to some as it is to me, but I can hardly wait! I've been wanting goats for a couple of years now, and I figured it would be a couple more before we were 'set up' properly. But with the Nigerian Dwarfs, one doesn't need a whole lot of space! They are a small goat, so they don't need as much area as a larger goat. We still want to fence in the back woods, though, so we can rotate them.

      Since we're talking about farm animals, are ya'lls hens molting? Most of mine are! I only have about four hens that are laying any more. Will the ones that have molted, begin laying soon? Like right when it gets cold? I guess I can't complain because some laid right through the 'winter', if you want to call it that! I just don't want to have to eat grocery store eggs anymore!

      I got the beans all snapped up and canned that we purchased from the Amish. Boy, that was a job! I'll know not to buy beans this late in the season again! They were stringy and beany! But delicious! I also canned the purple hull peas. Next time, I won't fill the jar so full! This was my first time to can green beans and purple hulls! I love canning! Today, I chopped up the hot banana peppers we got from the Amish, and some jalapenos from my garden, and some my Mom brought us. I used gloves on the Jalapenos, but I didn't think the banana peppers would warrant me wearing those. Now, my fingers are burning! I'll know next time! I wished I had done all of these things when I was much younger so I would know how to do these things now! Oh well, I guess the things I learned when I was younger are helping me a little. I learned to use a pressure cooker when I was in my late teens, and I'm so glad that I did! It helps me get food on the table in a pinch! And I'm not afraid to use it! Plus, it has helped me to learn more quickly how to use a pressure canner! 

      I'm glad ya'll are enjoying reading this blog! I just write about the things that go on around here! I love living a simple life! Gardening, canning, living a frugal life, traveling, I could go on, but ya'll get the picture! I also enjoy reading your blogs, when I have time! Community, even on line, is important! Thanks for commenting when you can! Hope ya'll have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

Okra and a few raspberries from our garden.

This is what happens when the canner gets too hot! The glass broke at the bottom and all of the beans went into the canner! The rest of the jars were ok, though.

Thirteen quarts of rattlesnake beans.

Okra frying.

Nine pints of purple hull peas.

Jalapeno and black bell pepper, along with tall grass and some okra!

The Japanese eggplant is weighing down the plant!

These eggplants are touching the ground.

Nice black beauty's! 

I'll be glad when we get more than a handful of these raspberries!

Starting to look a little 'fallish'.

The dehydrator is going again!

My Mom brought me a pack of zucchini; and I didn't really have time to do much with them, so I sliced them and put them in here. They taste delicious!

I had more green beans than would fit in the canner, so I decided to dehydrate them.

Jars of hot banana, jalapeno, and pickled cherry peppers.