Missing You

I had to post an update, I am in full blogging withdraws here with no relief in sight. Our Internet service still has not been repaired and I am still making do with only a few minutes of dial-up usage each day. It has not been down that long, it just seems like it to me because the truth is I miss sharing stories of our life and farm through blogging but that isn't what I miss the most. What I miss the most has been not being able to keep up with the great blogs that I follow. I can't help but wonder how Joanna's barn renovation is going or how Jason's new goats are doing. I really miss Alix's funny, wonderful stories and the trips to the farmer's market with Flartus & Miss Chef. I wonder how many horseback adventures with Esther across the beautiful African countryside I have missed. How are the goats on the hill or those cute chickens Kudzu & Buttercup doing? Did Miracle Eve ever kick her bottle addiction? Of course that is just to name a few of the blogs and friends I have missed. Hopefully our Internet service will be repaired soon and I will be able to catch up with everything.

Life on the farm has been going on as usual. The ground has dried up and everybody has been enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather lately. Many people asked if any of the animals were hurt during the severe thunderstorms recently. I appreciate their concern and I am happy and very thankful to say that none of the animals were hurt or had any problems during the bad weather. We did lose a dependable old friend and I had not even realized it at the time. Apparently our Internet tower and bedroom window was not the only victims of the bad weather because the electric fence charger also fell to the fury of the storm. Lightening must have struck the fence or close to it and zapped the fence charger good. We were not able to save it and had to buy a new one. I did not realize it was not working for several days but the goats must have had their halos and angel wings on that week because not one of them got out. I am recommitted to checking the fence every day again.

Most of the garden is coming along, even with the late start it got because of all the rain. The tomatoes and peppers are growing. I planted a row of calendula for beauty and to use the petals in soap making. I have lavender in peat pots in the house to use in homemade soap as well but they are growing pretty slow. I hope they will get big enough to transplant outside soon. We are trying spaghetti squash in the garden this year, neither one of us has ever ate it before but I have heard it is actually very good and a healthy pasta alternative. I have had a heck of a time getting very many zucchini seeds to sprout though. The ones that have come up are doing great and getting huge but not very many of them came up. I have no idea what the problem is, we plant it from seed every year and it sprouts and grows with no effort at all. Corn and sunflowers were added to the garden this year as well.

There is now 26 goat kids running around the farm. The count is 10 buckling and 16 doelings born this spring. All of the does have kidded but Annie but she is playing coy. She is one I didn't actually see get bred, though she has a suspiciously large belly. No udder yet though, so maybe she is just fat. She isn't going to tell me though, not as long as she is getting those extra late pregnancy grain rations. I also have a group of does that are in with the bucks now so I expect a smaller crop of goat kids in November and December. The Whatwhat brothers are a mess, they spend all day chasing the other goat kids around with their little tongues hanging out, pawing at the air and saying "whatwhat...wwwhat". Those two baby boys are way to big for their britches and may have to be weaned a little earlier than some of the bucklings for the sake of their sisters. I am sure the doelings (and even the other bucklings) will be glad to get a break from the overly enthusiastic Whatwhat brothers.

The pictures are of the Whatwhat brothers, who will be for sale after they are weaned if anybody needs a nice young, colorful Boer buck for their goat herd. They will be registered as American Purebred Boers. (97%) They are out of a nice paint Boer doe and a black buck so they should throw lots of color that so many people like into their kids. More information will be posted on the sales page of our farm website at www.kansasboergoats.com when I am able to update the website again.