I Fell In Love

That's right, I fell in love today. Head over heels. Unfortunately he was not available, and he wasn't even the right breed. He was a huge, beautiful Saannen buck at the farm I visited to purchase a new doeling. (No, I really don't need a new doeling. But what does that have to do with anything?)
Do you see this big beautiful guy? The lady said he is so gentle and can even be trusted with kids. The goat kind of kids that is.

I do feel a little bad that I was so taken with the big white Saannen that I didn't really even notice the other buck there. I'm sure he was wonderful as well.

I just only had eyes for the one. I wanted to bring him home. Never mind the fact have no available housing for a buck. No way to build housing for a buck. And no money to hire someone to do it for me.

But alas, I had to move on. We weren't there for the bucks no matter how beautiful they were. We were after doelings.
And there were plenty to choose from too. They were all very friendly and tried to get close enough to play with us. Too bad the fence was electric. Poor things.

I was only going to maybe buy one doeling. I have wanted a nice Nubian/Boer mix of some sort for a while. It's a cross that can produce nice milking does, but also nice meat animals as well.

So much for my resolve. I bought two. I haven't sold my others yet and my pen is not big enough. Thank goodness my friend who came with me was willing to keep them at her farm for a couple weeks.See the little tan doeling on the right? I bought her. She is Boer/Nubian/Saannen. Good thing I'm not worried about pure breeds. I'll be breeding her to a nice Nubian buck when she is old enough.

And look at these sweet faces. The one in the front is my other little girl. She is Boer/Saannen/Nubian/Alpine. But seriously, she looks just Boer/Nubian.

Based on the udders I saw on the moms and the size of the teats on these girls already at just a few months old, they are going to be nice for milking.

My friend ended up buying a doeling as well along with a little buckling. If I had a place for a buck, I might have really considered the buckling myself. He's a really nice one. Of course I would have had to rethink buying does.

The craziest part of the whole thing? We drove for an hour with four goats in the back of my minivan on a tarp.

Thank You For a Great Year

Each year Jade has been lucky to have teachers who have been willing to foster her ability to learn at an extremely accelerated rate for her age. When she started 3rd grade I was a little concerned that would come to an end, or at least lessen to some extent. The 3rd grade brings with it more personal responsibility for the children along with less assistance for the teachers. In our school district cuts over the last few years have meant growing class sizes and fewer teacher's assistants.

As it turns out, I had no reason to worry. Mrs. B is an amazing 3rd grade teacher who went above and beyond to help Jade excel. By the end of the year Jade was working on 6th grade math objectives. She has been reading far above her grade level since she was four years old. Most of the books she has read this year have been between 6th and 8th grade reading level.

I also spent a lot of time in Jade's class room this year helping out. I enjoyed every moment of it and it was great to get to know Jade's classmates and watch her thrive among her peers. Most of all, it was great to see how well Mrs. B taught her class.

I never heard her yell or use a harsh voice with her students. That's not to say never reprimanded them. Yet somehow she managed to do it with an amazing amount of grace and seemingly natural ease. I learned a lot just by observing her that I hope I can remember when my own kids need to be reigned in a bit.

Thank you, Mrs. B, not only for teaching my child and helping her to grow, but for teaching me a thing or two as well.

Kale Chips

Lately we have been getting a crazy amount of greens from the CSA. Spinach, lettuce, Kale, Swiss chard and Collards all came at once this last time. Since I am the only one here that cares for greens beyond salad it's been a challenge to get them all used before they go bad.

Then my friend Chris told me about Kale Chips. What are Kale Chips you ask? It's simply Kale that is drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with slat and pepper, then baked until it is crispy.

I also discovered that this works well with Collards as well. If we get more Swiss Chard or Spinach this week I'm going to try it with those too.

How to make Kale Chips:

Wash kale and dry. Remove large, tough ribs. Place kale in a bowl and toss with 1-1 1/2 teaspoons. (this is for approx. 1 pound of kale)
Next, lay the Kale out on baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 300 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Thicker Kale will take longer, thinner will take less time. When the kale is crispy, remover from oven and allow to cool.
Place in a bowl and enjoy as a thin, crispy and healthy alternative to those other chip type snacks your waist line so loves to show off.