Kids are here!!

Well, we're off and running! Caylah and her daughter, Dasani both blessed us with 2 does each on February 11 and we've been going pretty strong since then. I'm happy to say the girls have all been able to all have the kids on their own, and both moms and babies have all been healthy!

Ten does have freshened so far. We have 13 doelings and 9 bucklings so far. Cera is due to freshen this Saturday. I'm praying she's on time so I can attend my great-niece's baptism. We'll just have to wait and see though. She's been pretty miserable for a month now, so I've been trying to convince her that freshening a day or two early would only benefit her!!! :-)

The kids are eating great and romping around the barn like crazy. The last two born were to Pete (Kimberly Pete) Sunday night. We checked her at 7:30 after milking and she was showing absolutely no signs. At 9:00, we went out to feed the little ones in the kid barn and I went to check her again and came back with two doelings in the basket! Surprise!!! We had one little spotted buckling that is already spoken for. Much to my surprise, he had two brown siblings! Not quite sure where that came from. We have a lot of black in color this year. When we first started the business, we couldn't get a black kid to save our souls! All except the last two born Sunday are named. We had a hard time with names at first, so they were #1, #2, #3... Glad that's over.

The girls have been showing they're hormonal with minds of their own right now. All that have freshened so far have had kids before and know the milk stand. For some reason, they're thinking maybe they don't need to get on the stand right now. Sure hope that changes fast! Trying to make it fun for them by giving extra treats, so hopefully they'll get the hint soon.

Freezing January!!

Wow! January in Iowa has been a hum dinger! Lots of snow and this week is below zero temps! Right now we're wishing we were back in Hawaii!!! The girls are all snug as bugs in the barn. They're in deep oat straw and snuggling up to one another as well. Today and tomorrow are to be exceptionally cold, so we're keeping them all closed up and they're thoroughly happy girls!

Hawaii was great and very hard to leave. It was 80s and light rain when we left Hawaii and 20s and snow when we landed back in DSM. What a welcome home! NOT!! Gary and Lana did an excellent job taking care of everybody while we were gone. They kind've snubbed us for a short while when we got back - little stinkers!

The girls are getting heavy with kids. We've had several contact us for kids for this year. Sure would be nice if we had as many doelings as we did last year. Really anxious to see what all we get this year. Caylah is the first one due on February 9. She's our oldest and a great milker. We had hoped to have 25 freshen this year, but they had other ideas and we think we only have 17 or 18 bred. They really DO have minds of their own.

Our sweet Amore' had what we think was a pinched nerve. She carried her front left leg for nearly a week and we saw it kind've twitched as well. We did our home vet work on her with no results, so called our local vet. He checked her out and confirmed he thought it was a pinched nerve and said there was a "chance" she'd get better and suggested separating her from the others so she didn't get bumped for a few weeks. Well, we have her separated (she has the run of the alley way) and we treated her as he suggested PLUS we've been giving her "goat massages" and have really seen a BIG improvement. The leg is no longer twitching and she has begun using it. Thank goodness!!

We lost our 19 year old Kizzy (parlor cat) about a month ago. It's so strange to go in and not see her there. She was healthy to the end - age just caught up with her. She gave so many people enjoyment when we had tours.

Time to sign off for now. Stay warm!

11-18-08

Wow! Is November ever being a miserable month here in Iowa! Unfortunately, along with it, I have some sick girls. Our weather is in the 50s one day, the 20s the next, the 40s the next, the teens the next and it's causing respiratory problems, unfortunately. We are anxiously awaiting a much needed, long awaited getaway to Hawaii coming up this Friday and trying very hard to get everyone healthy before we leave. Don't worry, we have VERY RELIABLE help while we're gone. The girls are dry, so all that will need done is feeding, watering, cleaning and loving! Gary will be doing the morning shift, while Lana will do the evening shift. They're the greatest!

The little girls have now nicely settled into the big barn with the older girls. They're all doing great and growing like weeds. The only problem for us is they think they have to be under foot and "help" us when we clean. They're all little rascals!

Reminder to all that we have our November open house this coming Sunday the 23rd from noon to 5:00. As usual, it will be in conjunction with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs. Come on out and enjoy a crisp country day!

Will talk to you when we get back the first part of December!

October 22, 2008

Wow! What a cold, blustery October day here in Iowa. We had rain this morning, now it's just miserably damp and WINDY!!! The girls, bucks and babies are all hunkered down inside the barns. I was just out to check everybody and they're all snug as bugs!

We had an open house along with Picket Fence Creamery and Prairieland Herbs last Sunday. The turnout was great! You never know what you're going to get weather-wise in October, but except for it being a bit windy, it was perfect. We had several guests that sat and enjoyed the entertainment, samples and fun in the yard, as well as visits to the barn and store. We even received pictures from a few families that took picture of the events of the day and the girls/babies. I can't tell you how much we appreciate those pictures. Unless we have extra bodies to help us during the day, we don't get any! So, thank you to everyone for the pictures that were shared.

If you've seen the front page or were out here for the open house, you already know we lost our precious Toby. He was 9 years old and old age finally caught up with him. He just stopped eating one day and there was nothing we could entice him with to get him to change his mind. He's with Molly now, but we sure miss him!

We have 17 (I think) girls bred now. We're still waiting on a yearling, Lydia, to come in to heat and a few others. We began the drying up process Monday. They'll be milked once a day for a week, then once every other day, etc. So far they don't seem to mind too much. Several were ready to dry up anyway.

Keep warm! Will write again soon.

Rough Day

Yesterday was a day I could've done quite well without. I had our vet, Doc Dan, come out to take a look at a few of our goats and two of the dogs. First up was Alisha, our little doeling with Spinabifada. She was having some problems that were determined couldn't be helped with love nor medicine, so we made the tough decision to have her euthanized. I held her and kissed her while he performed the euthanization. It's so hard to see a little gal so sweet and lively have to be put to sleep.

We had a buck that we purchased several years ago that the people did a very poor job of disbudding. Doc Dan had to sedate him, then he used a flexible wire type saw to cut about 2 inches off the horn so it wouldn't continue to grow into his head. Then I had to check on him every 1/2 hour or so to make sure he didn't bloat from inactivity. We had him lying upward rather than flat down, so that helped. Poor guy was out for HOURS!!!!!! And he snores!!! He's back to his normal buckly self today.

Then we checked on another buck that had developed VERY poor feet/legs. We weren't using him any longer for breeding and he spends the majority of his time lying down or on his knees. It was decided for his sake, we should euthanize him as well so he didn't run the risk of getting pneumonia with the colder weather coming. These are the days when I'd just like to stay in bed with the sheets over my head.

Our oldest gal, Sadie - our first one born on the farm has lumps in her throat. We're pretty sure she has cancer, but she's still eating and getting around just fine, so thankfully, we didn't have to do anything with her. She's 12 this year and a real sweetie, so we're hoping she's able to handle this for a long time to come yet.

Honeybump, one of the 2 year old Great Pyrs has been gimping around for awhile on her back leg and whimpering occasionally, so we checked her out as well. He thinks she has hip displaysia, so she's now on a medicine to help to slow down or stop her problem. Also has pain meds if necessary. Toby was checked out as well as he's 9 and also gimping around. Doc Dan thinks his is arthritis, so he's on the same meds.

On the positive side, we're about 1/2 way through breeding. We bred Cera last night and tried Jenny this morning, but she's not quite ready. So hopefully we'll have just February and March kids.

That's all for now. Will write more soon.

September 25, 2008

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you one and all for visiting us on our 8th anniversary celebration! I can't begin to tell you how pleased we were to see so many people come out to celebrate with us. What a blast we had! The dancers did a wonderful job of entertaining the crowd, Milton sold out of his steak sandwiches long before the day was over, and he brought ALOT along! My son, Chris, didn't have the right recipe for the fried cheddar curds, but we promise he will before we try it again. I really think it was the deep fat fryer (at least that's what he's telling me) that was the problem. We had only practiced it on the stove before.

The wine vendors were having contests! Every time Ron sold one of his Jalapeno-Raisin bottles, he rang a bell. Well, that just got Chris and Deb into it all the more. Can't begin to tell you how many bottles of wine we sold thanks to those three! And don't forget the microbrew beer! Mike handed out cups and cups of that. We had many, many people bring their lounge chairs and sample wine and beer, and watch the dancers on that beautiful September day!

Pat sampled her creamed honey and thanks to her samples, we saw a lot of it leave the store! It's so yummy - I think people were stocking up for winter too!

As for me, I was in the store - VERY BUSY - THANK YOU!!! My aunt, Pam and her friend, Pauline, were my helpers for the day and they were kept busy nonstop! I think we all slept really great that night! We had samples, samples and more samples of all the delicious foods we have in Miss Tillie's. If you weren't able to make it to this one, please mark October 19 on your calendar to attend the next. We'll have the same great samples available.

Gary, Wendy and Lana were kept very busy in the barn answering questions from all the wonderful people that went to visit our girls. The babies were exhausted by the end of the day from being greeted and loved up so much. They didn't mind one bit!!! The more attention, the better. Of course, we had to pay for it the next day when they screamed at us every time they saw us and wanted us to come back. Ha!

So, now it's time to get back to normal - at least until October 19! We're lining up more hay for the girls and guys for the winter. Breeding started about 2 weeks ago. We already have, I believe, 9 bred. I think it will be a busy February!!

Well, must go help Connie in the kitchen some more. Will write again soon. Kathy

Picket Fence Info

I was able to get Picket Fence's information for their open house. They're celebrating their anniversary too!!! All three farms sound like a lot of fun. Come on out and take the tour of all three! Hope to see you Sunday!

Following is Picket Fence's ad!

5th Anniversary 3-Farm Tour &
Sample Sunday
Sept. 21 Noon to 5 p.m.
Admission is FREE!
(Held in conjunction with our great neighbors to the north, Prairieland Herbs and Northern Prairie Chevre, also celebrating anniversaries of 10 years and 8 years, respectively.)

That's right, Picket Fence Creamery is 5-years-old! To celebrate, we have quite an event planned this weekend. We'll have guest vendors galore, a $5 lunch, pony rides, a hay maze, and lots of local food samples and wines to try! In addition, everyone will receive a commemorative gift with their purchase!!! By the way, we've had the dairy farm 23 years.

LOCAL FOOD SAMPLES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY! That's right, it you can't make it Sunday, drop by Saturday for some great food samples, and wines by Prairie Moon Winery of Ames.

*Local food samples: caramel apple ice cream, cheese balls, elk sticks, Two Sisters breads, muffins, and salads, caramel apple pecan butter, fresh cheese curds, Iowa wines, and of course..."the best chocolate milk this side of the Milky Way!"

SAMPLE SUNDAY SPECIAL ACTIVITIES, SEPT. 21:
*5th Anniversary $5 lunch under the big top: Freshly grilled brat on a bun, fixin's, chips, milk or water, and ice cream - all for only $5! (Kids' hot dog meal, $3.)

*For the kids: Say hi to Lil' Bob and Ginny, take a pony ride in the pasture (free will offering), wind your way through the hay maze, and pick up some free pencils and posters! FREE KITTENS TOO!

*Guest vendors: Penoach Winery, Russ 'n' Franks BBQ, Watkins (six onion soup, Mexican dip, and organic coffee), Allison Moss with her snuggle blankets, Pegi Bevins with her wool scarves, and Rose Behrens with a flax demo.

*Music provided by Julie and Robert of HB Productions, Altoona.

SUPER DEALS:
Fresh cheese curds, $3 per bag; 90% lean ground beef, $3.49/lb. with 10 lb. purchase; any large Pasquale's pizza, $4.99; local Macintosh apples, $5 for a 5 lb. bag; 1.5 lb. ham loaf, $5.99; fresh apple crisp and quart ice cream, $10; and more in-store bargains!

Just arrived:
*Cafe Diem coffees, Ames, introductory price of $2.99 per bag; South Union Bakery breads from The Gateway Market in Des Moines; Beaver Creek Farm's homemade cherry preserves; beef jerky from Boyd's Sausage Co., Washington, Iowa; Santa Maria Wines, Carroll, Iowa; Tabor Home Wines, Baldwin, Iowa; and Elvis muffin and cappuccino muffin mixes from Knoxville, Iowa.

Browse our store full of local foods from 90 Iowa families...and counting! We have the finest selection of local meats in the area: beef, pork, chicken, eggs, lamb, elk, buffalo and goat...all on grass and no artificial hormones!

Check out our selection of gluten-free mixes, country gravey mixes, and our new "shoofly pie" mix!

WOW! Local, organic pears, grown 3 miles from this farm - only $1.29 for a 3 lb. bag! Included are instructions on how to ripen the pears, and a great pear crisp recipe!

Deal's Orchard cider: 1/2 gallon, $2.99; gallon, $5.59.

FREE commemorative gift and recipe booklet with your purchase!

Chemical-free apples, onions, tomatoes, garlic, pears, peaches, zucchini, and more - all LOCAL!