tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104387892012-02-11T18:25:59.836-08:00Diary of a Dairy Goat. This blog is the diary of one goat, Baby Belle, a Nigerian Dwarf who lives on a small dairy farm in Western Washington.goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.comBlogger7411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-42990367799790863162012-02-11T07:23:00.000-08:002012-02-11T07:23:40.472-08:00

I do not like to put too fine a point on it, but last night as they all do every year according to some secret schedule only they know, the frogs down at the fringes of Lost Beaver Lake started singing all together in a froggy chorus. We will have a bit of an odd kidding schedule this year with most of the bred does kidding much later than usual. But the schedule begins in early March when Betty

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-88233537248764605582012-02-09T06:39:00.000-08:002012-02-09T08:22:27.359-08:00

I decided to start a column for first fresheners because it is almost springtime and the kidding season is upon us and I have a lot of experience and so I thought I would pass it along. So this is Chapter One in my parenting column. Okay, when you have your kids at first they are fine. Probably they will be pretty adorable. Not as adorable as mine but probably pretty presentable. You will get

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-25841588265915704072012-02-08T08:13:00.000-08:002012-02-08T08:13:01.472-08:00

Someone sent the Facebook link. Here it is. Someone else friended us. So now we have one friend. That is really all you need, if it is a good friend.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-64903055964069440822012-02-07T19:57:00.000-08:002012-02-07T19:57:49.675-08:00

The farmer is planning what to make later this spring when everyone starts kidding and the milk is back in. There are going to be a lot of caprifections. For now the farmer is going to make soap and there won't be anything fancy about it it is the plainest soap in the world. But it has goat milk in it and it gets you clean. Meanwhile there has been yet another internet snafu. We all agreed,

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-61967646330501945222012-02-04T16:50:00.000-08:002012-02-04T16:50:36.271-08:00

From the amount of publicity received, you might think there is only one goat living here, the Bitter Pill. That is not the case. There are quite a few goats here who never get their names in the paper because they don't go to shows (Betty) and aren't the oldest (Brandy) or the youngest (Clementine), or the biggest (Betsy Bigoletto), or the sweetest (Jammies), or the fastest (Rosie). Or the most

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-36878544354141993892012-02-04T07:14:00.000-08:002012-02-04T07:14:40.589-08:00

Some people scoffed my hummingbird but it was a real hummingbird and if you don't believe in hummingbirds I want to tell you something else. Yesterday it was 64 degrees here and it was one of the ten most beautiful days of the year. And if you don't believe in beautiful days I want to tell you something else. Yesterday when the cosseted barn dwellers were turned out in their pasture Brandy the

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-44871542635773732192012-02-02T08:26:00.000-08:002012-02-02T08:26:19.708-08:00

Well the upshot of the BP was that she was put on hold. But if she comes back in heat in two weeks she will be bred to our new gentleman caller Chaos. We just call him K. He is in an outstanding specimen. His awesome pedigree is here: K's pedigree. That brings us to the subject of the gentlemen. We have two different gentleman this year and they have never even gotten on the blog. One is K, he

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-45973673027804190532012-02-01T19:43:00.001-08:002012-02-01T19:43:59.786-08:00

Dear Diary, Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. But today I saw a hummingbird. The winter is over. Do not tell anyone. BBJ

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-29869955803364038862012-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:44:49.142-08:00

Well all roads lead to The Bitter Pill, and once again Pebbles has managed to get back in the news. It was decided that Pebbles would not be bred this year because she was a very late kid. Why should she ever be bred, the world is full of Bitter Pills as it is. Maybe her big little sister Sandy could be bred instead. And what would the Bitter Pill's progeny be named? Shale and Mossyrock?

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-48596684741649036222012-01-31T09:40:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:43:28.097-08:00

If a pig can do it, why not? On the other hand, this would never work with goats, especially not here. Betsy Bigoletto would just pick this guy up by the ears and throw him over the fence. Adios, Champis.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-40288988849036145312012-01-26T19:50:00.000-08:002012-01-26T19:55:41.234-08:00

I have been visualized. And you can be, too.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-69013637329270904382012-01-25T16:12:00.000-08:002012-01-25T16:12:34.994-08:00

What happened was there was a giant snowstorm followed by a mild windstorm followed by a deluge of rain, followed by a large windstorm. Telephone poles and trees came crashing down. The farmer went to California and we had a farmsitter. Sky Blue got something stuck in her throat and puzzled the farmsitter by hacking and choking to such an alarming degree that the farmsitter called the farmer in

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-89600142394430223422012-01-20T06:34:00.000-08:002012-01-20T06:34:14.765-08:00

Harrowing day yesterday. Ice storm in the morning, trees snapping all day long. Power went out and we thought it would be out for several days since we are almost always last in line to get the power back on. But the power came back on! Then went out. Then came on! Then went off. Then came on! Etc. None of us set foot outside the barn. Today's forecast is for flooding, snow melt and rain then

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-31740712690472730342012-01-19T06:59:00.001-08:002012-01-19T06:59:36.921-08:00

Ice storm on the way,,,,

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-5781600924051706162012-01-18T15:29:00.000-08:002012-01-18T15:32:37.453-08:00

Pebbles spent 42 seconds in the snow before calling her ride to come pick her up. 11 inches.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-53261400425142953232012-01-18T08:15:00.000-08:002012-01-18T08:15:36.641-08:00

I don't know who is running the weather reports. But it must be a Nubian. They said that it would be Snowmageddon in Seattle with ten inches of snow. It looks like they have about two inches. They said we would get about five inches of snow. We have eight. They said that the snow was tapering off. And yet mysteriously it is still snowing hard. Pebbles has volunteered to go and have her

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-70139435486238268572012-01-17T11:06:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:06:39.412-08:00

The snow has begun again. There is a blizzard. That sound is the farmer cussing. The snow has sort of stopped. Clementine doesn't feel good so she is wearing the velcro sport jacket. Now it is raining and the snow is getting pocked with raindots. There are also a lot of berries in the snow. It is unsightly. Note to self: don't eat snowberries. Laddy the Tennessee Walker has undone his belly

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-40501735597322904872012-01-16T17:21:00.000-08:002012-01-16T17:21:05.892-08:00

In this film, titled "The Day Before the Snow," everyone prepares ominously for the snow which is forecast to reach to Pebbles' hipbones. It is a Bergmanesque Goat Ballet without any dancing.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-37150230605466017902012-01-13T22:55:00.000-08:002012-01-13T22:55:10.226-08:00

Well it has been no picnic here. If anyone is wondering whether it has been a picnic, no, it has not been a picnic. Betsy Bigoletto had gotten moved out of our pasture which is erroneously known as the fat girl pasture because the fat girls were getting thin because Betsy was eating all the food that we were all supposed to share. It was quite shocking really.  So anyway Betsy got transferred

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-61909766463467599842012-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:002012-01-04T23:10:17.309-08:00

The New Year is upon us and it is a lot like the old year. Today it rained a monsoon and we were stuck inside. Then the farmer threw us out just as it was getting dark to muck the stalls.  "Get out," the farmer snapped at everybody. "There is a break in the weather and you can all go and pee outside for a change."  Not so much as an "if you feel like it." Or "if you wouldn't mind."

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-7907542435667724902011-12-31T08:13:00.000-08:002011-12-31T08:13:56.005-08:00

Well it is the end of the year and time to review the most popular posts of 2011. Coming in at Number One was a post about Raw Milk Pants. We are going to make a pair for Wendell for the spring. Number One: Raw Milk Pants. At Number Two was a post that is several years old. But it has always been very popular, especially at Christmastime. We couldn't understand why until we got some emails

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-78941631552519855902011-12-28T08:53:00.000-08:002011-12-28T08:53:12.334-08:00

Well we got all the way through Christmas without any much rain. So then everybody had to put a jinx on things by talking about how this could turn out to be the driest December ever. So the dam burst and it has settled into a steady downpour which makes everyone feel gloomy and by the amount of rain we have had the last two days even with several days left in the month I can pretty much

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-52060250562327110762011-12-25T08:14:00.000-08:002011-12-25T08:14:27.593-08:00

Jammies and Wronny are nothing alike. But they are birds of a feather. They live in a silent world. Wronny could be having a set of big-headed breech quadruplet bucklings, or she could have one of her hooves slammed in a car door, and she would not make a peep. Jammies is just the same, a little church mouse. I don't understand it myself, if I need some food I want the management to know about

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-82064446507424689362011-12-21T14:20:00.000-08:002011-12-21T14:20:08.133-08:00

Well it is time to tell the correct answer to the quiz. The correct answer is Big Orange. Big Orange does not belong in the photo for all the reasons mentioned: 1. She is not polled, and has never had any hermaphrodite children. 2. She has a distinct advantage in the mammary system. 3. She is orange. 4. She is a goat. 5. She is a productive member of society. 6. She has no implants of any kind.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-70767299202514037972011-12-13T12:11:00.000-08:002011-12-14T14:04:50.580-08:00

We are having a holiday giveaway and the prize is two bars of soap. We will send you the soap* if you win. We will put all the correct answers to the question below in a wool hat and pull out a winner and we will send the winner the fantastic prize described above (two bars of soap). You must answer the question* correctly and we ask you PLEASE TO BE FAIR and DO NOT CHEAT or LOOK THE ANSWER UP

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-78877563144868052982011-12-13T10:00:00.000-08:002011-12-13T10:07:14.475-08:00

It hasn't rained properly for two weeks. What can this mean? In December it either rains every day or it is bitter bitter cold because there is no cloud cover. Never above freezing, day or night, with urgent prayers offered for the pipes, and penances done in exchange for pipe safety. Please accept this small drab ugly misshapen handmade scarf, dear Pipe Lord, in exchange for winter pipe

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-62910913995802367632011-12-04T08:36:00.001-08:002011-12-04T08:50:12.687-08:00

As you know our farm is ruled by the Soprano family, which is Brandy and the daughters of Brandy, and their daughters and so on, including Wronny, Winnie, Maddy (aka the Sheriff of Crazytown), Jessie, Winnie Jr., Morchella, etc. But the Betsy family has been hinting that it would like to take over some of the power which will never happen because the Betsy family is part Nubian and if they ever

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-14622082303005652732011-12-02T07:43:00.001-08:002011-12-02T07:44:15.578-08:00

The farmer has a new idiot-proof camera.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-35523064832982939492011-12-01T15:57:00.001-08:002011-12-01T15:57:26.237-08:00

Well Wronny is almost five and she has been milking practically her whole life, the farmer sat down and figured out that she has been out of milk for a total of six weeks since she was a yearling, which is not very much and probably a violation of union rules. This is her own fault and she has no one else to blame for it because in spite of the fact that she doesn't really go in for love and

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-27096802363602367412011-11-30T08:58:00.001-08:002011-11-30T09:16:55.077-08:00

Today is Wednesday. It is a day of startling FACTS. I will use CAPS to draw your attention to these FACTS in case you are feeling sleepy. The SUN is shining BRIGHTLY in spite of the fact that it is NOVEMBER.  They say that it will not RAIN for at least the NEXT WEEK. I personally do not believe it but I will wait and see what happens. WRONNY our herdqueen has been DRIED OFF. Wronny is five

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-42420731522828892022011-11-24T08:33:00.001-08:002011-11-24T09:03:30.760-08:00

Well it is Thanksgiving today and we are counting our blessings. Our blessings are: It isn't raining right now because it is saving up for the monsoon that is planned for this afternoon. Precious Precious Pebbles did not freeze without her jacket because she was able to develop a thick layer of blubber from all the special treats she got. Brandy is still alive even though she is an old bag

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-1551746228230430272011-11-22T08:51:00.001-08:002011-11-22T09:10:24.511-08:00

The Internet travels so fast that you think you know everything right away. But then it turns out you weren't paying attention and something you would like to have known zipped by while you were eating your alfalfa. A few years ago the farmer went to a special screening in Seattle of the movie Seabiscuit. There were a lot of kids there and an emcee came out and he said before the movie started

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-70620120407559714722011-11-17T20:51:00.001-08:002011-11-17T20:53:09.388-08:00

Wendell isn't allowed to milk and you can see why in this video.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-5747779247960475982011-11-16T19:54:00.001-08:002011-11-16T20:56:33.102-08:00

Part 1. Goat Spring turns to Goat Winter. Sometimes it seems very hard to get ahead in the world. You work and you work. And what happens. Nothing. All summer I was eating blackberry bushes through the fence. Now the horses are in our summer pasture and the blackberries are just growing back. The horses are too high and mighty to eat blackberry bushes, all they will eat is apples and grass.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-76618117864844913932011-11-16T07:50:00.001-08:002011-11-16T07:52:08.544-08:00

This is why I would never move to California.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-80988888137637263982011-11-05T18:39:00.000-07:002011-11-05T18:39:27.643-07:00

Send help!

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-5115984285816932442011-11-04T13:31:00.000-07:002011-11-04T13:31:49.052-07:00

The fence was fixed in the usual higgledy piggledy fashion and the rebellion quashed and the Goat Spring is over. I guess they were right, you can't fight City Hall.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-10239136951532639492011-11-02T15:32:00.000-07:002011-11-02T15:32:37.797-07:00

Okay we started our own Occupy movement and right now we are occupying the middle pasture where the milkers and the upper 1% (BP et al) get grain and alfalfa. Unlike us, we only get grass hay and a smattering of grain and none of us have jackets or parkas not that we want them they look ridiculous. But anyway we are occupying. That's mostly because the fence is broken and several other things

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-50467808892338388412011-10-31T08:51:00.000-07:002011-10-31T11:38:28.089-07:00

Pebbles has grown too fat for her stolen parka, and today it was returned to Wendell. I had not wanted to mention anything, but when she wore it yesterday for the last time it looked like a bikini top on a harbor seal. You cannot imagine the sadness we all feel when we see the Bitter Pill braving our Arctic temperatures (51F today) clad only in a fur coat and a layer of ill-gotten hand-fed

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-71498485411013862542011-10-28T20:01:00.000-07:002011-10-28T20:03:01.017-07:00

Well this time of year usually the does are not allowed in the pasture outside the buck pen and there is a good reason for it as you will see in this video but anyway there are some fence repairs going on so there have been some exceptions made to the rule and it is really taking a lot out of the bucks since their motto is that they are at your service any time of the day or night no appointment

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-32093331321515564952011-10-24T09:22:00.000-07:002011-10-24T09:22:40.024-07:00

How the Sopranos came to rule the farm is that first of all they have leadership qualities. The primary leadership quality that a leader has is that a leader leads. You cannot lead from the back. You must lead from the front. Make a note of this if you are thinking of pursuing a career in leadership. The second thing a leader has is followers. So if you think you are a leader because you are

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-78145017578536777052011-10-17T18:15:00.000-07:002011-10-17T18:22:57.325-07:00

Me, Millie, (R) and the BP's sister Sandy (L) This is a picture of me with the Bitter Pill's sister Sandy. We have been having beautiful weather which is very unusual for this time of year. Or any time of year, really. As you can see the sky is perfectly blue. Anyway it was a busy weekend because everyone came in heat including me which as you may know is very taxing and puts a lot of

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-36674016924847051592011-10-12T09:39:00.000-07:002011-10-12T09:39:38.767-07:00

Our fears have been realized. Willen hannahbelled his way into the orchard. There he was apprehended picking pears off the tree and scarfing pear brandy off the ground. We only hope he was captured in time to prevent any AFW (inebriated Austrian Folk Whinnying.)

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-42432411314729535012011-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:002011-10-06T08:00:26.442-07:00

The pears all fell off the trees at once. This caused a massive pear surplus and many of the pears are still on the ground turning into pear liquor and there is widespread fear that Willen the fat Haflinger will somehow get to them all and scarf them down and get himself into a drunken state which could lead to a lot of Austrian folk whinnying and alarming antics which we do not have time for.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-36511609265021766012011-10-03T21:14:00.000-07:002011-10-04T07:25:39.202-07:00

Pebbles is not really running for anything but she would like you to vote for her anyway. Vote for Pebbles.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-51198060320983845592011-09-29T20:01:00.000-07:002011-09-29T20:01:11.668-07:00

Just ten more minutes, please Wendell has been considering writing a book on how to be a farm dog since he thinks he is so good at it. Chapter One would be titled, "Do Not Forget to Set Your Alarm," since Wendell sleeps on a cushion 8 hours a day and on a feather pillow about 15 more hours a day and that doesn't leave very much time for farming. He doesn't like to miss milking, though, because

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-69457309266082239292011-09-23T18:41:00.000-07:002011-09-23T18:41:27.741-07:00

Pebbles, Pebbles, Pebbles. I am sick of hearing that name. I got put in the fat girl pasture I don't know why and I was scratching to survive on grass hay. I made a hole in the fence so I could at least get near the barn to at least smell the alfalfa and grain and then I got put on punishment since we have another horse trailer now. Terra Belle went through the hole with me and she did not get

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-78903727626033258222011-09-22T16:01:00.000-07:002011-09-22T16:01:21.750-07:00

That's right.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-81471437334167371812011-09-21T09:01:00.000-07:002011-09-21T09:01:59.523-07:00

Acorn, aka Cornball, guards the alfalfa as Bumbles looks on in dismay.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-84738725187899835432011-09-20T16:51:00.000-07:002011-09-20T16:51:28.627-07:00

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-50974474436149343422011-09-20T08:58:00.000-07:002011-09-20T08:58:42.742-07:00

Up in the mountains of Southern Oregon the Old Wives are saying it is going to be a long, dry, warm fall. This is something to do with the orange belly bands on the woolly caterpillars, and the coats on the horses. But we don't live in Southern Oregon. And we don't go by the Old Wives. We go by Jammies, and Jammies right now has the undercoat of a Great Pyrenees living on the Glacier of the Pico

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-53111311539424198642011-09-18T12:06:00.000-07:002011-09-18T12:06:42.159-07:00

Everyone got home from the Fair and immediately got the sniffles as usual. Then of course it started to rain. Terra Belle's nose was running and so was Blue Jaye's. Clementine had an upset stomach and went on baking soda. Abby gave a few feeble coughs, trying to get more food. "You're fine," the farmer said crisply. Rosie sneezed into the hay feeder. "Turn your head!" yelled the farmer. Then

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-66157731217724525092011-09-16T12:16:00.000-07:002011-09-16T12:17:05.448-07:00

The Nigerian show was about to start and all the Nigerians were called out to the show ring. Oh, wait a minute, we better go back a couple of days. The farmer had an excellent helper named Seth. He helped get everybody ready for the Fair and load everybody and unload everybody and set everything up and did practice walking with Clementine because he was going to show her in the recorded grade

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-27445556658666858122011-09-16T09:07:00.000-07:002011-09-16T09:07:48.213-07:00

The farmer got back from the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup last night. Six unlucky goats were chosen to go to the Fair. Acorn was going to go, and Clementine, and Pebbles and Abby and Blue Jaye and Terra Belle. Well at the last minute Acorn's papers didn't come and someone else had to subsitute and the farmer looked around wild-eyed and realized there was only one goat the same

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-32036925049018511712011-09-07T12:23:00.000-07:002011-09-07T12:23:44.893-07:00

We have a LaMancha buck named Xcellanti. Nobody would know how to pronounce that name even if we ever said it. But it doesn't matter because he is called Junior. Junior loves his work and he is very handsome. Junior never says anything but if he did it would be, "I can fix that." Some of the does here are not beauty queens. A lot of them, actually. They have things like droopy udders and

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-16408265358491768452011-09-05T08:44:00.000-07:002011-09-05T08:47:47.665-07:00

It has gotten very boring here with relentless good weather and no mishaps to speak of since the well. There is plenty to eat and the apples are falling off the trees. The tractor is running fine and the barn is stacked to the rafters with hay. A boatload of carrots came in. The living is easy, very easy, a monkey could do it.  This can only mean one thing: catastrophe approaching, from the

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-36679814266941550542011-08-29T08:55:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:55:04.728-07:00

Sheesh, can't you take your goat for a walk at midnight in your jammies any more?

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-56696098083968704662011-08-28T17:23:00.000-07:002011-08-28T17:23:48.609-07:00

Good news, my enemy Abby's twin won the Kitsap County Fair. This means Abby will go to the state fair instead of me. Pinky is going to the fair as well. Terra is the prettiest dry yearling but since she got her hair shaved she has been walking around in a state of clenchment, with her legs shut tight together and her back roached and overall she looks like a poster for bad posture or possibly

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-9422756111052396452011-08-27T07:53:00.001-07:002011-08-27T07:53:58.092-07:00

She is kind of pretty. For a Nubian.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-10284304419453734822011-08-23T19:11:00.000-07:002011-08-23T19:11:33.100-07:00

The things that happen are strange. But the things that don't happen are even stranger. Jammies was supposed to have her kids in the spring. But she wasn't bred so she didn't have any kids. She was just fat. Blue's daughter Lainey went to Minter Bay to live and she didn't fit in there. She is a born misfit. First of all she is about the cutest thing you have ever seen, she looks like a

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-80278851355895495622011-08-20T07:35:00.000-07:002011-08-20T07:35:31.769-07:00

Yesterday there was a big celebration because the well pump went out and the whole thing had to be pulled out of the ground and the pump and all the piping and the check valves and the bleedbacks and every other gold-plated thing on it had to be replaced and it cost the farmer an arm and a leg. We were all dancing in the streets because just two days before that our ship had come in and it was

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-51939898049046302452011-08-17T16:02:00.000-07:002011-08-17T16:02:50.534-07:00

The public is very cynical and several members have inquired whether I 'thought' I really won my fight with Abby the duck-footed Oregonian. I tihnk it is pretty apparent who won the fight even though only a few excerpts of it have been shown since it was a three-hour battle that I won. Or in any case I would have won if Wronny the self-proclaimed herdqueen hadn't made me stop fighting for no

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-14669861484626333372011-08-12T22:09:00.000-07:002011-08-12T22:09:32.492-07:00

Baby Belle Jr. vs the Web-Footed Oregonian.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-58676445660610722011-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:002011-08-11T20:32:48.021-07:00

It was a year ago today we lost our great friend Atticus. A lady stopped by a little while ago and asked if the farmer still thinks about Atticus sometimes. "Yes," the farmer said. That was all. Every day.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-38383380917535968612011-08-09T20:24:00.000-07:002011-08-09T22:30:36.291-07:00

It got hot everywhere else this summer but it never really got hot here. I don't mind the heat but it's just as well because the heat wilts our farmer really quickly. Our farmer starts spritzing and misting and calling for otter pops at about 76 degrees Fahrenheit. So you could imagine what the service was like around here a couple of years ago when the temperature got over 100. Anyway the point

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-32017585155153907622011-08-05T20:46:00.000-07:002011-08-05T20:46:53.846-07:00

It took only seven years but finally it happened, like the return of the locusts. Hannah Belle as you may remember has never been properly milked out because she is exceedingly shrewd. But she has two flies in her ointment. One is she is a terrible pig and loves any kind of food. Two she loves scratches and petting. Also she is quite vain. I guess that makes three flies. The farmer switched from

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-21373016979918811772011-08-01T17:09:00.000-07:002011-08-01T17:09:00.492-07:00

Hannah Belle's kids Charlie and Little Belle went to a new home. We just got this postcard from them. It's always nice when kids write.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-4244316449538585842011-07-31T09:28:00.000-07:002011-07-31T09:28:28.519-07:00

The farmer set up the milkstand in the middle of the barn aisle for purposes of milking Hannah Belle ALL THE WAY OUT. Onlookers looked on. Hannah Belle jumped right on the stand and began eating as fast as she could. "That's nice," said the farmer. "How nice." The farmer started milking at top speed. Things went very well for two minutes, then Hannah Belle began performing milk evading

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-8020694986633063632011-07-30T11:56:00.000-07:002011-07-30T11:57:53.269-07:00

Everyone here is very excited. Hannah Belle's kids went home yesterday. That's too bad, but they got a nice home so it isn't sad. Hannah Belle isn't bothered. But she is carrying around about a gallon of delicious Nigerian milk. Which means that this morning the farmer announced, "Look at you, Hannah Belle, you will get pretty tired carrying that big bag of milk around. I will milk you out this

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-28265280671192838122011-07-28T08:48:00.001-07:002011-07-28T08:48:00.215-07:00

Well I shut off my milk because I was afraid my chandelier might start looking too good and I did NOT want to go to the fair. I just shut it off like a faucet. Betty's kids went to their new homes and Betty made the mistake of filling up with milk which made her udder look really beautiful. The farmer started milking her which Betty didn't like at first. But Betty is naturally agreeable and

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-63659617219234696362011-07-16T22:10:00.000-07:002011-07-16T22:10:32.519-07:00

Well today some people came and got Duchess, Betty's daughter. She is going to live in the north of France. Or maybe Granite Falls? Someplace like that. Anyway Duchess didn't seem to mind much because they had alfalfa in their car and she couldn't cry while she was eating so the mother and child separation was a little muted to say the least. Bye mom, luv ya, I'll email you some alfalfa from

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-19401002994642717162011-07-13T11:43:00.000-07:002011-07-13T11:43:20.524-07:00

The Tiny Giant enjoys a cold frosty one at the F.O.G. photo by Mark Virtue.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-3909719338590704362011-07-11T07:48:00.000-07:002011-07-13T11:49:22.712-07:00

The Field of Goats day was a success mostly because I didn't have to go. Tangy went and also Hannah Belle's kids Charlie and Belle. From the other farms Filbert also went, and so did Prancer the Dancer from Blackberry Hollow. Also Pepper and Buttons and the Tiny Giant, the world's largest Nigerian bottle baby, he looks like Yao Ming with wattles. I think there was one more but really who cares.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-48375106524747696692011-07-06T07:31:00.000-07:002011-07-06T11:17:03.367-07:00

It is the annual week of The Hay and I would personally like to take a moment to thank The Hay for its service to caprinity. Dear Hay: Thank You. Dear Hay: Please try to stay out of the feeders close to Betsy or you will find yourself immediately engulfed in a vast dark burbling cavern from which only berries and noxious gasses (please, Betsy, we are trying to breathe) escape. As far as the

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-89450592733199409102011-07-01T09:59:00.000-07:002011-07-01T09:59:34.890-07:00

Disobedience has been running rampant here. Betty and a gang of hoodlum kids made a hole under the side fence in the front pasture and let themselves into the garden where they did not do anything productive. The participants have been issued demerits, and some of them are getting close to their limit. Oh actually one of them was me. Big Orange and Hannah Belle got turned out in the back pasture

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-32779777687731359532011-06-29T17:27:00.000-07:002011-06-29T17:29:22.599-07:00

Well this weekend nobody told me but somebody came and got my two little daughters Pretty Baby and Calypso. Everyone was being very nice to me for a change and I got a few special treats and even Betty asked me how I was feeling and I said "fine," and Moldy came up to me and said "do you miss your little daughter?" And I said "why should I?" because I could see Izzy through the fence in the down

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-25531796175771680992011-06-25T18:43:00.000-07:002011-06-25T18:43:59.431-07:00

Riders up.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-21400360308941166772011-06-24T08:29:00.000-07:002011-06-24T08:29:06.761-07:00

Yesterday a lady came to the farm to take video. She noticed Abby and her mother Moldy strolling around inseparably like two mallwalkers. "Who are these two?" she asked. They caught her eye; there was something about them. "That's Abby and Moldy," said the farmer. "they are mother and daughter." "Oh," said the lady. She watched them paddling about busily for a minute. "Is there something" --

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-11209250267934823432011-06-20T17:25:00.000-07:002011-06-20T17:25:59.535-07:00

It was all agreed that the Miracle Baby was going to be named Satsuma and her barn name would be Little Cutie, since she is a Big Orange daughter. But that didn't work out. Instead her name became Clementine. And her barn name is Tiny Bubbles. She has her father's eyes and her mother's hair. She is good at being carried around. And she is good at relaxing. She is like a fairy goat. photo by

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-10184994275504102772011-06-19T08:58:00.000-07:002011-06-19T09:41:12.947-07:00

The plumber came over and with some underground magic, a blowtorch, lots of pipe and any number of fittings, he fixed the plumbing, if 'fixed' is a word that should ever even really be used around here. Fixed is probably too definite for farm living. Maybe 'repaired' would be better. Or "temporarily alleviated." In any case, temporarily alleviated plumbing is much better than broken plumbing, I

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-17284876635656775652011-06-15T13:25:00.000-07:002011-06-15T13:25:24.551-07:00

Miracle Baby Goat takes a nap with her brother, demonstrating the Big Orange family's highly refined relaxation skills.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-10789719484339880232011-06-14T20:38:00.000-07:002011-06-14T20:40:32.553-07:00

Sometimes you can start over just like it was your first day. That is what is nice about farm living. It was a long hard winter here as it probably was lots of other places, and it seemed to go on forever with the usual litany of tedious complaints. And it was a bad year for baby goats, and even when things started looking up - like when the pipes were finally almost fixed and Cora Belle won

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-74075234096282518402011-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:002011-06-13T15:10:53.690-07:00

CHAPTER ONE We got five more dollars in pledges for the Tangy fund drive. We already had one dollar, so that makes six. I know six dollars is a lot of money, but still it seems like we have a long way to go. Maybe Oprah or someone will chip in. If you know Oprah, ask her to chip in, we could do a show about it. Oh well. Maybe it's hopeless. Speaking of hopeless, there was a big goat show

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-64433389443572435322011-06-06T08:43:00.000-07:002011-06-06T08:43:12.082-07:00

The good news is we have already raised $1 for our Tangy Pledge Drive. It only took two days. So at this rate in 3074 more days she will be on her way to her new Kiwi home. That is only eight years and a few months! Vaya con Dios, Tangy! The bad news is that yesterday some children came over and one of them was quite small and she wanted to ride a goat. When I heard her say, "I want to ride a

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-22150832043255975792011-06-05T08:51:00.000-07:002011-06-05T09:03:51.986-07:00

We did not have much luck raising money to send Tangy to Spindale. We raised zero dollars. But that's ok because it looks like there is a better opportunity. The farmer just read about a lady in New Zealand who has made a special home for a special goat. Obviously this lady must be extremely patient, so this would be a perfect home for Tangy. And it is even farther away than Spindale.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-60749927247268967312011-06-04T21:18:00.000-07:002011-06-04T21:33:38.186-07:00

If you don't care about conformation that probably means you have bad conformation. And you probably spell it wrong too. "Oh who gives a hoot about CONFIRMATION," that's what you probably say when the subject comes up. Conformation means do you look good, with all your arrows pointing in the right direction, and do you walk along smooothly like an ice skater on a frozen canal in Amsterdam. Or

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-88527128773581597412011-05-30T23:06:00.000-07:002011-05-30T23:06:25.259-07:00

Hello. Today there was a terrifying intruder. When faced with a terrifying intruder, it is important to pay attention. It is almost impossible to be properly terrified if you are dozing off. Steps which will aid in focusing the attention: 1. Everyone must face the terrifying intruder, even Pinky. 2. Actually, this is really Step One, but we usually do it second. So we call it Step Two.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-52773934941743964062011-05-27T08:51:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:51:15.330-07:00

The farmer went away for a week and when the farmer came back my daughter Pretty Baby had gotten EVEN CUTER. Hard to believe but true. In less interesting news, Jimmy had had a little buckling, he is also a single like Cherry's daughter Maraschino, and he also has milk stupefaction. He is a mini-mancha with blue eyes and wattles. He can hardly keep his eyes open. He is always waking up and

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-38568675512738154692011-05-15T09:38:00.000-07:002011-05-15T09:38:50.064-07:00

Sometimes one day is a lifetime. We lost our little nut. So now we can call her Hazel. 5/13/2011 - 5/14/2011.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-51309244872812842222011-05-13T19:20:00.000-07:002011-05-13T19:20:44.288-07:00

We have seen some tiny little peanuts in our day. Including Mr. Peanut himself, now the largest 4-legged peanut in the world. But usually they are Nigerians. In a move that took everyone by surprise, Wronny had a rare LaMancha peanut doeling last night. This is a tiny one. We are all holding our breath. "She doesn't look that good," the farmer said gently to Wronny. Wronny ignored that comment,

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-40819107769009178062011-05-05T13:13:00.000-07:002011-05-05T13:13:31.980-07:00

Lucy just had two little chocolate Toggamanchas. They seem to lack personality but I will give them a couple of days. Anyway, I am pleased. Lucy will have plenty of milk for the Milk Drive if Cherry gets tired or Pinky.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-54717260594909933182011-05-05T08:43:00.000-07:002011-05-05T10:22:53.521-07:00

Did you notice how nobody ever bothers to bring these two a glass of water? The exact same thing happens to me whenever I go out to eat.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-71173431527938033882011-05-03T16:07:00.000-07:002011-05-03T16:10:50.102-07:00

Talk about a royal pain, these three never stop whinging. The Duke, the Duchess, and Grand Empress Betty.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-43499994469601675902011-05-03T07:43:00.000-07:002011-05-03T11:37:05.229-07:00

Won't you please help. We are raising money to send Tangy to the Spindale Goat Festival and Parade this month. As you probably know, Spindale is the home of the American Dairy Goat Association, and last year they started having a festival and parade and I guess it was a big success with dancing in the street and little girl bands and goats dressed as honeybees and so they are having it again. And

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-18161939343309380012011-05-02T22:02:00.000-07:002011-05-02T22:02:09.842-07:00

Jumps for Joy!

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-16791131620934273442011-05-01T16:05:00.000-07:002011-05-01T16:05:01.875-07:00

Speaks for itself....right?

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-85048663300592696302011-05-01T08:25:00.000-07:002011-05-01T12:22:46.584-07:00

Cherry is our Goat of the Month. Congratulations to Cherry. Cherry (aka Tellicherry) is Pinky Jr.'s (aka Pinkberry) twin. They are both Big Orange daughters. Cherry is just as sweet as Big Orange but not as crazy, only medium crazy. She is the type who can be released on her own recognizance. That is if you can catch her in the first place. She is a fast runner and good at sharp turns. She

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-23100583104958945842011-04-29T14:37:00.000-07:002011-04-29T14:37:25.597-07:00

It certainly has been a red letter day for Royals everywhere. After watching the nuptials of Prince Wills and Catherine Middleton, the farmer turned us out for the day in the front pasture. Betty promptly turned around and ran back to the gate, kicking it wholeheartedly so as to rattle the chain and get the farmer's attention. "What's wrong, Betty?" said the farmer. "Don't you want to stay out

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-51308096780341486012011-04-28T09:11:00.000-07:002011-04-28T09:11:26.478-07:00

Maraschino gazes in admiration at her mother Cherry. Cherry is a living monument to milk.

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10438789.post-20127169065614910722011-04-26T20:53:00.000-07:002011-04-26T20:53:45.513-07:00

Life used to be so hard. (Just a couple of days ago.) Now everything is easy. Because of Cherry. Here I am enjoying some mommy-shiatsu-time with Pretty Baby, one of my adorable little daughters. Here is Pretty Baby's Schedule: 1. Drink Cherry Milk From a Bottle 2. Sleep 3. Sleep 4. Sleep 5. Massage Mommy's Back 6. Drink Cherry Milk from a Bottle 7. Sleep 8. Sleep 9. Sleep 10. Play With Other

goatfarmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176633716894328115noreply@blogger.com6