Arlo's Worldview

I'm going to be 2 years old on March 30. Mom Lori says I should be full grown soon. Here's a recent picture of me. My coats a little rough - guess I need deworming....

Darby's Worldview

Hiiiiiiiiii!!

Arlo said he has posted on the blog - so I want to too!!! But mostly I just want to hang out with the people. I had my 1st birthday on Mar 3, didn't do much, but the weather was nice.

Goat farmer?

Someone asked me yesterday "Why do you call yourself a goat farmer not a goat rancher?" Interesting question. Well people that have dairies usually are farmers whereas people with all meat animals ie. beef cattle, are ranchers. So if you have mostly dairy goats you are a farmer, if you have mostly meat goats you are a rancher.
(I grew up with grandparents that were dairy farmers and cattle ranchers)

Amish Worldview

Another Amish reflection on time from the book "Amish Peace" by Suzanne Woods Fisher - "One Amish man joked that if he were meant to plow at night, God would have put headlights on a horse. The Amish respect natural limitations: sunlight and seasons, hunger and fatigue." pg 86

I guess I follow these natural limitations somewhat. For example I hate to go somewhere at night. After I put the goats to bed I just want to stay in. I do need to work on the fatigue area - don't usually quit when I'm tired - that is unless it is 8:00 at night.

Goat Time

I think the time change is the dumbest concept. "Daylight Savings" doesn't save daylight it only moves it to the evening. For those of us that have animals (even just dogs), you live at least partially on animal time. The goat's looked at me like I'd lost my mind this morning when I showed up an hour early. This evening won't be a big deal to them, as I'll be down there working about an hour and a half before dark - only for me I'll have to fix supper before chores rather than after. Around here chore time revolves around daylight hours and the goats know it. We follow the nature daylight of the changing seasons - now if we could just get the rest of the US to realize how much they are manipulated. Our bodies all feel the shift - there are more car accidents the first few mornings after a time change.

The Amish and other plain people like them have it figured out - they run on "slow time" - "the preservation of the natural markers of dawn, noon, and dusk" page 70 from the book "Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende

Lars and the nail game

So Lars the Oberhasli buck has a new game. Every day he is removing the nail that is used to secure his door at night. Sometimes I can find the nail, other times it has vanished into the ever growing manure pile outside his door. This started last weekend when Anne was goat sitting for me. I wonder what his plan is for all these nails......

The Frizz

Well the weather is wamring up - should be in the 40s all week. The glacier under the corrals has has turned to glacial mush. And yesterday I took the Frizz rooster back outside. He has fully regained his feathers and I believe was getting tired of his small yard in the sunroom.
I carried him out in the cat carrier and set it down outside te chicken yard. He could hardly stand it and until I could open the door for him. In the chicken yard he burst out the door and started pecking around. I let the others out and they were more interested in the straw from the carrier.

So last night I had planned on bring him in, but he was all snuggled into a spot, so I just left him with the rest of the bantams.
I'll kind of miss the loud crowing coming from the basement every morning.