It has quite literally "come up a flood" in my area this month. In fact, it's been storming like crazy all over this general area. The levee in Poplar Bluff, Mississippi has failed, there are several roads closed in my county in Tennessee due to flooding, and Arkansas and Alabama have been hammered by tornadoes and severe storms. We've had our share of severe weather in West Tennessee, too. Shelby county got it worse than us, however. My grandmother's area has trees down - even on houses - in almost every yard. We did get a large tree on our fence in the back pasture - thank goodness that it wasn't in the goats' area, or they all would have hopped ship!
All the bad news of storms aside, however, there is good news to be had. I picked up a new doe earlier this month. Her name is McCord Clan Farms Abigail; Abby for short. She is a lovely calico doe, and is very flashy in coloring. I have also been milking her, and she has been very well behaved! She is a darling sweet thing. She was nursing a single prior to coming here, and I can only milk once a day, so her production isn't as much as it could be. I did get 3/4 of a cup today, so it is rising! It was at 1/2 of a cup previously. If she could pick up and give me one cup a day, considering the circumstances and how often I can milk, I would be exceedingly happy. I keep trying to think of how I could milk twice a day, but I just don't know how I can do that along with school. Not without milking in the dark, at least, and I have no milk room and no electricity in the barn, that is not an option. She behaves really well for having never been before! She's put up with my learning curve quite well. At first, I thought I would never get the hang of it, but it eventually clicked. I'd like to pick up more speed, but milking uses new muscles and such; just like beginning a new work out, I have to allow time for the muscles in my hands to strengthen. With time and experience, hopefully I can get my time down under 30 minutes. I am very pleased with the taste of her milk, and I am pleased by the fact that I can make butter simply by shaking her whole milk in a jar until the butter clumps form! How simple! Not to mention the fact that I can now provide wholesome milk for my parents and I, which is what I've wanted and been working toward since the beginning. I didn't expect it to take this long, but at least I have reached my goal! It has certainly lit a fire underneath me, and now I can't wait to be able to milk more does.
I am also planning on adding a MiniMancha doe sometime in the near future, and branching out into that cross breed (LaManchas X Nigerians) as well as keeping my Nigerians. My mother and I both like LaManchas (I prefer Nigerians above all, but LaManchas are a close second for me), but, with only five acres and having to share that space with horses as well, there simply isn't room here for a herd of full size LaManchas. That's the beauty of MiniManchas; they, on average, produce a bit more and are a bit bigger than Nigerians, but they are still in a smaller package than a full sized LaMancha. I'll keep you posted on my progress in that direction.
My garden is also coming on nicely, or at least what I have started of it. I have three raised beds containing herbs, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and strawberries and a container with cucumbers that are just starting to sprout. My "old" already established strawberries are blooming (and admittedly a little out of hand!), as well as my blackberries. I have my seed potatoes cut and the ground prepared; they will be planted tomorrow after their cuts have healed completely. It is a little late for potatoes, but weather has not permitted me to get them in the ground before now. I'm hopeful that they will still do well enough. This year I am experimenting with many different gardening practices: Raised beds, lasagna gardening, container veggies, and succession planting. I'm excited and hopeful to see how they work out!
Until next time!
Rachel in Wonderland
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