Anticipation

(A week-old Gilly runs wild!  (She’s the white one.) April, 2009)

This is the week that our sweet Gilly goat is due to give birth.  I’m all a-tizzy with excitement.  Babysitters are lined up, towels have been prepared, and I’m re-familiarizing myself with my goat-midwifery resources, just in case.  Admittedly, Gilly will probably not need our help at all; with her first kidding, last year, we completely missed the birth!  We were inside having lunch, went back out to the barn to check on her, and found two completely cleaned off kids!  Even though I was disappointed to have missed the birth, it was a great sign of her ability to mother.

So exciting to think about the frolicking goat kids that will be a part of our lives for the next few months. And of course goat kids = goat milk = goat cheese!  Even as I think ahead to the delicious fresh chevre we’ll make in a month or two, we’re still enjoying some of our hard cheese from last year.  It’s just a bit crumbly, sharp, and very flavorful.  Full of pastured goodness.

It’s all so exciting.  New life, birth, cute farm babies, fresh milk, and self-sufficiency. Yes!

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