12/24/16

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

 The MeadowWild goat barn hasn't been the same since Nov 18 when its resident imp
 Eclipse moved to her wonderful new home at Echolight Hobby Farm in the UP of Michigan.
 Her new goat mom Kirsten reports that Clipper is doing well -- and remains as bossy as she ever was.  (Photo courtesy of Kirsten.)
 A summer rainstorm followed the Goatmobile across northern Wisconsin
 
 and it was thundering in Saxon Harbor
 when Eclipse jumped into Kirsten's truck for the ride to Michigan.
 The Goatmobile then returned to Minnesota later that afternoon in a winter snowstorm, following a welcome plow for miles along Highway 2.  By midnight 6 inches of snow had accumulated back home.
It didn't last long, given this year's strange weather.
We enjoyed an unusual high of 47 degrees on the 28th

 and November turned out to be the second warmest on record.
 
By the middle of December the landscape looked more seasonal
 
 and temperatures dived closer to what we're used to at this time of year.
 We hit a low of -26 on Dec 18
 but the roller coaster continues, with a high of 41 on Dec 22.  Today is Christmas Eve, and the Blackhoof River still hasn't frozen over yet.
 
 No doubt four years of Trump administration environmental policy will make our local climate warmer and more consistent. 
 
 We've enjoyed some spectacular sunrises lately.
 Back in the barn, lab tests indicate that all the ladies are expecting:
 Ahnie
 Kuiper
 Cheeky
 Channa
 and Reenie
 who also recently earned her Second Generation Milk Star.
 Congratulations are in order to seasoned breeder Mojo
 (still a little hormonally addled these days)
 and rookie phenomenon LysanstoChill.
 Among the other local critters, muskrats dredge up some salad from the pond to enjoy on the thin ice
 Momma Kitty keeps watch on the barn action from her Buddha perch on Mount Haystack
 
 and Dustin hums the Kliban song as he bags an occasional treat to supplement his store-bought food.
 Always well mannered, he served this one up himself on the best china.
 When not terrorizing rodentdom, he can be found in his igloo next to the heating vent.
 MeadowWild's Domestic Goddess has been particularly busy of late.
 Her goat cheese tart recipe was featured on the Better Whey blog at cheesemaking.com
 and she crafted thousands of goats' milk and cream caramels
 
 and hundreds of goats' milk soap bars for the holiday gift season
 mailing them around the country from her living room workshop
 
 
 and offering them for sale at TJ's ChristKindl market.  They will be featured in lots of Christmas stockings tomorrow morning.
 The Farmers join Mr. and Mrs. Santagoat in wishing happy holidays to all
and a wonderful new year!