Out to Pasture

Out of the sauna, into the freezer

2012-01-23T10:44:00.000-06:00

The "winter that wasn't" continues

with very little snow

and record high temperatures on Dec 26, Jan 5 (52 degrees!), Jan 6, 9 and 10.

There's still a little snow in sheltered areas

such as the state woodland area close to the Farm

but the stream that flows through it, which would be frozen in a normal winter, is burbling along ice-free.

The mild weather makes for pleasant walks down Red Oak Lane

past the moldering farm on Pioneer Road

Blackhoof's impressive town hall on County Road 5

the bright barn

and the crazy fisherpeople on Spring Lake.

But Paradise Road

seems less than heavenly without a blanket of fluffy cloudlike snow.

The goats continue to enjoy their unusual freedom to wander

noshing on the raspberry canes and other goodies around the house

and on sunflower seeds Barb puts out for them on the picnic table.

Lassi's coloration allows her to blend into the landscape. If wolves attack, they'll never find her.

She's keeping watch to see if more snow will ever arrive.

The feral kitty continues to police the Farm.

The field mice and voles that usually hide beneath the snow are easy pickings.

With so much defenseless prey available, she leaves the mink squirrels in the front yard alone.

The mild winter has been a blessing for Niblet, too, because during breeding season Mr. T would not allow him to stay in the Gentlemen's Club.

T tried to monopolize all the grain and hay feeders, leaving poor Nibby to fend for himself.

We thought it was just a matter of hormones, but then we discovered that T has been reading Ayn Rand and watching Fox News. He's convinced himself that he's a one-percenter deserving of all the wealth, while Nibby is a ninety-nine-percenter who should just quit whining.

Now that breeding season is over, T has mellowed a bit, but Nibby is still wary of him.

Nibby continues to tolerate T's vagaries, as T boots him out of the Club one minute and then snuggles with him the next.

Due to the lack of snow (we're on track for the driest January ever), Cloquet's Winterfest has been cancelled, as has the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

(photo by Brad Putney)

The Beargrease cutest puppy contest is still on, though;

Juju is thinking of entering herself, assuming that she's so cute, no one will notice she's not a puppy.

According to the StarTribune, "If this exceptionally warm winter passes without an extended hard freeze, spring could bring an explosion of black-legged ticks, those tiny pests that transmit Lyme disease."

We did finally get a few days of below-zero weather; on Jan 17 the temperature dipped down to minus 17, with a high of only 1 degree. Barb put coats on Kona and Lassi, the two shiverers,

who promptly managed to wriggle out of them.

Alba kept warm by basking in the sun

while Juju got by with her own cozy coat and high energy level.

Barb's decision not to lend goats to a living Nativity (see Dec blog entry) proved to be wise. Curly, the goat who fled a Fergus Falls Nativity scene on Dec 24

finally appeared at a farm on Jan 18 "showing signs that the subzero cold weather was taking its toll. . . She was covered with frost and ice.”

Because septic systems are apt to freeze up without an insulating layer of snow

the Farmers covered the septic tank and pipe from the house with waste hay, which the goats are always happy to provide.

With the free time she has during this interval of no milking, Barb has revised her business web site

and offers news about and photos of the goats on Facebook. Go to MeadowWild Farm Alpine Goats and hit "Like" to receive updates.

Blue blue blue blue Chrstmas?

2011-12-16T14:56:00.000-06:00

It's been the driest start to a winter season in almost 50 years.

Our area has received only 4.3 inches of snow -- 18 inches below average -- and most of that melted on unusually warm days.

Spring Lake is frozen and one intrepid fisherperson has a hut out on the ice,

but it just doesn't seem very Christmassy yet about a week away from the 25th.

The Farmers are mostly concerned about next year's clover hay crop, which could suffer in a drought.

The Weather Service, though, is still predicting above average snows in this La Nina year. And the last time the area had an even slower start to winter (3 inches of snow through Dec 11 in 1962), the later months made up with 45.4 inches the rest of the season.

We hope the snow and "well below normal temperatures" (also still predicted) don't wait till March, when oodles of cute goat babies are due to arrive.

JuJu (here trying to extricate herself from the hammock) is finally weaned, bred and incubating one or more Topper offspring.

She still likes to hang out with her mom -- and eat what little snow remains.

Alba also traveled to Kettle River for a romantic interlude with

the devilishly handsome Topper

as the local herd cheered from the sidelines.

It was a chance to catch up with Alba's daughter Crema and granddaughter Carmella

along with other daughter Rosa and her girls.

With her fuzzy face, Lily is ready for the real cold if it ever gets here.

Kara-Kahl Awe Baby is the latest addition to the Split Rock Farm family.

Mr. T recently entertained some does visiting from Washburn, Wisconsin:

Moonbeam

and Sunlight.

The girls seemed to enjoy their stay, but didn't show much interest in Mr. T.

They were much more excited about eating his hay.

Sunlight was especially coy; she showed no signs of estrus until the morning she was due to leave.

Having been successfully bred (we hope), they hopped into the Goatmobile

for the trip back to Cheeseweaselstan.

Mr. T still hasn't adjusted to the end of breeding season; he keeps checking out the ladies' pasture in hopes of more visitors.

A local church wanted to "borrow" some of the girls for a living Nativity scene, but Barb declined. They would be too vulnerable to well meaning but overly rambunctious children

and likely to embarrass themselves by nibbling on Baby Jesus.

In non-goat animal activity, Steve continues to put his English degrees to good use by cleaning poopy dog kennels Sunday mornings at Friends of Animals Humane Society.

He also edits the shelter's newsletter

and wrote the holiday appeal letter.

Barb made over 400 bars of soap for the holiday gift-giving season.

On Dec 15 she packed up her Duluth soap orders

and took in her last delivery of milk, cheese and yogurt for her Duluth customers (who also got a complimentary baggy of delicious goat milk fudge). After another delivery or two to customers in Cloquet, she will be done for this year's milking season -- and resting up for a very busy spring, with all five does set to produce babies and rivers of milk in 2012.

Christmas lights give the Farm a festive seasonal air, despite the paucity of snow.

Bubba and the goats join the Farmers in wishing everyone a happy holiday season and wonderful new year.

Extended Autumn

2011-11-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

We've been enjoying an unusually prolonged fall.

Seasonal colors began to appear in mid-September

and then peaked in October

making for gorgeous walks around the Farm

down Red Oak Lane

and Spring Lake Road

to the lake

and back again.

The prolonged mild weather also made for pleasant walks

through nearby Jay Cooke State Park.

By November the landscape had turned more monochromatic

but still spectacular

especially in the early morning light.

We got our first real snow on Nov. 10th

but it was a mere dusting compared with

the 1940 Armistice Day blizzard (Nov 11-12), which killed 49 people in Minnesota,

[Minnesota Historical Society photo]

or the 1991 Halloween blizzard (Oct 31-Nov 3), which trapped us in our Duluth house for several days.

[Bob King/Duluth News-Tribune]

This year's first snow was gone two days later when Barb headed down to St. Paul for the Minnesota Dairy Goat Association conference in 50-degree weather.

But the woolly bears are still predicting a harsh winter for us

as is the National Weather Service.

Bubba isn't quite sure he's ready yet for winter, especially since the matted fur was shaved off his haunches and tummy and hasn't entirely grown back.

The goats are prepared, however. Barb installed new barn doors that will let them out into the pasture when they want but that can be closed against wind and snow.

With night-time temperatures falling below freezing, we've switched to heated water buckets.

The main bucket is accessible via openings for goat heads

but the plug is now well protected after culprit(s) unknown chewed through the electrical cords down to the bare wires. Fortunately Barb discovered and repaired the damage before anyone could fry herself.

The girls enjoy getting out while the yard is still snow-free

grabbing the last leaves off of trees

and nibbling away at the grape vines and raspberry bushes.

Autumn is breeding season, and Mr. T has made himself especially attractive to the ladies

by peeing regularly on his own beard and forelegs.

He spends a lot of his time looking moonily into the girls' pen. So far he's had romantic trysts with

Kona

Lassi

and Dream -- who looks pregnant even when she's not.

As soon as Alba is in the mood, she will go visit

the handsome and debonair Topper at friend Laura's Split Rock Farm.

JuJu will visit Mr. T when she's ready.

JuJu is currently being weaned, so she stays in her own pen. But mom Lassi likes to hang out nearby.

When Mr. T is not entertaining the ladies

he lavishes his affections

on a very patient and long-suffering Niblet.

Santa's busiest elf (aka Barb) has been piling up the curing racks

with varieties of her famous goat milk soaps

much in demand for Christmas gifts.

The Trip

2011-10-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

The Farmers left the goats and Bubba in the care of Adam and flew away to Massachusetts. Barb participated in a two-day cheese making workshop in Shelburne Falls, and Steve poked around his heroes' stomping grounds. Pictured is our quest: a perfectly formed Cacciocavallo --

the first cheese "we" learn to create in Jim Wallace's basement cheesemake room.

The milk was heated, renneted and now the curd is ready to cut to "hazelnut" sized pieces.

Jim is an expert, for sure -- and Barb learned so much -- but especially pleasing was his skill at adapting cheap, er, inexpensive tools. One doesn't need expensive curd-cutting harps when Jim is around with his bent wire whisk with an attached stainless handle to make it longer. Ingenious!

He cuts the curd, stirs while gently heating, and talks the whole time about how and why.

Then the finished curd is packed into expensive molds (dime-store colanders) and left to acidify for about 6 hours before an overnight chill.

The next day, the pH of the curd is tested. If just right, we're ready to stretch.

Jim gently heats the curd with hot water. He sees that the curds are beginning to congeal together so he pulls and pushes with a wooden spoon (water is very hot) and then finally see it's time to form the cheese.

With deft (and heat-resistant) hands Jim shapes the cacciocavallo (cheese on horseback) and slips it into the brine before it is tied to another cheese and hung over a pole in the aging room (hence the horseback).

Another fun part of the workshop was tasting (and analyzing characteristics) of cheeses that participants had made along with some that Jim brought along from his recent trip to France and Italy.

Here's yummy caccioc that Jim made a month ago, with smoked jalapeno peppers from his garden -- and then the cheese was aged for a month. Delicious.

Over the two days we made three different Italian cheeses, learned lots to take home to try, met many new friends, laughed, ate wonderful lunches courtesy of Jim's wife, Robin, and shared our dreams and aspirations in cheesemaking.

Here's downtown Shelburne Falls, where there is a nice little coffee shop for Sunday morning coffee to take along on a little walk before class begins.

Shelburne Falls is on the Greenfield River. When Hurricane Irene dropped 15 inches of rain on NW Massachusetts, the village (and many others) was inundated -- the river was over the bridge and carried away a building.

Large trees still hang from the pilons of the famous "Bridge of Flowers"

A town resident told me that the falls disappeared in the deluge --

the water was so high it just shot straight out.

It's a beautiful village and we'd love to return to another class and spend a little more time in town also. (Don't tell the goats though).

Meanwhile. as Barb cheesed away on Saturday, Steve hopped a bus to Amherst

and toured Emily Dickinson's house

(here she is on the side lawn chatting with Robert Frost)

and the Dickinson family graves in nearby West Street Cemetery.

Mount Sugarloaf was within walking distance of the Red Roof Inn luxury suite

so while Barb was cheesing on Sunday, Steve decided to climb to the top of this long-popular tourist attraction (postcard from the early 1900s).

It was starting to drizzle when he arrived

so he started up the steep hiking path with an umbrella in one hand and camera in the other

toward the observation tower at the top, which offers "a commanding view of the Connecticut River, the Pioneer Valley, and the Pelham and Berkshire Hills"

and gorgeous panoramas such as this one by HP R817.

That day, however, the view was less than spectacular.

The weather was more cooperative on Monday, when the Farmers drove across the state to Concord, visiting the Old Manse (home to Emerson, Hawthorne and other luminaries)

Emerson's subsequent house

The Wayside (home to the Alcotts and then Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney)

and the Alcotts' Orchard House

with its adjacent Concord School of Philosophy. None of the authors were at home that day

but they could be found in nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which was designed according to Emersonian principles by landscape architects Cleveland and Copeland.

Along its drives and walking paths are impressive monuments

and Authors' Ridge features the graves of Emerson

Hawthorne

the Alcotts

and Thoreau. Some visitor had left sunflowers at the graves of these famous Concordians;

Thoreau merited a pumpkin, too.

That afternoon the Farmers headed for Walden Pond

peeking in first at the visitors center replica of Thoreau's cabin

and then crossing Rte 126

for a stroll around the Pond

to the site of the cabin

and the adjacent cairn of rocks brought in tribute to Thoreau.

Barb thinking Transcendental thoughts, with the view Thoreau had of the Pond from his cabin.

Unfortunately, there was not enough time to visit Thoreau's favorite package store. Maybe next trip!

Summer slips away

2011-09-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

Summer draws to a close on the Farm.

The last hay is cut

and before the snow flies Steve is exploring new stretches of the Munger Trail

that feature bridges over the St. Louis River.

On Labor Day the Farmers zipped down to the State Fair.

Barb had to attend a board meeting of the Minnesota Dairy Goat Association

while Steve toured the Midway

and admired the crop art

and the butter heads.

He also sampled way too much gourmet fair cuisine.

By the time Barb's meeting adjourned

the crowds were getting unbearable

so the Farmers beat a hasty retreat back north.

On Sept 10 the Goat Ladies were featured at the Harvest Fest in Duluth.

The goats they brought were a huge attraction

as were their demonstrations of hoof trimming

soap making

and milking.

Fall colors started to appear by late August.

The renegade squash vine continued to explode in the warm weather

but then got nipped by a heavy frost on Sept 14th.

Some of the squashes had gotten enormous

as a yard stick indicated --

even bigger than Steve's head, as suggested by his bike helmet.

Barb is excited about going to Massachusetts next month for a two-day workshop on making Italian cheeses

and Steve will tag along on the trip for an opportunity to visit Walden Pond. Look for photos in the next blog installment.

And we have a winner

2011-08-24T13:11:00.001-05:00

It's high summer on the farm

with lush greens and gold as the main colors.

Rainier than most summers

which makes the hay grow

but also makes it hard to cut, dry and bale.

A volunteer squash vine has taken over the compost pile

producing lots of flowers

and probably tasteless fruit.

It does attract gorgeous butterflies, though.

It grows about a mile each day and should shortly overwhelm Barnum.

The new portico has kept the goat barn much cooler, but the girls still enjoy getting out for a stroll. The herd is larger by one, with Desi (Dream's daughter) visiting for three weeks while goatmom Kirsten is in California.

Lassi got a buzz cut in preparation for the Carlton County Fair.

It turns out that she was hiding polka dots under the hair on her mid section.

Like super models, the girls had to learn how to walk gracefully and pose for the judge.

The Fair has everything it should:

rides

artery-clogging fried foods --

but it could really use a beer garden.

Before the goat show the farmers check out the arena and judge

while Kona, Lassi and Juju explore their new temporary home.

Juju was the first to show off, in the Junior Doeling competition;

she came in third.

Lassi and Kona competed in the senior division as does under two years, with Lassi winning the blue ribbon and Kona coming in fourth.

The judge was so impressed by Lassi that she also awarded her Senior Reserve Champion.

Lassi and Kona took the red ribbon for "Product of Dam"

but Lassi and Juju came in an underwhelming 6th under "Dam and Daughter."

When asked if she was disappointed by the showing Juju replied, "I'll have another corn dog, please."

All in all, the trio did very well in the competition (thanks to friend Judy for the photos)

and managed not to eat their ribbons (although Kona did wolf down an artificial flower decorating the pen next to hers).

Neighboring goats in the barn were duly envious.

Alba's daughters and granddaughters did very well for their goatmom, friend Laura, too

with Rosa's daughter Gerrie winning the blue ribbon as "Junior Kid" and being named Reserve Champion of the Junior Division.

Staying in a crowded, noisy barn for four days was a trial for Barb and the girls

(especially during milkings), but everyone survived.

Barb's goat milk soap won a blue ribbon, too,

and her llama won first prize as "Dirtiest Critter."

(Just kidding; this beauty was in the Petting Zoo.)

Back at the Farm, deer parade up and down Red Oak Lane but win no ribbons.

Departures include the goose family (now probably pooping up a golf course in Florida)

and the kittens that feral mom deposited in the garage attached to the goat barn. The Farmers live-trapped the family and took them into Duluth for spaying and rabies/distemper shots.

Mom recovered on the porch while the kittens were shut in the downstairs bathroom for taming. They loved the cat perch but would hide from us in its base, so we removed it.

They would then scramble to the top of the window whenever we came in

making for some close quarters.

Despite all our efforts (playing with them, feeding them Fancy Feast on a spoon, trying to pet them), they never got very comfortable with us.

Fortunately, an experienced cat-tamer took the kitties in and will either find good homes for them or keep them herself.

It was fun to have Rowdy (all names courtesy of Uncle Dave)

Dilly Bar

and Bibs around for a while, but we couldn't sustain an entire feline colony.

Mom Yanti is staying well away from us (having learned her lesson: these folks steal your internal organs) but continues to keep the rodent population down and sneaks into the garage each night for her Meow Mix and goat milk .

Bye Bye to the Hawkeyes

2011-07-08T16:25:00.001-05:00

Now that the heat and humidity have arrived, northern Minnesotans are looking back nostalgically to the cold spring

although folks in other parts of the country probably don't consider mid-80s all that hot.

Mornings are foggy before the sun burns through.

Who's that toodling down Red Oak Lane toward the Farm?

It's Joan Deere on an antique tractor!

Barb borrowed the old Ford and its mower attachment from a friend two country blocks away.

It's similar to the one her Uncle Ernie taught her to drive as a little tyke back in Arlington.

The scariest part was navigating the hill where Spring Lake Road dips down to the lake and up again;

once in the goats' browsing area, however, she made short work of the overgrowth

to encourage fresh salads for the girls.

The three goslings are still hanging around and looking more like Mom and Dad every day.

But it was time to bid farewell to Freya and Terra, a bittersweet occasion.

They spent their last Minnesota morning hanging out with Alba,

trimming trees

and enjoying the hammock one more time.

Then it was time for a hoof-trimming demonstration

and the paperwork conveying the girls to their new owner, Tor.

Finally, it was into Tor's Echo

and off to their new home in Iowa.

We miss the two cuties but are delighted that they're in the care of a knowledgeable, conscientious and enthusiastic young goat-dad.

As if to offer himself as a replacement for the does, this fella showed up on the floor of the basement exercise room. According to our identification books, he's either an Australian Death Adder or a Redbelly Snake.

We didn't know if he was waiting to use the weight bench or the Nordic Track skier, but we transported him via dustpan to the back yard.

He just didn't look like the type who would follow health-club etiquette and wipe his snakey sweat off the machines.

Lhude sing cuccu!

2011-06-26T14:32:00.001-05:00

Sumer is -- finally -- icumen in

after a wintry late spring.

Most of the apple trees blossomed beautifully.

Terra the Terror and Freya the Fright were supposed to move to Iowa in mid-June, but their departure has been delayed a few weeks,

so they've remained part of the herd. Do they all scramble out to the big pasture as soon as they can each morning?

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!

These ingrates only venture far out

if Barb leads the way

although once in the lush growth they take advantage of some primo browsing.

Juju and Lassi here doubleteam some tree branches.

Barb enjoys visiting some better behaved goats: Alba's daughter Crema and her Carmella in the foreground, with Rosa's Geranium and Luna's Rhea behind.

They have been joined at Split Rock Farm by the prize-winning young buck Topper, here sampling some architectural cuisine.

Barb suffers the caprine equivalent of a monkey on the back; Lily does a tap dance while Geranium looks on.

The three goslings have been getting bigger

and bigger

and bigger.

Having recklessly procrastinated the spaying of the local feral kitty, the Farmers now

have three little feline bundles of joy to contend with.

Like their mom, the kitties hang around the goat barn

but stay well out of reach and disappear if anyone gets too close.

The Farmers and brother Dave (an experienced cat wrangler as well as ichthyologist)

planned to grab the youngsters and take them to the Cloquet animal shelter for adoption

but the little buggers vanished into the garage walls, and we learned that the shelter doesn't take animals from our township.

Current plans are to wait until the kitties are 8 weeks old, live-trap the whole family, and take them to Duluth for neutering before releasing them again on the Farm.

They provide lots of entertainment when they venture onto the driveway outside the garage

for bouts of roughhousing and acrobatics.

Even deer check out the action.

One particular deer has been spending a lot of time in front of the house

joined sometimes by a friend.

Not all the Farm's residents are mammalian.

This well camouflaged fella wisely betrayed his presence

moments before the lawn mower would have rolled over him.

With the more seasonable weather

Steve has been enjoying the Munger bike trail

and its gorgeous scenery.

Barb took a break from goat-tending duties

to attend a goat show in Mora, MN. In a superhuman display of self-control, she returned without buying any new goats for her own herd.

Greened up at last

2011-05-26T15:27:00.001-05:00

The seasonal stream on the east border of our land was running strong in early May, but spring seemed late to arrive.

A Chipping Sparrow waited for the woods to green up.

The only bright colors amid the browns came from tree fungi

and a few delicate little flowers popping up through the dry leaves.

Deer continued to wander near, but they left the daffodils in front of the house alone.

Swampy areas of the woods still hadn't produced any marsh marigolds.

Steve finally got his new bike out on the Munger Trail

and wished he had added pontoons for the still flooded sections.

For a few days a flock of Trumpeter Swans

hung out on nearby Spring Lake.

Despite the cold, we knew that spring had finally arrived when the Orioles returned;

They have been brightening up the front yard

along with the occasional Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Again this year we have one family of Geese on the front pond.

Mom and Dad have been keeping the three goslings safe

even when they encroach on the wild kitty's territory near the barn to pick up gravel.

The last of this year's Mr. T babies were born

to Jellybean at the farm of Barb's friend and fellow goat-lady, another Barb.

Sunshine and Shadow are doing fine

as is the local herd, now that the meadows are finally greening up.

They've been taking advantage of the goodies in their expanded browsing area, though they still often have to be coaxed out there

and stuff just seems to taste better if it's outside the fence --

even if it's indigestible.

Best of all are the flowering trees and bushes in the yard.

Freya and Terra survived getting their ears tattooed in preparation for moving to Iowa next month. Here they proudly show off their fresh "ink."

They've both gotten so strong and husky that the Vikings are scouting them as potential offensive tackles.

Here Freya and Mom have a little chat by the office water cooler.

Ju-ju will miss them when they depart

even though they mostly treat her like a soccer ball.

In a rare moment of rest, Ju-ju requisitions the manger so that no one else can get any hay.

Fortunately, she likes to hang out with her Mom, too;

They cuddle together much of the time they're in the pen.

The south side of the goat barn gets full sun throughout the summer, heating up the pens and leaving the goats without shade outside.

So Barb commissioned friend Bill (and his son Scott) to construct a portico attached to the barn. Here she installs metal sheathing on the pillars to discourage the goats from nibbling on the treated wood.

The completed structure gives the goats a comfy shaded area, keeps the barn cooler,

and will provide a snow-free walking area in the winter.

Even on a cool day in late May (afternoon temp in the 50s, another frost warning for tonight)

the girls are already enjoying their new area.

Easter or Christmas?

2011-04-24T14:56:00.000-05:00

The calendar reads spring, but it's been fairly wintry of late.

The front pond was still icy on the morning of April 12; by afternoon the ice was gone.

Nearby Spring Lake has been open for several weeks now

but we keep slipping back into winter

with a healthy dusting of snow

on April 16

for Steve's customary Saturday morning walk around the block.

The weather has kept him from trying his new bike out on the Munger Trail. Maybe white wasn't the best color for this area, and snow tires are still appropriate.

The Cloquet bunny proclaims Easter, but lately it's seemed a lot more like Christmas.

On icy and snow days

the herd stays inside

to climb all over the wood pile and hay bales.

For a few anxious days, Kona's boy developed droopy ears

which can be a sign of weakness and abnormal development

but by the time he went to his new home on April 11

his ears were standing straight up again

and he was full of vim and vigor (thanks probably to the Vitamin E shots Barb gave).

Juju missed her penmate and playmate for a bit

but has been having lots of fun cavorting with Terra and Freya.

Every chance they get the girls race out of the barn

to see what new greenery is springing up in their pastures.

The babies are especially enamored

of racing around their truck topper like Nascar speedsters

and jockeying for position as Queen of the Hill.

A wooden pallet also makes

for prime real estate to be fought over.

Despite the weight disadvantage, Juju holds her own --

for a while, anyway, until Freya nudges her along.

Even the slightest elevation becomes a launching pad.

Barb uses a tape measure to keep track of the babies' weight gain

and receives lots of advice from the Peanut Gallery.

Juju is the friendliest of the newbies

and likes to sit on Barb's lap.

Lassi and Terra try to convince her she's a goat rather than a puppy.

After a hard afternoon's romp, Freya and Terra literally hit the hay

while Juju relaxes in her cave (which she has pretty much caved in from jumping on it).

There's spring in the steps, too, of our resident mink-squirrel population

and inevitable deer.

The geese are now nesting

and a flock of turkeys checks out the west meadow

but then heads back into the woods because the weather is just a bit too reminiscent of Thanksgiving time.

April Fools

2011-04-06T11:07:00.003-05:00

April 1 dawned with

another of Mother Nature's little jokes:

a fresh blanket of spring snow.

Finding no fresh greens for breakfast in his grazing area,

a disgusted Mr. T heads back to the Gentlemen's Club to watch ESPN on his 52-inch plasma TV.

Two days later (April 3) a little jokester arrives.

Lassi's doe stuck her head out of Mom, looked around, and decided not to come out any farther.

Barb had to go in after the rest of her, which was not much fun for anyone involved.

But little Juju-dhau is doing fine

(in keeping with Lassi's yogurt-based theme, she's named after "Delicious creamy curd from Bhaktapur, a must at all feasts. Juju Dhau literally means 'king curd.'")

and Lassi is proving an exemplary mother. Here the two cuddle together the morning after the birth. Sire is Dodger's Chief.

And then around sunset that evening (April 4), Kona went into labor.

This little jokester with the big noggin didn't even want to poke his head out.

Kona worked toward exhaustion and Barb tugged away to help her

until he finally popped out, feisty and strong from the start.

While Lassi showers Juju with constant attention

Kona feeds and bathes her boy regularly, but prefers to stay away from him much of the time.

Fortunately the two newbies get along famously

and love to cozy together like any pair of womb-mates.

So the recent deliveries didn't go as easily as in years past, but all the babies are doing fine.

They were like so many human twenty-somethings these days; they just didn't want to leave the warm and safe comforts of their first home.

Mr. T is justly proud of his latest progeny (Alba's Terra and Freya and Kona's Boy)

and Dream is proud of her grandchildren, the triplets

Dream's daughter Desiree delivered at Kirsten and Chad's place:

two doelings

and a buckling.

Meanwhile, across the barn, Terra and Freya

survived the disbudding iron and are getting bigger and stronger each day.

They love to get outside

and see who can spend

the least amount of time

touching ground.

Back inside the barn they climb on anything that's elevated

eat hay with Mom

and crash together for a few rare moments of rest.

Freya has the same cute bug eyes that Alba had as a doeling

and Terra does a mean imitation of Yoda.

In non-goat critter news

deer are boldly hanging around the house in broad daylight

and watching to see when the gardens will get planted.

Occasionally pairs of geese check out the still frozen front pond

honk to keep intruders away

and then move along. "We'll be in Key West; tweet us if spring ever arrives on the Farm."

The Kids Are All Right

2011-03-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Showing no signs of their "Dystocia" (difficult birth), Terra and Freya are growing apace at 6 days old.

Freya (above) is an uncanny copy

of her Mom at the same age (above and below)

She and sister Terra are exploring their home

which means tasting everything;

imitating Mom they nibble at the hay, even though they're still on a milk diet.

They've enjoyed their trips outside

in the spring weather.

It's hard to believe how big, strong and coordinated they've become since their first day.

Here's a crude video of them at one hour and 24 hours old:

Niblet can't wait till they're old enough to fight with and boss around.

Some warm days have opened up the surrounding meadows

and uncovered the 9-inch-in-diameter burrows that popped up last fall on the front lawn (above) and side garden (below);

we haven't seen the denizens emerge yet.

Right on schedule Red Oak Lane

has become Brown Mud Lane.

Nearby Spring Lake is still iced over

as is the pond in front of the house. With a significant blizzard predicted for March 22 and 23, we may be back in winter mode for a while yet.

From their mother's womb timely released

2011-03-16T16:41:00.003-05:00

Alba's delivery last year went so smoothly

that Rosa, Crema and Luna popped out quickly while Barb was taking a coffee break.

This year, however, Alba went into labor at noon on March 15 but simply could not deliver the kids. Luckily Barb's vet, Dr. Delores, swooped in for an emergency call (one of many for her that day) and found that the babies were so twisted inside Alba that they could not emerge normally.

With cool expertise, Dr. Delores reached in up to her elbow, repositioned the kids, and brought them out one by one -- Alba was a trooper - and outside of normal childbirth stuff, is recovering excellently - none the worse for wear.

If Shakespeare's Macduff "was from his mother's womb untimely ripped," Alba's two girls were from their mother's womb timely released. Without intervention, all three goats would have died.

Because of the quick removal, the twins are doing fine. Alba started right in cleaning them up.

and was assisted by friend Laura (goat-mom to last year's triplets, who will have babies of their own soon).

The girls weren't allowed to rest for long.

They got a nice warm blow dry

more sprucing up

and advice on where to find a good meal.

The older one (by a few minutes) got confused about which end of Mom was which

but eventually hit the jackpot.

Alba continued grooming and bonding with the girls for the rest of the evening.

After a few hours they lost that "drowned rat" aura and looked like healthy kids. The younger is an exact copy of the infant Alba.

Lassi, who is due on April 3, was having second thoughts about this motherhood business after witnessing the day's excitement.

The morning after their birth day

the girls enjoy hanging out with Mom

and showing off their new coats (carefully color-coordinated with Alba's feed dish and water bucket).

The girls will be named Terra and Freya -- the future new owner of one of them will decide which is which when he visits on March 21.

Yesterday's lessons have paid off; they now know their way around Mom.

They are already adventurous and curious, exploring the treasures of the barn while their pen is being cleaned.

They are much steadier on their legs the second day

but occasionally have to collapse for a rest.

Grandma Dream looks on proudly -- but reminds Alba that she doesn't "do" babysitting.

Kona (due April 5) hopes that her kids are just as cute -- but come with less drama.

Waiting for the Stork

2011-03-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

All is anticipation on the Farm as Alba nears her due date -- March 16. She's delivered early in the past, so Barb checks on her frequently, even throughout the night.

Tibetan prayer flags (Barb's birthday gift from friend Janet) decorate the door to the goat barn and flutter above the outdoor pen

spreading good will and compassion and carrying blessings to all (especially, we hope, Alba and the forthcoming little ones).

On Feb 26 the Farmers drove down to Litchfield to help Barb's aunt Evelyn Obar celebrate her 90th birthday with family and friends.

Evelyn is spryer and more active than certain Farmers 25 years her junior.

(The two previous pictures courtesy of photographer extraordinaire

Cindy Doty-Obar.)

And on March 5 Barb was the highlight of Duluth public television's "'A' is for Appetizers," cooking up her famous goat cheese tart.

For a few days a fox was hanging around just in back of the Farm house.

It was hobbling around nursing an injured right leg

which did not prevent it from moving rather quickly

leaping

or scoring voles.

After each hunt, it would head off through the south meadow. We haven't seen it for a few days now, but fox tracks were abundant in a recent snow. We hope that its leg is healing from all that rodent protein.

Mr. T and Niblet enjoyed an adventure outside their pen after a bout of hoof-trimming.

T likes nothing better than endless noogies

and rubbing against Barb

or the long-suffering Niblet. Soon he will passing out cigars to celebrate the arrival of his latest batch of cute little goatlets.

MeadowWild Barnie Awards

2011-02-28T19:56:00.002-06:00

Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Grammys -- they were just warmups for . . .

the Second Annual MeadowWild Farm Barnie Awards.

Crema stole our hearts right away —and always.

"I'm going to Disneyland!"

Lassi and Kona are learning the Rules:
Alba butts, Dreamy bites.

They keep things joyful and fun in the barn.

"Mom likes me best!"

"No -- Mom likes ME best!"

Nibby tolerates:

Getting chased out of the GC

Playful, but scary-strong buck advances

Eating only hay and still having a weight problem

T geting first dibs on ANYTHING

"If that big lug keeps slobbering on me I'm going to conk him with this hardware."

Dream freshened in June, 2009

Still Lactating—second winter

Growing a humongous barrel

Standing calmly thru any disturbance

Has the ugliest udder but it works.

"WooWoo -- and no bratty kids on the way to drive me crazy."

T was Sire of triplet doelings w/ Alba

Producer of many healthy, strong kids

Always at the ready to do his duty :-)

Always cheerful and energetic

Not too rough on Niblet or Goatmom

"With all due humility . . . I am the greatest!"

Wonderful Steve is:
Water-boy exceptionale

Mid-wife (er, Hub) extraordinaire

Muscle-man par excellence

Bedding remover Expert

All-around Great Helper in Extreme

"No snide comments there, Niven."

No Biggest Noodle this year! In Dodger’s absence, there really are no misbehaving goats here anymore, so we will retire this category until we need it – let’s hope we never do. When T swallowed two baggies that were intended for poop samples, we thought about awarding it to him; but that Lassi has potential also – we’ll see……)

======================================

And the highlight of the evening -- a record-setting three awards to this year's big winner:

Alba!!! yeaaaaaay!
Produced triplet doelings—all healthy and strong

Fed all three amply

Patiently let them stand and bounce on her

Taught them to eat hay and drink water

Protected them from the
dreaded Ear-biter, Grandma Dream

Alba again! Mother of the Year and Holey Moley!
Can She Stand Still!! We think she is victim of alien abduction—switched our old Alba with a calm, good producer that stands so very patiently, even when Goatmom forgets to give her grain. We are in awe.

Now work on those teats—a little longer, please.

"You like me! You really like me!"

Goat Barn Fever

2011-02-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

It's been a dry February, with little new snow

but cold enough during the first half of the month

to maintain a substantial snow pack.

Occasionally a frozen mist would combine with overcast skies to create a monochromatic landscape.

Glowing sunrises warmed up the palette of some mornings

even when the air temperature was well below zero.

The gentlemen come outside no matter how cold it gets.

They keep each other warm

especially when Mr. T chases Niblet around their yard.

The ladies prefer to stay indoors on arctic days

which leads to a caprine version of cabin fever.

We hide the axes when Lassi gets that certain look in her eye.

On nicer days they enjoy venturing outside, too.

Dream and Alba hobble cautiously along the icy driveway

while Kona and Lassi scamper madly up and down, disappointed only that there are no scissors to carry in their mouths.

Then a mid-month thaw sent temperatures soaring

with a record high of 52 degrees on February 16.

Grassy patches emerged near the house

for the first time since November

although the south meadow remains blanketed

and deer are still confined to trails across the hard-going west meadow.

The girls take advantage of the newly bared ground

to munch on twigs

tree bark

a wooden bench

and the hammock.

Kona checks out the remaining snow banks.

Other critters emerge in the warm weather, including gray squirrels (many of whom in our neighborhood are black).

Mouse tracks along the garage in a dusting of snow are followed by kitty tracks.

The girls grow broader abeam as their delivery dates near (although Dream is the broadest of all and she's not pregnant).

Mr. T awaits the arrival of his latest batch of youngsters with the pride of an NBA all-star.

Beginnings and Endings

2011-01-16T13:12:00.000-06:00

2011 began with a very cold first half of January. Temperatures were below average; snowfall was a bit below normal for the month

but the accumulation from November and December hasn't had a chance to melt, so we have no shortage of white stuff. Vigilant Cat is mostly buried in a drift.

Colors are subtle and subdued

though we usually do enjoy some warm tones at sunrise and sunset.

The air is anything but warm, so on some days the gorgeous landscape

is best appreciated looking through windows.

It's a good time for studying seed catalogs and dreaming of spring gardens.

No need these days to plunge the goat milk bottles in ice water, as Barb usually does immediately after each milking;

a snow bank holds them and the ambient air cools them rapidly.

No matter how cold it gets, chores on the Farm -- such as hoof trimming -- still need doing.

Barb manufactured hand-warmers from old socks stuffed with rice; heated in the microwave and placed in her coat pockets, they allowed her to thaw her fingers before handling sensitive udders, lest the goats shoot vertically off the milking stand.

The home-made items have been superceded by high tech warmers, a welcome gift from friend Janet.

Alpines that they are, the goats have been flourishing in the cold weather. The Gentlemen's Club stays fairly toasty in even the bitterest cold.

When Mr. T dips his beard in the water bucket he manages to collect all manner of frozen debris.

The love-sick swain grew rather skinny during breeding season

but he's eating more now and filling out his usually magnificent physique.

Niblet has managed to stay fat on hay alone. Layers of blubber under his gorgeous coat keep him warm.

The ladies are knitting booties in anticipation of spring deliveries. Alba is due on March 16

Lassi on April 3

and Kona on April 5.

Dream gets another year off; she looks more pregnant than any of the does, but she's full of hay rather than goatlets.

The visiting kitty is still hanging around.

Sometimes she eats the crunchies we set out for her;

other times, she's too full of the mice and voles she snatches from beneath the snow in back of the house,

taking them to her retreat amidst the trees on our property line.

We hope to live-trap her and take her to the Northland Spay/Neuter Clinic for some birth control and a rabies shot before she resumes patrolling the Farm.

We are very saddened to report the death of Barb's mom Caroline on January 13 in her home at Diamond Willow Assisted Care Center in Cloquet.

Caroline lived 91 years particularly rich in family, friends and activities.

Here she and husband Louis admire a future Farmer, little suspecting that the tyke will grow up to be a Goat Lady.

A superb cook, Caroline worked for many years in the cafeteria of the Arlington-Green Isle School.

She enjoyed travel, especially her visits to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, and Africa.

When she could no longer live safely on her own in Arlington, she tolerated for awhile staying with the Farmers at their home in Duluth -- though she did put her foot down and refused to eat another meal with kale in it.

Here she checks out a Cornish game hen from the Fisher-Merrit Farm.

When she needed more assistance she was fortunate to live first at Keystone Bluffs in Duluth and then at Diamond Willow in Cloquet; she was a favorite of the caregivers in both facilities, who made sure that her final years were safe, enjoyable and dignified.

She took advantage of outings to local attractions such as the Carlton County Fair

and Wurst Days at TJ's in Mahtowa (where the Wurst Band always played her standing request for "In Heaven There Is No Beer")

as well as entertainment provided at Diamond Willow, which included concerts by local musicians and visits from dignitaries

such as Artie and Tammy.

The many visitors who came from all over the state to see her were a tribute to her lasting popularity and influence on people's lives.

Here family and friends gather for her 90th birthday party.

Caroline Nieland (1919-2011)

Out of the frying pan into the deep freeze

2010-12-15T14:20:00.001-06:00

From an unusually warm first half of November

(on Nov. 7 our thermometer registered 61 degrees)

we moved into an unusually cold and snowy end of autumn.

A wet and sticky snow fell throughout the night of Nov. 29

which was followed by a cold snap

that froze the snow in place.

For days it was like living in a giant snow-globe.

Now both the hay meadows

and Spring Lake are well concealed.

We missed the “Snowmaggedon” that paralyzed the Twin Cities and collapsed the Metrodome roof

but we got the arctic air blast that followed; sunny days are the coldest.

The goat barn has been staying a balmy -4 even on mornings that approach -20.

Frost collects on the rims of the heated water buckets.

Dream is sensible enough to keep her winter coat on; the other girls manage to wriggle out of theirs.

A visiting kitty kept scavaging in our compost pile

and leaving blue jay carcases in our garage

so we started feeding her. Don't know if he/she is feral or belongs to a neighbor, but the kitty runs every time we appear. (She's staring at the camera through the kitchen window.)

We asked Bubba if he wanted to share his cushy, pampered life with the poor visitor. He called us "Obama socialists," pinned on his "Palin-Bachman 2012" button,

and retreated to one of his favorite winter spots: under the quilts in the south bedroom.

Nature's repertoire of fabulous sunsets

again includes a cold-weather phenomenon:

a pillar of light caused by ice crystals.

Mr. T out looking for action.

He enjoyed an extended visit from Jellybean

and Sugar

but on their daily visits to Mr. T's boudoir

the visitors seemed more interested in butting heads

with the local girls.

No matter how snowy or cold it gets

T keeps an eye on the ladies' dormitory.

Ada returned in December to accompany

Desi's daughter Gerta

who sports the cutest pair of wattles.

At first Gerta wasn't wild about visiting T

but the suave operator finally won her over.

Kona came down with bloat, which can occur in very cold weather when goats reduce their activity. Barb's quick intervention (massages, exercise, doses of vegetable oil and medicines) saved the day.

Santa's busiest elf has been making lots of goats' milk soap

which cures on racks in the bathroom

and accumulates in boxes throughout the house

awaiting delivery to Barb's many customers. It's a popular Christmas gift item.

As usual, she's been experimenting with new varieties

Mr. T joins the other goats, Bubba and the Farmers in wishing to all visitors of the blog the happiest of holidays and a wonderful 2011. (Mr. T's hat courtesy of Dale Connelly.)

Aut-Win, Speed Dates, Storm

2010-11-06T16:17:00.002-05:00

We continue to enjoy the subtle colors of Aut-Win,

naturalist Larry Weber's term for that season

between the bright leaves of fall and the snows of winter.

Our sandy soil is full of new burrows

as badgers, skunks, woodchucks and other critters

dig in ahead of the coming cold and drifts.

The goats are taking advantage of their last opportunities to play outside.

Kona surfs on the truck topper that provides shade in back of their pen.

Cowabunga, dude! Heads up for a gnarly Neptune Cocktail!

What are Dream, Alba and Mr. T staring at?

It's Ada

and Desiree, visiting for a bit as they await their rendezvous in Kettle River with

Mischief, one of Dodger's bucks from last spring.

Dreamy's Desi has grown considerably since she left in July of 2009.

The visiting girls were quite peppy

and enjoyed racing up and down the driveway.

Daily walks with the home team

always included some tussling and head-butting

but truce was arranged for a common raid on the blueberry bushes.

Mr. T remains addlepated in the heat of the breeding season

slobbering sweet nothings in the ear of any doe who approaches.

Lassi, however, is destined for a tryst with a different swain. She boards the Goatmobile

for a trip to Kettle River and a speed date with

the handsome and debonair Mischief.

Two more visitors arrive to console Mr. T:

Jellybean

and her mom Sugar.

In the midst of all these romantic whirlwinds, we experience what the National Weather Service dubbed

According to Meteorologist Paul Douglas, "it was certainly the strongest storm ever recorded over Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, probably the most intense storm ever measured between the Rockies and the Appalacians.”

This "land hurricane" brought the lowest bar pressure ever recorded in Minnesota.

Wind gusts over 50 mph toppled the trellis in front of the house and scattered stuff everywhere.

Torrential rains overwhelmed the barrels into which the gutters drain,

but luckily for the basement, the rain eventually turned to snow and the house stayed dry.

We got far less than the 7+ inches recorded a little further north

and all of the snow had vanished by Halloween

in time for the goats to go trick-or-treating.

(Thanks to Photoshop wizard Dale Connelly of the Trail Baboon blog, who supplied the girls with costumes.)

On Nov 2 Barb volunteered from 6:00 am to 9:30 pm as an election judge at the Blackoof Town Hall.

She's happy to perform her civic duty, but would rather be out herding goats.

Beautiful and Busy Autumn

2010-10-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed peak fall colors

toward the end of September

which was also quite cool.

A series of morning frosts

left the remaining vegetation

shrouded in frozen fog,

nipped the last remnants of the gardens.

and opened the milkweed pods.

October brought another warm-up

and the subtler colors of late autumn.

Some of the sunrises and sunsets were spectacular.

Bubba is moving into winter mode, following the sun from window to window

for warm naps.

The deer are getting bolder

checking out the gardens in broad daylight.

One night the coyotes were yowling more loudly and much longer than usual;

it turns out that they had brought down a buck, who perhaps had been wounded (it's deer bow-hunting season),

and spent the night feasting on the carcase.

All the next day birds finished cleaning up -- eagles, ravens, crows

and turkey vultures.

The Farmers have been enjoying many of the area's fall activities,

taking in a Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College volleyball game

(the Thunder lost)

a FDLTCC football game

(the Thunder lost)

and a College for Seniors course on mushrooms

taught by friend nd neighbor Larry Weber, whose new book

has just been published.

They also attended a concert given by Prudence Johnson and Dan Chouinard

at friend and neighbor Paula's barn just down the road

and the Manhattan Short Film Festival at friends and neighbors Janaki and Annie's barn a few miles away.

Unfortunately, a favorite hiking area -- 360 acres of wild state land just down Pioneer Road in our neighborhood --

is currently being logged;

it's no longer a gorgeous, quiet, pristine place to walk.

The wildlife has scattered, and a hunter's car sits abandoned in the middle of the mucky new road.

The area offers lots of other outdoor opportunities, however. The Farmers have dusted off their bicycles and are exploring

the Munger Trail, which runs 63 miles from Duluth to Hinkley.

The initial foray was a modest 16 mile roundtrip from Mahtowa

to Barnum, but longer journeys are planned for the spring.

The trail features lovely rural scenery

and freedom from car and truck traffic.

Back at the Farm, the goats are enjoying the unseasonably warm October and exhibiting the craziness of breeding season.

Two of Alba's spring triplets

Luna

and Crema

returned for a visit that was mainly supposed to get them used to being around a buck in anticipation of breeding.

Of course, they were much more interested in renewing acquaintances with Dreamy and Alba

-- Hi, Mom! --

and in checking out

and fighting with Lassi and Kona.

Mr. T and Niblet kept a close eye on the action

with the hormonally addled Mr. T

blubbering away at any of the girls who came near.