Our Fair Ladies; New Arrivals

It's high summer at MeadowWild Farm.

The goats wander through an enormous salad bowl, browsing at will.

An article this month in the Washington Post proclaims, “Scientists have discovered that living near trees is good for your health”

reaffirming what other studies have shown: “Green is good for you.”

The goats insist they knew that all along.

Public health researchers at the U of Minnesota answer the question, “How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?”

“Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It may even reduce mortality.”

If the latter is true, Dustin intends to live forever.

Non-mammals, too, are flourishing in these glorious summer days.  Anything that stands still for more than a minute becomes an anchor for yet another spider web.

We’re considering a name change from MeadowWild to Arachnistan. 

All of MeadowWild’s ladies visited the beauty parlor ahead of their trip to the Carlton County Fair

leaving heaps of hair on the old milking stand and driveway.

Buzz-cuts made the string of muggy days easier to bear.

From their pens at the fairgrounds goat barn, the girls scoped out the competition 

and the awards table.

Friend Brian very generously drove all the way up from Milaca on another hot day to help Barb present at the goat show.

He is an expert goat whisperer

and stages them to show off their best assets.  Here he encourages Clipper to keep her eye on the prize: the Best of Show trophy.

He could even handle a hopping Ahni, who apparently thought she belonged next door in the rabbit barn.

Waiting in the on-deck circle

and then it's show time.

How did the MeadowWild entries do?

They cleaned up!  4 red ribbons, 3 blue ribbons, 2 Grand Champion awards, and both Best of Show awards!

Xiu (Kara Kahl Sirius Xiu) – 2nd place Junior Alpine kid.

Ahni (Kara Kahl Sinful Anisa) – 1st place Junior Alpine kid.

Reeny (Meadowwild Mojo Tzarina) – 2nd place Senior Alpine kid; 2nd place Produce of Dam (with Keeper; their dam is Cheeky and sire is Regel Katan Charmer Mojo).

Keeper (Meadowwild Mojo Tzat'sa Keeper) – 2nd place Produce of Dam (with Reeny); 1st place Senior Alpine kid; Grand Champion Junior Alpine Doe; BEST JUNIOR DOE OF SHOW.

Cheeky (Meadowwild Majority Tzatziki) – 2nd place 3-year-old milker

Clipper (Old Beach Majority Eclipse) – 1st place 3-year-old milker; Grand Champion Senior Alpine Doe; BEST SENIOR DOE OF SHOW.

Barb accepts the Best of Show trophy

and then it's time for a celebration at Grandma Laura's Cookies.

Right after the fair the Farmers traveled to Saxon Harbor, Michigan,

where the rich folks were playing with their expensive toys

 the poorer folks were cooling off in Lake Superior

and the Farmers were picking up two new goats from our "sister herd,"  Heidi's Summer Solstice Farms in the Michigan UP.

Summer Solstice Alt Korma (daughter of Cheeky's sister Raita)

and her cute little buckling.

The newbies took a few minutes to get used to their surroundings

and then got down to some serious eating

all under the watchful gaze of their new barn mates.

Korma and son enjoy their daily walks

and take advantage of the greenery.

The little guy uses mom as a stepstool.

Breeding season is clearly approaching; the girls and guys are hanging out together at the fence between their separate areas, and Mojo is splashing on the cologne.

Coming up next: linear herd appraisal

and getting ready for the winter which, thanks to the mega El Niño predicted, might be milder than we're used to.