Thursday, May 27, 2010

Our goat family is complete

This is Natalie. She's a good kid.  If all goes according to breed reputation (she's an Oberhasli), she will grow up to be a quiet, docile, smallish dairy goat with a not-so-hot udder. I don't know what the last part means, but that's what I've heard. Sleek and skinny and elegantly colored, she's a supermodel goat and makes Peppermint look like a pudgy, squinty, smudgy runt.

I'm disappointed we won't have a milkable goat for a whole year as I've been making a lot of cheese. I thought about buying another lactating doe, but when I stood there gazing at the beautiful grown Oberhaslis on the farm where I bought Natalie, I knew that if I brought one home I would open the possibility of sleeping in the calf hutch again. I couldn't face that.

The babies bleat and they sound like kittens. I ignore them and every day they bleat a little less. They like to eat the Scotch broom and Natalie chases the chickens.

I haven't been cooking much the last few days for various uninteresting reasons, but will start up again shortly. 

11 comments:

  1. Fine work. She is going to be lovely.

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  2. Congrats and welcome to natalie!

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  3. are natalie and peppermint getting along?

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  4. They get along great -- like sisters.

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  5. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/dining/28bruni.html

    did you see frank bruni's new column, the tipsy diaries?

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  6. She is lovely! And I think Peppermint looks prettier with a little age. How big is Natalie?

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  7. I actually think Peppermint is cuter. Her fluffy coat looks hugable. I see the diaper is off now. What's the clean up like for two goats?

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  8. Anonymous -- they are outside all the time now, so there's no clean-up. The photo of Peppermint was taken earlier in the week, pre-Natalie, during a brief gap between diapers. I'm glad the diaper days are behind us.

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  9. Georgia Jewel5/29/10, 3:22 PM

    Congrats on the goat girls!

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  10. I identify with Natalie.I grew up with the Capricorn identity. Always climbing but, like Natalie, had to wait until my "udder" started doing what it should to produce my "kids". So don't worry about Natalie, I think she'll get it together eventually. She's still developing her sweetness. I love your site, Jenifer,
    Joyce and let's get together.

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  11. I laughed out load when I read your new kid's name! My daughter's name is Natalie and all her life we've called her Nanny Goat. She's a good kid, too.

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