What a Year

 

I have been so incredibly busy that the blog has been put on the back burner but what an incredible year for Minter Bay Dairy Goats. Six of our babies and one doe, Buttons, has gone to live at the Pt. Defiance Zoo. It was quite a process to go through to be a zoo vender but worth every minute. My goats are now enjoyed by everyone and they, the goats, love it. In my simple life this is my legacy. I've been a goat girl my whole life and to breed and raise these goats for my local zoo has been a fun project. OK maybe not toward the end when I was bottle feeding all the babies and the zoo was getting picky about their fecals and I kept them a few weeks longer. Anyone with screaming babies can understand the need for them to "just go". And go they did. The zoo has been wonderful to them and has even had quite an extensive campaign to advertise their arrival at the zoo. I even heard there was a billboard on I-5 around Fife with their picture on it. I went to go see it but darn technology was against me. Apparently it was a digital billboard that was always changing. It was on the tigers every time I went by and there are only so many times I can drive through that traffic just to see a billboard.
After all is said and done, two moments come to mind as really special.

Getting to share the debut of the goats at the zoo with my mom....

and when we were there three rather large young men came by to see the goats. They wondered if they could pet them. The zoo keeper asked them if they would like to come in and brush the goats and one said, "We'd like nothing better". As those three young men walked into the pen they turned into 8 year old boys.
My goats being enjoyed by all ages. I like nothing better.

 

Another highlight of the summer has been Cora Belle's Top Ten status. She is now an ADGA breed leader. Which means she makes a lot of milk for a Nigerian. We worked very hard for this prestigious title, Cora Belle and I. She maybe working slightly harder than me. Two of her kids this year went off to be herdsires at two fine cheese making dairies. We are very proud of our local girl.

Well kidding season is well over with a lot of nice babies born and we are gearing up for the Washington State Fair.
And I only have one word for that.
Scones.