Garlic and Goats

Tortuga Thursday 

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Garlic is occupying a lot of time this week. Well, actually the weeds around the garlic are consuming my days with the exception of some editing time. Last month, we got all the weeds from around the plants. This week I'm concentrating on between the rows. Since it's been a couple of weeks, those babies took off and are as tall as the some of the garlic. But the rows should be all clean by Sunday. How pretty they look when the weeds are gone. Seven of the varieties we planted look awesome. The other two are sparse so we can rule them out for next year.

Sadi loves baby animals. Our neighbors who you have heard me brag on before

Aunt Eunice shows her how.

have baby goats right now. Sadi has adopted our neighbors and they are now Uncle Dave and Aunt Eunice. Aunt Eunice has to feed one of the baby goats several times a day. Sadi took great pleasure in helping. She

All by herself.

always has such a good time when she visits their farm and has no fear of any of the sheep, cows, dogs or goats. Which can present a problem so we have to watch her closely.

Sadi also got her first tractor ride this week. Lance has been hesitant or should I say fearful to take her on it because it takes two hands to shift and drive. But she now has the words to ask and he just couldn't

refuse. It was a short ride but to Sadi it was the trip of her life!

Ba Ba Black Sheep #33

Eight days old

Last week I watched a lamb come into the world. My neighbor, Eunice, the wonderfully generous lady I've told you about in prior blogs, called and asked if I'd ever seen a lamb born. I'd been working outside, covered in dust and sweaty, but I ran a brush through my hair, jumped in the car and sped (as fast as a bumpy dirt road allows) over to her farm. I was darn near too late. The last leg cleared the mom as I stepped up to the stall. Truthfully, birth is a miraculous thing but not so lovely to see. The absolute best part was watching that little guy get on his feet and begin feeding within an hour - all part of the miracle. I learned all sheep are born black and turn lighter as they grow. Eunice and Dave have nine lambs at the moment. One sheep had triplets and rejected one of the babies for some unknown reason. Eunice has to hand-feed the baby every four hours, twenty-four hours a day. Right now, I'm glad we raise veggies and not animals.

What goes on day to day around here reminds me of something a supervisor at a day job said years ago. She gave a pep-talk to her young staff. We were understaffed and not all tasks were clearly assigned (not my job, man!). She talked about being raised on a farm and when something needed doing, you just did it, regardless of what the task was. Things fall apart if you don't. I got it, but then I was a little older than the rest of the crew. I really get it now.

Change of topic just because. The in-laws are getting closer to becoming in-laws. Lance and Christie have announced wedding plans. With Christie living right here, I get in on the buzz of bride-to-be and mother excitement. Her parents visited from Phoenix a few weeks back. We had dinner, and they were awed by what Lance has taken on and accomplished. Me too. And we love Christie to pieces.

Looks like the first stalks of chamomile are dried. I think I'll try a homemade cup of chamomile tea. Cheers!