Remember, when I said last week that Old Man Winter would be coming back? Well, he did come back and brought us a beautiful snow. I enjoyed looking at the huge flakes of snow falling. The snow continued through the night,  creating a beautiful blanket of white. According to the forecast, it looks like we may get more of the same next week. I am not a fan of the cold. Many layers of clothing help! I know that it is supposed to hit hard here later today and stay through Wednesday. I have a small milk hut heater in the milking barn and it warms me up quickly when I milk the goats. The goats don’t seem to care. They have their winter coats on and are ready for whatever comes. We brought in hay for them to eat and have winterized the barn with layers of straw to keep the goats warm as they bed down. Recently we added heat lamps incase they give birth. The babies will need the extra warmth. We are on baby watch, but haven’t seen any signs of labor yet. It could happen anytime now, so we check on them at least every other hour. This is such an exciting time.

The melting snow and the gentle rains we’ve had lately are giving us good moisture to get ready for the spring. The pond has really filled up too. The trees have a beautiful green moss growing on them. It is a good reminder that spring is right around the corner and soon everything will be turning green! It is time to get those plants started. We are mixing potting soil and prepping the greenhouse for starting the seedlings. Onions, potatoes, root vegetables and tomatoes and peppers will be first. I can’t wait to see the gardens in growth again. It is such a blessing to have fresh produce grown organically. It is lots of work, but very satisfying. This year we have been approved to accept the 2023 Chickasaw Nation Farmers’ Market (EBT) cards. We will have more information on this coming soon!

Several weeks ago we acquired a Great Pyrenees puppy. He was found wandering the property behind us. We took the puppy in and tried to find the owner or someone who could give him a good home. No one could be found. He quickly won our hearts so we decided that he would be a great fit on our farm. His name is Buddy. Now Buddy has a job to do here protecting the animals. He is a fast learner and has a beautiful demeanor. He watches Henry and Libby, our slightly older livestock guardian dogs, and takes queues on what to do.

Besides the big farm animals, I do have a little pack of small dogs that stay inside the house. (Five to be exact)  The smallest Chihuahua had a stroke this week. This was very scary to witness. She’s doing quite well now and I’m very hopeful that she will recover completely. To keep her safe during the day, when I can’t be right with her, she has been staying in my laundry basket!  (There is plenty of room for this little 4 pounder!) I think she feels quite safe there. This morning she climbed out of the basket! I put her on a blanket on the floor and she stood on all four legs and took a few steps! Now that is great progress!! She has graduated to a small play pen and has room to stand and exercise at will.

Soap Saturday! I am pushing myself to get more goat’s milk soap made. So on Saturdays, I plan to make soap. This week I made a batch of unscented and a batch of lavender. In addition to soap, I will make more lotion bars and beard oils. Watch for these to be in stock at the farmstore and coming soon to our website store. The soap takes a few weeks to cure, but the lotion bars and beard oils will be ready as soon as they’re made. I love that everything on the farm has a purpose. Many things have multiple purposes. Adding the dairy goats has been fun. I love the milk! The milk is great for drinking, making cheese and soap. We sell raw goats milk, too. I am currently milking one goat. Recently my Nubian, Jolene, was bred and she has now dried up. She is due to freshen early April. After giving birth she will be back in milk and will go back on the line.

I love having visitors on the farm. Today, a group of ladies, out for a girls’ weekend, searched online for fun things to do and found our farm! They asked if they could come and visit. They came and had the grand tour!  They enjoyed learning about all of the different animals that live here and enjoyed petting the goats. I love sharing my farm and all that I have learned along the way. What an honor to be known as “a place to visit in Kingston, Oklahoma”! I have had homeschooled children come to learn as part of their school day. I have grandparents bring their grandchildren and they will tell you, you are never too old to learn something new. I think it is so peaceful here and I love to share that peace with all that come by.