Ah, sweet quiet

Our mantra these days is "Simplify". To that end, we've decided to cut back on the critter count. The two donkeys, Jesse and Julia, needed a new home because they had to be kept off the green pastures lest they founder. Keeping them in a stall meant feeding them twice a day and hauling water from the creek. That certainly didn't make our lives any easier, so they had to go. They went home with a nice couple that needed companions for a young horse.

Now, if there's one creature that makes life harder for everyone, it is goats. Our herd was up to 14 adults and kids, which became a marauding tornado of destruction. They would get into anything, anywhere, anytime. They felt a particular need to follow us everywhere, which was endearing when we had three goats, but troublesome with 14. They also left little gumdrop sized presents all around the ranch, especially on the porches. We put an ad in the Missoulian and the response was overwhelming. We could have sold twice as many easily. We are now down to two milk goats and a kid. The kid could still sell, but if he doesn't then we'll probably eat him this fall. We're going to keep the two milk goats for foal emergencies, which means we'll be breeding them every year to keep them producing milk. However, I think we will make a habit of selling the kids.

With most of the prime troublemakers gone, it is actually quite peaceful up here.