Sue returned with Goats on Monday!  Two young males who are really good buddies.  Their names are Taco George (the brown one) and Mine (the black and white one). Those are the names they came with… Sue keeps calling them “Taco Bell” and “Mime”. We have them in an area that, we think, was used to pasture burros previously.  It was already fenced in pretty well. However, we are also re-purposing a small workroom as their night time dwelling, and the fencing around that particular area is rather sketchy.  If they wanted, the little guys could just push it right over and walk away. Luckily, if that happens, they will still be in a fenced in area; it’s just not as secure.

Cleaning out the work room was a half day affair. It was just packed with little bits and pieces of electrical equipment, fencing, nuts and bolts, some research the previous owner was compiling regarding the history of the property (which is quite interesting actually – it is originally part of the Prince Placer Gold Mining Claim!), empty ammo boxes, and some first century modern furniture pieces, which we gave to the local thrift shop – sorry Caylor. What remained was a nice tidy little shed made of cinder block on a concrete  foundation with a tin roof and a little window (the photo makes it look a little tilted, but it is not at all). We cut down a donated door and hung it up, making it very comfy for over-nighting the gentlemen goats. We added hay, water, and feeders for grain- so we could coax them into the space at night, as they were not used to being put away. This is a precaution against predators here; we have bears, mountain lion type things, and a large pack of coyotes running very close. We just feel they’re safer this way since they are a fair distance from the main house.

In Permaculture, all animals are your co-workers and have specific jobs to perform. Goats are an integral part of pasture preparation. They are (supposed to) eat down the tall shrubs ands weeds, scatter manure (they do this part really well), and prepare the land for the chickens who will clean up the leftovers, eat the bugs, deposit their fertilizer and till the ground, making it ready for planting.

I’m hoping that, in the future we’ll be able to get a couple of sheep to help out in this area. Goats, sheep, and chickens get along well together and each eat their own part of the pasture and forest. In turn, they will also give us meat, milk, and eggs, as they are able. Making us a little more independent and sustainable.  Our gentlemen goats are part of our first steps. They are friendly and enjoy being around us. We thank our friend LeAn for passing them along to us, we plan on giving them a good life!
That’s the newest bit for today.
As always,
Thanks for reading!

Today’s weather: In the wee hours we had intermittent heavy rains with thunder and lightening.  High was 69°, we were supposed to have thunderstorms all day, but they never materialized, instead it was partly cloudy and incredibly windy. Low tonight is forecast as 42°.