Alpine Love

Friends of ours have a little community farm on some borrowed land just a short drive from us.  It's a very sweet spot and their arrangement is great.  A small group of folks all work together to tend to the greenhouse, gardens and animals and all get to share in the bounty and learn as they go before making the big step of committing to land of their own.

I've been visiting a bunch lately and have been loving up on the horses and goats.  Getting my farm animal fix while we continue to work toward suitable pasture here on the homestead.  There are three beautiful horses who are the most loving and affectionate beasts you could ever imagine.  They snuggle.  I'm not kidding!  If you scratch them along the neck or behind the ears, they snuggle up and massage your back with their lips!  It's the funniest thing!  As someone who has dreamed of having horses since I was about six, not only getting to spend time with them, but also getting loved up in return is about as close to a perfect moment as I can get.... face buried in horse mane, fingers scratching as fast and deeply as I can, grease and dirt building up and caking my hands, horse hair covering my clothes, and big wrinkly soft-as-butter horse lips rubbing my sore shoulders in return!  Heaven!

And, if I thought that was as good as it could get.... oh dear!  I had yet to fill up on baby goat magic.  There are two mama Alpine Dairy goats on the farm, Derby and Sassafras.  They both kidded last week and I got cuddle up both sets of twins just a day after birth.  Derby's kids were born on Monday, and Sassafras's were born on Saturday.  Oh my goodness!  They are so sweet!  If you are ever having a rough day and need a little reminder of the goodness in the world, hold a baby goat.  Seriously.  My heart melted right there on the spot and I honestly question if I'll ever be the same again.

To that end, of never being the same again I mean, Steve and I are seriously considering purchasing the female babes.  They are so incredibly sweet and I am so very smitten.  I can't even believe that I am writing this here... actually putting it out there into the world.  It would be a dream come true.  Goat cheese any one?  If the kids turn out anything like their mamas, we will be up to our eyeballs in goat milk someday.  They are some seriously milky mamas.  Just looking at their udders made me ache.

Sassafras's baby girl, Ginseng.

I know that it sounds crazy, as I began this post with the point that I was getting my animal fix while we work towards suitable pasture, but with this particular acquisition, it could work out quite nicely.  Our friends who own the mamas are in no rush to get rid of the kids.  They would happily hang onto them until we are ready.  Plus, we need all the brush cleared for the new pasture area.  And who is better at brush clearing than goats?

Who knows?  Only time will tell.  As I've said in previous posts, Steve and I don't make big decisions quickly.  We ponder and mull, hem and haw, discuss and deliberate.  Hmmm....

What do you think we should do?