The Goat Walk

We live in an agricultural neighborhood and have a few neighbors that raise goats. Each spring the cutest little goaties are born. We noticed a new pair of "kids" the other week and have been walking to see them each night.

They were a little camera shy at first (probably because the boys would go into fits of hysterics every time a goat peed, burped, etc.) so we spent our time feeding leaves to the older goats who seemed to be a bit more seasoned around crazy kids. They are so friendly and always run to the fence when they see us walking up.

They especially love the leaves from these orange trees that line their fence.

 

Now that we've been to see them several times (and I've convinced Finley and Oliver that you can't be all crazy around them), the little goats are getting more comfortable and venturing up to the fence to visit with us.

I can hardly stand the cuteness! Look at them!

The other day we went to visit them and noticed that there was a goat outside of the fence along the canal (we have flood irrigation so the homes in our neighborhood have canals that run along the back). We were worried that the goat escaped somehow but a neighbor came out to let us know that the owners put the goat out there occasionally to do some weeding along the canal. So rad. I wonder if I could borrow her?

We have toyed with the idea of getting goats for the past couple of years. We have the space and would love them for their weed control and milk production but have yet to work out the logistics... until then, we'll get our goat fix by visiting the little goaties down the road.

Never say never

I spent the first 30 of my 30-something years growing up in Southern California - just north of L.A. I loved growing up in California, especially so close to such a fabulous, diverse city. In fact, just a few short years ago, my husband and I were scouring downtown L.A. looking for the perfect loft to buy. If you had told me at that time that I would soon be living in Arizona, raising chickens, growing veggies, etc., I'd have laughed you right out of town.

My how things have changed!

Somewhere along the line (about the time we decided to start a family), my husband and I had a major and sudden shift in priorities. We packed up and headed east to Arizona to live closer to family, increase our quality of life, and just slow down the pace of our hectic lives.

We purchased some horse property with my mom and it has been a blast! In just the past year, we've managed to start a killer vegetable garden:

Build our own gardening shed - or "fort" as the boys like to think of it:

And most exciting of all, we have chickens! (I told you I like to talk about them a lot.)

Here is the lovely Flo:

We also keep busy with the numerous trees on our little "farm." We have apples, orange, kumquat, lemon, lime, grapefruit, almond, plum, and peach trees. Hoping to plant some pecan trees in the future.

Our next project will be a pair of goats. We're taking our time prepping and researching so we don't expect to have them for several months. And be forewarned, if you think I talk about my chickens a lot, I will likely talk about the goats a whole lot more. Seriously, how could you not want to show off goats as cute as these (image from theage.com.au):

We are loving this new chapter in our lives and have named our little hobby farm "Double S Farms." This past year has seriously taught me a lot - most importantly to "never say never."