summertime, and the living’s easy

The kids and I have gotten into a bit of an idyllic, summertime routine. Blackberry picking, swimming in the pond, milking goats, reading library books (it’s cool at the library, a big draw), playing trains and puzzles in the afternoon when it’s hot. Flopping on the air conditioned sofa for some tv when it’s really hot. Eating cobbler. It’s pretty amazing, when I stop to ponder it, how busy we are at doing nothing. I mean that in the best possible way.

In other news, we added to our small farm menagerie. Here are Honeymilk’s newest residents:

FIve guinea chicks, who will hopefully grow into tick devouring machines. We’ve had guineas before, but have not had good success keeping them alive. They like to roam, and dogs like to eat them. But we’re trying again. Aren’t they cute? They get really funny looking when they’re older. I’ll post pics when they lose all their head feathers to reveal bright purple necks. Weird!

In goat news, the goat house seems strange without the boys. So quiet! Fancy and I are figuring out this milking thing, though she still gives me that look and tries to kick me off. I guess I’m getting better at dodging her hoof. But at half a gallon a day of the best milk you’ve ever tasted, I’m not complaining. I did that in another post. We made kefir with some of it yesterday, quite tasty, and I’m going to try making chevre as soon as I get my hands on some rennet. We might do a batch of queso blanco tomorrow, which I hear uses only vinegar. Which I’ve got.

Just to round out the farm news, here is Sophie, our resident Egg Girl:

And finally, here was yesterday’s cobbler:

Blackberries and peaches and my now famous-among-dozens recipe 1:1:1:1, that is, flour: sugar: milk: butter (plus 2 tsp of baking powder) and DON”T MIX. We had vanilla ice cream on this one and it was unbelievable, we just couldn’t stop moaning.

Life is good.