Here is a link to my amazing goat Video, Goat Gruff

October Updates

Bea's 21st Birthday Present

We found a problem with our house foundation

Josh Harmony- a professional artist that works as a handyman to pay for his studio and apartment. He fixed the foundation.

What was left of the old treehouse and goat platform before Josh fixed it

View from the new treehouse platform roof

The goats now have a roof over their favorite platform

The treehouse that Josh built

The earth created the most exquisite fruits

The chicory and wormwood came up- I planted these as they are herbs that reduce internal parasites in goats

And the Brugmansia Bloomed!

This is my future home.  Get some land- 5 acres- rent or lease?  Put up the yurt.  Raise animals.  Work a little.

This is what it looks like inside. Awesome! By Alaskan Yurts

Remember what you planted and where

I let the goats eat what what left of my chard and kale.  They ate heartily.  I will be planting some new kale for the winter.

Today I cleared two raised beds.  In one I planted black eyed pea seeds to grow green manure.  I grew the black eyed peas (Thanks to Corey Melik, my farming mentor) so I didn't have to buy any seeds. In the other bed I planted lettuce where I had beans growing earlier, to take advantage of the nitrogen rich soil there.

Violet eating poison ivy and trying to get in the kitchen

Here is Violet eating a huge patch of poison ivy in front of my house.  I have tried for years to get rid of it.



Every morning after I feed the goats I have to run in the kitchen and quickly shut the door. Violet will follow me inside and jump up on the counter looking for animal crackers if I don't!

Why I got goats- the real answer

I am consuming a vastly disportionate share of the world's resources, living in the USA. I can't assume that I will be able to do so indefinitely, especially since I am not producing anything of sufficient value to compensate the world for my flagrant consumption.

It seems likely that I may have to live a much less wasteful lifestyle at some point in the future . This could mean a very small house, a little electricity and running water if I am lucky, maybe access to a small plot of land to grow vegetables. If I have the skills to raise goats and bees, to produce and use herbal medicines, I will have a better lifestyle and more options.

I got goats because I wanted to learn how to raise them in the eventuality that I might need goat raising skills. I also wanted my children to be exposed to the kinds of skills they might need to have a reasonable life if the world changes drastically in the future.

If I can develop the skills, psychologically, physically, metaphysically, materially, to live in any country, in any culture, and have something to offer, a way to make a living, I will have achieved my goal.

Healing with plants, raising goats and bees, knowing basic gardening, are skills with cross-cultural viability.

How to meditate in the woods

Every morning usually before dawn I go out to one of the local forests to meditate. There are several place 5-10 minutes away by car, and one within walking distance. I'm up at 4:30 AM, preparing. In the summer I bring charcoal tablets for frankincense, matches, insect repelant, a light prayer rug, a compass, my cell phone, a thermos of hot tea, leashes for my dogs (and sometimes for my goats) and my mountain bike.

We drive for a few minutes to our "put in" (usually a parking lot near the local college woods).  In the car we listen to Kirtan (I like Rasa, a Kirtan band that sings prayers from the Bhagavad Gita). It is usually still dark when we arrive. I unload the car, put the dogs on leashes, get my bike ready, put on my backpack, jump on the bike, and ride down the hill with the dogs on their leashes.

Once we get into the woods, the dogs come off their leashes, and I ride down to a place over looking local creek. Being near water facilitates meditation. I put out my prayer rug (something I picked up from a small store selling Pakistani imports- yes it is an Islamic Prayer rug, and so is the compass I use to know my cardinal points for my rituals- no I am not a follower of Islam). After putting on some insect repellant, I light my charcoal and get my incense smoking. Frankincense is a much better smoke repellant than cintronella, and it smells better too.

I do some Kundalini breathing exercises, a couple of mantras, sometimes call the four directions with a Druid prayer, and settle down to meditate for about 45 minutes. I sit Japanese style on my knees, which is intense for 45 minutes, so I usually shift position once.

Just sitting still, using the yogic breath (slowly in, hold, slowly out, hold) is usually enough to allow the vibrations from the amazing forest and earth beneath me to bring me into a state of bliss. God/nirvana/the sacred truly is all around us, pervading our beings at every moment. It only takes allowing our minds to become still to experience it. Meditating outside is much easier than meditating inside, as the strength of  cosmic vibrations is greater and they pervade your being more readily outdoors.

I meditate outside everyday, regardless of the weather. If it is raining, I have a gore-tex suit that keeps me dry. If it is cold, I have sufficient insulation to remain toasty- heavy mittens are great for extreme cold, as are felt lined moccasins.

Once my mediation is finished, I pack up, ride around on my bike for 20 minutes, up and down hills to give me and the dogs some aerobic exercise. Then in the summer I jump in the creek with my clothes on- too much trouble to change. I swim down the creek around 500 yards  then back up- it takes about 15 minutes, and is especially fun when the creek is swollen from a storm and moving fast. Then back up the hill and into my car.

When I get home, feed the goats, the dogs, and the husband, then, miraculously, somehow transform my appearance from wild woman to professional, and go to work at 8:30 AM.

My work is to connect people with themselves, with others, with nature. I am present with them, and we grow together. There is mostly joy in my day, some boredom, some frustration, some exhaustion too. I work three 11 hour days at the office. The rest of the time I do physical labor on my farm, Vrindavana, .45 acres in a high end suburb.

Dorje on the trail

Mountain biking with Violet and Lilly

 We went out on the trail today- a route that is very rocky and challenging. The goats learned what "Go Go Go" means- it means get out of the way of the bike! They learned fast and enjoyed running. Here they are enjoying our meditation spot walking along a log over the creek. Dorje and Willow enjoyed the trip too. Willow is the leader and Dorje follows up in the guard position.

I continue to be amazed at how adaptable and resilient they are. They are only 6 months old, and always stay with me, are incredibly sure footed, and are never very disturbed by anything. Try training a dog to go mountain biking with you in 6 months.

Warren helping with a hive inspection

 My bees are thriving- See how they are completely covering the brood?  There are too many for the one deep body so I added 5 super frames in a shallow. This time I hope they make it!  Warren taught me that temperature doesn't affect bees as much a moisture and wind, and, naturally, the Four Horsemen of Bee Apocalypse (Randy Oliver, American Bee Journal) - Toxins, Parasites, poor nutrition, and cold snaps.

Bees can fight these horsemen individually, and sometimes even all of them, but often, the collapse occurs because the bees are busy getting rid of infected bees and larvae from the hive. When there aren't enough bees to forage and/or keep the brood warm, the colony collapses.

Violet and Lilly go mountaineering

  I took Violet and Lilly to the big rocks near the college campus. They loved climbing around and being up high. I got dizzy looking at them on the edge of the cliffs.

My daughter's border collie-pit bull- Shamata

Shamata means "calm abiding" in sanscrit- Oh yes- that must be a joke! Shama is anything but calm, and she has no patience. Cute tho.

Violet and Lilly at work

 

Goats love to eat vines, and they like poison ivy most of all. They eat it like candy! Here they are clearing a big vine off a rock, right next to the trail along the side of a creek.

Violet and Dorje face off

My garden August 20 and before, May 7th

 Before and After- May 7th and August 20. You can see Violet and Lilly (on the platform) in the background too.

A trip to the creek for a swim

 I took the goats for a walk today in the woods. They got in the back of my Volvo- I have it set up with a tarp in the back to protect the seats. Dorje and Willow were in the front seat. I lured the goats in the back with food and off we went. A few minutes later, I looked to my right and there was Violet climbing over the tarp barrier into the front seat with Dorje and Willow-

We got to the woods (5 minutes away), and everyone jumped out and headed down the trail. It was really early, so there was no one and no dogs around. The goats followed Willow; and I followed with Dorje on the leash, keeping her from lunging at them. (She loves to play with Violet).

After some time, we headed for the swimming hole. I tied Dorje up, and jumped in. Suddenly I heard loud BAAAAING. Both Violet and Lilly had jumped in the creek to follow me. They had never seen a creek before and thought they could walk on it.

We all swam to shore and I helped them up the steep, slippery, bank. They shook themselves off and followed me back to the car. Did you know that goats can swim?

Goats in the back seat

  We are now equipped for outings- a tarp covering the entire back seat area of my Volvo- Violet likes to go for walks.

How to treat your goats for copper deficiency without going to the vet

  Take a capsule of Copasure (which consists of tiny pieces of copper wire) - designed for a 150-500 lb cow, pour out the contents and measure a dose for a 45 lb goat, mix with a powdered sugar frosting, Frost several animal crackers with the mixture. Voila- a painless way to treat your goat for copper deficiency (common in black colored goats). The goats love them!

River dragon

 On my day at the beach, I saw a river dragon, lurking off shore, watching.

A beach vacation

 
No gas and no driving to get to this beach- morning sunlight in August.