King for a Day

Well hello handsome. . .

Meet Rancho Snowfall King for a Day!

S: SG Willow Run V.Q. Scorpion King

SS: SG Windsor Manor WMDM Visionquest

SD: GCH Willow Run Ansell Smirk

D:  GCH Loughlin's Day at the Beach (LA 02-06 92 EEEE)

DS:  Willow Run Victor Sloan

DD:  Willow Run Victor Destiny

King is with us on lease from Simon's Dairy for the 2014 breeding season. We are excited to have him here, he recently earned his second CH leg and had several daughters place in the top ten at the ADGA National Show in July. He will be used heavily on our saanen does this year, he is extremely tall and long-necked, things we need to improve on in our girls.

In exchange, Capone has moved on to work at Simon's Dairy as well. He is excited to be top dog for a new group of ladies, he produced many lovely daughters during his 5 years at Capra Lane.

It's not all fun and games

Despite our best efforts, we lost Cam a couple weeks ago. Cam had gone off feed shortly after kidding in February. A few years back we struggled with the same problem, which appeared to be rumen acidosis but this time she just wasn't turning around.

We vetted, ran labs and treated, injected and injected, she gobbled literally quarts of antacids and vitamin drench, we even did a rumen transfer hoping to boost her gut. Absolutely nothing was working and she continued to lose weight and bloat excessively. She remained in good spirits, eating hay, drinking water but eventually she started losing muscle mass as well.

Right after we returned home from vacation she took a turn for the worse and could no longer stand so we responsibly made the decision to euthanize her. We were more than curious as to what was going on inside her, and quite honestly I half expected to see a massive tumor on necropsy with our vet. The only remarkable finding was an abnormally small  liver, which indicates cirrhosis/ liver failure as the cause of death but we can't be certain of the cause.

Seau a Lait Cammile ~ 4.10.2008 - 7.10.2014

Although she was kind of a bully in the barn, Cam was our highest appraising alpine and one of our top milkers, giving 2 gallons a day at peak. As snippy as she was with the other goats, she was extremely easy for us to handle, always cooperative and easy to lead. She also is one of the few in our barn who scored 'E' in mammary on linear appraisal, she milked down to absolutely nothing.

Shortly before she kidded this year I made the comment out loud that she looks better than ever and is aging well- so basically I jinxed it. It's a big hit to our breeding program as Cam had consistently produced productive and high-scoring daughters. Charlotte and Claire are milking well for us, Cassie and Calypso are performing well in other herds in Ohio. Her 2013 son, Aisling, is a strong and powerful pack goat who is already racking up the awards for his owner and thankfully inherited her willingness to cooperate. 

Cam as a kid (at left). Boy was she wild! And cute - Always running, doing flips off the walls. Her 2014 doeling, 'Can-Can' Carolina is a spitting image of Cam as a youngster, right down the spunky personality. Carolina has a 'me-first' attitude and does not hesitate to knock the larger kids out of her spot at the hayrack.

Cammile definitely earned her place as the foundation doe of our string of American Alpines - during our time with us she gave us 6 doe kids and 2 buck kids, we are looking forward to seeing her lines continue to mature. Thanks Cam. . . 

Growth

The unseasonably cool temps have brought on quite the growth spurt at Capra Lane. The pitiful garden has perked up, is early enough that we're still kind-of winning the war on weeds.

Carrots - almost time to kill off the weeds in the adjacent plot and plant a second crop.

Cucumbers. Hopefully soon to be horseradish pickles.

Herbs. Please don't bolt! The empty spot was supposed to be rosemary but those little bugger seeds didn't grow.

Tomatoes- huge, thriving, unlike what they looked like a few short weeks ago.

The only problem? I see lots of blossoms but no actual tomatoes. Not a one. I'm not worried. Yet?!?

The babies aren't babies anymore - the largest is probably close to 80 lbs, even Sabine (Baby Bina) is growing like a weed. They're starting to stare at the bucks a bit....it can't be breeding season already....heeeeeelllllpp!

Loaded with fruit, thanks to the bees. Hopefully we get at least one before the deer pick them all off.

Speaking of bees, the winter took its toll, the surviving hives are hard at work on the clover and alfalfa blossoms. We *think* we may have captured a swarm in one of the abandoned hives, but have been too busy to check.

The zucchini bonanza has started. 

And more importantly, the zucchini blossoms are popping out left and right. 

Fried zucchini blossoms and sage leaves, fresh grilled eggplant with basil and goat chops with cilantro and parsley helps to start off the season of 'farm-fresh' meals. Time to reap the benefits of our labor!

The wall-O-sunflowers (and a little ragweed for good measure) is turning out spectacularly. Almost time to bloom.

The chicken run gets a little privacy from the turkey run.

And the height gives a little mid-day shade to the hens.

Round two of meat birds has arrived. One of our main reasons for raising them in the summer is that we generally eliminate the need for heat. Not this year- he heat lamp is running in full force on these chilly nights.

The last remnants of cuteness are gone. They find any filth within a reasonable distance and coat themselves in it! Three pigs are far more rambunctious than two - lots of snorting, squealing and clamoring for attention at feeding time. Very friendly, very smart and veeeeery hungry.  

Luna seems to like them. She thinks they look tasty....I fear they think the same of her!

The goats would like it here...

We took a much needed vacation recently, thanks in part to our folks who graciously offered to farm sit for us, yet again. They practically begged. I mean who doesn't want to sign on to watch 3 dogs, 3 cats,  30 goats, 25 chickens, 3 hogs and about a million and a half black biting flies in July?? Ok, they didn't beg, I doubt they were even excited. But we sure were excited to get away and remain so very thankful that we had the opportunity.

As we journeyed around Italy, the beautiful countryside, mountains and vineyards would set off a chorus of 'the goats would like it here!' either from us or from another voice in our party of 16. We can never truly get away. But it's true- the goats would like it there....scenic, temperate, hilly, breezy, lush and fertile. We saw a copious amount of cattle, chianina, used for beef, and plenty of sheep, pecora sarda, for pecorino cheese, of course. The lone goat came to us in the town of Norcia, in a beautiful and fragrant shop full of cured meats, aging cheeses and a heavenly smell that made me want to crawl under the counter and stay forever.

Yes, all the cheese was real. And perfect.

The beauty of meat shops in such a small town is the competition. Lunch is an easy task simply by accepting the samples thrust from nearly every store window. An enormous sandwich of wild boar salami with truffles will set you back only about 2 euros. Like I said, I wanted to crawl behind the counter.

REAL prosciutto. No vacuum sealed crap anywhere! Aging and curing to perfection in every store front in town.

The town square in Norcia. Deserted? Because everyone is eating...

So as we repeated, time and time again, 'the goats would like it here', we started to think about how they would adapt. In the cities, their rough winter coats just wouldn't suffice. Their 'insulated' bellies would quickly be shed trotting over the hills and valleys. Would they develop a taste for olives and grapevines? Prefer semolina over cracked corn? We think they would adapt well.

We did make a brief (grrr.....travel delays) stop in Dublin. We had guinness (naturally) and a myriad of potatoes.

This is an easy one. 

The famed leaning tower of Pisa, a necessary stop near Florence. 

Again, a no-brainer.

In the north, ie Venice and Milan, fashion is everything.

Perhaps a career as a gondolier?

It requires you to dress in your Sunday best.

The Spanish Steps in Rome look over Via del Corso, where shopping is the main focus. Plenty of unattainable stores line  the roadways, from Gucci to Fendi to Valentino.

If you're going to shop here, you have to look the part or else the guards will stare.

Rome is full of 'must-see' spots, including the pantheon. It seems goats must have been absent in 126 AD,
 I didn't see one anywhere.

The Vatican  is nice and all, but I only spotted one goat in the seven miles of museum we toured. 

Destinations like Piazza Navona are great for people watching, street performers and salesmen of knock-off bags and jewelry who are sneaky to evade the police patrolling the square.

Sometimes to blend in, you just have to dress like a tourist.

The city of Florence is abundant with art. 

From the Duomo to the Uffizi to the Accademia, the sights are overwhelming.

An appreciation for art has to be learned. A contemplative head tilt will help you fake it.

Or in this case....

You become the art.

At the Colosseum,

Look regal and strong so you aren't thrown in the dungeons.

In Assisi, the impeccably maintained streets and stunning landscape will inspire.

A more bohemian yet conservative look will earn respect amongst your new neighbors.

Montepulciano, towering hill town surrounded by vast vineyards and olive groves.

Its the perfect place for those who may imbibe a little too much. Just don't fall over the city wall.

And don't forget to protect yourself from the sun during the harvest.

Gubbio...

and Sienna...

Simple, tasteful and understated. 

Except during the Paleo.

The loooooong and winding road leads to Castellucio. 

A tiny mountainous town where lentils grow in abundance. 

I can safely say I had never in my life wanted to frolic in a field of flowers until that very day. I didn't, but I did buy some lentils. The landscape makes for a foolproof marketing tool. 

So, while in Castellucio, you should do just that.

And have a snack.....or two.

Until next time, Arrivederci Italia! Yes, the goats would like it here, but they seem fond of Ohio too. Back to Capra Lane, back to goats who lie comfortably in collars, not formal wear, back to cooking, cleaning, pulling weeds and baling hay. Back to feeding B, L and T (the hogs) and reading about charcuterie and convincing ourselves...'we can do that'.