January 2001

We were given a purebred Nubian buck named Pretty Boy (really he is kind of ugly, but you know what they say about beauty being in the eye of the beholder). The lady that gave him to us said she had just wormed him the night before, but I think he got wormy from the stress of the move and died. I am learning not to take the word of others and to make sure I worm goats after a move.

February 2001

We were given a couple of rabbits from the ARC. They were homeless, so we adopted them. The children named them Phil and Lil. Lil had babies (we didn't know she was pregnant) and ate them! I didn't know until asking some friends that raise goats that they will do that if they feel threatened. We bred them again and also bred Star Bunny with Phil so we may have Easter bunnies to sell to the feed store.

Our God Daughter, April moved to GA with her mom this month. We miss her very much! We pray God's blessing on her and her family.

March 2001

The rabbits both ate the babies! I found out that sometimes they do that also when they have a mineral deficiency. I guess I am learning by experience. I sure wish I would learn by reading rather than doing sometimes!

We didn't get the goats bred this year since Pretty Boy died. So I tried milking the does. Zoe is giving about a quart and a half. I think it will help but it isn't much!

We got a straight run of 20 chicks and lost a couple when the big storm hit.

We also got a new Nubian buck. He is Pretty Boy's buckling from another doe where we got him. The new buckling is named Cody. We hope he will be big enough to breed by fall.

I need to start my garden, I have purchased many types of seeds, but I have been sick, so I am not going to type it all out tonight.

June 2001

I have been very ill the past few months with a serious flair of FM and infection. I have not started my garden and now only hope to get a few tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes in now. I am better, but have had several medical concerns. I pray the Lord's intervention in my health.

We bought a purebred LaMancha buck this spring. His name is Aramis. We got him from Raymond and Tami W. in Tennessee. He is beautiful! He is a buff or cream color and is small but I think he will be an asset to the farm.

We lost a couple of chickens to our dogs and I tried hitting the dogs with the dead rooster in hopes that it will stop them from going after them. If this doesn't work I was told to tie the chickens around their necks until they rot, YUCK! But if it works we'll do it.

July 2001

Tasha's adoption is Final! We are excited to announce that Tasha is now a 'legal' member of our family. She has been part of our family for almost a year and we are excited about making her adoption legal in the eyes of the state. This opens up the opportunity to homeschool her, which she is looking forward to! Thank you, Lord, for adding to our family as you do and creating a love of children in our heart!

We are getting tomatoes and bell peppers. I have been freezing them whole. Praise God for the harvest in abundance! I haven't kept the garden as well as I should, but what I have been able to do has helped a bit.

We killed the roosters today for the stew pot. Daddy and Ricky hung the roosters upside-down from a rope by 1 leg and then cut their heads off. It kept them clean and helped drain the blood. It worked well for him. He skinned and gutted them and brought them in for me to cut up and put in the freezer. After about 2 Roosters he came in holding his hand. He had cut his thumb with the knife while skinning the chicken. We cleaned it with peroxide and taped some gauze on with duct tape! He went back out to finish the other roosters. About an hour later I cut my thumb while dressing the meat for the freezer! The children thought it was funny and told us that the chickens were revolting! (Taken from the movie Chicken Run.) Needless to say, it is something that we will laugh about for a long time!

August 2001

The dogs killed some chickens again. We tied the dead chickens around their necks but they ate them off. They killed another one so we tied a piece to their collar the they couldn't get off at the back of their necks… well, they got them off too and ate them. I suppose we will have to find a home for them away from here…somewhere without chickens.

We bought 3 new goats this summer; Star is a purebred LM doe on her first freshen. She is black with a white belt and is giving a small amount of milk. Moon is Zoe's twin, LM X Alpine, and is all black. She is giving about a half gal of milk right now. Miranda is Moon's kid she is also all black and is ¾ LM. We had to find a couple more milkers because of a phone call I received earlier in the month… well, actually the story goes something like this….

I was looking through piles of email from a whole foods list that I am on, I only look at it about once a month to catch up, and saw a post looking for goat's milk in Huntsville, AL for a friend whose baby can't drink anything else. Well, when I looked at the date, it had been sent that day from a person in another state (God works things so strangely wonderful!). I emailed back explaining the laws about selling goat milk for human consumption here in AL (can't do it without jumping through several hoops that I can't afford to do) and suggested that they give my name and phone # to the person wanting the milk to call me. The next morning I get a phone call from a gentleman. He said that he had gotten my name and # from a lady about homeschooling children with special needs a month ago and then had gotten my name from a friend via email about goat milk! Well, as he explained, it was obvious that God wanted them to contact me! So I began looking for more goats so that they could have some for their baby. It is illegal to sell goat milk to someone for human consumption unless it is pasteurized and bottled and then capped on a capping machine. So I sold them a goat! Well, they don't have a place for the goat right now, but they do have a couple acres, and will get a pen and shelter put together for the spring so they can have milk! We are bartering my milking labor and feed for freshly ground whole wheat! It sure has been nice to have fresh ground flour for bread and baking! Now if I can just figure out how to get it to work in my bread machine!
By the way, the baby gained a pound in less than a week after she began drinking the fresh milk and she is keeping it down with no problem. What a blessing God has given us in the animals He has created!

September 2001

This has been a difficult month for us. Being military we have had Daddy gone much of the month since the attack on 9-11. He will not have to go fight the war on terrorism, but the post here is on full alert and he works long hours, usually leaving here as early as 3:00 am and not arriving home until 8:00 pm. We praise God for His blessing and keeping Daddy here and out of 'harm's way' but he is not home much.

My cousin was working at the Pentagon when the plane crashed into it. To God's glory we found out he had escaped injury by 7:00 Tuesday night, but the wait was hard, and my heart mourned for the many lives lost in the terrible event.

The children and I were working on our usual school work when Daddy called and said we needed to turn on the TV and find out what was going on. When I did the first tower had been hit. I watched and prayed as the events unfolded before my eyes on live television. It is still very difficult for me to think about without tearing up and grieving. I pray for all those souls that were 'undecided' and for the families of those lost.

The day 9-11 occurred, Daddy had taken the dogs, Bilbo (AKA Pup Pup) and Abby, to the humane society to find them a new home, however he was unable to take them due to the events of the day. He left them at the vet's office on post for a couple days 'til he could get them to the humane society. They will have new families soon!

We began the breeding for the goats. We put Cody in with Nanna and Babe, and Aramis in with the other girls (we have to keep Miranda in a separate pen, she is too young.) God willing, we should have babies in Feb and March.

October 2001

Courage was hit by a truck this month after jumping 3 fences from the pasture to the front yard trying to get to a neighbor's female in heat. The vet tried to help him, but the injury was too severe and we had to put him down. Holly is our remaining dog, now.

Daddy is no longer spending as long at work as he was and we might be able to get the buck pen built that needs to get done. I have already marked the area and begun setting t-posts. Ricky has helped start some of the post holes, but it is very difficult for him in the hard ground at the back of the pasture.

Daddy's grandmother is not well and may need to come down here to stay. She brings with her Daddy's father who is mentally delayed. Grandma Chris is 80 years old, and her son, Grandpa Buster is 65. They live in Michigan right now and we have invited her to come down here to live if she chooses to do so. Time will tell.

December 2001

November we dried off the goats and went to Michigan. We packed Grandma Chris and Grandpa Buster to move down here. They are living in our home until their home in Michigan sells and they can buy a trailer to put on our property. Shortly after the move down Grandma Chris went in to the hospital for congestive heart failure. God truly had his hand in our bringing them down, the doctors didn't know how she made it through. We praise Him for his excellent greatness and unending mercy and grace!

My Mother and Ken, her husband, came down to visit for the holidays and we had a wonderful holiday at Shekinah Farm! We are looking forward to a blessed new year with family and God's hand in all things done!