Moving Home Again

   When you are in business making goat milk lotions, creams and soaps, such as I am, you are required to have lots of milk available. Earlier this summer our mamma goats gave us 14 new born babies. So of course, over the summer we re-homed them because we just don’t have the acreage to accommodate that many new goats each year.  During that time, we met Kathy and Jim.                                                                                                                   
    Kathy started emailing me in March inquiring about the new kids, and sharing with me that she wanted to purchase several from us when the time was right.  They came to visit several times and finally went home with five kids and plenty of goat milk to bottle
feed their new herd.                                                                                                                                              
   We kept in touch throughout the summer with fun pictures and updates on the progress the kids were making.  Even reports on the new barn that Jim had built for the goats, including the new “goat” weather vane he installed on the top. It was clear to me that these two loved their goats, and it always warmed my heart that these kids went to a perfect home.                                                                                                                                                        
  Then on Friday late afternoon, October 16th, I received a text from Kathy asking if they had to evacuate, could they bring the goats back to our farm?  Kathy and Jim live west of Horsetooth Reservoir, west of Fort Collins, Colorado.  Shocked, reading this, of      course, I said yes!                                                                                                                                                     
    That evening Lee and I watched the Denver news trying to get information about the   Cameron Peak fire and just how close was it to the Horsethooh area.   As we watched,    
and searched the Denver television stations, it became clear that the  news about the     fire was the wind made it difficult to fight, and the Metro area would be impacted by      smoke, which might interfere with trail running and bike riding.                                                        Then at 2:34, Saturday afternoon, the call came from Kathy, “we are on our way!!      We lost our house this afternoon!"  Just hearing those words, I began to cry.  I cannot          imagine watching my home of 30 years burn to the ground.      They escaped with only       a  few things, and of course, their goats.                                                                                                             Lee and I quickly got to the barn and began to prepare it for the soon arriving goats.  Lee jumped into the tractor and quickly cleaned the pen and I gathered straw, feed and water. Quite honestly, we have never worked so fast before!                                                     With in 45 minutes of the devastating phone call, Kathy and   Jim arrived              towing their precious cargo.  Tears and hugs exchanged, we worked together to get the goats settled in their new home for the winter. We assured them that they were                 welcome any time to come to the farm and visit their kids. Kathy and Jim finally said       their goodbyes to their goat family, maybe one of the hardest thing they had to do.                                                                                                       
   So, when you are at our farm and wonder why did Lee and Dawn move the swing in front of the goat’s pen?    You will know, it’s there to give Kathy and Jim a place to sit and spend time with their goat herd.

   As a foot note, my family has encourage me throughout the Covid pandemic to start to blog on my web site.  This event yesterday, has inspired me now to share some of the events and stories from the farm.  I hope you will check back soon, because there are lots of stories to tell.