I went to feed a client's llamas, a job which normally takes me two plus hours by myself. Today, it only took 45 minutes! I did get in the way of a spitting llama, which I laughed heartily at. She sprayed the back of my neck and head with chunks of sweet feed because her arch enemy was standing too near her feed bucket, and I just happened to be in between the two.
Then off to feed my precious goats. Tia the Pia is my miniature LaMancha, which is an American breed of dairy goat. She kidded a very nice meat goat back in March, and after weaning him a little early due to his high growth rate and premature reproductive drive, I have been milking her. It really has helped to regain some of the hand strength that I have lost due to the arthritis. I've made yogurt with her milk, but it isn't really my favorite until I can tweak the recipe and get the flavor just right. My favorite to make so far is ice cream. Plain vanilla ice cream, with only four ingredients, no preservatives, using farm fresh egg yolks and natural vanilla. Yes, there is some sugar added, but not much since goat's milk is slightly sweeter than cow's.
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| This is Tia as a baby |
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| Tia now... you might be able to see why her nickname is Pia |
So, I got all eleven goats fed and one milked. Now I'm taking a short break to rest my feet before I carry on the rest of my day. My plan is to take advantage of a somewhat lower pain day and get some laundry done, unpack my suitcase from a recent trip to see family, and clean out my car. Just these simple tasks may cause severe pain in most of my joints, so I have to take it slow and concentrate on one thing at a time. If I get it all done, that's awesome! If not, it can wait until tomorrow. No pressure, no guilt.
I'll introduce the puppies in my life later, maybe tomorrow. They keep me laughing with their antics and help me to stay calm when I am feeling stressed.
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