Crow's Dairy

Feel Free to Call - Anytime!

2011-04-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

One thing about farms is they are always changing. This has been especially true for our dairy as of late. We have been moving fencelines and our honor store has been moved as well. We are busy around here making our farm easy to come and buy what you need and be on your way. Lately, it is hard for me to find the refrigerator with the cheese in it, not to mention the ice machine! Please be patient with us as we arrange and rearrange our little farm store. We will not be offering any tours of the dairy May through September. Summer is always a time for us to change, paint, move and improve our place. Our plans are to open on October 1st, 2011 for farm tours again. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us @623-936-3355. We will be glad to tell you where the ice machine is hiding :-)

Happenstance?

2010-11-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

This dairy business has taken on a life of its own. From the beginning, we have given God the credit, worked hard at something we love to do, and followed the sometimes rocky road that was in front of us. One of the first examples of how things just "happen" out here is the acquisition of our herd sire. We didn't know anything about goat breeders back then. When Wendell called Louise at Six M Galaxy, she had just had a cancellation on a buck that had been reserved. We were planning our trip to the SF Bay area as soon as he hung up the phone. The trip was smooth and we had him home with two other kids to add to our new goat family and one kid that is now at Black Mesa Ranch. Today, Comet is doing a fantastic job for us. Sadly, his dam died unexpectedly from moldy hay last summer. She still made the ADGA Top Ten list though she died prior to finishing her lactation. THAT is how productive she was. This photo was taken May 2010. Here's to Noel ...

Directions

2010-11-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Our farm is located in Buckeye in an area known as Rainbow Valley. To get here you must cross the Gila River. Dean Rd. does not go through. Please call if you have any questions! 623-936-3355 11300 S DEAN RD: I-10 to JACKRABBIT TRL EXIT, then SOUTH APPX 9 MILES to NARRAMORE, turn RIGHT (WEST) for 2 MILES. Pavement will end and the road will turn NORTH onto DEAN. You will travel .6 of a mile more to the dairy. We are the VERY last place on the LEFT on DEAN RD. When you see the DEAD END sign you're almost here ... Keep on going! Look for the second red and white building. This is the barn and it is where you will enter. When traveling south of HWY 85, JACKRABBIT TRL WILL BECOME TUTHILL RD. You probably won’t notice the name change but, you will need to remember this on your way home as you will need to turn left onto TUTHILL from NARRAMORE instead of JACKRABBIT TRL. Hope to see you soon!

Now Open

2010-10-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can finally come and visit us! We are open for farm visits on Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Cost is $5 per person. Come early if you want to see the goats being milked. Milking starts at 9:30 and usually takes an hour or more. Questions? Just call 623-936-3355

(623-W-E-N-D-E-L-L). Wendell will be glad to answer them. Hope to see you on the farm or at a market soon!

And then there was one ...

2010-06-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

We are down to only one doe left to kid. Our little social butterfly, Teri, is due any day now. The end of kidding season means the beginning of breeding season! So, the circle of life continues. We are busy here making cheese and taking care of the kids. We are still working on making the farm "visitor friendly" and are going to open to the public on Saturday, October 2, 2010. It will be here before we know it. The website has been updated and all of our info is current. Hope you stop by the website and check it out. Can't wait to see you all here at the farm this fall!

Get our cheese during the week!

2010-06-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our website needs tending! Our farmers markets have changed locations and times. So, until I can update them, you can find our cheese here: The Herb Box in DC Ranch - www.theherbbox.com/dcranch.html Also, we have cheese available at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market - http://www.downtownphoenixpublicmarket.com/ We continue to be overwhelmed, overworked and overjoyed! So much happening. Please, if you have questions about anything, call 623-WENDELL (936-3355) and Wendell will be glad to answer them! Or, send me an email: rhonda@crowsdairy.com Thanks!

Facebook | Crow's Dairy

2010-04-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Facebook Crow's Dairy: "Another customer on the list - Kai Restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse PassSheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa - Overview www.wildhorsepassresort.com Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, Arizona is the premiere destination resort in the American Southwest. Come experience the Sonoran Desert difference and enjoy five diamond dining, Troon golf, and indulge your senses at our Authentic Native American experience at Aji Spa & Salon"

Old Hat

2010-04-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Trying to hold off on our press release, but "they" are finding out about us and already wanting interviews. Wendell just loves the attention. Here we go again ... This is going to be a familiar ride for sure. We are having C.A.L.F., Inc. flashbacks :-) Can't wait until we are doing field trips again. Our main goal now is to get the farm store up and running. STILL waiting on fence to be completed. Whew, there are only so many hours in a day. More kids are being born every day. I love this job!

Two Steps Forward, One Back

2010-04-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

The trip to CO to pick up the walk-in refrigerator has been postponed. We are beginning to think that we should shoot for the spring of 2011 to open! Things are going to get there, they always do ... eventually. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue.

I picked the lock on my chain :-) Time for my computer work is still lacking. The reason is more babies than I had planned for just yet! We have had heartbreak and heartthrob. Shelly's quads were too premature to survive. On the positive side, the large proportion of babies born have been female. This is good news. People are waiting for wethers and one for a buck. No luck yet Hope to have some time to post more kids soon. You are going to be amazed at the colors of the last few doelings. SO cute!

AZ Biltmore Account

2010-03-31T14:21:00.001-07:00

The legendary Arizona Biltmore believes that our cheese is worthy. Wow! Binkley's, Lon's, Marriott -- now this. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am so thankful to everyone that has made the goat version of Crow's Dairy successful. God above knows our lives have been touched by so many that I can't list you all. You know who you are. This blog is not updated often enough. I have so many kids to feed that I am putting off my book work and social networking. Wendell, Erik & David are all working 16 hour days, too. It won't be long before things start to settle down. We are halfway through kidding season. I have been put on a self-imposed chain to my computer for the next few days. Erik is milking for me and I will be able to get pictures of the rest of the kids uploaded. Remember that you have to go back (date of their birth) to see the posts. With the baby born yesterday, we are now up to 47 kids born this year. We are very hopeful that our first public retail sales (from the farm store) will begin on May 1st. The barn is painted and the fence is almost completed. We have had a lot of requests for visits. Some have worked out. We regret those those that didn't. We are just soooo busy trying to finish some of the major construction projects. We will be sending out a press release as soon as we install the walk-in cooler. By the way, we now have Peppercorn Chevre and Dill Quark. Mmmmm, it is past my lunchtime and I am going to eat some. Check back soon for updates.

Rainbow Valley Sunrise

2010-03-08T06:45:00.001-08:00

Little Cruz is Getting a Sibling!

2010-03-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Cruz isn't going to be the "baby" for long ... Mary and Erik are expecting again! For those that know us, that means:

WRAMCDDET(K)LLC?

Baby is due in the fall. Can't wait to hold this kid! Congratulations to them :-)

Rhonda Crow (CrowsDairy) on Twitter

2010-03-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Rhonda Crow (CrowsDairy) on Twitter: "VERY excited about our new customer - LON's at the Hermosa Inn is a very special place! Thanks David Lee for this account - www.LONS.com"

Sisters Kid Together

2010-02-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

I had to pen breed this year due to hernia surgery and recovery. That is where you put a certain group of does in with the buck and let nature take it's course. You can never be certain about breeding dates unless you see it happen. Makes things interesting. Anyway, I put the sisters, Linda and Brenda, in with Robin. To my real surprise, they both showed signs of labor this morning and I put them in the kidding pen. I watched them most of the afternoon and they were stagnant. Nothing happening. Our niece, Becky, came by around milking time to keep an eye on the sisters. I told her that unless she had trouble, to just hang out and make sure any kids that were delivered were breathing. Well, after milking about half of the does, Becky yells, "Aunt Rhonda! Come here!" I yelled for Wendell and he went to help while I was trying to get to a spot in the milking where I could go out there. He comes back in and takes the machines and tells me that they need my small hand. I switched to clean gloves on the way out and when I saw Linda it was apperent by the head sticking out that I would need them :-/ I carefully reached a couple of fingers under the neck and reached a shoulder. I followed that down to the knee and pulled up the leg into the birth canal. Out came the stuck brown and white 7 lb 4 oz buckling, A25. Followed by another similar -but bigger - 8 lb 8 oz buckling, A26. We were so excited to see a doeling follow these boys, she was a gray and white, 6 lb 8 oz doeling, A27. We named her Laura. Wendell nicknamed her Champagne because of her markings.

Within 30 Brenda began pushing. She, too, had triplets. A brown and white, 6 lb 7 oz doeling A28, Bethany, followed by a striking red and white spotted 8 lb 7 oz buckling, A29. Then by a brown, 6 lb 8 oz doeling with self-colored ears, A30 which we named Tara.

So, both sisters had triplets within 30 minutes of each other. These girls are kidding at will :-)

Everyone is doing great and the sisters are AMAZING milkers. I wish I had 30 of these sister pairs!

Seven Does, Sixteen Kids, One Day!

2010-02-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Jade, Lorene, Marsha, Charlotte, Kathy, Mary Lou and La La - ALL kidded in a 24 hour period! Thankfully this started after morning milking and was completely finished before the night milking! Thanks Becky, Kathy, Staci, Lexi and company for all of the help. Does, kids, goo, iodine and colostrum were everywhere! When it was all done, we had sixteen kids added to the midnight feeding. I am SO thankful that the new LDR was finished and equipped. It was quite an experience and all the does and kids are doing well.

Jade delivered triplets. First, a gray and black spotted 7 lb 4 oz buckling A9, followed by another 7 lb 4 oz buckling A10. Their sister followed weighing 6 lb 4 oz and her tattoo is A11. She is black with tan eyebrows. Her name is Kelsey.

Next I found Lorene and Marsha in the shelter after milking and there in the fresh straw were two babies still very wet. Marsha was delivering one when I found them. I thought Marsha was having triplets. Wrong! Lorene wasn't just helping, the first two were hers! Both little doelings a black one with black ears that we named Haley weighed 6 lb 12 oz, A12. Then there was a black and white flashy girl we named Gaye Lynn, A13. She weighed 6 lb 14 oz.

After Marsha delivered her first 7 lb 8 oz brown and white doeling A14, she delivered another one , A15, that was just smaller at 7 lb 3 oz. We named them Alisha and Shea.

Not long after my "team" finished the navels, weights, feedings, etc., Wendell introduced Charlotte into the 3-ring circus! She quickly produced A16, a 7 lb 13 oz doeling that looked just like Alisha! Pictures HAD to be taken right then! We named her Myrna. The only way to tell them apart is that Alisha has two spots where Myrna only has one. She was followed by a 7 lb brown buckling, A17. Whew! AND, there stood Mary (the one that had been in the kidding pen from the start), not doing anything productive. I gave her a quick check and then Wendell yells from the doe pen, "Kathy is having a baby!" We all run and escort Kathy, feet starting to present, to the kidding pen. Boom, boom ... gorgeous red and white paint A18, 5 lb 10 oz doeling we named Cidney. Her just as beautiful brother, A19, followed weighing 6 lbs 9 oz. Kathy is a very petite doe and so are her kids.

Back to Mary Lou. What is going on with this girl? She was pawing, getting up, lying down, getting up. So, I went in for a check. This time she was fully dilated and all I could feel was a tail. I manipulated the hind feet and with a push or two the first of triplet black and white triplet bucklings were born. A2o weighed 8 lbs 1 oz, A21 only weighed 5 lbs even and she barely noticed his birth. A22 weighed 8 lbs 12 oz. All were happy to be on the outside after waiting in line for some help!

Just when everyone thought the performances were over ... "Rhonda, La La is having a kid!" We caught her just in time to catch A23, a 5 lb 4 oz tan and cream doeling! We named her Emalee. Her brother was not far behind. A24 weighed much more than his sister at 8 lb 8 oz.

I am exhausted all over again just writing what happened down! All in all, it was a very successful day. All are doing great!

The cheese is spoken for before we can make it. I am sure glad that these girls will be producing soon because I have six that need to be dried this week. Wendell did a good job timing the breedings.

Well, gotta go milk!

Sandy Has Quads

2010-02-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Well, finally Sandy showed the true signs of labor. Two others had sneaked in front of my prediction of the first to go. She was just too big to go any longer. I put her into the kidding pen and kept an eye on her. My friend, Kathy, came by and we sat in a couple of chairs and watched for progress. She then started to push! With a bit of assistance, a brown buckling A5, 6 lb 4 oz, was born, followed by another buckling A6, 6 lb 11 oz. Then a brown doeling with a white splash on her left side, A7 (Candice), 5 lb 8 oz, and a spotted brown doeling with a white mark on her right side, A8 (Amy) 5 lb 9 oz! I was so glad to have Kathy help with the navels, drying and feeding. I knew this doe was bigger than the others :-) Mom and kids are doing well!

Age's Cleaned Up and Standing

2010-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

I never saw this one coming! I went out after milking and Adriana (Age) had a beautiful buckling standing beside her. He was still wet. Some of the older does were helping to clean him. He weighed in at 7 lbs and 12 oz and is A4 is doing great. I just love this little guy's coloring. He is going to be a pet at Staci and Jeff's house - our neighbors - so it will be fun to watch him grow.

Martha Likes to be First!

2010-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Erik and Wendell were feeding and I went out to check Sandy to see if her ligaments were any looser. It was dark (about 7:00) I grabbed the flashlight and headed to the feeders since they were all chomping, snorting and shoving at the freshly stocked buffet. I could see Sandy from a distance at the feeder. I flashed the light inside their shelter just to make sure everyone was up and eating. There was Martha. I thought she was close, but not that close. I began to think she might be sick. As I got closer to her I slipped in a puddle of goo. Amniotic fluid is very slippery and I was just glad I didn't fall! I yelled for Wendell and Erik. They came and walked her to the kidding pen while I grabbed the towels, feed bags (to deliver the babies on) and kidding kit. I knew that she was in trouble when I found her because she wasn't pushing and the water had already broken. With Wendell and Erik helping, I put on my gloves and examined her. Sure enough, there was a tail and front legs presenting. Two were coming at once. I carefully pushed the little bottom back in a bit and found the back feet that belonged to it. With very little effort a black and white buckling was born. His numer is A1 and he weighed 5 lb 8 oz. Martha then started pushing with no result. I checked her and now there were 4 feet coming! Two back feet and two front. I found the ones that belonged to the head and tugged a bit. Out came a brown and white doeling (Alina) that looks just like mom. A2 weighed in at 6 lb 10 oz. Then another backward buckling that looked just like his brother. In fact they both look like their sire, PePe. A3 weighed 6 lb 4 oz. All are healthy and took their fill of colostrum from the bottle. They were walking around within minutes! Wendell headed in to set up the barn for milking and Erik weighed the kids while I fed them. Erik also cleaned up and got Martha some molasses water and grain for a job well done. Whew, here we go! Midnight feedings are just an hour away. So, Black Mesa Mace's Martha kicked off our kidding season with triplets! Two bucks with a doe in between. I suppose that she didn't get the memo that Sandy was supposed to be first :-)

Kidding Season Fast Approaching

2010-01-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

Here we go! I think Sandy (right) will be the one to kick off the baby season for us. I have rounded up my kidding kit and am on night watch tonight. So excited! Especially because my friend Teri has babies everywhere ;-) La La, Jade, Brenda, and Linda will be kidding soon. We are down to only 13 milking does and have more orders than we can fill. Hope these girls get on line soon.

Facebook | Rhonda Watkins Crow

2010-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Facebook Rhonda Watkins Crow: "Scottsdale Farmers Market customer, 'What is goat cheese?' David Lee says, 'It is cheese made from goats milk.' Customer, 'You can milk goats?'"

Goat and Cow Milk Comparison

2010-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

We have had quite a few requests about the comparison of cow and goat milk. Below are two very interesting resources. Hope you all enjoy learning more about "the poor man's cow"! www.altmedangel.com/milkcomp.htm www.goatworld.com/articles/goatmilk/goatmilk.shtml

Crow's Dairy Chevre is a "melt-in-your-mouth treat"

2010-01-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a review of our cheese! I don't know Gabi personally, but would like to thank her for the kind words: Crow's Dairy - Buckeye, AZ

Facebook | Rhonda Watkins Crow

2010-01-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

Facebook Rhonda Watkins Crow: "We gave 74 vaccinations today in addition to the regular craziness. Charlotte and Matthew are packaging the feta for us tonight so I got off a little early :p Wendell is culturing chevre so he will be another hour, but he got a nap today. Can't wait to get an intern or farm hand. Love this job ... really!"

Valley Fever

2009-12-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I wish she didn't, but Luna has Valley Fever :-( Poor thing will be on meds for at least one year. She has a horrible cough and is getting thin. The vet thinks that she will recover. I am hoping for the best outcome!

Good and Bad

2009-12-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

D & K Trucking are delivering crushed asphalt to cover all driving areas! So much going on with new restaurants and resorts placing orders. That's the good. Our LGD Luna has to go to the vet. She is pretty sick. That's the bad.

Facebook | Home

2009-12-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Facebook Home: "I think my house will be lucky if we drag a pine branch from our tree into a the living room Christmas Eve and throw a star on it ;-)" We have just been so busy. Can't wait until I have the time to update you on our STORM experiences and the wonderful people that helped us out! Right now we are trying to catch up after being out of electricity for 24 hours ... post more later.

Facebook | Rhonda Watkins Crow

2009-12-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Facebook Rhonda Watkins Crow: "Rhonda Watkins Crow Got the goat barn loaded with straw! We are supposed to have our first freeze tonight. I will be looking for my Carhartt overalls for tomorrow morning!"

One Year Old

2009-12-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the house and buildings at the OLD Crow's Dairy to celebrate our "new" Crow's Dairy as it turns one today! It has been a year filled with all emotions the human kind can experience. Thankfully, most of those have been in the positive column. We are happy to be where we are today. I like to think that if you breathe in faith, you exhale fear and that is truly how we have survived the challenging parts. God is good.

Life has changed dramatically for all of us. Wendell and I now have different social groups

that neither knows the other! I have online goat friends that I learn so much from and feel as I "know" them. Wendell has his farmers market group and the chefs. He is busy again with the public and he loves this. So many of "our" teachers running up to him for a hug :-) Of course, he loves it. I hope to meet some of his friends when we open to the public on Saturdays sometime after the first of the year. We are on the doorstep of a press release. Zoning is all signed off and waiting for the final approval!

We are so busy! As I sit here, updating the blog, I know that I should hurry as the does are waiting. In fact, Wendell just came in and gave me the "look" so I KNOW it is time to go.

Cheese Judging at the AZ State Fair

2009-11-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

I was honored to be asked to be a judge at this year's Goat Cheese Competition at the fair. They had twice as many entries as last year. The only thing missing was a doggie bag to take some of the entries home with me! Debbie Emholtz of Jacob's Pride made a goat milk cajeta that I absolutely loved. Could have sat and eaten the whole jar right there! The cajeta was almost as sweet as Debbie :-) She and her husband are some of the nicest people. Two of our does are from her breeding program. Anyway, another hit was the pesto pine nut chevre. Sandy Van Ecko (spelling?) made that and it was amazing. She also made a desert cheese that was made with walnuts and cherries. Mmmmmmm. Now, if I can just get those recipes from them! Congratulations to both on their blue ribbons. Farm markets have been doing great! We are at quite a few during the week. Check out our updated website for more info ... http://www.crowsdairy.com/ Well, time to go milk the does and hang my chevre.

David Lee

2009-11-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Our youngest son, David Lee, has always loved to hang out with animals. I found this picture a few days ago. It really brought back some "goat" memories. The goat kid in this picture is out of our goat that was named Eclipse. She was a dairy goat that we bought and she would never raise her own kids. It was because of Eclipse -- and a couple of her friends -- that I became a very good hand milker. David would feed the kids afterward. Now, he is my main feeder for all of our animals. I appreciate him so much! Hard work is in his blood. In the current picture you can still see he loves his girls! Ha ha! Arvilla is his favorite and the other one that is staring at him is Charlotte.

Comet's Dam Does It Again!

2009-10-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

We want to thank Martin and Louise McClure of Six M Galaxy for the opportunity to own one of Noel's bucks. Our Comet is doing a great job here in AZ! His dam is in the top ten milkers for the 4th year in a row. We couldn't be happier with the kid crop that Comet produced for us this year. We are getting ready to breed him again to some of the girls. Wow! I am so glad we drove all the way to San Francisco to get our guy when he was just a few weeks old :-) Below is his dam's pedigree and milk records.

Noel ~ 4 Time National Top Ten Milker SG Six M Galaxy Nova's Sonia Noel 10*M 2008 Nubian National Top Ten #4 in milk, #5 in protein 2007 Nubian National Top Ten #10 in milk 2006 Nubian National Top Ten#1 in milk, #5 in protein2005 Nubian National Top Ten#3 in milk, #9 in butterfat, and #1 in protein (tie)2009 USDA Elite Doe ~ 99th Percentile 2008 USDA Elite Doe ~ 99th Percentile 2007 USDA Elite Doe ~ 99th Percentile 2006 USDA Elite Doe ~ 99th Percentile 2005 USDA Elite Doe ~ 99th Percentile Linear AppraisalAge 2 V V V V 85Age 3 V E E V 89Age 4 E E E V 91DHIR01-11 304 2970 124 11202-11 305 3680 143 123 (ext. 316 3730 145 126)03-11 305 4030 163 141 (ext. 363 4390 178 158)05-02 305 3400 117 118 (complete)06-01 287 3450 120 118 (complete) 07-00 116 1950 63 64 (in progress) LIFETIME 1691 19890 747 696 Sire: SG +*B Six-M-Galaxy Poseys BF Nova Dam: SG Six-M-Galaxy Pistachio's Sonia 9*M

Farmers Market

2009-10-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Our first official family/friend customer was Pam Boettcher Bray. She and Wendell went to Underdown Junior High together and we were all classmates at Tolleson High School when it was just one school and not a district. However, Pam hasn't stayed in the West Valley. Wendell went all the way to a market in Ahwatukee for this sale. She also became our first return customer at the same market this past weekend. I think she really liked it because this time she bought a pound instead of 4 ounces!

Thanks go to her and ALL of our friends and family that have become an integral part of this business. Being in the Valley of the Sun for 5 generations has its perks. I have a picture of my great grandparents (must scan and post) with their favorite Holstein cow in Buckeye taken in 1930. They had moved from Chandler to a piece of land in Buckeye where they homesteaded some property not that far from where our dairy is today! Seems like we are related to everyone here. Because of that we have lots of wonderful promoters out there. Many of them are on facebook, too. Happy to say that we are selling out at the markets. Sometimes with 2 or 3 hours of market time left all of the product is gone!

The 'girls' are finally paying their feed bill :-) A lot of you have been asking so many questions. I must apologize for the lack of communication here, on the web site and on facebook. Erik and I are doing our best to keep you in touch. We have just so many hats to wear. The fact is that we are still waiting to do any press releases until we get our ag exempt status approved. Yet one more hop through the LEGAL hoops. I am a rules girl though and we are doing things the right way! Currently, we are in the last month or two of the application process and things are moving right along. Then, and only then, can we install our perimeter fencing that we have to have before we can have on-farm sales. Right now we are having a heck of a time just keeping Luna contained. When she sees a coyote or such, she somehow wiggles right through the goat's feeder. She is very people friendly though. Luna just does her job very well. No dog, coyote, bobcat or other critter is allowed near her charges. In fact, she even chases birds away. Though frustrating, she is really an amazing dog. Just smart enough to get out when she feels the goats are threatened. Keep an eye out for Wendell, Erik, David, Charlotte and Becky at the Farmers Markets. Erik does a good job at keeping those we will be attending posted on our facebook page. I really hope they see some more of you there. I, on the other hand, will be in the barn milking or in "Johnny Crow's Kitchen" making the cheese. Text me!

Back from North Carolina

2009-09-29T17:47:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to be back in my barn! I sure missed my goats and I think Wendell missed me ;-) For the past couple of weeks I have been in the Raleigh area visiting Carol, Wendell's sister. I took this opportunity to stay at the Celebrity Dairy Inn in Siler City. Carol and I had a great time staying with Brit and Fleming Pfann. They have been making goat cheese for 22 years and I learned so much from them. Since my 5-day Farmstead Cheese Course at Cal Poly in 2002, and all of the many other courses I have rooted out, I find there is still so much to learn. We attended the ADGA conference in San Francisco last year and thought we had done most of our homework. But, with each visit, conference, or book, I am finding that there is always more to learn. Then I remember, after all of the study and research, it has finally paid off. The fact is that we have acheived a long-held dream. Remember? We are official! Orders are coming in left and right and we have not even done our first press release. The many teachers that came on field trips are starting to hear whispers of our new operation being open. Not to the public yet! But, we are hoping/planning to have all ready for a January open house. We will see. In the meantime, it is good to be home where I love what I do! Give me the goats, the public is Wendell's specialty anyway. Got to go work on the web site some more. Boy is it out of date! January will be here before I know it!

First Retail Feta

2009-09-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

Wendell made our first batch of Feta last night. He was cutting the curd at 3am! A very tired cheese whiz he is :-) This cheese will age for one month before it will be ready for sale. All of the does are doing their job, too. We have had good production considering it has been a long hot summer. We are all looking forward to the cooler weather.

Our cheese will be on a menu soon!

2009-09-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

The next step has been taken. We have now sold cheese to our first customers! Our cheese will be available on the menu at Calistro California Bistro 18221 N. Pima Rd. in Scottsdale http://www.calistrocaliforniabistro.com/ . Or, you can purchase it at Cheuvront Restaurant and Wine Bar 1326 N. Central in Phoenix http://www.cheuvronts.com/ and also at The Meat Shop 202 E. Buckeye Rd. in Phoenix http://www.themeatshopaz.com/

Facebook | Your Photos - Cheese Studio

2009-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Facebook Your Photos - Cheese Studio: "8 photosEdit PhotosOrganize PhotosAdd More Photos"

Facebook | Crow's Dairy

2009-08-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Facebook Crow's Dairy: "Praise God! A huge thanks to everyone for their prayers, labor, time, talents and love! We can't begin to list the family and friends that have supported and helped us get to this point."

We are OFFICIAL!

2009-08-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

We had our final inspection this morning and we are now a lisenced dairy in AZ! The inspector said, "Looks first-class" and "One of the nicest setups" that he has seen.

We have had many challenges and are finally glad to see the fruits of our labor. Thank God for this wonderful opportunity to do what we love for a living :-)

Smile and the world smiles with you!

2009-08-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this picture of Arvilla. She is the sweetest goat we have. She may have a wry nose, and she is missing some baby teeth, but we love her so much. I didn't know that goats lose their baby teeth 2 at a time each year. Next year she will lose the teeth next to the ones missing and so on. Thanks to my friend Kathryn Heininger for that little tidbit. Kathryn is my goat mentor and I always learn a thing or two from her when we visit.

The lack of posts lately tells the story. We are so busy! Since our grandson was born, we have all been working overtime here. Cruz keeps all of us hopping :-) We are so close to getting the cheese up for sale. It just seems that every time you think you are done, some other hoop needs jumped through. We are now waiting for the dairy inspector to calibrate our pasteurizer.

The goats are doing well in spite of the heat. Wendell and Erik are finishing the construction. I am milking and feeding the little ones. David Lee is our clean up guy. What ever job needs done, he is on that duty. Lately he has been helping me in the barn doing the wash up after milking among other chores. It is so nice to have him back from his summer tour! His band was gone for six weeks. They went as far north as Maine and as far south as Miami, FL with stops all along the way. It's just great to have him back safe and sound.

First visit to the dairy

2009-06-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

The newest goat farmer in town. Well, it only took him 12 days to come to the farm :-) This is our newest grandson, Cruz. He slept through most of his visit to our house today. We are so excited to have a new milker coming up and Mary and Erik are so proud of this little guy (as are we)! Just had to share the latest pic of our new grandKID!

Kids of a different kind

2009-06-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to post about some of the new "kids" that have been born to friends and family this year. The first one being Haley Jewel. This picture says it all. You can really see true love in the eyes of Haley and Grandma Gaye. We spent most of last summer in Montrose, CO caring for a dear friend that was losing his long battle with cancer. Through him we have become very close with some of the most wonderful people. Doug & Gaye, Tim & Amber, Tyler, Marilyn, Verna, Walter ... just to name a few. When Jack was close to the end, Tim and Amber found out that they were expecting. It was such a bittersweet time in their lives. Losing their Uncle Jack and finding out they were to be blessed with a new life. This baby would have been the apple of her Uncle Jack's eye! Oh, how I wish he could have seen this future Cover Girl. I miss Montrose!

Little Mike

2009-06-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, Natalie's little premie, Z36, is now a regular kid! We have been calling him Mike. He is bouncing around like all of the other kids now. Here is his picture. He is 2 weeks old and the size of most newborns. He is going to a 4H home today. I have really become attached to this guy. He was disbudded last night and did great. Bye Mike!

Sneaky Sharon

2009-06-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sharon is one of those goats that likes her own kind better than the human kind. She was raised just like the others were but is her own goat! I check the ligaments by a doe's tailbone two or three times daily when the time gets near. It has been a great indicator and I have caught most of the girls within 12 hours of kidding. Sharon, stinker that she is, didn't make it easy to do the checks. I usually would have to get Wendell to help me and he is so busy. So ... we found Z39 in the doe pen. She had hidden her birth even from Luna! He was still gooey and wet when Wendell went to fix a fence near her hiding place. Sharon is an excellent mom! She was cleaning him like nobody's business. She loves her baby buckling. He is black and white with a white snip on his nose just like his mom. He weighed 7 lb 10 oz and is very heatlthy. Sharon is not as crazy in the barn as I had expected. She's only had one milking so far that was a little bit of a rodeo.

Barbara Helps the Doe Ratio

2009-06-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

I pulled Barbara from the doe pen last night. She looked like her udder would explode and she was showing other signs the time was near. About 4 this morning I was convinced we would be having morning babies. Then she was still the same after milking. She was arching her back and straining while standing. Sometimes they will do this when a kid isn't lined up right. So, after a few more pushes that were going nowhere, I discovered only one leg and one head in the birth canal. After a little rearranging -- a 6.1# black and white roan doeling came out with a bit of help. Shortly after followed another 6.3# black and white doeling. Both were trying to stand within minutes. I fed them colostrum, Vitamin E, B12 and weighed them. The two are doing great. The roan girl looks so gray already. We are going to call her Gertie. The other one is Teri. I now have 21 to milk twice daily with 8 does left to kid.

Anniversary #28

2009-06-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of us going to our Jr/Sr Prom. Wow! Sweet 16 for sure. I would put a picture of our wedding, but I have it on my other computer :-) It has been a great 28 years and we are celebrating with friends and family. We are going to have a bonfire after milking tonight.

Cruz Control!

2009-06-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Okay! Okay! I have been so busy that I have not even blogged about Z37! HA HA! Not really, this kid's our new grandson. I will finally sit down and take the time to blog about Mary having her baby. Talk about a dream pregnancy/delivery/healthy baby experience. She even looked gorgeous after delivery. Cruz Ryan Hernandez is now part of the Crow Clan. He weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces, 19-1/4" born at 7:44 am on June 9th, 2009. His APGAR was 9/9. What a healthy little baby -- and all this at three weeks premature! We are so blessed. Mary's water broke a bit after 11pm the night before and we all headed to Good Sam. After a few hours, Wendell had to get back to milk. Mary wanted me with her during delivery so I got out of the milking chore! Wendell was still milking when Mary delivered Cruz (four contractions) and I called Wendell as he was making his way into this world. Wendell could hear everything and since we didn't know the sex of the baby it made it even more exciting! He heard Mary say "It's a boy!" and then heard his first cries. It was perfect. We are so happy for Mary and Erik.

Finally Standing

2009-06-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

Natalie's little guy stood up on his own today! I am moving his odds up to 90/10 now to make it. When he was first born it was touch and go. I thought he had a 40/60 chance to live. So small and weak. I have been getting up at midnight to feed him and checking to make sure he is breathing before I go to the trouble of warming some milk. Usually, I have the milk on to warm before I realize I am awake. All of the moms out there know what I mean ;-) And, with healthy kids you don't need to do the toileting thing. I am so glad he can stand now because I won't have to be changing his paper towel diapers that I would make for him. Woo hoo!

NICU

2009-06-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Nubian Intensive Care Unit has a new patient. Z36 was born a week premature and is doing fairly well considering that. Natalie kidded with little effort when she had the 4-1/2 lb singleton buckling. He has markings just like dad and is so cute. I am feeding him once every three or four hours and since he can't stand yet (getting close though), I have to also do all of the toileting for him -- not my favorite part of the job. I have him in the back room of the dairy house where the scorpions are. Yes, the scorpions. Wendell and David are collecting the ones we find in a terrarium. These are not Bark Scorpions (because I would have killed those by now) but the less venomous Giant Desert Hairy. They are ten times bigger, twice as creepy, but not nearly as dangerous. The guys all chase down bugs to feed them since I am not, I repeat, am not going to be responsible for them. Ewww! My next animal will be Guinea Fowl! They love to eat scorps!

More Juice!

2009-05-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Though some of you may think this is Wendell, it isn't. It is Johnny working on the electricity -- AGAIN. We can't thank him enough! We now have power in the Cheese Studio and the Tank Room. Becky and I run parts and make sure that the crew has food and drink. The guys will be working on the boiler installation this weekend. Things are really starting to take shape. Wendell has finished the paint on the barn since this picture was taken. He is painting the house today. We are very excited to be nearing the end of construction!

Monica goes home!!!

2009-05-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

We received a phone call in response to the Lost and Found ad that we had placed in the newspaper. The lady said that they had been missing their 8 year-old daughter's poodle for over three months. She had wandered away when she was in season. The description she gave matched the little white poodle that Wendell had rescued. This dog was supposed to be very friendly. This was not our experience with her. So, they told me her name was Monica. It was dark when I went out to the kennel where we were keeping her. I called out her name and it was the FIRST time that she ever came to me. It had to be her because we had been trying and trying to get her to come. They came and picked her up the next day. We were all very happy to see her find her owners. A real Lady and the Tramp story. If we could only find "Watson's" owners now. He is still hanging around here. Gets along great with the kitties so we will keep looking for his family. Wendell jokes that he will still be here 12 years from now!

No More Tangles!

2009-05-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Wendell called me on the cell the other day and said that he had tracked down two stray dogs and was on the way home with them. He told me they looked like they had been lost for a very long time. When I saw them I knew he was right. The poor Poodle/Maltese/? mixes were a matted mess! It took Wendell, Becky and I three hours of scissoring to remove their matts. Now granted, we are not dog groomers, but I am sure that this was one of the BEST groomings they have ever had. We have put an ad in the paper's lost and found section and posters around the area. I hope that we can find their owner. It looks like each of them has had a broken leg that healed wrong. Probably from being hit by a car during their ordeal. So sad!

On a happier note ... The 50 baby chicks that I ordered arrived at the post office this morning. We have cheep cheeps again :-) We also have two new kittens. Lexia named them Teeter and Totter. They are brothers and aren't exactly lap kitties yet. One bit me! They were found feral when they were small. So, with a little goat milk and patience, I am sure they will be great rodent chasers. Watch out ground squirrels, T and T will be on the prowl soon.

Thanks to Johnny, I can milk after sundown!

2009-05-12T15:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, have we been busy! My lack of posts tell the story. My nephew, Johnny, got lights to work in the holding pen. Yes! He worked so hard up there on the ladder. I really appreciate all that he did. I can finally get rid of my extension cord and lamp to see at night. This helps so much when I go out to check everyone in the evening. We have so much family support and feel so blessed. Thanks also to Alan and Teri for lunch at Raul and Theresa's. It was a much needed break and we enjoyed it very much. Wendell is painting the final coat on the inside of the barn today. Will try and get some pics up soon of the improvement. It looks soooo good. Still a few days until the next kid is due. Wendell is headed to Snowflake to visit David and Kathryn this weekend. Taking some stuff up. Maybe he will bring me a new doe home :-)

Our Secret Lake

2009-05-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Whew! It has been so nice to have a break from kidding. We even took time to hop on the Ranger and ride about a mile to what we call the Secret Lake. Actually, it is an area where the Gila River backs up to a very wide spot. Wendell and I have lived in the area our entire lives but never knew you could go to the "lake" out here. People boat, fish and such on this body of water. It's our new place to go to hang out and just enjoy watching all of the birds and wildlife there. The sunset was much prettier than the picture. Arizona has the best sunsets!

Jerry makes it look easy

2009-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, Jerry. She is our biggest goat and lucky for her that she is! We saw her going into labor just before milking Sunday morning. I wasn't happy with her timing since I had to be in Casa Grande for my grandson Luke's 4th birthday party that afternoon. We put her into the kidding pen and finished the chores. It was close to 10:00 am when we were done and still no babies. I had told Wendell he would have to stay behind with her if she didn't get the show on the road. By 11:00 she had given birth to Z33, a black doeling weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces, Z34, a brown doeling weighing 8 pounds 4 ounces and Z35, a brown buckling that weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. What big triplets! That's about 24 pounds of babies that she had. And, just in time for me to hit the road to Casa Grande. Jerry is a professional in the milk barn and does her job well :-)

Spots of a different color for Carol

2009-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Our goat, Carol, is named after Wendell's sister. She is a "redhead" with white spots, or "freckles" if you will. I knew that she was starting to stray from the rest of the goats and hang out alone. I looked for other signs that were more significant, but there were none. Her udder was still small and no discharge, pawing at the ground, etc. So, I went in the house after morning chores and did some bookkeeping. It was around lunchtime for the kids so I warmed the milk and went outside to feed. When I got to the gate there was a little doe kid standing there by Carol (and Luna -- of course) staring at me - Z32. She was still wet and had not eaten yet. I called for Wendell and he brought her to the kidding pen. We didn't know if there was another to follow or not as Carol is in very good condition. We milked her hoping that would stimulate contractions but only the placenta followed pushing. That was it for her. Just one 6.6# brown doeling with black spots on her rump. We named her Taylor. She is quite spunky and is doing great.

Motherhood for Cindy

2009-04-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Cindy has always been a velcro doe. She is always by your side and so sweet. So, when I went out on a stoll through the doe pen, and she was in a corner, I knew it was time. To the kidding pen we went. I grabbed my laptop, sat for a spell and watched another easy delivery. Z30 is a 6.8# black buckling and Z31 is a 6.4# black doeling with a white crown and black ears like her mom. I never get tired watching the miracle of birth no matter what the species. Ask Wendell -- I love to watch baby delivery shows on cable :-) Well, Cindy didn't dissapoint me with her method of delivery, but afterward she wanted nothing to do with those critters that caused her so much pain. Not much of a mothering instinct. She wouldn't even lick them when I presented her with them. When they started standing and walking toward her, she would butt them away. Guess they can't all be good moms.

Say Cheese

2009-04-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

You have probably noticed that all of the kids get their picture taken on a milk stand when they are one or two days old. The bucklings face away from the stanchion and the girls face the stanchion. Above is a picture of the moms watching us take their kids pictures. Roger is always interested in the new additions. Pictured from left, Juanita, Martha, Adriana, Mary Lou and Roger.

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha

2009-04-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

There aren't many things that can get me to leave a doe that I think will kid in the next few hours. But, the funeral of a dear friend was one of those things. I didn't want to leave Marsha. I KNEW that she would kid while I was gone. It didn't matter. Some things just are too important to miss and Art's funeral was very important. I had to be there for Age and Turtle. AND, it was a Catholic funeral so there was no hope that it would be quick. After saying our goodbyes at the funeral, we went straight home to do the afternoon feeding and check on Marsha before heading over to the Ortiz family home for a get together after the funeral. When we pulled up to the dairy I told Wendell to drive straight to the doe pen. There was a kid standing there looking at me! I jumped out of the car (still in my black dress) and ran to see. Sure enough, Marsha had kidded and there was Luna with two more giving licks and kisses to them. Triplet bucks! They were pretty dry but had not eaten. I rushed to the house with the kids and Wendell milked almost a half gallon of colostrum from Marsha's huge udder. After I gave molasses water to mom, everyone was weighed, fed, navels iodined, vitamin E and B12 supplements given and the kids put in a nice straw bed in the house, we headed back to spend time with the Ortiz family. What a day! We kept the boys inside for the night since they were quite weak, but they were out with "general population" in the kid pen the next morning.

Late Night Lorene

2009-04-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

When I finished with Destiny and her kid I was exhausted. After all, on top of milking and feeding, I had 6 does kid in the past 3 days. Not to mention all of those midnight feedings. I hadn't been sleeping well because I kept wondering if someone was in labor so I would get up at random hours and go out to check. I told Wendell that Lorene was going to go any time and would he please deliver her so I could get some rest. He agreed and we put her in the LDR pen outside of my bedroom window. I went to bed and Wendell rubbed my feet. That is the last thing I remember until I heard him say from outside, "We have a head and a leg!" What that meant is that his big hand could not retrieve the leg from its bad position. I jumped up wearing only my nightgown, washed and had my arm inside Lorene within two minutes! It was simple for me since there was plenty of room for my small hand. Out came Z25, a 5.12# brown buckling followed by Z26, a backward 5 pound brown spotted doeling. I didn't get much sleep but I was so glad everything went well. When we finally did get back to bed I had no problem going back to sleep!

Destiny in the afternoon

2009-04-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

I just love it when the does show classic signs of labor. This was the case with Destiny. I had not expected her anytime soon but she had different ideas. I noticed that Luna was following her around. Luna is crazy about birthing babies :-) The remnants of the birth are her reward. I know, ugh! But, she is the best goat midwife ever. I have been keeping an eye on Luna lately and if she is following one around, the time is near. So I put Destiny in the kidding pen and sat down with my laptop and watched. Slowly but surely, two legs and a nose appeared. Not much progress was being made so I stepped in and helped to pull a striking black and white 6.4 pound buckling, Z24. Destiny drank her molasses water eagerly. It was a warm day after all, then I milked her and she headed back to the rest of her friends. The kid is doing well.

Arvilla never gets a break

2009-04-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

Arvilla started into labor about 5:00 in the morning. I thought I would go about my chores and keep a close eye on her. Well, a couple of hours later, all I was seeing was one foot. Not good. I scrubbed up and went in to feel what was going on. The kid had one leg down and his head and other leg were in the birth canal. This means he is stuck at the shoulders. I tried to push his head back enough to get my hand past the pelvis and pull up the other leg. I have to do this slowly especially since she is a first-freshener. I finally was able to retrieve the leg and after that a 6 pound 12 ounce buckling, Z22, slid out with ease. I was drying him off and looked back at Arvilla only to see that she had popped out a 6 pound 5 ounce doeling, Z23, without missing a beat. I quickly grabbed her up out of the goo and dried her off. All are doing well. Arvilla's udder has a lot to be desired, but if she can put it in the milk tank we will keep her around. So far, so good.

Classic Connie

2009-04-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Connie is one of our goats that is secure enough in herself that she really doesn't need people. She and her mom, Jerry, keep to themselves. They don't even associate with the other goats much unless it is to boss them around :-) I saw that Connie was definitely in labor. Put her in the LDR pen and watched. That is about all I had to do because she did everything textbook. Both kids were born in the classic diving position and came out strong and ready to eat. A big black 9.4# buckling, Z20, came first. He was followed right away by a 6.4# brown doeling, Z21, that looks just like her mom. Thanks, Connie for the daytime and EASY delivery. Now, if you would just be nicer in the barn! She is such a dancing and kicking brat!

Another Tax Day Delivery

2009-04-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Charlotte wasn't far behind Bambi. She delivered Z18 - a 4.4# buckling and Z19 - a 4.0# doeling without any assistance. She made it look easy, but then again, they were very small kids. I thought she might have triplets since they were so small. I checked for another but no one was home. She just had two very small and very adorable babies. Charlotte is a dream in the barn. Does her job, enjoys her grain and really puts it in the milk bucket!

Bambi starts without me!

2009-04-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

After the midnight feeding, I went for a stroll through the doe pen. This time Bambi's ligaments were totally gone. I knew it would be soon so I pulled her and put her in the close up pen. I checked on her when I got up at 6 am and she still looked the same so I went on about my chores looking in on her now and then. Well, she pushed half of a kid out before I could get around to my next check. It seemed that she had tired and just quit so I pulled the rest of 6 pound 12 ounce doeling Z16 into the world. She wasn't responding or breathing well so she and I did the twirl around and around while I held her by the back legs. Mucous came out and she started to breathe :-) Bambi got up and started mothering her. I didn't know if there was another to come so I gave her a few minutes. After she had been pushing with no progress, I decided it was time to go in and investigate. When I reached in all I felt was a tail. This kid was in full breech position. I pushed the bottom back in and looked for a leg or two. It took a while but I was able to get the legs in position and the kid came out with no problem. Well, there was a problem. Buckling Z17 was DOA. He had apparently drowned because of the difficult backward delivery. Mother and daughter though are doing well.

Adriana's Little Lady

2009-04-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

After lunch, I went to check on Bambi and Charlotte -- both of which were looking close to delivery. What I didn't expect to find was a little doeling, Z15, standing there looking at me as if she were saying, "Where is my mama?" Bambi and Charlotte were still very pregnant and no doe was claiming the baby. Of course, Luna was there licking and cleaning her like she does any new baby. I called for Wendell to come and help me look at goat butts because even the kid's cries brought no attention. Wendell finally found Adriana at the feed trough with the 'evidence' on her rear end. Wendell milked her while I took "Wendy" to the house for the routine stuff. She weighed 5 pounds even and is just adorable. Adriana is happy to come into the milk barn. She just didn't want to spend time in the nursery!

Tell someone you love them ...

2009-04-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday for us was very sad this year. One of our favorite people, Art Ortiz, died after heart bypass surgery. Words just can't tell you how much this man meant to us. He and his family ARE part of our family even though it is through friendship that we are related. We would like to send our prayers and thoughts to his daughter, "Age" (Adriana) and son, "Turtle" (Arturo). They are like our kids, too. He left us all behind and is now doing his Chicken Dance in heaven. We ususally spent Easter with them, this time Wendell was with him when he went to meet the reason for Easter. Please tell everyone you love that they are important to you anytime you get the chance. Art's smile and laughter will not be forgotten. We are the ones that must try to smile and laugh without him now.

Easter Babies

2009-04-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

I stayed at home alone on Easter because of Martha. Yes, she was showing classic labor signs and I was not going to get to go to Mary's party, or to see Art at the hospital. As I sat and cried thinking of losing a dear friend, Martha kept me occupied with her quiet talking while she labored. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. There was a light breeze, puffy clouds and the perfect temperature. The birds were chirping, the ground squirrels climbing into the wolfberry plants and gorging on berries. The cottontail rabbits were all around popping in and out of the shrubs. It was hard for me. Didn't the birds know that Art was so very sick? How could they still sing so beautifully? How could it be such a gorgeous day? It should be damp and cloudy and dreary. Then Martha's soft moans began to get more serious. That's it. LIFE goes on. I watched the miracle of life come into this world as Wendell sat with our friend that was near the end of his life. This circle is completed every day all over the world. Easter! This is what EASTER is about. I had to reach deep for the FAITH that this is God's plan. I held tight to that thought as I helped pull a little buckling into this world. It was a gorgeous little guy followed quickly by a doeling that was just as pretty. Thanks to Martha I had something to do that took my mind off of the sad things. I named the boy Arty Pants and the girl Angela.

Mary Lou's Hideaway

2009-04-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

After feeding and milking, I went to check on all of the girls. Everyone seemed to be doing well. Or, so I thought. My friend Wanda came over to help me pasteurize the milk and make cheese. After we got the culture in and the cheese set, Wanda wanted to see the girls. We went to the doe pen and the first thing Wanda said was, "What is dead over there?" Luna was standing licking it and we both took off running to the other side of the pen where it was. I was so surprised to see a tiny, cold doeling that was barely alive. The doe, Mary Lou, had gotten underneath the shelter, delivered and couldn't/wouldn't stand up or crawl out. Upon further inspection we noticed a buckling even farther back under the shelter. This little buckling was standing. So, Luna did a wonderful job keeping these two alive by licking them and cleaning their faces. What a dog!!! Wanda grabbed the little doeliing (now obviously named Wanda) wrapped her in her sweatshirt and ran to the house. I crawled under the shelter, (which has since been fixed!) and pulled out the little boy. Poor Wendell had to drag the doe out because she was not coming willingly. He brought her up to the house and we got colostrum into the babies as quickly as possible. Got little Wanda put onto a heating pad as we were not sure she was going to make it. It took her 8 hours to stand up but she is doing great now. After her 24 hour stay in NICU (Nubian Intensive Care Unit), she is now with her brother and other kids. Woo hoo! She only weighed 4.3# and her brother weighed 6.2#. They were a few days early but are doing just fine. Z11 and Z12 are cute as they can be.

Georgann is no kid, she is a calf!

2009-04-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Since we have six goats that I am milking twice daily, we have quite a bit of milk! Way more than the goats and our family can drink. We are still waiting for processing equipment that is being shipped from the Netherlands. The Dutch people are famous for their expertise in all areas of the dairy business. In fact, Wendell got a call this morning from Van Leeuwen Dairy saying that a heifer calf was just born and they wanted to know if we wanted her. Wendell answered, "yes" right away and turned the truck around to go and get her. He did have to cancel his haircut and shave appointment with Kyle. Trust me, he really needs to get that done! But, the calf couldn't wait. We had to get colostrum into her ASAP. She and mom were having trouble "hooking up" for that first drink. Wendell called when he was close and I grabbed the frozen colostrum from Cloudy and Blondie out of the freezer and thawed it in some warm water. I put it into the bottle and went out to meet Wendell with our new girl. Not even 2 hours old, she eagerly drank the goat colostrum and is doing well. She will never have had cow's milk -- only goat milk! Wendell named her Georgann after George Van Leeuwen which was the owner of the dairy until his untimely death at 78 from a cow that gored him :-( Another reason to dehorn those baby calves and goats. He was an amazing dairyman and we hope that Georgann will be an amazing dairy girl.

Blondie's Full Moon

2009-04-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

When one of the does gets close to delivery, I put them in the Labor/Delivery/Recovery (LDR) pen outside of my bedroom window. That is where Blondie had been spending the last two nights. This way, I can look out my window when I suspect action. Well, at 3:00 am I woke to a Blondie screaming. I just knew that she had kidded and I raced to put my clothes on (I had them layed out fireman style) and get to the baby and make sure it was breathing. Thankfully the moon was almost full. However, all I could see was a blonde head on each end of the goat! The baby was not presenting right and NO WAY were the shoulders coming out. So, I tried to push the baby's wiggling head back into the birth canal and try to bring out the legs first. Blondie did not think that was a good idea and pushed against me. The little guy was living on borrowed time as I worked to grab at least one of his legs to get him delivered. Wendell had arrived by now and was listening to my narration of what I was feeling inside. He says I do this almost talking to myself and not to him. Anyway, after sorting out the who's who of legs, I found one that belonged to the head. I pulled it up and out and with another contraction the first of THREE BLONDE BUCKLINGS was born. The next one in line was also coming head and no legs first so I had to pull that guy, too. The final one presented correctly and came much easier. Aside from the fact that I was hoping for different "plumbing," they are adorable. Each year the ADGA registry has a tattoo letter for kids born that year. This year is the letter "Z" followed by the number indicating how many have been born on the farm that year. So ... Z8, Z9, and Z10 are all doing well.

Our First Bred By Babies!

2009-04-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Finally, one of our kids has kidded! We have our 1st First Freshener. She is 'Black Mesa Sassy Juanita' aka Juanita. She had a 6.5# white and brown spotted buckling and a 5.0# black, white and brown doeling. Mother and kids are doing great. Juanita is a sweetheart just like her namesake, Wendell's Aunt Juanita. We named the doeling 'Crow's Dairy On T Judy' after one of Erik's aunts.

Oh, the betrayal!

2009-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, I have been milking these girls in the barn by hand for over 2 weeks thinking the equipment was coming any day now. I enjoy milking and seeing each one every morning and evening. Had given up on the small electric milker because it is designed to use from the front and we have a parallel barn where you milk from behind. Again, I was training the girls to the new barn from the stand because the machines were on their way, no? I have enjoyed developing my handshake. Well, come to find out, Wendell had not even ordered it yet because he was back and forth between models and designs. I told him if he had been doing the milking that decision would have been made more than two weeks ago! Guess what? He is down at the Jackrabbit place right now creating tubing that will work with the one I have -- AND, the order for the real stuff was placed this afternoon. Here is a picture of Wendell milking in the barn. No wonder he finally put me at the top of his list ... Because he has never liked to milk, with or without a machine.

Ever heard of a wolfberry plant?

2009-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

We have oodles of these. I took the picture outside my backdoor at the dairy.

Wolfberry is drought-adapted, losing leaves during dry times and regrowing them when moisture is available. No irrigation is necessary after they are established. They are useful because they have many functions. They tend to grow dense and thorny, providing cover in which small birds can hide from predators. Their small lavender flowers, which emerge any time enough moisture is available, but are most abundant January through March, attracting pollinators. Though not tubular, I've seen hummingbirds foraging on them. Some pollinating insects that come to the flowers may, in turn, attract insectivorous birds. Wolfberry fruits are small, orangish-red berries that are eaten by wildlife (and by humans who like special desert treats). I think of them as little tomatoes, and indeed they are in the same family. Birds that eat fruit will like them too! Wolfberry can become a large shrub under the right conditions, like the 6-foot-plus ones in the front yard of the University Boulevard Nature Shop. In poorer, drier soils they will stay smaller. They grow slowly, so if you buy a small individual in a one-gallon pot, allow it quite a while to fill in. Wolfberries have an unrefined, scrubby appearance, though they will appear quite lush when fully leafed. It is a good shrub for filling in background areas along fences and walls, or other places to which you don't need easy access. Keeping them in the background may help if you think they look unsightly during the leafless times of the year. Planting them in a landscape that harvests and infiltrates rainwater will assure maximum soil moisture and help keep the plant lush longer. Information found at : http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/conservation/native_plants.htm

This one is for Carol

2009-03-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been posting as much lately but I have good reasons. I am so busy! Here are a few pictures to keep Miss Carol of NC updated. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words -- so consider the above as a few thousand word update!

Layla, you've got me on my knees!

2009-03-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, last night Wendell and the kids gave me a birthday party. It was a blast and the weather was perfect. I even enjoyed my birthday song -- which is a first for me! During the party, I kept checking on Layla. Her ligaments had been gone for at least a day and that means she should be trying to kid by now. Everyone would have liked to see the miracle of birth, but fortunately she did not try any pushing. She waited until early morning to get serious about kidding. The reason this was fortunate is that it was quite a messy miracle. Wendell and Erik were working on trying to keep our dog, Luna(tic), in the fence so they were busy fixing her escape routes. I had told them that she was going to need some assistance with this delivery. She had been pushing hard for 20 minutes and nothing was coming. I couldn't wait for them so I cleaned and lubed up and went in to see what was going on. The first thing I felt were two legs. No head was there. I reached in a little farther and I could feel the head but it was turned back. I brought the head into position and then I thought to my self that this is one big head. And, then I thought ... wow, these are big legs, too. On my knees, I held on to those legs and waited for her to push. She pushed, I pulled, and we kind of were going in circles by this time. Fortunately, Aaron came over and positioned himself in front of Layla so she (and I) would quit going in circles. However, this was one very large kid and I had lots of lube on her. I could see the nose trying to come and didn't want to let go and lose the progress that she had made. Wendell and Erik had noticed the little rodeo and came over to help. Wendell had some leather gloves on and took hold of the legs. He had a great grip and we waited for another contraction. After some more struggle, and a small tear, the kid was finally born. It was limp and I handed it off to Wendell to try and stimulate while I made sure no other kid was coming. After checking Layla and finding that she was only carrying one, I went to the house to get her some warm molasses water. She drank it up and I milked her colostrum to feed to the new 11 pound 2 ounce buckling. He is bigger than the kids that are a week old! Layla gave lots of colostrum so I froze the rest for a future emergency. In the meantime, Wendell, Aaron and I had not realized this was Erik's first time watching something like this. I think he was in shock! He did real well. I hope the next kidding goes smoother. For the goat, for me, but especially for Erik :-)

Wendell, you're kidding!

2009-03-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

That is what I said when he called me. I went to town this morning since it was Joann's birthday and Mary was going to do her hair. Kathy, Joann and I were going to lunch afterward. I checked Emma closely because I knew she could kid anytime. Wendell said he was working on the barn and he would keep an eye on her while I took a break with girlfriends. Besides, she had not been showing the classic signs of labor. When Wendell called and said, "It's a girl." I knew she hadn't waited for me. Though he has delivered literally hundreds of calves, I am the one that usually does the goat kids. He sounded nervous. Fortunately, Emma popped out triplets with no problem at all. The first was a black and white doeling that weighed 5 lb 14 oz. Then she had a black and white spotted buckling that weighed 8 lbs even. Not long after that she had a red and white spotted doeling that weighed in a 5 lb 10 oz. I cut my trip short and made it all the way back to Rainbow Valley just in time to feed the last doeling her colostrum. He had done an excellent job cleaning them up, dipping their navels in iodine and making sure they got colostrum as soon as possible. They are all adorable -- even when I have to get up (or stay up) for the midnight feeding.Luna loves her new charges! She is so gentle with them.

Dean Dairy

2009-03-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

Jack arrived early yesterday to help us transport the rest of the bunch. We finally have all of our animals in one location. My high school buddy, Kathy, helped us sort and move the goats. It really helps to have extra hands when you are herding! Thanks Jack and Kathy. Erik and Wendell are still fine tuning the pens. Erik bought a welder and has been hard at it ever since. He is even getting people at Cirkle K asking him to do side jobs because he hauls it around so much.

We are headed to Maricopa today to pick up another addition to the farm. Bobbie Milsom (http://www.littlecudchewers.com/) has another girl for us. Her name is Bell and she is already milking. This is a big, pretty white doe and already giving almost a gallon a day and only being milked once a day. When we bump her up to two times a day she will give even more. Thanks for another great girl Bobbie!

More Goats

2009-03-14T06:18:00.001-07:00

We have had some of the does and one lucky buck at the Dean Dairy since December, but today is the day for those goats hanging out at the Jackrabbit place to join them. All of the new accommodations are ready for them. Our neighbors, Jack and Leslie, are offering the use of their large horse trailer so that we can make it in one trip. Thanks! Otherwise, it would have taken several with our truck. Luna, Roger and Crazy will be joining the goats. Of course, my Sammy will be with me wherever I go. I love my Aussie boy! I will take pictures and post later.

A Most Unfortunate Hiding Place

2009-03-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Wendell and David went to work on the dairy this morning. On the list of things to do was setting the rest of the T-posts on the buck pen fence. If you aren't familiar with a T-post, they are metal posts that support wire fencing. In order to get them into the ground there is a special tool. This fence post driving tool is a long piece of heavy pipe that is closed on one end and has handles that you hold as you drive the post into the dirt. Wendell sent David to get the post driver which had been laying in the corral overnight. He gave it to Wendell and he proceded to fit the first post into the tool. With a long stroke Wendell gave the post a good whack to get it started into the dirt. It usually makes a very loud metal banging noise so David had his fingers in his ears. But, for some reason, this time it made no noise. They thought that was strange. Upon the second attempt to drive the post, a small bloody organ fell out of the driver. Only then did they discover the small ground squirrel that had been hiding in the tool!!! The boys tapped the tool on the cement and the remainder of the now deceased squirrel fell out. Ugh! Farm life can be so graphic. Don't worry though, this will not affect the population of the ground squirrels on the dairy. Believe me, there are many more there.

Buck Pen

2009-03-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the buck pen is almost finished. All it needs now is a gate. The Irish Front van is serving a very good purpose. This is the van that my son used on his first few tours to California and New Mexico. It is a large Dodge van and it will be sufficient shelter for our 4 boys. We stripped the inside of everything but the dash and steering wheel. Then we put rubber mats inside for their comfort. Really, it is a pretty cool "ride" and will do until we can build a suitable barn for the guys. It is painted with spray paint and is quite strange looking. I think I will have David Lee give it a new look with some more spray paint. They also have a large shade in their corral and we parked the van underneath that for extra weather protection. I will post a picture soon. You have got to see this!

Creepy Critters

2009-03-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well, we found some creepy critters in the poo. Ivermectin to the rescue :-) All of the animals were dewormed, including the dogs and cats. This morning I am making a special "Kool-Aid" for the girls. It is actually a concentrated source of live natrually occurring microorganisms and vitamins. This helps to get the good bugs back into their rumens after bombing the bad guys. They really like it! It really does look like orange Kool-Aid. Actually, it looks exactly like Tang. Anyone old enough to remember Tang?

Birthing Trims

2009-03-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today we gave the close-up girls their bikini trims! This makes impending delivery much easier to detect. It also keeps things more hygenic after delivery. They were all good girls. They ate their grain and hardly noticed the clippers buzzing away. Now, they are completely ready for kidding. Just need a few more days until the first due date.

Painting

2009-02-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

Wendell has gone on a painting frenzy. He painted the main goat shade and their shelter. Then he painted the pressure tank on the well. He has definitely put in overtime this week. Our doe, Emma, is within 10 days of delivery. Then Layla, Blondie and Cloudy will follow suit the next week. Those arrivals will put me on a very strict schedule. My morning and evening chores will become a job and not chores! In a weird way I am looking forward to that. I will be at home much more. For those of you that are planning on coming to Mary Lou's baby shower, please save the date of April 18. We are doing this open house style -- my house and Mary's. Ondrea and I are putting together the details next week and will send out invitations. Most of you know that I am not much of a planner, but more of a stop-by-when-you-want person. Ondrea is very organized and will be a big help!

Happy Birthday Carol Ann!

2009-02-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

Today is Wendell's sister's birthday (aka one of my best friends). Woo hoo! Hope she has a great one. The bad part is that she is 2300 miles away in North Carolina. I am sure she wishes that Star Trek technology existed. The kind where you can pop from one place to another in a matter of seconds. I would definitely be headed to see her this morning if it did! So, I will have to pretend to have coffee with her on her deck overlooking the pond. We are waiting for our cheese equipment to arrive from the Netherlands. It can't come fast enough because the girls are really getting heavy with kids. Mammaries are starting to fill! We went to the AZ Farming and Ranching Hall of Fame dinner last night. Mildred & Norman Hale and Gertie & Bill Hickman were inducted. It was so good to see so many of our farmer friends. Later we went to a birthday party for our dear friend Art Ortiz. He had a DJ and we all danced, laughed and ate menudo. It was so good to get a break from all of the work we have been doing lately.

Yes

2009-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

We got the final results from the blood tests on the main herd (goat people call it a 'trip' -- but I am originally a cow person). Everyone came back great! We are getting ready to vaccinate the preggers that are closest to kidding. We also have to buy a microscope so we can do fecals to determine if we need to de-worm or not. Floating poop and looking for worm eggs is what I will actually be doing. Fun, fun, fun. I will have to thank Mr. Thibedeau for teaching me this stuff in high school. I am really going to be using my skills.

Aren't the puppies growing fast? Luna is very dominant and the boys have wonderful manners. I just have to stay ahead of the head-strong girl. I have only had one challenge when she was young and she has been good since then. These are my co-workers. I love my job.

We will miss you

2009-02-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

I received "one of those calls" this morning. A friend of ours died of a heart attack last night. Tom Wills will be greatly missed. There are no words to tell Debbie and his children how bad we feel for them. This is so erie after what Wendell has been through just this past month. Please, please, get your ticker checked if you even think you might have had any symptoms, or if you are over 40. Do it in honor of Tom if you knew him. Aaron and I are both going March 5th. I am so very sad that this wonderful family is missing a huge piece of their hearts today.

Best Management Practices (BMP)

2009-02-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Or, heart-breaking reality, some baaad news. My quarantine pen's blood results were not as good as I had hoped. CAE results on the two does were positive. At least the G6S and CL were good. Wendell and I took them back to Brogdon Farms. Kayla beamed when I handed her Lexi and the noon bottle feeding. Autumn and Dopey were brats so that wasn't too hard. I will definitely miss Isabelle though. I know it sounds cheesy -- but I really bonded with her. I hope one of the next girls come close to Isabelle's manners, beauty and production. Teri called the vet out and she is having a more detailed blood test done. Hopefully she calls me soon and it was a false positive. What an alphabet soup of goat diseases. We are doing the BMP disease prevention methods. None of these factor in that certain goats can steal your heart as fast as any dog. But Wendell is right again. Show animals are exposed to so many other goats. He is also right about never blending the animals until test results are back. You do the best you know how to do. Sometimes something goes wrong and you have to do what is right to keep your herd as disease-free as humanly possible. Waaa!

Feeders, Fences and Feet

2009-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Work is a four letter word, but so is love! We have been doing so many things this week. Wendell, David, Erik and Brian have been laboring at the dairy putting up feeders and fences. In the pictures you can see our new pellet feeder that the guys are designing and installing. I am sure there isn't one just like it in the state. Also, it was time for pedicures. We worked 14 hours last weekend doing hoof trimming, blood testing, and measurements on all of the goats.

I made my second batch of cheese from Isabelle's extra milk. Out of the half gallon of milk I got 1.4 pounds of cheese. It was gone in a flash. I plan on hiding a little of the next batch :-) Shouldn't be long before Autumn has her kid. i am on "farm arrest" waiting for the new arrival. Then it should be at least 3 weeks before things really start to get crazy. Four of the girls are due March 11-21. That should keep me busy!

Aaron and Wendell are at the farm setting posts for the fencing. Mary and Erik are on one last trip to Rocky Point, MX before the majority of kids (and thier kid) start to arrive. Hope they enjoy thier Valentine's Day. Wendell is the best Valentine! I had coffee, a card and a gift when I opened my eyes this morning. Watching the grandkids tonight so Diana and Aaron can go to a romantic dinner at the Compass Room tonight. Happy Valentine's Day!

T-shirt tells the story

2009-02-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

My son, David, pointed out my shirt to me today and wanted to take a picture. I had only milked one goat (ok, I milked her three times today). Kayla gave me the t-shirt and I knew I would put it to good use! Thanks Kayla! The little doeling, Lexi, is doing great. Wendell has been on the tractor all day. The place is really looking good. I will have to get more pictures of all of the work that the guys have been doing.

Surprise arrival

2009-02-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

We had a Super Bowl party combined with a celebration for Wendell's birthday (1/28). Lots of friends and family were here. Of course we are all bummed that the Cardinals lost. They sure gave the Steelers a run for their money. That game will go down as one of the best Super Bowls ever! However, the biggest surprise came at halftime and had nothing to do with football. My niece, Lexi, and granddaughter, Lexia, came into the house saying a goat just pushed out a baby! I couldn't believe it, but they were right. I ran outside to find a wet baby and the proud mom. Isabelle had kidded a little early. I had just checked them all a few hours earlier and I did not think that I would be holding a beautiful little doeling that afternoon. Since the girls found her, we named her Lexi after them. The ears on this little girl are so long! We dipped her navel, milked mom, heat treated the colostrum, fed her 7 oz and put her in my room in a dog kennel. She weighed in at 8 lbs 5 oz. and is just so cute!Thanks to Marie for taking the pictures. I owe you for thinking about them -- as I was thinking about everything but pictures :-) Well, I better get some sleep before the midnight feeding ...

Thank you Kayla!

2009-01-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Our heartfelt thanks to Kayla Brogdon for giving us our first "show" goats. Kayla has been showing goats and pigs for quite a while now. The does have been shown and have done very well in the show ring. They have wonderful bloodlines. However, she has decided to concentrate on her Boer goats and pigs. She wanted to see her dairy goats go to a home where she knew she could visit them. Fortunately for us, she kept them in the family! Two does and a buck will be joining the herd. Of course, they are in quarantine for 30 days. We will be testing them for CAE, CL, G6S and Q-fever. We've got to make sure that we keep a clean herd. I am sure they will pass with flying colors. We wish Kayla the very best of luck with her Boer show goats!

I wish you could have seen the rodeo we had getting them in the pen tonight. There were 3 women (me, Teri and Kayla), 3 goats and 3 dogs. Well, I should have thought ahead and put up the dogs! The goats were not too happy that the dogs were there even though they have always been around dogs. I guess they weren't introduced properly. So, to make a long story short, Teri and I ended up on the ground trying to keep them separated. We both will feel the bruises tomorrow :-) Thank goodness Erik heard the commotion and came over. Finally, the humans now outnumbered the goats and we got them settled in their new enclosure. Erik then headed over to the dairy to feed the goats over there and to help Wendell with more cleaning. They will be working very late tonight. I am going to take a hot bath and wash the rodeo off of me!

Water Works

2009-01-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it takes quite a bit of work to get water from one end of the dairy to the other. A big thanks to Aaron who spent about 12 hours on the backhoe this weekend digging the trenches. Wendell and Erik were the PVC pipe specialists. When the water was turned on there were no leaks. Yippee! We have water all over the place now. We even have HOT water in the house. Thanks also to Matthew who put the blinds up in all of the windows. The last of the saltillo tile was installed in the bedrooms. It is really starting to look like something. No more tablecloths on the windows or concrete floors :-)

Wendell went for his follow-up at the cardiologist and he is realeased to normal activity. Thank you, thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers. I can't tell you how happy I am. His birthday is on the 28th and we will be celebrating BIG TIME with a combined birthday/SuperBowl party! The AZ Cardinals are finally in it! #13 is our lucky number and that is quarterback Kurt Warner's jersey number. Wendell and I were married on June 13, Wendell's dad, Ken, survived a WWII kamikaze attack on Friday the 13th, Wendell's heart stent was placed on 1/13/09 AND the dairy address is 11300 S. Dean. Soooo, we are sure hoping that Kurt Warner and the Cardinals bring a victory back from Tampa Bay.

Goats are doing well. The girls that are pregnant are starting to show and Mary Lou (the daughter, not the goat) is also starting to show! She is due July 1st. Can't wait to see our new little goat milker!

My Heart Dropped

2009-01-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

When Wendell told me that his chest felt "funky" and he wanted to go to the doctor "in the morning," I got out of bed and started getting dressed. There was no way I was going to wait all night long for him to see the doctor. He had been very tired lately and had just figured he had been working too much. Anyway, to make a long story short, he is now the proud recipient of a stent in his right coronary artery! He didn't want anyone to know, or make a fuss over him, so he didn't want me to tell anyone. Well, I almost lost my composure after 24 hours of keeping this "secret" and people were wondering where we were. I called my dear friend Kathy Lee and told her what was happening and that I was going to lose it if I didn't have someone to talk to about it. Thanks to her, she calmed me down and I was able to be strong for Wendell. I just don't know what I would have done without her calm reassurance that all would be fine. About 20 minutes prior to the proceedure, Wendell gave me the green light to let the kids know what was going on. I called and let them know that their father was going to have a cardiac catherization. They were all very strong for me. We didn't have any tears or panic! I am so glad about that. Dr. Patel came out after the procedure and told me that Wendell had one of his main arteries that was 99.9% blocked. He continued to explain that he had been .1% away from a heart attack! During the procedure the doctor was able to place the stent into the artery and open it back to 100%. Praise God! Everything turned out fine. He is now home resting for the next week. So, if my posts aren't very often ... That is why.

Progress on the dairy is chugging along. We are still very excited about the does kidding this spring and that we will be making cheese!

Take care, AND if your chest ever feels FUNKY, get to the ER!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a huge bonfire on New Year's Eve. I don't know if the kids or the adults had more fun :-) Tony and Mike searched the river for wood and came back with an entire tree! They had to be tired after that night. There are a few pictures, but Mary took them and I haven't downloaded yet. We ate our traditional black-eyed peas and ham for luck after midnight. Boy, did that work because Erik, Aaron and Wendell were able to get the well running that afternoon. I loaned my camera to my nephew but took a couple of pics with my cellphone camera. This is a picture of the muddy first water and the happy dance that followed. The dogs and goats are doing well at their new home and I will post pics later when I get my camera back!

Let there be light!

2008-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

Becky called this morning and gave me some very good news. Her husband, Johnny, works for APS and he told her that they had dispatched the crew to turn service on at the dairy. We now have electricity! Just in time to get the first part of the herd on the premisis for our New Year's Eve deadline. Wendell has been on the tractor for hours on end making the pens level. Tomorrow we will be working all day moving animals and supplies. Then we are going to celebrate the New Year with an evening bonfire complete with marshmallows and hot dogs. Hope that you and yours have a very happy and prosperous 2009.

White Elephant Exchange

2008-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

We all had a good time at Christmas. The White Elephant exchange was great. Erik got the Scorpion Jewelry Collection this year. Wendell put marshmallow guns in as his gift. Let's just say that a marshmallow war broke out. Charlotte and Aaron had quite the battle! Speaking of guns, Wendell bought me a semi-auto pistol for my present and I couldn't be happier. It is a perfect fit for my hand. We went shooting on the river Christmas Day and I think I impressed him and Aaron with my aim :-) I have never been afraid of being alone if I have a "metal friend" with me.

We almost had electricity at the dairy! Jeremy finished the work required by the first inspector on Tuesday. The next inspector came out on Christmas Eve and found a silly detail that the first inspector had failed to tell us about. Well, he could have overlooked it and turned it on for us ... But, NO! We have one more detail that he wants finished. So, now it looks like it will be Monday before we have electricity. Just enough time to get our Nubian girls on the property by the first of the year.

It has been raining quite a bit here lately. The dairy house has no leaks. This is very good news. The barn does have a few, but we had expected that. The place is draining well, no standing water anywhere. The sandy soil does help with that.

Well, time to get back to work. The goats are hungry!

Wood Stove -- No Electric

2008-12-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

All I want for Christmas is electricity! Until then, Aaron and Wendell installed our wood stove in the family room today. We now have heat. Also, we got the bed set up in the "formerly-orange" room. Still hauling water so we can use the loo. It is still very primitive at the dairy. It makes me really appreciate my hot bath when I get back to the Jackrabbit house!

I was talking to my nephew, John, this morning. He has a marking issue with his Standard Poodle, Larry. Seems as though he is upset by the addition of Sophie (3 lb Yorkie mix) and Maizie (5 lb Chihuahua) and has decided to mark all over the house. He was wondering if we might need a new addition to the dairy pack of dogs. I told him if he gets along with Luna (100 lb Great Pyrenees) that we can use him to guard our farm. I really hope he works out. I think he would love guarding a few acres. We will put him to work! Here is a picture of John and his youngest son, Seth, on the cow train.

Sure hope we have Christmas lights at the farm this week. If not, we will definitely have a Christmas bonfire in the new fire ring.

Keeping Busy

2008-12-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

This morning Wendell and Aaron moved all of the commercial kitchen equipment to the dairy. A big thank you to John Crow for the generous contribution. We will certainly put it to use. I stayed busy painting the "orange" room. It is now a nice brown color. The color looks a bit like chocolate milk, which is so appropriate for us. Wendell, David and Aaron moved all of the decorative rocks that lined the yard and made a fire ring. You can see it in the picture. Also, in the background of the picture on the horizon, you can see three "clouds." Actually, those are columns of steam from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station which is owned by APS. It is the largest nuclear electric generating site in the United States. Things are moving in the right direction as far as electricity goes. An APS representative stopped by while we were there today. He said things look good and we should have power as soon as some minor work is finished. I am so excited to just have power. Aaron, Charlotte and I took time out and went to Pizzeria Bianco for dinner tonight. Wonderful food! We met Kathy, Cidney and Kyle there. Of course, Kyle and Cidney had their sweet baby boy with them. Wish Wendell could have made it but he has to work at Saddle Ranch tonight. With all of the work on the dairy, I think that job is short-lived. Well, I am watching grandkids tonight while Aaron and Diana go out. We are gonna have a good time watching Christmas movies. Good night!

More red tape ...

2008-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

We can't have power yet :-( The last owners built an addition to the house without permitting. The County gave us the green tag but APS wants to do their own inspection. SO, now Wendell has to meet with a representative from APS tomorrow to find out what to do next. We will use a generator and haul water as long as it takes!

Becky and her bunch (Alexis, Michel and Trey) are coming to see the dairy tomorrow. I can't wait to show them around. We don't get too many visitors because we are so far out. Or, could it be because Wendell puts everyone that visits us to work?

Slowly but surely!

2008-12-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

It has been a week since I have last blogged and it is definitely not because there isn't any progress on the farm to report. Wendell and I returned from our trip to New Mexico to move Kenny and Kathy back to Arizona. We need all the family help we can get. Kenny not only knows cows, he knows sales. Kenny and Kathy both have a great deal of business experience and we value their input. Unlike cows, goats need shelter in addition to shades. The weather conditions are never much of a bother to the bovine, but for the goats it can be a serious issue. Goats need to be protected from the rain, wind and cold or they can become ill. So, since we are in a pinch for time, we bought a 45' storage container for their new home. We plan on painting the shelter this week and plan to have them on the farm in time to beat the tax exemption deadline of 12/31/08. Today is a very important day for dairy because we will have electricity turned to the farm house today. I definitely take flipping that little switch for granted because it has been quite a process to achieve something so ordinary to most of us. We have purchased our first piece of furniture for the new house (a queen sized bed) and with the new electricity we will now be able to stay over night. The power will also make working at the farm much easier with the use of sockets, lights and running water. We would like to acknowledge both the men and women of this family who have been very hard at work to get our dairy closer to being an active business. We want to extend our thanks to those who have helped and to our followers and supporters of Crow's Dairy. This is definitely a journey that we will be milking for all it's worth.