Ames Family Farm

If you can't see the world, it's no longer scary.

We visited the goats today, to finish spring health checks and vaccinations, plus to meet the vet so we could get the proper paperwork to transport them to Georgia. Little Complication hadn't been handled since we met him right after his birth, so of course, he freaked out when we picked him up. But he promptly buried his face in Sahara's arm and found comfort in darkness.

Everything is lining up for our move. The goats leave around April 13th, then we are on the road April 20th.

If you want something cute and exciting, check in on this live feed through your workday and tomorrow! Once they all hatch, we will guess what breeds they are. (We know there are some Marans, Leghorns, and Easter Eggers in there.)

I love my job! In all my years of writing, I didn't anticipate that I would be the one reaching out to say, "Hey, can you write an article for me?" Then, later, "Hey, want to write a book and we will publish it?"

Shown: Say Cheese! by Kate Johnson, who has written for me since 2017 and produced her book this year. It's hot off the presses, just in time for her to sell it, sign it, and speak about it this weekend

Walmart sells "Autumn Splendor" pumpkins for less than $7 a piece, mostly as fall decorations. But this assortment of squash are far meatier, more nutritious, and way larger than Jack o'lanterns. We always buy tons: smaller Jarrahdales and Marina di Chioggia for our own enjoyment and the much larger Musquee de Provence and Cinderella pumpkins for the goats. Some of these weigh 35lbs, for the same price as smaller ones. And they last months if stored in a cool, dry place. We grab 6 or so each shopping trip (or however many will fit in the cart) and give one to the goats each weekend.

I bought this tripod for my own social media but have never used it because of my insecurities. So my husband commandeered it for his knife making and barbeque projects.

Follow for knife making and barbeque goodness!

Did you know that there are people in the world who literally don't have the opportunity for regular goat therapy?

So many colors! Some of today's harvest from the Mother Earth News garden.

We skipped out from the Ozarks Homesteading Expo for a few minutes, so we could see Fantastic Caverns outside of Springfield.

It's always a successful event when I can get a hug from Ann Accetta-Scott! I hadn't had an Ann hug since October of 2021 so it was way past time for another. Here at the Ozarks Homesteading Expo, Ann gave a great presentation on home canning, and afterward I gave a talk on basic dairy goat health.

The Goat Journal recipe is done and ready to put into the November/December issue! Croissants made with goat butter and goat milk, filled with sweet chevre and cranberries, then topped with drizzled icing and dried cherries. (I had set aside cranberries for the top, but someone who shall remain nameless ate them before I could finish the project.) The aprons made by my amazing older sister make the perfect prop!