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Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Big News, Part II: Continued Discussion With a Goat

Well Lucky Nickel, it's time to tell the blog people about more of our news!  
     Oh!  Can I type it this time?
No, you have dirty hooves and last time you made the computer keyboard all muddy.
     Hmpffff.  I was decorating the keyboard for your computing enjoyment.  
Today we will add some pictures of you, since you are such a pretty goat.  Would you like that?
     Yes!  The ones you took in the barn?  Today?  
Absolutely.  I have downloaded them and you look as lovely as ever.  Let's start with this one, because when I came out the back door, you came running over like a high speed train, complete with whistles.
     I was very excited.  You don't usually come out in the middle of the afternoon.  I thought you were bringing me treats or presents.  Even Esmeralda was following me, you see?
     We came right over to you...
     ...and I had to taste your buttons on your sweater, just to see if they were treats in disguise.
I wasn't bringing treats, but I was coming to chat with you, and give you scritches, so that was good, wasn't it?
     Yes.  Although treats would have been good too.
So tell the blog people why we are going to Canada, and what we are going to do there!
     Wait...let's show them some goat snuzzle pictures first.
Well, let's tell them in between goat snuzzle pictures.  OK?
     OK, well, we are going to Can of Duck, errr....I mean, Canada....(picture please)
     .....because we are going to WHINE!   Oooh, look at my curly fybur!
We are NOT going to whine.  We are not whiners.  We are going to MAKE wine.  There is a big difference. You are such a silly goat!  Did Coffee the mini-Nubian tell you that we are whining?
     Oh.  She might have.  I thought I was going to be good at it,, because I whine sometimes.
Well you are going to be a very special part of it.  You will be a wine spokesgoat.  
     I will?!?!  It sounds very important!
I know!  I'm very excited about your new responsibilities.  You will even greet people who come to see the winery!  Won't that be fun?!
     Maaa-aaa-aaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!  
That's you trying to lick my eyebrows.  You always do that Lucky Nickel.  You are a funny little goat.
      Your eyebrows taste good.  
So tell the blog people what kind of wine we will be making!
      Oooooh yes, we are going to make Bumblebee wine!  
Good grief....you really do get mixed up sometimes.  It's not bumblebee wine!  It's BLUEBERRY wine!
     Well, I was close.  It starts with a B.
You do make me laugh, Lucky Nickel.  What would I do without you to make me laugh?
    You would be very bored.  
Yes.  But I will not be bored at our new home.  I will just tell the blog people in a little bit more detail, OK?
    OK, they can look at my pretty fybur some more while you tell them.
The full story is that I'm in the process of buying a 66 acre mixed blueberry/grazing land farm.  The farm has a house on it that was built in about 1850, and is wonderfully eclectic but fully updated.  It has interesting room layouts and lots of interesting storage spaces.  An addition to the house contains a commercial area with public wheelchair-access restrooms and a small retail area, in which I will be selling my wool as well as the wine.  Underneath the addition is a 55 foot long wine cellar and production center with 8 vats for aging the wine, a laboratory for testing pH, sugar, etc, and bottling and labeling facilities.  The winery has been in business for over 20 years and has existing contracts, so I'm taking over an established business.  At the same time, I'll be using some of the grazing land to have sheep and/or goats as time goes by.  All in all, a very exciting development!
 
     OK Mom, are you finished with your monologue?
I had to give some details Lucky Nickel!  People might want to know!
     They might also want to know that Esmeralda and I like to lick your hand together.  Isn't that funny?!
Yes, indeed it is.  I suppose my hand is salty or something?  I don't mind as long as neither of you takes a bite!
    No, we don't bite you!  That would be biting the hand that feeds us!  We like you too much for that!
Good!  Otherwise you wouldn't get fed!
     Can I give the blog people a goat-snuzzle?
Of course you can!  Here, let's show them a nice snuzzle pose so they can feel the goatie love.

SNUZZLE!!!
I think that's enough news for today.  What do you think?
    Yes, can I come in the house now?
No Lucky Nickel, you know that you live in the barn.
     But, I've been really good!   Hmpffff.  Fine.  I'll show you my bum.
     And then I will run, run, run....
   ....all the way back to the barn.  See me go?  Byeeeee!

    

20 comments:

Mimi Foxmorton said...

Oh, sweet lord....I have never seen so much love in a goat's eyes!
You are indeed loved by your LN! :)

How exciting!!!!!!!!!!!
You must be beside yourself!
What a wonderful path to take!
And what a beautiful set up!
You are lucky and brave and blessed! And I wish you fair winds in your journey! I so look forward to following your story!

(You really DO write extremely well!)

xoxox

TexWisGirl said...

Big news and very exciting!

said...

That is SO COOL! I will live vicariously through you as I sit, retrofitting and pulling our urban house of the grid imagining the countryside. Looking at your stuff will be much cooler than 'trolling real estate websites :)

I don't know if you are aware, but having weddings at farms and wineries is a really big deal right now. My husband and I are planning a ceremony and my goodness! Everyone wants to be married in a country farm or a country winery or a country farm and winery. It might be a great way for you to make some extra bundles of cash :)

brokenteepee said...

How exciting for you. Oh, the best of luck on your grand adventure.

I will look forward to hearing what it is like taking animals across the border....

Mare said...

OH my Goodness! Can i come with you!!??? hahaha That sounds like a dream come true. I have wanted to start making my own wine on a very small scale (like just for me) of local fruits in season from the farmer's market. I have got some of the equipment i need to get started an plan to start next Spring. But Nothing like the scale you are planning to take on! That sounds fabulous! I can't wait to hear about your move and the house and all of your adventures! Amazing!

Louise said...

This is very exciting news! A whole new life for you and Lucky Nickel, opening up right before your eyes. And LN will, of course, be the very best spokesgoat in the world.

Judy T said...

Oh My! That is exciting news. What a property to be lucky enough to find. I do hope you will keep us all informed as to how it is going. We may need to come visit to buy some blueberry wine.
Judy

Millie said...

How wonderful! I'm so jealous and excited! I want to be a spokesgoat. Lucky Nickel is lucky to have such a devoted Maaaa to take her and let her work with her.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

wonderful, will you be living near your parents?

Nancy K. said...

How exciting! Good for you, Claire! I wish you the very best in your new endeavor. It sounds like an incredible opportunity. Will you have someone to help? I think that's the hardest part for me ~ not having anyone to help with building maintenance, chores, etc...

IsobelleGoLightly said...

Yay! Wine and Wool! What could be better?

Alison said...

Oh my, that is exciting. I hope they have lots of hay in Canaduck for Lucky Nickel. :)

You are one ambitious lady, I've got to say! How exciting to have an outlet for your fybur...and what a great next chapter in Lucky Nickel's life! Can you imagine how exciting it could be for people to meet the goat that provided their newly-purchased fybur?

I'm curious about any quarantine or similar steps the animals will have to go through to cross the border. And I second Joanna's question; just whereabouts in Canada? (I hear it's a pretty big place, even bigger than Iowa!) :D

Paige Madison said...

Wow, Claire! So wonderful to hear all the details! It sounds like a great move for you! Much more in line with who you are. I wish you the best with your new career!

Katherine Dunn/Apifera Farm said...

Well the goat's out of the bag or hay's out of the barn...or whatever. Congrats, and I'm sure this will be quite an adventure!

Foothills Poultry said...

I love reading your posts. I can't help but smile will reading.

~~Matt~~

Mom L said...

What an awesome adventure, Claire! Lucky Nickel, you will make a wonderful spokesgoat. I imagine customers will come from near and far just to be greeted by you! Why, you might even write some of the ads for Claire's winery! Oh, I'm sorry, you say it will belong to both of you?

Nancy in Iowa

My Life Under the Bus said...

What a great adventure! Congratulations!

Split Rock Ranch said...

Very exciting news! What a road trip that is going to be. I cannot wait to read the blog post about that little adventure! If you need somebody to be a wine taster, let me know! LOL I really am very excited for you Claire - what a fabulous new adventure you're going on. The journey - all of it, not just the road trip - is going to be fabulous blog fodder. I'm so happy for you.

Louisette said...

Love much this nice fotos , greetintg from Belgium

Texan said...

I kept reading back to see why you were moving to Canada! Wine and Wool! Oh my one of my favorite things is wine :O). I also like wool... wool as in fabric, I quilt not knit :O). That is going to be an amazing experience! I wish you much success!!