Love love love

Love me some goats! Quick crazy update. Went to visit the not quite 2 month old goats at New Moon Farm this weekend and really could have spent all day hanging with them. So ridiculously CUTE! And soft! And impish! Really - it makes me shudder with the cute overload. Tonight Tammy's bit with Nightline aired and watching her publicity gets me all excited to be doing this. She makes it look easy. Meanwhile I am here fussing about which damn laptop to get and moving rapidly from grazing spots to "lease-to-own" to outright buying a dang place. I cannot imagine getting my goats and having to travel to see them etc. Especially during this coming winter with so much going on - work, setting up the biz, managing the goats themselves, and of course the weather. My to-do list is ridiculous and I am still up at nearly 1 am writing here instead of getting the sleep I need. I might need a damn valium at this rate I am so wound up. Oh - and I am goat-sitting again in Dec. so I better have my damn computer so I can get some shit done while I am there. Oh yeah, and I have my social work licensing exam in 5 days. Ask me how much studying I have done...very little. I did tonight and of course validate that I can get a passing score based on 40 some questions. There are 170 on the test. I think this is a test of patience. I think I will go buy my Muckboots after my test to reward myself. Maybe look at some property as well. Look at a truck? We'll see.

Great big decisions

I am struggling a bit I must admit. I have slacked on looking at the property in Everett where I might be able to get free grazing rights in return for managing the blackberries on the acerage. I can't imagine having to haul up 30 min to feed and socialize with the goats in the crappy weather that is supposed to come this winter and then return home 30 min away again. Part of the point of all this is really to BE WITH the goats. And I am feeling like I really want to be with them more than not as I am new to all of this. I want to make sure I am checking on them frequently and know when something might be going wrong sooner rather than later. So it looks like I may have to making a move out of the city. I have been resisting this but I really think it needs to be done. I found a listing north of Seattle which might work - but it's only an online view. The lovely Juliet has given me her real estate agents info and I have emailed him. Gotta get going on this. I need to get my laptop, my truck etc. as well before the end of the year. Working 5 days a week is really hindering this process. Although the hit to my bank account will be noticeable when I reduce my hours. Managing all the details seems a bit much but I know when I get a couple of the big things done I will feel better. The logo is being worked on, I have someone to help with the website and hosting etc. If I did move north, there are definitely people I can count on up there. I want to have an official "launching" party as well. I think that would be super fun. I keep thinking of marketing gimmicks like magnets, pens etc. The whole idea of getting my own place scares me a bit - a lot of change all at once. I guess it may just be the time to dive right in to everything! Ok. Gotta get the laptop this weekend. Get one thing done. Anything. Visit some goats. Buy my Muckboots. Maybe a pocketknife as well. Yeah...that's the ticket!

Catching Up

I hate coming up with titles...it's like coming up with the subject for an email...don't like it. Here's the haps: can't remember where I left off so I may repeat myself. About 2 weeks ago I went and helped Tammy set up fencing for a job in east bumfuck. Yes- I swear. Actually, it only took about 10 or so min to get to the strip malls so perhaps not all that far out. I like being able to do the hands on stuff when she is actually doing it for a job rather than having to "role play" this stuff. Definitely a benefit of being an early adopter - she doesn't have the training planned so I just help her do stuff and get to learn along the way. Like today I went back and was helping her with de-worming. A messy job but I always love my time with the goats.

Last weekend I went out Friday night and stayed onsite until Sunday evening while Tammy was out of town. A big thing for me was that she actually called less often than when I was only "sitting" for 6 hours. I called when I had questions but overall it seems like she was able to trust me enough to really get away and that is way cool. It was amazing how time flew by even without a computer to entertain me - hell, even my phone was out of juice for a bit. Hanging out in the country playing fetch with Pearl the Wonderdog and chillin' with da goatys was pretty much what I did. I did try reading up for my SW license exam but that kept making me snooze. Sleeping in the back on my hatchback VW was a trip. The 2nd night was much better. I am grateful for being close by enough that I can avail myself of these opportunities to do trial runs. I get to feeling more confident and Tammy gets the help she needs. Despite not being home all weekend, I didn't feel stressed or emotionally wasted. I was super sleepy - but getting used to sleeping in the car is like that. It looks like I'll have another opportunity here in December as well. Might be a little chillier but it will be closer to home as well. FUN!!!

Got the EIN #, the actual business license in the mail and the bank account with the check card with the business name on it!! I was so excited about that yesterday I was calling all kinds of people. I feel like a guber but I have to giggle a bit when I think about me being a business owner and having GOATS fer crying out loud! teehee! Had some great conversation with the other Adriene today. We are feeding off of each other with this livestock business stuff. She is looking at something way more complex with horses in Western MA but we are on similar trajectories and it makes it that much more fun for both of us. As soon as I had posted my pictures from the weekend on my Facebook page, my cousin in CA was commenting on the pics and it seems like she (and her hubby) will be coming out as soon as I get some of my own goats. Have I mentioned that I LOVE the fact that my family is so excited about all this?!?! I called my dad and got my brother as well when I was sitting in a field of goats last weekend. They had me on speakerphone and it was really awesome to be talking to both of them from "goat central" and the energy from them and between them was great.

I sometimes feel like I don't know anything and that this is going to be really hard and I get frustrated with not moving as quickly as I would like on some things. A wave of being overwhelmed passes over me. But pass it does. And when I get a nose at my butt, or a nibble on my jacket and I see those sweet rectangular pupils looking at me....well I just get all mushy. I counted out 15 goats when I was with the big herd last weekend and it really didn't seem like all that much. A big benefit of watching Tammy's herd is that mine will seem so freakin' manageable!