Another Chapter

I never thought I'd see the day that I would post this.

I'm not even sure how to begin.

I've been thinking about this for the last year or so.  

But I was avoiding it.

I sold all the goats.

There I said it.

There's been rumours in the community going around as to why I sold all the goats.

Some people are even saying I've got cancer.

Put all your minds at ease. 

I don't have cancer.

What I do have is I'm exhausted.

Mentally, physically and emotionally.

I thought I could do this homesteading thing while working a fulltime job off the farm.

Well I have come to the realization that I can't.

I admit it...

I cannot.

There I said it.

Like I tell people when they ask why?

I'd get up at 5am and go till 10:30-11pm 

and I still didn't even have everything that needed done, done.

A few people told me in the last few days that they have no idea how I ever did it.

I was constantly worried about the health of the goats, paying for the goats, if something happened to one of us, who would milk the goats? 

Like all farmers know, leaving the farm for even just a weekend involves a lot of planning.

The first thing being...who's going to come and take care of the livestock.

It's relatively easy to find someone to come and take care of a dog, cat or even the chickens.

But when it involves dairy animals that need to be milked twice a day, everyday, whether you want to or not. It's almost impossible. Especially if you don't live in a farming community like we do. Whether you're sick or not (like the time I had H1N1 and one of the goats didn't like Dave so I had to drag myself to milk her anyway), whether there's 5 feet of snow, hurricane force winds, etc...

They still need to be milked twice a day.

And then you have to deal with people that are not always honest.  

And that's what broke the proverbial goat's (camel, whatever) back.

Like I said, I had been thinking about selling the goats for a year or so when I sold a goat to someone. To make a long story short, he says she was sick and almost dead when she got there. We say she was fine when she left here. He wanted his money back. (the goat is still alive btw) or he was going to slander our name everywhere. This wouldn't bother me too much because everyone knows we have quality livestock.  Like my vet said, this was cyber bullying. Blackmail whatever you want to call it.

It was the end.

So I talked it over with Dave and we decided to give a fellow farmer a call to see if she wanted to buy all the goats. Every last one.  I gave her a good deal because I knew they were going to an awesome place. She had bought goats from me before, so she knew our goats. This is also the place my goats went to "goat camp" a few summers ago.

I told Dave, if she says yes. Then it's meant to be. If she had declined, then I'm not sure if I would have tried selling them to someone else or kept them. 

But she said "YES!" 

So the goats are gone.

Did I cry when they left...no.

But I cried after they left. I couldn't even talk about it for a few days.

I knew I had made the right decision for the goats and me, but it was still hard.

I'm tearing up as I write this. I still have a hard time looking at goat pictures.

I miss their little faces, their personalities, but I don't miss anything else.

Will I ever go back to goats? Don't know.

Maybe, maybe not.  But for the next 3 years, no.

I'm not selling any of my equipment for now....

I'm still going to make soap. Because that was one of the biggest questions people were asking me.

I have enough milk in the freezer for a long, long time of soap making. And when I run out I have my sources that will supply me with milk. And no, it's not where the goats went. We are still going to be homesteading, just not with goats. More with gardening, preserving our food etc..

So from this day forth this blog will be more of a gardening theme. A travel theme.

Since I'll have time to travel...not exotic places. But just down the road. 

I'm also going to take my Master Gardener's course with Dalhousie University this winter.

I'm also going to take care of my health. Exercise, eat right and try not to stress too much...ya right.

I'm going to take care of my family more, go to church more, camp more, bake more, blog more, be able to visit my friends more...relax more.

We still have the chickens since the way they're set up they can take care of themselves for a few days. And I've got plenty of people that can come and pick up the eggs if need be.

So it's really not the end.  It's just another chapter in my life.

So sorry if I've rambled on too much, but now you know...

the rest of the story.

Have a Blessed Day.

Lisa