chez nous

Images from the Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon. 

                                           Goats! Chickens! Spring!

The goats have been here for over a month now. They’re growing up so quickly!

Above are some recent Instagram pics of life on the mini farm.

So, the goats I was talking about in my last post? It’s happening much quicker than originally planned! In fact, just as soon as I finish typing up this post, I’ll be heading out to Gaston, OR, to pick up a small herd of 3 mini goats - Mom (Phoebe), and her two kids - Albert & Faeria. 

Before I forget, however, I wanted to record a very important change in my overall health, and how it came about…

As I also mentioned in my last post, the holidays were pretty rough this year - Penelope was sick with a bacterial infection, and we were basically stuck at home for a month and a half while she was on bedrest. My parents were sending us weekly boxes of junk food, and I pretty much used the holiday season as an excuse to eat all sorts of terrible things and not exercise. Result: I got super fat and felt physically awful, which made me feel even sorrier for myself. 

Just after the New Year, some family friends came over for dinner. It was a much-needed  break, as the friends cooked us dinner and I was, for the first time in awhile, no longer the sole adult in charge of a house with a sick child.  I was so exhausted from the responsibilities of making the holidays happen, and taking care of Penelope, that 1/2 way through dinner I excused myself and went to bed.

The next day, I was really embarrassed that I’d abandoned the dinner party and decided I needed to make some sort of meaningful change in order to start feeling better. A couple of days after that I watched “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” on Netflix and came to the realization that a lot of my malaise could be attributed to poor eating habits and lack of exercise.  So, I made like Joe from the movie and went on a juice fast.  I didn’t do 60 days like Joe, as I’m not obese, but I did manage 10 days. Results: I lost a ton of weight, and was able to purge the emotional & physical excesses of the holiday season. What I gained? A renewed sense of well-being and a renewed interest in being healthy, plus the desire to keep it up! 

Since the juice fast, I’ve kept up with the exercise and (mostly!) kept up with the healthier eating habits. I’d still like to lose another 10 lbs, but I’m taking it slowly so as to make this an overall lifestyle change, and not burn out and relapse into my old, lazier, unhealthier ways. 

Okay - I’m off to get my goats! Lots and lots of goat pics coming soon :)

Goats & Algebra

I’d meant to write this post closer to the first of the year, but Penelope was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in her foot just after Thanksgiving. She had surgery, as well as an IV inserted into her arm, which dispensed antibiotics every 8 hours through a computer/medicine bag combo she had to carry around in a little purse. Between worry over her health and then, as she started to improve, anxiety over how to pay the thousands of dollars required for her treatments, it was difficult to focus on plans for the new year. Self-pity was at an all-time high! 

Penelope is much better now, and has returned to school. Was never so glad to pull the Christmas tree out to the curb as I was this year. Good riddance to the Holidays of 2011! 

Very happy to settle back into a normal routine and get back to working towards making sure our lives in Oregon are even more sustainable & fulfilling in the long-term…

I’m not super into new year’s resolutions, because I think they’re too easy to break, which can lead to feelings of failure. However, I like to form some type of statement of intent at the beginning of the year, because it’s important to have GOALS in order to move forward.

Last year we were still settling into our new home. When we first moved into this house in July of 2009, there was no fence around the yard, which is right next to a creek. Having two new puppies and wanting to finally realize my longtime chicken keeping dreams, we required a series of fences and gates to keep the dogs in and the chickens safe. The fences and gates finally happened and I finally got my flock of hens. I’d say 2011 was really all about fences and chickens. 

2012 will be the year of goats & algebra.

I’ve been wanting to raise dairy goats for many years (the ones above are from an open lot in SW Portland). I’d considered getting them last Summer, but the chickens were still relatively new and I wasn’t sure how much trouble they’d be. Turns out, they’re none at all. I understand that goats are a bit more work, they certainly require more space, so I’d decided to put them off until this Spring. I’m interested in a pair of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, they’re a compact breed - about the size of a medium dog - and can produce up to two quarts of milk per day. Imagine the possibilities - Goat milk, goat cheese, goat soap! Goat Yogurt & Ice cream?!! We’ll start with a pair of doelings, and they’ll need to first have kids before they can make milk. Exciting! 

Algebra refers to my intentions toward continued education. In college I studied French and Italian, and somehow managed to avoid taking any math courses. In fact, I haven’t had a math class since the 10th grade! In the next few years, I’m planning to go back to school for a new degree, which requires science and math skills far beyond my current level. Next month I plan to gift myself an algebra book as a birthday gift and begin re-learning the basics before enrolling in courses. 

After I saw the little red house, I was inspired to check out the abandoned one near us.

These pictures were taken at Woodard Park in Tigard. 

We had a little break in the weather today!