Monday, December 20th, 2010
This was a bit of a lazy morning, but eventually we made our lunches and headed for the museum. Thanks to Grandma we got to see the Planetarium show about Black Holes, AND the 3D-IMAX showing about the Hubble telescope as well as the museum. Kiefer, Katie and I enjoyed the Gems & Crystals exhibit, as well as the planetarium exhibits, the Colorado exhibit, and the dinosaur exhibit before they kicked us out. We picked up some peppermint brownies for Grandma on our way home as a thank you, she really enjoyed those.
I've really enjoyed talking with Grandma when we go down there, and hearing stories about my dad growing up. It's nice to hear it from an outside perspective. See dad? I'm learning all about you =P, and now I know where I get my issue with authority from!
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Today we learned how to milk a goat! Yes it's true, even us city folks can learn to milk a goat.
It was Lucy (a.k.a. Lulu) (left) that we milked. Also pictured is Marygold (left) who is 3 months pregnant, and yours truly =).
The first step was to get cleaned up! Cassie wiped down the goats udders and teats with warmed wipes (yay technology!) after sanitizing her hands.
Here you see me rolling Katie's sleeves up so she can get ready to get messy! It's pretty chilly down there by they way!! Next you get the bucket in place, and you have to learn the mechanics of milking! This is actually very interesting, as the udder is much like a bag full of milk. When you grab the teats you can feel the milk go out of them, so you have to kind of pinch it off at the top to trap it in the teat, then squeeze the teat firmly to get the milk to come out.
Kate took a couple tries to get it down, but then was excitedly (and slowly) milking! She was very focused, so you can see that her glasses are slipping off of her face. Speaking of the cold we all got cold weather/snow boots to wear, and we have been VERY glad to have them down at the barn. They are excellent muck boots as well.
There is something extremely satisfying about learning how to do something different and new, and that is the whole point of this blog, to encourage us to get up and get out of the house! See how proud of herself Katie is?
Kiefer and I also gave it a try
Also interesting to note, goats like to eat pine needles (and branches), and peanuts!
Kiefer went out and participated in an Airsoft game with my cousin Riley. They had fun =). Cassie and I spent some time decorating the FRESH CUT Christmas tree. Rice lights are awesome, and we wrapped them from the center of the tree outward along each branch for MAXIMUM LIGHTS!!! We used strands of blue, fuchsia, and red lights, creating an amazing lighting effect!
Sorry no nighttime pictures to share yet, maybe I'll snag one tonight! Later Cassie and I went down and lunged Dancer and Piper (two of the horses). They seemed to enjoy the stretch of the legs. We finished up just in time for the boys to get home. Cassie had to throw some hay down (HEY!) from the loft in the barn, so Kiefer and I helped her out by stacking the bales. This was a very dusty job! Then we fed all the goats, and they were very happy.
Kiefer and I ran to the grocery store to buy dinner makings, and headed home to prepare a feast of Fajitas for everyone. This dinner was devoured with many compliments all around. It was very nice to be able to make a meal for our hosts, and give them a treat to say thank you =). We then exchanged our Christmas gifts. Kiefer and I decided to get the whole family a Wii since they were so generous in sharing their home with us this week (and their food!). This seemed to be a very good choice as everyone was delighted. My aunt got me a HILARIOUS set of post-it notes, and Kiefer got a "demotivational" calendar from Think-geek.com. We both loved them as much as they loved the Wii! I will be using those at work for sure =). Katie got a plush horse which she thinks is the best thing since sliced bread!
We helped them put the Wii together immediately, and showed them how to put on all the updates. Uploaded the Netflix channel for them, and now they're all set! Raving Rabbids TV Party wrapped up our evening.
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