Last night Mignon Deux slept on my bed, and at one point curled up next to my head, purring very loudly. It reminded me of my kitty, Ru, who was soft and fluffy just like Mignon Deux.
After my usual morning animal and milking chores, I got to help take the goats out to the field where they will spend the day. They knew there was somebody different leading the way because as soon as they saw me with the herder stick, they all tried to run in front of me! Luckily, Rafael got out front and stopped them, but they were definitely testing the waters. Once they realized Rafael would make sure nothing happened they obediently headed down the road to the field. They are getting used to me milking them and almost none protest when I start milking them now. At first a few would kick their legs or crouch down as I tried to milk them as a form of protest, but as I become more confident and let them know I wasn’t going to take any of their guff, they’ve given up and let me go ahead. It’s funny, you would think they would want to be milked, considering how uncomfortable it can be if they go too long without it. I remember those days when I was nursing my kids, it did not feel good!
I had a really nice long chat with Lysanne during breakfast. She’s been here since January, initially thinking she would just stay a few months, but has continued on because this has been a good spot for her during a transitional time in her life. She made a chocolate banana smoothie that could be added to coffee as a flavoring, it was pretty good. After breakfast, I labeled dozens of jars of honey to be sold in the boutique and at the farmers markets. You can pretty much have a complete meal with the food that is raised or produced on the farm – vegetables, cheese, milk, honey, meat.
There is a sign on the road just after the boutique that says ‘Chemin sans issue’. It sounds a lot more pleasant than the English version – dead end road.
Rafael’s parents, two nieces and his 95-year-old grandfather came for a visit today. He made them a huge brunch, the whole house smelled like pancakes. He told me that his grandfather used to be a beekeeper and is his idol. So sweet!
After lunch I went to my room to journal as I woke up late this morning and didn’t do it before chores. Now that I am on East Coast time, the Monday night family zoom calls are much later for me, they start at 10 PM, so I didn’t get to bed till close to midnight. I ended up falling asleep on my bed for a little over an hour, and it was the most refreshing nap I’ve had in a long time. I obviously needed a little more sleep. 😁
I milked the goats with Safran today, my first time working with him. He had on a CD of the Gipsy Kings, which was great music to milk to. The song Volare came on and we both belted out the chorus together. It was funny hearing an American, whose first language is English, and a Canadian, whose first language is French, singing along to an Italian song being performed by a French group singing in Italian!
Dinner tonight included ham from a freshly butchered pig from the farm. It was so flavorful! The center was slightly gray instead of pink because the pigs are not given any nitrates which is apparently what turns the meat pink.
After dinner I got to catch up with Kieran. He and Kourtney spent the weekend tearing out the flooring in their kitchen and dining room. When they started, they thought they only had to clear out the tiles and a layer of linoleum underneath the tiles, but they soon discovered there were six layers of flooring! So now the floor is a good 2 inches lower than before. The things you discover doing home renovations!