Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Springtime Update with Jodie the Baby Goat


This has been a very blessed spring on the farm!  With winter kidding season now over, we have a final tally of 61 surviving -- and thriving -- baby goats!  Amazing!  They are loving the sunshine and green grass.  The "Kid Creepers" have returned in full force . . . these are the drivers who inevitably stop to watch my kids playing in our yard, which completely aggravates the Pyrenees Pups!  Mary Beth, my intern from OSU, has been a huge help with kidding this year.  She even has a baby goat named after her!  That is Mary Beth the bottle baby and star of elementary school visits, and inevitably there are funny moments when I tell Mary Beth to go feed Mary Beth!

The grass has turned lush and green early this year, thanks to a short winter.  That helps to save expenses on hay, which is very good.  Unfortunately, this has also meant that ticks were out early.  Thanks to Frontline, the Pyrenees are managing tick season fairly well.  I am looking forward to completing numerous projects on the farm this spring & summer, and am especially looking forward to my student assistant Aubry returning to work with me this summer.  It is incredibly rewarding to work with young people as they gain hands-on skills in agriculture!

The last baby born this year is the adorable little girl that I am holding in the above picture.  Her name is Jodie (after one of my dearest friends) and she is full of adventure!  Although Jodie the Goat is younger than all the other kids, she manages to keep up with them during playtime.  I am optimistic that Jodie will grow up healthy & strong and be a good addition to the herd.  In the meantime, the does that did not have babies in the winter are now living with the young buck, Draco Dynamite.  Here's hoping Draco has much success as a father!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Cousin Johnny's Royal Wedding


This has been a busy spring on the farm with lots of new additions: goats, chicks, sheep.  Besides all these wonderful animals, we have had the pleasure of our "human family" expanding as well!  Cousin Johnny was married this past week to the very lovely Sara!  It was a delightful, intimate celebration that was very much a reflection of their personalities and their love for each other.  John wore full Scottish dress, with the traditional MacDhai family kilt.  I borrowed a Royal Stuart tartan that had been made in the 1950s in Edinburgh.  It is a blessing to see my cousin so happily married to a charming young lady!  John and Sara became friends while studying in Europe, and returned there to spend their honeymoon.

The Grandmother was in her realm with lots of attention during the wedding celebration!  She created an impressive wedding gift: a handwritten cookbook.  Grandmother wrote out many of her favorite recipes, and also included recipes from other family members.  Along with these items, she added family history about different cooks from the Harrisons and the Rostorfers.  It was a thoughtful gift, and one she will soon get to duplicate: Cousin Jim is engaged to be married next April!  What a blessing to see our family grow!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Why I LOVE My Catering Job!

Sometimes, I just get overwhelmed by the generosity of people around me! This was definitely one of those mornings! After several crazy busy days of wonderfulness, I finally had a relaxing morning to sleep in. I had warned the goats last night that they should eat plenty of hay, as they would not be seeing me very early this morning (and, as usual, they completely ignored me!) Thus, my lazy morning started with coffee, play time with my pups, and then an email check. Imagine my delight to find the following article on the website of Two Caterers!

http://www.twocaterers.com/2012/04/have-we-mentioned-that-we-love.html

I have had the pleasure of working for Two Caterers since September 2010. I never imagined myself catering -- much like I never imagined myself as a butcher -- but I absolutely adore it! The people with whom I work are amazing, and the food is unbelievable! It is a pleasure to serve a product of which you truly believe in the quality. I started out as a server with Two Caterers, then began bartending, and now work as an Event Supervisor. This company is a good fit for me, because it shares my values: stewardship of the environment, connecting people with food, and supporting local businesses. It has been an exciting evolution for me to raise food, market meats, and now be involved in serving high quality meals. Two Caterers is an awesome company and I am very proud to be one of their employees!

Picture Caption: The photo above is of me with Angela Petro, prepping salads for the Girasole Dinner at Jorgensen Farm. Two Caterers is the caterer of choice for events at Jorgensen Farm, which is owned by my friend (and heroine) Val Jorgensen. Jorgensen Farm raises organic herbs, honey, and lamb. In addition, the restored barn serves as an event space. The Girasole Dinner is an annual event that celebrates sunflowers in late summer. I had the pleasure of assisting with the 2011 event, and working with the amazing Angela -- who owns Two Caterers.