Good Golly Girlie Goat Soap

Well, my first attempt at soap making. I'll know for sure in about a month whether or not I have real soap, but so far so good! This soap is made from fresh goat milk, thanks to the abundance of milk from my two Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Ginger and Spice. I look forward to using this as facial soap as there are no scents or ingredients other than milk, coconut oil and olive oil, and of course lye, which is no longer chemically lye due to the transformation between lye and oil (fat). No lye, no soap, as they say.

I am looking forward to creating my first batch of Bubba Gruff Baaaad Boy Soap, which will be a manly concoction, much like Bubba Gruff, with rosemary and mint. Meanwhile I am hoping that Ariel or some talented person will help me with labels for our new soap.

Now I might buy some more molds and get back to work. Or go have a snack of my delicious goat milk cheese, both hard cheese and soft, or maybe some goat yogurt with maple syrup. Love my little goatees!

LT Beef Delivery Changes?

Yesterday Tom and I sold a processed beef to five individuals. Three came to my house in San Antonio to pick up their beef and we delivered to two customers. Our house is being sold now and Tom & I will be moving to the ranch in January. One thing we have not resolved is how our LT Beef business would continue operating in San Antonio without a home as our home base.

I hope I have an answer: The Pearl Farmer's Market that is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. I am seeking information about having a booth monthly where we can arrange customer pick up of our beef and maybe even sell some of our pasture-raised eggs. And this could be the final motivation to get me making some goat-milk soap products, also to sell.

So, thank you to our new and returning customers and we will keep you posted on future developments.

My Mom

My mother passed away July 29, 2009, after having been bed-ridden for a year as the result of a stroke in 2006 or so. This picture is from 2008, right before she went into the nursing home. I spent the last three days of my mom's life, along with my sisters and her husband, at her side.

I won't go into the all the profound thoughts about the mysteries of life and death this event has evoked in me. I will say that I am grateful for the kindness and compassion shown to me by friends, family, the LT Beef customers I was working with at the time of her death, and even strangers. This is still a tender time for me and my family, but I hope and intend that one outcome be my increased compassion for others who are suffering from any cause.

Local Beef?

About seven years ago I answered an ad in the local Cuero paper about free kittens. When I called, the cat owner told me he and his family would be out of town that day but come by and pick out a cat. He gave me directions and I drove to a beautiful ranch property, pipe fence galore, big in-ground swimming pool, and a bunch of friendly dogs. I picked out our cat now known as Mousemaster and have always appreciated this man's trust in strangers and the obvious good care he took of the livestock and pets in his charge.

This family recently opened a restaurant and meat market about twelve miles from us. Tom and I made it over for lunch today and the atmosphere was pleasant and the food the usual fare in small towns, all off the Benny ? truck that supplies all the ready to heat and serve food products. I thought that maybe their steaks would be good since they had found a market to sell their own beef.

That is not to be the case, however, as when we visited the meat market next door we were told that all the meat came from IBP . Which means my somewhat-distant neighbor sells his beef at a local auction, the animals are probably shipped hundreds of miles to a feed lot, and then on to IBP. So I guess its possible that some of the beef in the case is off his own ranch, but highly improbable. Like the man running the meat market told us, there are just no local processors around anymore, and even though one is rumored to have re-opened 50 miles away, getting organized to get it set up to sell their own local beef will take some doing.

Don't I know that!