We moved out to the country when our son Quinn was about 7 years old. We thought that growing up with woods and open fields around would be healthier than living in the city for him and his younger sister. Since Dana and I both grew up in the suburbs, we didn't realize things like rattlesnakes, water moccasins, giant spiders, bobcats, and wasps that look like they could kill dinosaurs all lived out in the country when we decided this, but heck, we'd already spent the money, so we made the best of it. None of those things have killed anybody, though we have had some close calls, and it turned out that Quinn really did take well to the country life. I had imagined clearing out a bit of our land for a garden, maybe grow some tomatoes. Well, my family had other plans. We have Chickens, Ducks, Quail, and .... goats. but still no garden of tomatoes.
When Quinn was six he announced that he would like goats for his birthday, because he would like to "milk goats and make cheese." At first we thought this was a delightful fancy for a 6 year old and fully expected that his interest would shift to remote control cars, or a video game, or some other toy. But the closer the time came, to our move to the countryside, the more detailed his description of the type of goats he wanted became. After innumerable "Are you sure?"'s, on Quinn's 9th birthday, we bought two little Nigerian Dwarf goats, because they are said to have sweet and creamy milk, and are small enough for a 9 year old boy to handle.
And handle them he did. With help from his mom, he learned to care for, breed, and milk his two goats. He started making cheese at nine, and today, at 16, he is an accomplished cheese maker, ice cream and yogurt maker, and his milking hands can crack walnuts! He has a herd large enough that he can sell his products to the general public. if you have ever wanted to try all natural goat milk soap, give ours a try. I am sure you will be pleased.
You will find several other items of limited quantity in our store too. Wooden soap dishes, tool totes, and other items, all made from trees that have fallen in storms on the farm. The materials we use are what we can harvest here, and fortunately we have beautiful woods to work with. Sweet bay magnolias, Live oak, scrub oak, hickory, and walnut all grow on our land, and whenever a tree succumbs to a storm we harvest it for these products.
