Return of the Blog

It has been almost a year since I blogged, so much as happened, so much as has changed.  It would take to long to give a full recap, and it would probably bore anyone interested in reading.  So a recap of some of the changes.
We are getting out of fiber, so with sadness we said goodbye to all of our Angora goats.  Through two different transactions my babies actually found 1 home together.
The sheep are next, we have sold all but 3 of our sheep, of the 3 remaining, only 1 is looking for a new home the other 2 are our freezer lambs.
So what is left?  Dairy, dairy and more dairy goats.  We have 17 all together right now.  Another change in the dairy line, I am done with being worried about registered goats, pure bred etc.  I now have a boer buckling to bring some weight to my line. I am happiest with my cross bred goats, they are hardier and I still get my milk.
One of our biggest additions to the farm are American Guinea Hogs.  They are an endangered breed of small swine.  Easy to handle, smaller than most breeds, they are great homestead hogs.  We purchased a breeding pair last year and have had 1 litter so far.
Of course we still have chickens and 1 duck.
We also worked out a great arrangement with a friend, who took one of our Great Pyrenees dogs.  We had 2 sisters who  needed to separate.  The good news is that the 'experiment' was a complete success.  Luna is now happy in her new home, a much better Guardian dog than before.  Terra is doing well here and we added a young male who still has a lot to learn, but works well with Terra and we have hopes for a litter of pups.
We have unfortunately lost our barn cats, but have a new little guy in training.  Shadow was a rescue at one of our farm markets, he came to us around 4 weeks old, mother probably hit by a car.  Because he is so small he is spending his winter in Sarah's room.
We have had our share of health issues this past year which have also made us realize our limitations.  My plan to get a milking cow seem to waiver.  Cows don't offer the flexibility that goats do and the idea of being the only one to milk a cow is a little daunting.  I still love the idea of all the milk, cheese and butter though.
So that is a quick recap of the almost year.  More to come and of course pictures.