Goats keep producing so I can keep practicing!

I'm still not extremely pleased that we are feeding the goats grain at milking time (can't help but feel guilty in continuing the demand for monoculture crops....although the family still eats bread around here too....). Well, the upside is that these lovely girls are still producing milk in January! I'm sure the extreme warm weather is helping also. We sent the Marilyns' borrowed buck, Taurus, on to his next set of ladies and now all the girls are back together, doelings back with their moms too. I'm realizing that that means a little less milk though, as they will get all day again and we will only get the night milk, after I separate them for the night.

So, I've been experimenting with cheese recipes and I think I can now make a decent Chevre, Mozza and cottage cheese and yogourt. (just googled how I wanted to spell that and came up with this interesting tid bit:  an obsolete verb yoğmak  'to be curdled or coagulated; to thicken.) Well, I just ordered more rennet and didn't get the extra thermometer I thought I'd need. I will just continue to use the plug in roaster with a water bath and keep my eye on things better.... I should be doing that anyways right??!!

Mostly, I'm just sitting around, knitting up all the hats I made or promised for Christmas. I wish I could say there was a fire going, but it gets pretty hot in the house these days when its plus 7 or 8 and the sun shines in. Chickens are happy to be out every day, though.