There she was: a goat in a stanchion with a full udder, ready to be milked for the first time. Behind me was the culmination of about two years of dreams and planning to get to this moment. Of course after the initial excitement of baby goats wears off, you have a couple of weeks to wait … Continue reading To the rhythm of the squeeze and stream
Because of the desert southwest's recent onslaught of abnormally hot weather, I've found myself searching for non-traditional methods to keep the animals cool. It was 116 degrees at my desert home on Tuesday. We're far from the city's concrete metropolis and surrounded by cactus, bushes and dirt, but little shade. Luckily our temperatures didn't hit … Continue reading Watermelon goat’s milk pupsicles
In order to produce milk, a dairy goat must give birth. She will continue to produce milk after the kid is gone as long as she is still milked daily. I bought Nilah, my Nigerian Dwarf Goat at around 10 months old, and it would finally be her first time kidding. It was my first time, too. … Continue reading The birth of Ely
When I cut meat out of my diet (except fish) in 2013, I knew needed to find a good way to load up on specific nutrients. I discovered breakfast smoothies and how quickly you can pack them with all the nutrients you need. I've had one every day since, except while traveling, because it's not easy to find … Continue reading Blackberry Sage Smoothie Recipe
Beginning a garden in Phoenix wasn't just going to be difficult because of the heat, I also don't own the property where I live and thus didn't want to plant anything into the ground. Could I successfully keep garden plants without planting a real garden, in Phoenix? The seasons are different from most other states. … Continue reading My green thumb
It was midnight in Alaska when I arrived. The trip was a last minute whim. I could see the sunset on the horizon. "Why is it light outside?" I joked to the women sitting beside me on the plane, both Anchorage natives. Aliza, with whom I'd be staying, met me at the arrivals in her big … Continue reading Anchorage after the breakup
Ever curious what it is like to raise a baby duck without other ducks? Remember baby Ballard duck? Would you believe that little Ballard had to learn to swim? Because he was raised with chickens, humans and a dog, he had to figure out swimming all on his own. Luckily the sensation comes quite natural for … Continue reading Learning to swim
The next step I took in my journey to reducing my environmental impact and creating a more sustainable way of living was to begin my worm (vermicompost) bin. It's a tricky endeavor in the desert. I read all the Pinterest posts on starting a worm bin and scoured the online forums and decided I was ready to … Continue reading DIY home worm bin – for beginners!
Now back to that nifty, sleek little compost bin on the counter. The tiny collector on the counter plays a huge role in our little sustainable circle of life around here. It is primarily fed banana peels (because I use a banana a day in my smoothies) but also regularly includes leftover salad scraps, onion … Continue reading The circle of life
The more I learned about sustainable farming, the more things I realized that I needed to change. I needed to use less plastic, ditch plastic bags altogether, switch to glass whenever possible, and recycle more than I trash. When we lived in Seattle I was impressed by the city's system of recycling. There was even a … Continue reading Do you know how to recycle? I didn’t
Poesie Sans, Souci 