Oooh, Look at Me!

As you all know I take my SpokesGoat duties very seriously. I try and do my best to deal with my media appointments in a friendly manner and keep my goat gas to a minimun while giving interviews. Well it seems that I have done very well indeed! My Baby Magazine has me on the cover. I gave them an interview after I had Kevin the goat. I think it came out very nicely, don't you?

*

I also gave them some very cute photos of Kevin for the interior. There is nothing cuter than a baby goat! I have said this before - and with a kid like this who could disagree?

As always, I remind you to sign up for my newsletter. What do you have to lose? Better yet - what do you have to win? THREE BARS of my rich soap is what! All who sign up through May 16th are entered into the drawing.

*The publicist made this funny cover with me on it - it is not real.

No More Snow!

It snowed here on the Farm yesterday. In April. I think there should be some kind of rule against that. I mean it was sunny and warm not too many days ago. I have said it before - I am an African goat. I like it warm. I don't like this snow stuff. Little Kevin wasn't too happy with it either. He screamed like he was being attacked. The publicist and I ran out of the barn thinking he was hurt and it turned out he was just standing there with snow falling on him. I can't say that I blame him but he sure did scare us! I sincerely doubt that the snow was hurting him! Jillian and Mallory wouldn't even leave the barn. It made for some serious challenges for the publicist. She had to play musical pens with us goats. Michael was trying to kill Luke so she had to separate them, so Michael went in Abby's pen and Luke went in the buck pen. Abby, Kevin and I ventured out and spent some time in the goat house but we got tired of that and wanted back in the barn. This caused the publicist to have to put Luke in my pen and the three of us in the buck pen. Whew! What a confusing day. I am not sure I like all of these changes. Goats like things to be the same. I think Michael should stop trying to kill Luke! I do not know what is up with that.


The publicist didn't take any pictures of the snow because it was such a miserable day so I will leave you with some oldies but goodies of the fun days that came before.


Here are Abby and I peacefully grazing in the garden. We can't do that any longer because the male person has planted some spinach and lettuce. Mmmmmm, spinach and lettuce. He knows we would eat it all so he has put the fence back up. Oh well.


Jillian takes in the view of the river. I think we have the life here on the Farm.

And of course, the boys. Being boys.

Hopefully the sun will be back out soon. Or at least the snow will be gone and we can get back to normal. I don't like spending all day in the barn; but it is better than being out in the snow. Did I mention that I HATE SNOW?!

Oh, well don't let my snow rant deter you from entering the drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. How can you win, you ask? Simple! Just sign up for my cool newsletter; it will only come out once a month or so. I am a busy goat and won't have time to spam you. All who sign up through May 16th will be entered into the drawing. Easy, right?

The Chickens are Here!

Oh yes, the long talked about chickens have arrived on the Happy Goats Farm. I heard their little peeps as the male person brought them out of his truck. I don't know about this. I am not going to share my blog time with chickens! And this is the Happy GOATS Farm. Harrumphff. Now the male person has told me that I will like having the chickens around. He has told me that the chickens will eat the annoying grasshoppers that come to the Farm in the summer. I hope this is true. I really don't like the grasshoppers. These chickens are Rhode Island Reds. They are going lay nice eggs for the publicist to use in her baking. She loves to bake. I like it when she bakes things with apples. Then I and, well, the other goats get the peelings. I am sure you all remember the fun we had with the great Tale of the Extra Goat Treat.


The chickens arrived in a box! That's right a box. From the Post Office! They came from a place called Murray McMurray it is a hatchery and very cool store that is all things chicken. ( I was not paid to say that.) The male person ordered the chicks a long time ago and it turns out it was a good thing because there are now no chicks to be had locally. It seems a lot of people are wanting chickens this year. The male person took the chicks out of their little box - I am sorry the photo is not so good. The publicist still has trouble with her flash. She is stubborn about reading the thing the commenter told us about. The thing called an "instruction manual."





The chicks all rushed under their heat lamp to get warm. They were all given a nice drink of water by the publicist and the male person. Then they drank lots more out of their little water bottles.





Then the male person put their food feeders in and it was like a chicken explosion in there. Chicks running everywhere. They really liked their chick food. That is good. It will help them grow big and strong so if I butt them it won't bother them much. Did I really just write that? I will try and be a good goat. The male person is going to build them something called a chicken tractor. Note the word "going." He hasn't done it yet. The chicks arrived a week earlier than he was expecting them. Plus they have to stay in the basement for a long time yet before they are ready to go outside.




I hope you liked reading about the new chickens on the Farm. In honor of their arrival I am going to have a blog sale on my Rooster in the Goat Pen Soaps and my Chicks All Right with Pricilla Soaps. If you use the word "blog" in the notes to seller at checkout you will get a 20% discount on these soaps to celebrate the arrival of the chicks. The blog sale will run through May 15th. So now is your chance to get some of my rich soap at a nice discount.




Also, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter. I would be remiss in not reminding you about the drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap for subscribers. All who sign up through May 16th will be entered.

AbbyDay - Mallory Has Her Date

Hi everyone, it's AbbyDay again and I am so excited to be writing the blog again. I will of course show you my beautiful headshot. What would AbbyDay be without lots of photos of, well, Abby?!

The publicist says I have to tell you a story too. I can't just show you photos of me. I know, I know. We went through this last time. She has told me that if I don't shape up I won't be able to blog any more so I am going to tell you about Mallory's date with Michael the buck. You will recall that Jillian had a date with Michael the buck last week. In it Pricilla said it looked like they were dancing the paso doble. In my opinion Mallory and Michael did a lovely Argentine Tango. There were a lot of sharp leg kicks and much drama in their dance. Mallory wanted to dance on top of her goat house, but Michael wasn't too thrilled with that idea.

They danced, and danced and danced some more...

...until I think Mallory got a bit bored.

Michael expressed his opinion of that!

All in all though I think they had a nice time together. Michael seemed to like Mallory very much.

Of course I will end this with a photo of ME! Aren't I beautiful? Don't I look lovely eating the green, green grass? Of course I do.

Remember to sign up for the newsletter. I am trying to get the publicist to let me contribute to it. You know it will be interesting if I write in it. The pictures will be prettier too. Plus anyone who signs up through May 16th will be eligible for the drawing for THREE BARS of rich goat's milk soap using MY MILK. What could be better?

Is the Publicist's New House Haunted?

I know this is an odd question for a goat to be asking but I have seen things. Shadowy goat things.I really got to thinking about ghosts after I read my friend Jen's post on her very interesting blog called Readhead Ranting. Sometimes I feel like I am No Horns Ranting but I digress. As you all know from reading my blog I like to graze. Mmmm, fresh green grass and yummy weeds. It is one of my favorite things to do. Oftentimes I find myself grazing over by where the publicist and the male person are building their new yurt. There are lots of nice greens growing over there and it shades me from the sun.

When I get over close to the yurt I notice these shadowy goats. As you know I am not always immediately friendly with new goats. (You might remember this post from when Jillian and Mallory first came to the Farm.) I have noticed that these ghost goats look JUST LIKE ME! This is how I feel about them:

I know I am not dreaming because Jillian has seen one too.

Now just the other day little Kevin saw one that looked JUST LIKE HIM!

I have tried butting heads with the ghost goats but this seems to make the publicist and male person very, very upset. And boy you should have seen the publicist when Michael the buck tried to butt heads with his ghost goat. I never saw her run so fast.

So I am only left to wonder, is the publicist's new house haunted? What do you think?

I can assure you that my newsletter won't be haunted! Be sure and sign up - everyone who signs up through May 16th (2009) will be entered into a drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. Remember, I am not a spammy goat, I am a vegetarian goat.

Kevin the Explorer

Kevin is turning into quite an intrepid explorer. I don't let him out of the goat pen by himself because there are too many things I would worry about; mostly the bald eagle that sits in the tree. He would think Kevin was a tasty lunch and we don't want that to happen so the publicist and I keep a close eye on him when he is running around loose. Pretty soon he will be too big for the eagle which will be a good thing. Kevin is allowed to explore all he wants in the goat pen and he thoroughly inspected the goat house the other day. I am sure it looks quite large to him. He started on my basking side - you know, the spot where I like to bask in the sun.

Then he walked around front. I could hear him thinking, "wow is that one big goat house."

He peered in the door and saw all the nice hay on the floor. It makes such a soft bed.

In fact he thought it looked quite delightful so he thought he would go in and take a nap.

It's a rough life for a kid.

I went back to basking in the sun. It's a rough life for a Pricilla.

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Time is running out to be eligible for the drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. All who sign up through May 16th will be entered. Mr. Randomizer will pick the winner on May 17th.

I Thought Goats Were Funny

I was out walking and grazing - I am sure you now realize that grazing is one of my favorite things to do. Grazing and basking in the sun are probably two of my most favorite ways to spend a sunny day. But I digress. I was out the other day and I went to visit the horses across the street. I enjoy chewing my cud with the horses; we like to share hay tales. Well I was chewing said cud and all of a sudden one of the horses decided to have a dust bath! Surprised the goat gas right out me!

He really went at it. Twisting and turning.

Doesn't he look happy?

Until he finally decided he was dusty enough. Then he got up.

Now, I am the first to admit a good dust bath feels great but give a goat some warning.

I must have jumped 10 feet. I trotted myself back to my pen to rest after that.It was more excitement than I could stand. Little Kevin lay down with me which was very nice.

I hope you all have a calm and quiet Friday.

I know I am starting to sound like broken record, but I am excited about my contest! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter. All who sign up through May 16th will be entered into a drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. I say it again, I promise not to spam you. I just don't have time for it. But I do promise to send special discounts for newsletter subscribers only.

Lazy Grazy Days

Lately it has seemed like summer here on the Farm. The sun has been shining and it has been very warm. Since I am an African goat this is MY kind of weather. All that beautiful sunshine is causing the grass to grow. The yummy weeds too. Fresh greens taste so good after a winter of eating nothing buy hay. The publicist has been letting us all out to graze and it has been wonderful.

Michael and Luke went to their favorite place over by the barn. They like it there because there are lots of little pine trees to eat.

Jillian and Mallory are just getting a feel for the Farm. They are still learning their way around and finding where the good grass is. They went grazing over by the riverbank.

Little Kevin is learning to eat his greens. This is good because it means he isn't attached to me all the time. Not that I mind nursing him but it is nice to be able to go out and about, you know?

I practiced some stealth grazing. This way I got to eat all the tasty new shoots and no one else knew they were there. Plus you never know what you might see when you are hiding.

Even Fred the cat got in on the grazing action.

I love these days and I hope they last but I heard the publicist talking about something called a front. It seems the weather is going to be changing and and it is going to get colder. Oh well. I know summer is not too far away. The grass will continue to grow and the weeds too.

Remember to sign up for my newsletter. Everyone who signs up through May 16th is entered into a drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. Woo hoo! So what do you have to lose?

Soap Answers and Goat Hopping

I am glad that everyone enjoyed yesterday's post on how the publicist makes my rich soap. It was fun for me to write. There were a few questions and the publicist has given me the answers for you.

Hot process soap is a method of making soap where you heat up the oils and fats, then add the lye mixture and cook it some more. It helps to speed up the process of soap making called saponification. With hot process soaps you don't have to have them cure for a month. But hot process soap does not work well with the molds I use. It is a very ancient way to make soap but nowadays is usually done in a crockpot.

Cold process soaps have to cure for them to harden up and for the water to evaporate out of the bars. The soap is really safe to use in about 2 days. The publicist has used my soap this soon without any problems it's just very soft and gets used up very quickly. She does not worry too much because she has lots and lots of my rich soap. The bars just last longer when they have cured.

As to the giveaway winner - they will be able to pick any three bars of soap they would like!

The publicist and I thank you for all of your questions about the soap and if anyone has any others please ask.

I will end today's post with Kevin's latest activity - Pricilla hopping. I don't know what has got into that boy but he seems to think it is a good idea to try and hop on his mommy....

Mallory was being a little threatening there but still I am not a high hurdle!

Remember the newsletter giveaway! All who sign up through May 16th will be entered into a drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. I promise not to be a spammy goat. I am a vegetarian.

How the Publicist Makes Soap

One of our wonderful commenters asked how the publicist makes my rich soap. She agreed to show everyone how she goes about it. She wouldn't let me in to watch so I will pass on to you what she told me. Of course it all starts with my rich milk..and Abby's too. If you remember, there was a post before on how the publicist milks us. Only Abby was being milked then, but I am being milked now so my milk is going in the soap again. The publicist freezes the milk she is going to use for soap. When she is ready to make the soap she pulls a bag out of the freezer and puts it in her pitcher to thaw. Using frozen, slushy milk helps to keep the lye from burning the milk.

After the milk has thawed a little the publicist says she "goes all psycho on it." As a goat I am not sure what this means but she said the readers would understand.

After the milk is broken up and melts a bit more and turns slushy

she adds the lye.

This makes the milk turn a really weird yellow/green color. Ick.

By the time it is ready to use it has turned orange and looks like a blob. Aren't you glad you asked about this now?

Then she measures out her super secret recipe of fats and oils and puts them in her big soap pot

and melts them on the stove.

Then she adds the milk/lye blob and mixes it with her stick blender until it gets nice and smooth.

This is called "trace" at which point it is time to strain it and add the fragrance oil or essential oil and pour it into the molds.

The molds will rest overnight. Then the publicist will pop the soaps out of the molds and let them cure for a month.

These are the soaps she made on Sunday night. The scents she used then are Old Goat (Patchouli), Grapefruit and Exotic Red Tea.

The scents used in tonight's batch of soap are making are Bing Cherry, Cucumber Melon and Basil Lime Papaya.

This is called the cold process of making soap. The publicist makes small batches so she can maintain quality.

I hope this has answered any questions there were about the soap making process. If there are any others, please ask and the publicist will be happy to answer them. She loves to answer questions.

Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter. All who sign up through May 16th will be entered into a drawing for THREE BARS of my rich soap. Woo hoo! How cool is that?