Ups and Downs...literally!

What a frustrating morning in the goat barn. *sigh* Skippy must have filled up on hay before we got out there to milk her because her usual excitement for her feed bin on the milking stand was non-existent.  And... I was out of ice cream cones...her favorite treat. Good thing I had some animal crackers and that she thought those were interesting enough otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get her on the stand at all.  Once on the stand, she enjoyed a cracker and then just stood there.
 

This was a few years ago...but I love this pic with my littlest dude in his blue boots!

Not eating a thing, which is usually what keeps her busy while I milk her.  So I went on and did my usual routine;  brushing her underbelly, washing her teats and the surrounding area with wash, drying her off, milking a bit out in the strip cup to check for irregularities.  I did all that.  I got comfy on my chair and went to work milking her. A few squirts into it she decided to get down on her front knees.  *sigh*  I kept on milking.  Apparently that was way too much work for her because she decided to lay down.  As in on. my. arm.  Luckily I got the bucket out soon enough but my arm was a little squashed. Do you realize how much a full size goat weighs?  *sigh*  So with lots of work Noah got her up for me.  Well then her belly was all messy and I didn't dare go through the washing process again for fear I might lose my arm totally (just joking...she's not *that* big) so I just milked her out and then dumped it when she was done because it was so full of specks and hair and who knows what.  It was gross.

 
So glad my right hand dude is out there with me.  He can muscle her when I can't.  Like when we got her out of the stand.  She decided she wanted to take a field trip.  We had left the main door open because I'm an idiot to get some fresh air so I made a mad dash to close the door to the outside and then she started moving out of the milking room to the rest of the barn where all sorts of junk is.  I guess she wanted to go pickin'.  You know, like on American Pickers where they find all sorts of expensive treasures in peoples garages full of junk?  So Noah got her back into the milking room and then pushed, shoved, muscled persuaded her to go back to the goat barn.  What a morning!

I still wouldn't trade her or my her baby, Pixie, for anything.  They are both so loving, conniving smart, and terribly cute.  I know we're all first timers in this milking game.  Hey, at least I've made some yogurt and some ice cream with it, right?  That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.  I've a little bit of something to show for my endeavors so far, right?  I had thought I'd be on to making cheese by now, but with what little milk we have I can't do that quite yet.  (She's not giving me much since Pixie is still sucking the life out of her growing like crazy!)  In another month or so I should be to where I want...about a half to a whole gallon a day. *crossing my fingers and praying like Dixie*  Right now I'm focusing on collecting all my soap making gear and getting around to making some.  Once I make a nice creamy batch I'll feel even more accomplished!  Well, that is unless that flops, too.  *wink*