Farm Fresh!
Amelia and I had a really nice adventure yesterday. We went to visit the farm we have been buying her fresh goats milk from, and to talk to the owner of the farm about joining their stewardship program. The farm is on three acres about an hour's drive from here, and it is beautiful! Amelia is really noticing and enjoying animals right now, and so I am always on the lookout for friendly- looking dogs that we might say hello to when we're out-- Portland is the perfect city for that, by the way! We have a lot of books about animals and go over their names and sounds daily, so it was really great to be able to introduce her to real, live goats, horses, ducks and chickens! She especially hit it off with the goats, who all seem very friendly and docile. It also felt so good to me to be out in the country with all of those wonderful smells (I particularly love the smell of horses!) and to spend some time with some kind, happy and energetic farmers.
We were there for a couple of hours and were able to tour the property, see where the goats get milked and where the chickens lay their eggs, eat some cheese and blueberries from the farm and talk about how we might be able to get involved. Something I really appreciate is how much they value children and want to have kids involved with them. We will be supporting the farm and getting some of our food from them, and in return they welcome us there as extended family-- we can go there whenever we want to, they have some rustic guest quarters where we are encouraged to spend the night, and eat meals with the farming family and get some hands-on experience of farm life. Erika, the owner (whose credentials include being a traditional Swiss homemaker,) said that she hoped Amelia could come every week or two and really feel like this was her backyard-- running around to see what's new and developing relationships with the animals there. Being in that setting was very therapeutic for me-- I didn't realize I'd had a raincloud over my head until it lifted while we were there! I am so thankful to be living in a place where we can do these kinds of things, and I hope to find more opportunities like this.
By the way, I am working on a new blog along this theme, and I'll let you know when I'm ready to have readers...