The two of us have lived on this hill side for nearly half our lives, in a forest altered by commercial logging, then, subdivided by developers, With limited resources we are making a homestead on 20 acres, that continues to grow.
Why Goats?
23 years of growing.
There is no way to accurately describe being in one place over time, engaged with and observing the cycles of nature. The annual transit of the sun, ever changing shadows. The coming of seasons and the tasks they require, Daily rituals that contribute to sustenance are informed by conditions on the ground, the realities of reality. Nature is our guide.
However:
This is not a very good place for farming. The only reason anyone would live on the top of this small mountain is economic. This 20 acre parcel was affordable. Conditions are less than ideal, heavy equipment has scarred the top-soil, logging for old growth Douglas Fir has left scrubby and dense second growth Fir, and all the hardwoods that flourished in the newly opened canopy. The soil has been scrapped to rock for roads and landings, and the topsoil was never very deep. The winds are intense. We get gail force storms out of the south in the winter, and thermal gusts from the north in the spring and summer. Though abundant water appears in springs all over the hill, the water we control is below the most level and open sites. We arrived here with dreams of self sufficiency, and learned that is never a feasible concept.
And yet;
Scratching the soil for over twenty years, adding to it tons of composted biomass, and little else, pumping water with a self regulating solar pump, raising goats & chickens, playing with bees & pigeons, grooming the forest, & plantings, and reaping harvests- both work-a-day & experimental, has made this a glorious place. We rely quite heavily on food produced on site, purchasing mostly exotic fruits like Avocados, Bananas, Oranges, & Melons earlier than we can produce. Eating in season, utilizing what is available, and supplementing this with basic staples, we are not ”self sufficient”, but tenaciously self reliant.
Cue the Goats!
GOATS
Amazing ruminants that enrich our existence, Goats are, besides dogs, the earliest domestic animal. Intelligent individuals with unique personalities, they possess the ability to transform cellulose into fertilizer & milk. They have also transformed our life. The herd is a tribal society, and, the only effective way to interact with, and keep control of the herd is to gain respect as a member of that tribe. To be present and attentive requires more time and patience than modern civilization allows. This is why they are often deemed unmanageable and undesirable by modern, “civilized” cultures, though goats are essential components in the lives of rural and indigenous peoples all over the world. Goats help pioneer the wilderness, and are the last ones standing in wastelands, inevitably blamed for the destruction, scorned for their ability to survive. Goats adapt to conditions as few can, thriving on plants unpalatable to most, in extreme environments.
Grounded by nature, animal husbandry is the foundation of a healthy living culture.
