Our New Farm Dog!

Meet Dexter.  Isn't he adorable?  I am admittedly not a dog person.  But, just look at that face? 

We toyed with naming him "Ocho" since he is our 8th attempt at having a dog in our 11 years of marriage.  It's true, we've not always had the best luck with dogs.  This is why until last Thursday, we had all kinds of animals running around here and not a single dog.  Dexter, so far though, has been the perfect dog.

He runs around the yard, keeping stride with Girl 2. Sleeps (but doesn't poop) on the porch (not on my outdoor bed).  Stays out of my garden.  Rarely barks.  Doesn't pester the other animals.  Doesn't chew things up or drag them around the yard. 

I should probably stop with the list, or I may discover him missing from the backyard.

Anyway, he turned up at PawPaw's house last week, and they couldn't run him off.  He doesn't belong to any of their neighbors.  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for a rescue!

Now, for those of you who may judge us because of our 7 previous dog attempts  (e.g.  Jenny.  Justin.), let me quickly catalog and attempt to explain them here.

1.  Oxford, the Basset Hound puppy.  We bought him as newlyweds living in an apartment in Hot Springs just after we graduated from college.  Turns out that our landlord had a "No Dogs" policy.  Oops.

2.  Kate, the Dachshund.  We bought Kate soon after we moved to New Orleans.  Kate ate her own poo.  That really should be enough explanation, but we put up with her until Girl 1 was born and Kate was chewing on Girl 1's baby toys with that nasty poo-eating mouth.  Our priorities had changed, and she had to go.

3.  Rugby, the Dachshund.  We bought Rugby to keep Kate company in New Orleans.  He was the dumbest dog I ever met.  He would repeatedly fall off the porch because he forgot where the steps were.  When Kate left, Rugby left, too.  Don't judge -- they went to a good home.

4.  Sunny, the yellow Labrador.  John's parents used to breed Labs.  Sunny was a puppy from the last litter John's mom helped birth.  She came to live with us shortly after we moved back to Arkansas -- Girl 1 was 2-years-old.  Sunny was an adorable little terror of a puppy.  As an example of her antics, she once tore a hose into such small pieces that we only ever found a few pieces of it.  The rest were ripped so small that they just blended in with the grass.  She is still around but lives at my father-in-law's house.

5.  Sherman, the French Bulldog who needed a home.  He came home with us for a weekend as a trial.  Because of his breathing problems, he really needed to be an inside dog, and we just weren't prepared to have a dog in the house, so he went to another home after our weekend trial run was over.

6. Daisy Dog.  Daisy was a shelter dog who had been badlly abused.  We got her as a playmate for the girls when they were 3 and 5 years old.  Daisy was terrified of us.  We gave it a year, but she never warmed up to us.  We couldn't physically catch her.  She was basically a wild animal in our backyard.  We couldn't catch her to give her flea and tick treatments.  She tore my garden up by the roots, and I couldn't put her in the pen to keep her out of it because I couldn't catch her.  She ended up going back where she came from.

7.  Daisy Dos.  We tried again.  I guess we just didn't learn our lesson.  Daisy Dos came from Melbourne's foster care program for dogs.  Little Boy was newly adopted at the time and had come from a foster home with dogs.  We thought we would try again, so we brought Daisy Dos home on trial basis only.  She jumped up on the kids and knocked them down so much that they were afraid to go into the backyard to play.  She went back into foster care.

So, Dexter makes #8.  I'm hopeful that this sweet dog will work out for us.   :)

For those who think we just can't handle animals, I would mention that our chickens and goats are probably the most spoiled farm animals around.  Additionally, I offer this sweet kitty in our defense. We got Aslan when we'd only been married a couple of weeks and still lived in an on-campus apartment (that did not allow cats -- please don't tell).  She is very old and losing her hearing now, but she still lives on/under our front porch.  :)

Heifer International on Goats

We love to peruse the pages of the Heifer International gift catalog and see the various animals they are providing to people in various parts of the world.  It's only been since we've brought our goats home, though, that I've realized the full potential of the gift of a goat.


According Heifer International, the amazing organization that provides farm animals and animal husbandry education to struggling communities:

"Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens.
Goats often have two or three kids a year making it easy for Heifer recipients to pass on the gift of a goat to another family in need. This great investment allows our partners to lift themselves out of poverty by starting small dairies that earn money for food, health care and education."

For $120 you could provide a dairy goat for a family in need.  Can't do $120?  Consider buying a share of a goat for only $10.  Click here to see how.  Or, you could do what I'm doing and just stash away $10 a month so that by the end of the year, you can give a family the gift of a goat for Christmas.  :)

"With all the money donated to help fight famine around the world, with all the grandiose plans conceived to conquer poverty, sometimes all it takes to save a child is a goat." — 60 Minutes, CBS News Magazine Program

Something There Is That Doesn't Love a Wall

Don't you just love Robert Frost?  I no longer have a captive audience for my poetry lessons, so please indulge me.  A few lines from "Mending Wall":

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

Yep.  It seems Nature dislikes a wall.  She seems to know no boundaries. 

Consider the picture above.  I take such great pains to put in a perfectly positioned trellis for the green bean vines, and what do they do?  They jump over and grow up the tomato stakes!  Can't they see that I have this garden perfectly mapped out?  Don't they see the white boards delinieating their space?  They have no respect for my boundaries!

Or, take this zucchini plant.  I have allotted it 9 square feet, as per my gardening book directives.  So, why must it encroach upon my lettuce.  9 square feet -- that's all you get, Mr. Zucchini.

But the beauty of the garden knows no boundaries.  Who am I to reign it in? 

And, what of fences designed to give our animals more space but keep them out of neighboring yards?

In "Mending Wall," the speaker meets his neighbor for their annual fence-line walk wherein they mend a year's worth of damage to the fence separating their properties:

There where it is we do not need the wall:

He is all pine and I am apple orchard.

My apple trees will never get across

And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors."

Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder

If I could put a notion in his head:

"Why do they make good neighbors?  Isn't it

Where there are cows?  But here there are no cows.

Before I built a wall I'd ask to  know

What I was walling in or walling out,

In our case, we're walling in goats and walling out the crazy dog down the street and any other creature that could harm our precious herd.

Here are the goats on their first day in the field.  Yes, that's the chicken tractor out there, too.  We're going to have to rethink that, though.  Honey sent the ladies into a flurry of panic when she made it half-way into the chicken coop earlier this afternoon.  I'd opened the coop door to throw the chickens some goodies, and Honey apparently thought it would be a good time to introduce herself to her new neighbors.

The chickens, it seems, like their boundaries just fine!  ;)

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

After about 5 weeks apart, this mom and daughter were reunited today.  Izzy, the daughter, and her buddy Dallas (pictured below) have been in the weening pen for awhile.  Today, we decided to reintroduce mom and daughter and see whether or not Izzy would try to nurse after all this time.  The answer, unfortunately, is yes.  She immediately went for momma's udders.  Luckily, Razz, her mother, was having none of it, so it looks like it may work out for them to stay together.

Sweet kisses from Momma after a long time away  :)

Big hugs for Honey, our sweetest goat!  (And my favorite, hands down!)

Just a Walk Around the Yard (with commentary)

This sunflower is enormous!  I am 5'10", and it now towers over me.  It's an Evening Sun variety and is loaded with what should soon open up into blooms the color of a sunset.  Pics to come soon.

Okay.  I know I talked big about pulling out the broccoli plant, but in the end, I just couldn't kill it.  I transplanted it to a pot on the porch.  This way, it still gets to live but isn't casting too much shade on the surrounding veggies. It still hasn't produced any flowerets, but we'll continue to keep an eye on it.

The fence is coming along nicely.  If the weather cooperates, we should be able to turn the goats out onto fresh grass within the week.

The little pickling cucumber vines are covered with blooms, and I've even cut a few of the earliest cukes over the past couple of days.

The only problem with that is that I've seeded the organic dill several times and nothing has come up.  I really don't want to have to buy bunches of dill from the grocery store come pickling time, so I bought some small dill plants to put in.  Hopefully, they'll have time to get a bit bigger before I'm ready to pickle.

Zucchini has been going crazy lately.  While my back was turned, this one got a bit too big to be tasty.  The chickens didn't seem to notice, though.

While I was feeding the zucchini to the chickens, these guys were sticking their heads out of the pen and eating my shorts (literally).  We like to move the chicken tractor right around the edge of of the goat pen as bug control.  When the goats first came to us, we noticed a few ticks, but since the chickens have been circling the pen on a regular basis, we haven't seen anymore. 

Our soil around here gets so compacted that I had never dared attempt to grow roots in the ground.  Now that we're using our own soil mix in raised beds, I am able to try out roots.  I have, however, no experience with growing them.  Luckily, the carrots, beets, and radishes help me out by peeping their heads out of the ground to let me know they're ready to be harvested.

Our kale sure is happy.  We only planted two squares with it, so I thought we'd eat our way through it pretty quickly.  Turns out, everytime I harvest it, more comes back in its place.

Some pickings from today.

Hear that? It's the Sound of Progress!

Even now, as I sit here on the sofa typing this, I can hear the sounds of progress coming from the backyard. 

Let me explain.  A few years back, we bought the open field behind our house, mostly just to ensure that no one would build right behind us.  Since then, we've amassed a small farm in the backyard and have decided that it's time to make better use of that acre and a half just sitting back there.

Here's the field.  It's currently unfenced, but that is about the change.  It'll soon be surrounded by goat-proof fencing and contain a separate pen we plan to use to keep the bucks away from the gals.

Right now, our yard has privacy fencing on three sides and chain-link along the back (between the backyard and open field).  But, chain-link is not tall enough or sturdy enough for goats, so it's got to go. 

Luckily, John has buddies with fun toys.

Here he is knocking down one of the fence posts.

And here, the fence is down!

Now, he's working at further clearing the west fence-line, which is pretty overgrown.  Friday, the guy building the fence will be putting in posts; and by sometime next week, our goats should be able to frolic in and munch the fresh grass!

Chicks Are Growing!

Our little chickies are not so little anymore!  It seems they've become lively, rebellious teenagers.  They love getting moved to new grass each day and try to escape to even greener patches every time we open up the door.  We sometimes have to spray them with the hose so that they'll back away enough from the door for us to switch out their feeders.   

Here's one of the Dominiques (or "Domineckers," as they say around here) that will become apart of our laying flock.

We are now able to tell the difference between hens and roosters.  This Buff Orpington is a hen.

See the pronounced red comb?  This one is a rooster.

I opened the door to get some better pictures, and they promptly charged me! 

It's so much fun to see how these little guys are growing. 

Baby Dove, Baby Love

Remember my post that included these guys?  Click here  to see the original post about these Eurasian Collared-Doves who've called our yard home. We love listening to their beautiful call and watching them walk around in the goat pen, looking for goodies.

Well, John stumbled upon this little guy while weed-eating the other day.  He's a baby Eurasian Collared-Dove.  You can even still make out some of his little fuzzy chick feathers.  Based on how shocked he seemed to be sitting atop the fence and how close he let John get with the camera, I'm assuming this was one of his first trips out of the nest.    We thought he was adorable!

Goat Love!

Our goats have been here long enough to really get settled in, and we are getting to know each of their personalities.  We each have a favorite goat.  This is a pic of me with Honey, my favorite goat. 

She always meets me at the fence for kisses!

This was the view out my kitchen-sink window this morning.  Aren't they cute napping together?

This is Razz, our milker.  They crack me up when they get down on their knees like this to reach through the fence.  Apparently, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence because they work hard to get at it!

Bucket List

My parents had the chance to visit our little farm this past weekend.  It was their first trip here since the goats arrived.  After Girl 1, showed them how to do it, my Mom jumped right in and took a seat on the milking stool.  She did great and seemed to really enjoy the goats during her visit.

It took Dad a day to warm up to the idea, but he wasn't going to be shown up by Mom, so on Day 2 of their visit, he gave it a try. 

The look on his face says it all:   Okay, I'm doing it.  Can I be done now?   

I love this picture!

Though he probably won't be jumping onto the milking stool again any time soon, I was proud of him for giving it a try.  Maybe he should write "milk a goat" on his bucket list, so that he can cross it off.

By the way, if any of you, dear readers, would like to cross "milk a goat" off your own bucket list, feel free to stop by between 5:00 and 6:00 for a visit.  Razz is very tame and patient with beginners, and we love to have visitors. 

A Mother of a Different Breed

A couple days ago, I naively snapped these photos of the first visitor to my hummingbird feeder this year.  Thanks to http://www.hummingbirds.net/ and  Audubon Arkansas, I'm now much more informed about who she is.

It appears that, like me, she is a mother. 

How do I know?  Unlike me, she's not given away by her trailing 3-year-old.  Here's the info I've gleaned that makes me think she's a Momma bird. . .

1.  She is a she, not a he. Her markings (and location, here in Arkansas) give her away as a Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- only, she has no ruby throat.  That's because the males are the ones who use their dashingly handsome red necks to make the women swoon.

2.  She is very small.  I've had this feeder hanging right outside my kitchen window for a few years, and she may be my smallest visitor to date.  Her size may lead one to believe she's a juvenile, but it's actually the mothers who are smaller than their chicks.  Why is that, you ask? Hummingbirds lay their two white, pea-sized eggs in their walnut-shell-sized nests each spring.  For the 14 days or so that they are nesting, the mothers rarely leave the nest and dwindle in size as they vigilantly warm their tiny eggs. 

3.  This hummingbird is eating like a horse.  Okay, maybe not like a horse, but she kept returning to the feeder so much that I thought I would have to refill it in just a matter of days.  For the first 10 days of a her chicks' lives, the mother hummingbird leaves the nest solely for the purpose of finding nectar to feed her young.  By the time, her young have left her an empty-nester (which they do at the end of the 10 days), she is about half the size she was before laying the eggs.  Talk about motherhood taking a toll!

So, my best guess is that either she is currently feeding her young, way up in the nest I keep watching her return to, or they've recently left the nest, and she is eating so ravenously to regain her own strenth.

  Either way, it seems like a great picture of motherhood, putting the needs of our young before our own.

  Happy Mother's Day to the many moms out there (including mine) who show love by doing just that on a daily basis!

It's Moving Day!

We've been taking these precious little chicks outside for some fresh air the past couple days and getting them ready for the big move out of their tubs.  As you can see, they've entered their awkward "tween" stage as they gradually trade in their soft fuzz for actual feathers. 

Our chicken farmer is moving them into their new digs, a specially designed meat chicken tractor built by my very talented husband.

Here's another view of the tractor.  It's a much simpler design than the egg-layers' tractor.  These chickens won't be needing nesting boxes.  This is designed to provide them plenty of grass to forage and sunlight.  Like our other tractor, it's set on wheels, so we can move them every day or so to fresh ground.  Before you know it, we'll be eating free-range chicken!  (I know this doesn't seem like free-range, as they are in a confined space, but my reading suggests that the term simply means they're given continual access to fresh ground.  The term pastured is used to describe birds who have had free range of large swaths of land. -- Just a little poultry FYI you can use when reading  labels at the supermarket.)

"What's this green stuff?" 

John positioned them right outside my kitchen window for the first day so that I could keep an eye on them.  They seemed to happy all day and may have doubled in size.  They just pecked away at that grass all day long!

Speaking of my view from the kitchen window, the chicks moving to the backyard now brings our backyard animal tally to 35!  Let's inventory.

1 Rabbit

5 Goats

6 laying hens

23 chicks

Yep, that's 35 animals!  And that doesn't even count the snake John killed a couple weeks ago or that wretched neighbor cat who keeps coming over the fence to use my garden as a litter box!

We are loving our little backyard farm!

Easy Home Pasteurization Process

For now, at least, we have decided that we will pasteurize our goat's milk.  Home pasteurizing machines are costly, so we decided to try doing it the old-fashioned way.  UsWe strain the milk into our large Pyrex measuring cup and heat it using the double-boiler method. 

An instant-read thermometer is used to register the temperature.  To slow-pasteurize, a temperature of 143 degrees must be maintained for 30 minutes.  Or, for flash-pasteurization, a temperature of 161 degrees should be held for 30 seconds.  Because milk tends to keep a bit longer when slow-pasteurizing, I attempted to do that, but managing the temperature over that amount of time was pretty challenging, so I've been using the flash method so far.  As the milk nears the 161 degree-mark, it needs to be stirred constantly to avoid scorching.

After it's set at 161 for 30 seconds, immediately pour it into waiting storage containers (we're using quart mason jars with plastic lids) and submerge them in ice water to cool them quickly.

Once ice has all melted and milk is cooled, I label the plastic lids with a wet-erase marker and store in the fridge.  The whole process takes about 15 minutes, but it's not really all hands-on time, so I can be working on something else in the kitchen at the same time. 

An Update on the Goats

As an Oral Communications and English teacher, I liked to have my students read a funny article I'd stumbled across that mocked Crocs shoes.  The article was hilarious, and the students greatly enjoyed it.  Well, I'm sure those past students would have fun with this.  Yep, that's a pair of Crocs (or Crocs knockoffs) for each member of the family.  Aren't they stylish?  After I had to scrape the goat poo from Little Boy's church sandals just as we were ready to head out the door, I decided that we had to have backyard-specific shoes.  They needed to have a covered toe and able to be easily cleaned off with the hose.  What better solution than a family supply of Crocs?  The rules are that they are the only shoes allowed in the backyard, and they are NEVER to enter the house.  So far, this solution is working really well.

Razz has been producing 5-6 lbs. of milk per day (nearly 3 quarts).  We are loving milking her, and she has gotten very comfortable with the process.  She just jumps right up on the milking stand when it's time.

Poor Izzy

Poor little Izzy is being weaned right now.  Have you ever been around a goat being weaned?  Do you know how hard it is to let your baby "cry it out" in the night?  This is nearly as bad.  To wean her, we separated her from her Momma by putting her and her buddy Dallas in the old dog pen.  Basically, she and her Momma, who's across the yard, just cry back and forth to each other ALL DAY LONG.  It's pretty sad to listen to, but it's necessary.  Izzy is really too big to be nursing, and Razz has been trying to kick her off since she's been here.  It's time, but that doesn't make it any easier.  Meanwhile, John and I had to sleep in the guestroom because the dog pen is just outside our bedroom window and Izzy started back in with her whining about 11:00 last night.  The guestroom is on the other side of the house, so once we moved, we were able to get a good night's sleep (which is a good thing, since we were outside and ready to milk at 5:45 this morning).

And, of course, there's little Copper, the kids' absolute favorite!  They love to get him out of the pen and lead him around the yard (careful to avoid the azaleas -- fun fact: they're toxic to goats).

Not only are the kids enjoying playing with the goats, they're also enjoying the milk.  Here's Girl 1 showing off her milk moustache.  When she first tasted the milk, she said, "Wow!  It tastes like Razz-gular milk!"  She loves a play on words.  ;)

Girl 2, who doesn't normally care for milk (unless it's chocolate), even guzzled a glass.

My cheese-making supplies have arrived and as soon as I've got a gallon saved up, I plan to try my hand at some Chevre cheese.  So excited!

DIY Rabbit Hutch

John has been a getting-things-done kind of guy lately.  And, though, he wouldn't consider himself very efficient when it comes to building things, he's definitely been beefing up on his experience lately.  Case in point -- during a recent garage re-organization, he diagnosed a problem we were having with all the bicycles and scooters cluttering up the garage.  He went inside, looked up a plan for a bike rack, and built one the next day.  Problem solved!

Now, Cocoa Puff wintered in the garage in her metal cage.  But, once things warmed up a bit, she was ready for some more permanent digs on the back porch.  We looked around at various pre-fab models, but none of them were exactly what we wanted.  So, John set out to build a solution -- this time without plans to guide him.

I think the finished product is great!  It gets her up to eye level.  There's enough space between the metal cage and the wooden frame to allow for plywood inserts on the back and sides in the colder months to block the wind.

A pull-out poo-catching tray makes it easy to clean and keeps her from getting messy.

We painted the top board with chalkboard paint so that we could add her name.

She seems really happy with her new set-up.  And, I'm happy that my favorite of our farm animals (shh!  don't tell my kids . . . or the other animals) is getting to enjoy the fresh air from such a nice custom-designed space.  :)

Also, currently under construction is the meat chicken tractor.  I'll post some pics of it as soon as my expert-builder husband has it complete!

There Are Goats in My Backyard!

Yep, the gang's all here.  This afternoon, our wonderful breeder dropped off our small Nubian herd, and we got to introduce them all to their new home.

This is Razz, our milker, with Izzy, her doeling.  (Girl 1 named Izzy; Razz came to us already named.)

Here we have Honey, who we will get to milk next year.  (Little Boy chose "Honey," and it's turned out to be quite a fitting name so far.  She is so sweet.  She sticks pretty close by when you're in the pen, looking for some lovin'.)

This is the little wether that Girl 2 named Dallas.

Here, Girl 2 is bottle-feeding  Copper (who you guys helped us name!)

Isn't he just adorable?  He claimed the rock as his territory early on . . .

 . . . because he loved to show off his jumping skills!

Copper made the rock look like so much fun that Dallas soon wanted a spot atop the rock, and we had a little head-butting going on.

Razz on our milking stand for the first time

Our first pail of milk!

They all seem to be doing very well.  I love that they are gentle and friendly enough that the kids can just run around the pen with them.  Copper, the youngest one had been kept apart from the herd at the breeder's farm, so today, his first day with the group, they were shunning him a bit.  Hopefully, they'll all come around and include him more soon.  Maybe his stellar jumping will win them over.  :)

Razz wasn't too sure about the milking stand and kicked the pail a time or two before she finally settled into it.  My favorite pair of Toms may smell of sour milk tomorrow.  Oh, well.  John and I both took turns with the first milking.  He is definitely better at it than I am right now, but learning how to do all of this is going to be a lot of fun!

Chick Update

The chicks have been here over a week now and are doing great.  They are growing quickly and getting their true feathers, little by little.

This little guy thought he was really cool, ruling the roost from atop his feeder, until he realized he didn't know how to get down. 

The Buff Orpington's are so cute!  But, since they're to be my future dinner, I'm trying not to get too attached.

Thanks so some advice from a friend (you know who you are ;), we've switched from newspaper and paper towels to a paper-lined floor topped with pine shavings.  It seems to be working much better and the smell is not nearly as noticeable.  Thanks, dear friend!

Ready or Not, Here We Go!

The goats are set to arrive Saturday.  We've been anticipating their arrival for months now.  Because of kidding and weaning, we've had to wait until now for their arrival.  All that wait time has translated into uber-preparedness.  I mean, seriously, just check out this view of the milking room.  Yes, look at those bins -- my love affair with the label-maker continues (please don't tell my slow cooker ;).  Also pictured here are the freshly painted walls, milking stand John built, newly installed shelf, shop light for working after dark, and refurbished old stool that carries with it a bit of nostalgia.  After all this waiting, it's hard to believe we're so close!  I can almost taste that milk!

In the weeks leading up to my turning 16, I used to just sit in my car in the driveway listening to music.  I could hardly wait to be able to actually drive it without an adult in the car with me.  I think we've all got a bit of that going on about the goats.  Here, Girl 1 is just sitting on the milking stool, getting a feel for things.  And, last night, we all just kind of hung out in the goat shed, talking mostly, but also doing a few last minute things to prep the space.

 I was so proud of Girl 2 for working so diligently and not goofing off. 

Then, I saw all the pine shaving she'd thrown in Girl 1's hair.  Oh, well.  We're having fun, and that's a huge part of what all this is about anyway.  :)

A Rabbit On a Leash?

Okay.  It may  not be conventional, but isn't it cute?  Cocoa Puff has basically lived her life in a cage.  Since she was rescued from the snake's buffet cart at the pet store, she's enjoyed lots of fresh air and really enjoys her "playpen" in the backyard where she can munch the grass and weeds. 

But . . . you know how you walk outside in the early morning and startle a little bunny who was enjoying her breakfast in your garden, and then she scampers off so fast you're almost not sure you really saw her?  Poor little Cocoa Puff has never really had a chance to scurry about and stretch her legs.  Since she's gotten so enormous since she's been here, we thought she could use some exercise and checked into getting her a harness and leash.  And what better time to test it out than when we're keeping our nieces for the weekend and are looking for ways to entertain them?  I mean, what's more entertaining than watching a rabbit as she takes her maiden voyage around the yard, with a 4-year-old in tow?

This little harness is made especially for small critters like guinea pigs, rabbits, and ferrets.  It has a stretchy cord for the leash so that there's never too much tension on their fragile bodies.  I told the kids as they were "walking" her that she gets to be the leader.  We don't pull her; we follow her.

And, boy, did she run/hop!  Imagine the song playing in the background as she bounds through the backyard for the first time ever:

 "Born free, as free as the wind blows,

As free as the grass grows

Born free to follow your heart!"

Drumroll, Please . . .

The results are in.  The readers have spoken.  So, I'm proud to introduce to you our little buckling named . . .

 COPPER!

Thanks so much to those who voted.  Thanks especially to Mrs. Rhonda Woods who submitted the winning name.  It was fun for us to watch the votes and cheer on our favorites.  And, don't feel badly for the members of our family whose favorites didn't win.  We're getting 5 goats, after all.  And, only one of them is coming to us named!