Our three Nigerian Dwarf goats came to us about three years ago. We were still living in Louisa, VA and hadn’t developed that property as a homestead at all yet. We had recently brought home our wonderful Border Collie, Lucy, but that was as far as we had gotten in the animal department.

I had known for several years that I wanted to try my hand at Nigerian Dwarf goats. I had learned that they are a rare breed, small and easy to handle. They are the most efficient of all goats at turning inputs into outputs, they are unusual in that they can be bred year round and lactate for long periods of time. Furthermore, Nigerian Dwarf goat milk has the highest butterfat of all goat milk so that some say their milk is the tastiest of all goat milk. They have pleasant personalities and are easy for children to work with. That is a lot of positives for a breed that needs saving anyway!

One day a woman living in Georgia posted on a digest I had been on for years that she had Nigerian Dwarf goats for sale and she could deliver to certain areas. Our area was doable for her so a month later we had a mama Nigerian Dwarf goat and her two two month old doelings delivered to us in what turned out to be the middle of the night. My husband had fixed up what apparently used to be a pen for a pet pig out back and there we put them and there they stayed for some time.

When the next day dawned, we all piled outside to meet the new goats. They were rather less interested in meeting us than we were them. As a matter of fact, we gradually realized that these goats really hadn’t been socialized at all and that the mama, Maggie, tended to be on the stubborn side to boot.

As Maggie was still nursing her doelings, I went ahead and purchased all the equipment we needed to milk her. We tried milking her a bit here and there but she had never been milked before and was resistant to the whole thing. We were busy at the time and didn’t press her. Eventually we got our first Dutch Belted cow who needed to be milked immediately upon arrival so we got into the swing of milking and training dairy animals right quick. After milking our cow for a while, we then finally settled down to milking Maggie consistently. This is odd when you think about it. You wouldn’t normally be broken into milking a little goat by milking a giant cow first but that is how it went for us.

A few months later, Maggie was producing so little milk and I was so busy that it became no longer worthwhile to milk her. Interestingly, the doelings who were well over a year old by now continued to nurse on her from time to time. This raises the subject of how long mammals naturally nurse their young but we will save that for another post.

From time to time we considered selling these goats. We were pressed for space - not only on our land but in our minds and in our schedules. They weren’t getting as much attention as we wanted to give them and we were doing nothing but feeding them without getting anything back. We eventually cleared out a large wooded area and put them in there to keep the brush down. That was very effective. These dwarf goats could clear out an acre amazingly quickly. At one point my husband was particularly intent on selling them. We mulled over the idea for a while but somehow I just couldn’t let them go. I had no idea why but I felt strongly about it nevertheless. My husband heard my heart on this and decided that we probably didn’t really have to sell them after all. We tried to get them bred for a while with a local Nigerian Dwarf breeder I discovered just before we moved but somehow it didn’t happen.

We moved the goats here to Floyd along with everything and everybody else. Even here in Floyd we went back and forth about keeping them because we are so pressed for space. But one day last fall we happened upon a wonderful registered buck who made us all laugh and clearly belonged with us. We did the obvious thing and brought him home. Finally we had a way to breed our goats. The results of that are on video on our video blog and five months later we are enjoying the kids and the milk every day.

There was such a transformation in these does once they kidded and, consequently, such a transformation in the way we viewed them. They went from being creatures we had to manage to full fledged partners on the homestead. In short, they were mothers. The sounds they made changed, their behavior changed and the way they spent their time changed. In short, they had become mothers. We could see aspects of their individual personalities and strengths and weaknesses of their individual physical constitutions in ways that we couldn’t before. In short, the natural transformation they had undergone brought out their possibilities in a way that just hanging around never could.

I recently learned that goat milk is higher in minerals than cow milk. That is why they are browsers rather than grazers. Trees, bushes and so-called weeds all have much deeper roots than grass which enables them to bring minerals up from deep down. Goats find these extra minerals in leaves and bark and then we drink down these extra minerals in goat milk.

I also recently learned that I have a health issue that has worsened so much that I really have to slow down and deal with it. Minerals, minerals and more minerals is one helpful remedy as is fresh milk with all of its enzymes and immune system boosting properties. Where I have been happily drinking kefir all this time made with our Dutch Belted milk, I am now craving the fresh goat milk and drinking it down daily. Every time I milk the goats with my children (who of course also have an elevated need for minerals), I feel so grateful to these creatures we barely knew for so long. There is a balance and a goal in our relationship now. We finally have a give and take relationship where each serves the other in a balanced way. We have stepped into a right livelihood with each other, I guess you could say. It makes all the difference in the world in how we view each other.

The natural process is like that. If we simply step fully into the roles available to us, we are guaranteed a marvelous transformation. As Nature is set up that way, we always have this deepening process available to us. We can always become more. And as Nature unfolds around us, we always have much to be grateful for and that gratitude, more than anything else, supports our health.

In the below videos, you can see our goat mamas, watch them being milked and take a peek at our children bottle feeding the kids in the kids’ pen.

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie

After we bottle fed the kids yesterday evening and had tended to the mama goats, I happened to wander back over to the kid pen and saw Anna playing with the kids. Luckily I happened to have my camera in hand.

There are just all kinds of possibilities for spontaneous bits of fun on the homestead if you have enough young ones of enough species thrown together!

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie

Re-posting from late April.

Many participants or abhyasis of the Sahaj Marg system of raja yoga are in the middle of a three day gathering in Ohio right now honoring the birthday of the second Master of the system, Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur. Venues for these events are always simple in nature with minimal comforts and simple yet nourishing food provided. The schedule includes group meditations, talks and a variety of other Mission related activities. Externally that is what one might experience at these gatherings but internally they offer a unique opportunity to go within and connect with the divinity that resides in all of us. Although the associated travel and the gatherings themselves are often tumultuous with the emotional up’s and down’s we refer to as “cleaning,” the condition one experiences after the gathering is one of such deep love, reaffirmation of one’s path and wellbeing that the craving to attend another gathering and be in the presence of the living Master of the system develops almost immediately.

For the first time, all of the abhyasis in America received a handwritten invitation from the Master to attend this particular gathering in Ohio. Up to that point of receiving the invitation, it had been unthinkable for us that we could make the trip given our financial situation, our large family and the daily responsibilities on our homestead. However, the invitation seemed to have a life of its own. It carried with it a sense that any abhyasi with craving in their heart to attend would be able to attend. Many abhyasis have experienced the phenomenon of thinking that they can’t attend a gathering only to discover that the pull from the inner Master and their own will to go somehow created the circumstances necessary for the journey to happen after all.

This handwritten invitation was radiating this principle. We even went so far as to frame it and hang it expectantly in the dining room. Leslie and I came up with a plan for how we might be able to manage to attend and for a little while things looked promising. However, after some time our plan fell apart and the trip to Ohio again appeared impossible. This caused great pain in our hearts for all of us, including the children. Leslie often wept over the thought about not being able to attend. As it turned out, it was as it had to be. After weeks of hard work and preparation on our part, our three does kidded a week before the gathering. Both the does and the kids required daily care and training. It would have been very tough gearing up for a long trip with six children in a 15 passenger van that needed work done on it after all of that. The weather in Ohio was cold and we were worn out. Even with all of that, we were very disappointed about not being able to attend and as the gathering is now entering its final day, we still are.

But something great, a revitalized commitment, has come out of our disappointment. Since starting our homestead, Leslie and I have known that we were no longer going to be able to travel great distances as a family to Sahaj Marg spiritual functions. The homestead and our “large” family flowed from our spiritual practice and yet those are the two things that make traveling to these spiritually uplifting gatherings difficult, if not impossible for us. At the same time, Leslie and I knew that since our family and homestead both developed out of our Sahaj Marg process and were directed by what we call “the inner Master,” Nature and the Master must have another way for us to continue to participate in these gatherings that are so essential to our wellbeing as abhyasis.

What we realize is that our new path towards gatherings involves the completion of our own meditation building right here on our homestead. Over the past few weeks the disappointment and craving have fueled a new sense of urgency and commitment for us to complete this building so that we can host gatherings at our home. The final pieces for its design and construction are coming together. We have recently decided to use cob construction for the walls and a living roof to complete the building. (To give some idea of what we are planning, here is a studio a pair of cob designer/builders constructed that has many similarities to what we plan to build.)We have already been given an excellent set of windows to use and the front doors are already installed. Now we only have to get our truck fixed and get the money together for the posts and roof materials and we can complete the building. Below are two new videos of our progress so far.

Three years ago, this same April birthday celebration was combined with a Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the inauguration of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. That gathering in Tiruppur, India was attended by over 30,000 abhyasis who saw the current Master of the system name his successor and release the book Whispers from the Brighter World. Unfortunately, my family and I were not in attendance. The gathering was perhaps the most significant one in the 60 year history of the Mission. Leslie and I would have moved heaven and earth to be there but we simply had no way to go. But we did do something significant instead while celebrating the gathering at home. We held our first official family gathering which included a schedule, activities, and assigned jobs and responsibilities. Our children even put on a great presentation which I videoed. Overall, we did an effective job of turning our house into an ashram for those several days. We learned that it takes considerable effort during a home-based gathering to resist falling back into random daily routines and habits. It took discipline and focused work to transform our home into a gathering venue but we did our best all the way down to making the garlands that adorned the picture of the Master. That gathering was so meaningful for us as a family that we still remember it vividly today.

Now three years later this same opportunity to have a home gathering has revisited us. With the receipt of the invitation and then the subsequent disappointment fueling the fire, we have a renewed sense of purpose about creating our meditation building and hosting gatherings at our homestead. Our first act after completing the building will be to place our special invitation on the wall. For us, his handwritten invitation was not just about attending one gathering now but rather was for the possibility of hosting many gatherings in the future as a new era begins for our family.

All the best,
Paul

These Videos are for the afore mention 2005 home gathering.

This was originally posted on April 26 before our blog crashed. We are re-posting it now.

Children and kids are apparently a natural combination which surely is fun to observe. In the following video you can listen to children telling stories about goat, kid, and hen interactions just like Fern does in Charlotte’s Web.

Within hours the kids are ready to alternate play with rest so children and kids go on a merry romp after which the kids, Gretel and Marta, curl up together and sleep.

We are already really enjoying having such these elegant bits of fun on the homestead and can’t wait for the next installment of kids.

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie

This was originally posted on April 26, 2008. It was lost when our blog went down so we are re-posting it now.

After a lot of cold, raw, wet days this day was warm and beautiful. We had been working hard all week and needed a break so my husband took us all on a nature walk to our special spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had a very strong feeling that some birthing energy was building up on the place but going for a walk seemed right. We had a wonderful time enjoying the change of scenery and came back tired but refreshed. When we got home, I took down the laundry and then went over to check on the goats. Iris had kidded just as nature intends, privately and in a sheltered place. Soon the cob goat shed was full of goats and humans and children and kids.

Here everyone is getting to know everyone else:

After some time Iris passed her placenta and ate it like every good mama. You can see details of this on the video and hear some discussion about this between Paul and the children.

This was such a relaxed and natural first birth. Good for her and good for us. Oh, and we named the kids Gretel and Marta. Both names mean the same thing which is neat for naming such nearly identical twins. They mean “child of light” which certainly describes the beautiful day on which they were born.

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie

This was first posted on April 20, 2008. It was lost when our blog went down so we are reposting.

On a day of beautiful, warm spring weather the doe we were sure would give birth last of our three pregnant does gave birth first to two elegant looking little doelings. The birth was completely natural and uncomplicated and Iris turns out to be a very effective and attentive mother. The doelings are cute beyond words. I now have kid fever and am impatiently waiting for the other two does to have their kids. I am pretty sure you cannot have enough of these adorable little bits of romping fluff. This is where we found Iris and her kids - in the complete-enough-to-do-the-job cob shelter. It is downright cozy in there and just perfect for the growing goat families.

A calm and confident mama.

Little babies need their “all in a heap” rest.

You can be sure there will be more posts, photos and videos coming. There are many wonderful attributes to Nigerian Dwarf goats, not the least of which is their really cute kids. Our children are enjoying the kids so much. It is heartwarming to watch.

Oh, and we are still working on names. Guess we had better hurry because there will be quite a few more kids here any time.

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie

This was originally published here on April 27, 2008. It was lost when our blog went down so we are re-publishing it now.

Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the process of disciplinary education. Charlotte Mason, Home Education

The four of my six children I homeschool using Ambleside Online are very close in age, very close to each other and have enjoyed years and years of delving into extended imaginative play together. They narrate stories and news and events like they breathe - all day, every day! The logistical problem I have with narrations is not resistance or lack of experience or ability. The problem I have is that they each remember every little detail and relish narrating same. They are disappointed and apparently feel incomplete if I don’t provide them the opportunity to convey everything they have heard or read from their curriculum.

I have read many discussions online about what to do for children who don’t yet understand how to narrate or who are resistant to it. Lots of people have lots of neat suggestions about how to vary narrations which include everything from drawing to acting out narrations to making posters to answering any number of leading questions that serve to break the narration down into manageable chunks. I have dutifully kept a record of many of these suggestions on the off chance that I would need them for some unforeseen reason in the future. Now I have suddenly realized that I can use some of these suggestions now but for an entirely different reason than the ones usually offered in these discussions. It has taken me all this time to “change set,” as it were. Instead of thinking of different approaches to narration as being only remedial in some way or learning style adaptations or boredom dispellers, I now finally realize that certain variations on guiding narrations can also be suggestions towards their future deeper understanding of the structure of literature.

In fact, I need these different approaches to narration now to begin subtly laying the groundwork for teaching literary analysis! It is like using Mad Libs and copywork to teach grammar. The child seems to only be playing a game (Mad Libs) or practicing handwriting (copywork) but if handled thoughtfully by the parent/teacher, the child is also effortlessly learning about adjectives, proper nouns, punctuation, styles of writing and so on.

Take a look at this extensive list of Narration Ideas on Simply Charlotte Mason or here on this page entitled Narration: The Art of Storytelling. If you set aside, for a moment, the various modes of expression included on the list that are perhaps included for the sake of variety or for appealing to different talents and learning styles, many of the suggestions for approaching narrations are really typical literary analysis sorts of questions. Compare and contrast; Describe the problem and how it was solved; Explain what this story tells you about the character of the person you read about; and so on.

We are even invited by Penny Gardner and others to turn all of this into a sort of game by using a narration cube or some variation thereof. Children can roll the cube or draw slips of paper from a jar and win the chance to describe plot, character, comparisons, themes and so on. This is not just a way to reduce the “daunting task of narrating everything,” it is also a fun way to subtly suggest an approach to literary analysis (or indeed analysis of life events) to young children.

Every artist needs specialized tools. Every artist needs to master both him or herself as well master the use of the tools specific to their art form. If narrating is an art that lies waiting inside each child, as Charlotte Mason suggests, then subtly leading our children into new approaches to narrating and new ways of thinking about narration is really leading them towards mastering the tools specific to the art of narration as well as the art of literature itself. We don’t have to sit our young students down and pedantically go through dry explanations of plot, character development, setting, etc. and then set them to work on essays. No, we can suggest a way of looking at literature in passing while doing something else very familiar called narrating. From time to time, we can casually call attention to the role of setting or a compare and contrast way of thinking when giving our children a fresh way to give a particular narration. Gradually they will begin not only narrating what they have read or have had read to them, but they will also in essence begin narrating about narrating by selectively highlighting certain aspects of the literature placed before them.

I am now taking this idea of suggesting specialized ways of narrating to my narrating-happy children as a pleasurable necessity that will build towards an artful end. As I will be using these lists and ideas towards a specific purpose, probably some suggestions will seem more fruitful for us than others. Eventually through trial and error, I will have a list of approaches to narration that build towards literary analysis and an understanding of the structure of literature that are suited to us as a family.

I look forward to seeing what is “waiting to be discovered” along these lines for the whole lot of us here at The Lionsgate School and I will provide a written narration of our discoveries in due course!

From the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia,
Leslie