Bristlecone Springs Farm

10/12/2026

I’ve been keeping a little secret for the past couple of months! 🐐

Almost exactly a year to the day after making the heartbreaking decision to sell my goats, something happened that I never expected.

My girls came home! And they’ve actually been back since early August!

Last year, I made the heartbreaking decision to sell my goats after ongoing complaints from a neighbor about our livestock guardian dog’s barking. What they didn’t seem to understand was that her barking served a purpose. She was protecting our goats from predators, and expecting her to stop meant putting the very animals she was there to protect at risk.

At one point, I was told, “It’s a neighborhood, not farm country.” Those words really stuck with me. I loved raising my animals here, but I knew I needed to find somewhere we could continue doing what we loved without the constant conflict. That ultimately pushed me to start searching for a ranch, and that search led us to Runjun Ranch!

I was already talking with Sweetie Pie’s owners about bringing her to the ranch when, completely unexpectedly, the people who bought my goats reached out. Their circumstances had changed, and they wanted to know if I’d be interested in buying them back.

I hadn’t planned on bringing the goats back, especially with everything we have going on at the ranch. But the thought of my girls potentially being sold off and separated from one another broke my heart. I just couldn’t let that happen, so I decided to buy them back!

Roxie, BB, Clementine, and Poppy have been tucked away at Bristlecone Springs Farm in our old buck pen, which is now serving as their quarantine area.

I’ve kept their return pretty quiet, partly because of the situation that led to selling them in the first place. Although I’m fairly certain the neighbor has figured it out by now. Every time their hay gets low, they make sure the entire valley knows about it!

We’ve spent over a month working on goat proofing the fencing at Runjun Ranch in preparation for moving the girls out there. And we’re not talking about a little backyard fence here. We’re talking about nearly a mile of fencing across the property!

Of course, bringing the girls home came with some concerns. While they were away, they’d been living with other goats whose health histories were unknown to me. Even though my girls were healthy when they left, I couldn’t assume they hadn’t been exposed to something. That’s why they’ve remained quarantined.

With the fencing coming along, I’m hoping to finally move them to Runjun Ranch soon. But before introducing them to Sweetie Pie and Graham, I want to be as certain as possible that they’re healthy.

And then there’s the possibility of pregnancy! I was told they’d been running with the bucks for about two weeks before I picked them up. If any of them were bred during that time, we’d be looking at December-January babies. At over 10,000 feet in the Colorado mountains, January is about the last time I’d ever choose to have newborn kids arriving! 🥶

So today we tackled their disease screening and pregnancy testing! With Michael holding each girl, I drew blood from all of them myself. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done blood draws, so I was definitely a little rusty! There were a few extra pokes involved, but treats always make everything better. The girls were completely unfazed as soon as the treats came out.

We’re testing for CAE, CL, Johne’s, Q fever, and pregnancy. Now comes the waiting game. Hopefully we’ll get clean disease panels and maybe some reassurance that we won’t be delivering baby goats in the middle of a Colorado winter in the high country!

It’s funny how things work out. Saying goodbye to my goats was part of what set us on the path to finding Runjun Ranch, and now I have my girls back too.❤️🐐

10/05/2026

Had some sprouting potatoes that I stuck in the ground this spring. I put them in an old outdoor garden bed I had retired. No compost, nothing. I honestly didn’t expect them to do much.

I barely watered them, and we spent all summer in a drought. To my surprise, they produced way more than I ever expected! I was pleasantly surprised by my little potato haul. 🥔

Update: We got 5 lbs 11 oz! Not bad for some sprouting potatoes I basically tossed in the ground and forgot about.

08/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1H3m7hXmtF/?mibextid=wwXIfr

11/12/2025

We are getting northern lights tonight!

11/10/2025

Azmerelda the Wild

Ten years old,
born of wind and flour
on a night when the fire burned low,
she has endured through every season,
steady and faithful to the end.

Shared by many,
she carries her warmth
into countless kitchens and loaves.
They call her Azmerelda the Wild,
spirit of living bread.

10/22/2025

Hey friends and family, we’re so excited to share that we’ve bought a 35-acre ranch just down the road in the Colorado mountains. We’re just getting started, but we’d love for you to join us and watch as we build this next chapter of our lives.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1B9MRWttcR/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Creating our homestead ranch in the Colorado mountains, where our dreams of building a home, raising livestock and growing gardens are taking root. Follow along as we grow.

10/11/2025

I have a huge announcement to finally share. 🤍
For a long time, I carried the weight of knowing change was coming. The land that had once been our peace began to feel strained, not wrong but no longer in harmony.
Out of respect for my neighbors and the rhythm of the place, I made the hard decision to sell my goats and retire my guardian dog to a now couch snuggling house dog who is thoroughly enjoying her new role.
Selling my goats was one of the hardest choices I have ever made, but I knew it was necessary. Sometimes we have to release what we love to make room for what comes next.
For nearly two years, we searched for a new place. We drove backroads, walked pastures, and looked at countless properties beneath endless mountain skies. We even considered moving out of state, searching for that unmistakable feeling, that quiet knowing in your chest that says this is it. But nothing ever felt right. I began to wonder if maybe the dream had run its course.
Then, not long after the goats left, the right piece of land finally appeared, quietly, as if it had been waiting for us all along. Just outside of Fairplay, only 25 minutes from my home, thirty five acres of open meadow and forest stretch beneath the mountains. A gentle creek winds along one side, and a well is already in place, permitted for watering all kinds of livestock and up to an acre of land.
The air there feels lighter, the kind that fills your lungs and clears your mind. The breeze moves softly through the trees, whispering a calm truth I can’t quite put into words. The first time I stood there, I knew this was it.
And now it is official, we have closed on the land that already feels like home, and I am eager to begin rebuilding. There is still plenty of work ahead before we can truly begin again, but this time everything feels aligned, steady, certain, alive.
What once felt heavy has lifted, and what began as an ending has become a rebirth. This is more than a new beginning. It is strength reclaimed, purpose renewed, and the dream, rising, rooted, and ready to grow.

10/04/2025

It’s about to be salsa making time. Growing in the greenhouse came with some delays and setbacks this year during the transition to the new space, but things are picking up fast now. I can’t wait for fresh salsa.

09/01/2025

Today my goats left for their new home. The barn feels quiet without them, and my heart misses their presence. They were family, and saying goodbye was hard, but I’m grateful they’re still together and will be cared for with love.I’m holding onto the hope of starting again. I’m still searching for land where I can build a new place for goats and for the life I dream of. This is not goodbye forever—just a pause until the right place comes along.

08/30/2025

This is one of the hardest updates I’ve ever had to share. After so much thought, searching, and heartache, we have found a new home for our Nigerian Dwarf goat herd. The entire herd will be leaving this Sunday, together, to begin their next chapter.

These goats have been more than animals to us, they have been family. We’ve been there for their first breaths, their playful leaps, their sweet nuzzles, and even the challenges that tested us and taught us. Many of you have shared in those moments too, whether it was celebrating new babies, tasting cheese made from their milk, or simply enjoying their stories here.

For almost 10 years now, goats have been the heart of our little farm. They’ve shaped our days, our work, and our joy in ways we’ll never forget. Letting them go is not easy. Our hearts are heavy knowing the barn will be quiet without them, yet deeply grateful that they are all staying together in a home where they will be loved, cared for, and appreciated for the gifts they bring. That was always my biggest hope for them, to never be separated, and to be safe and happy.

This is not the end of our story with goats, only a pause. We are still actively searching for ranch land, with the hope that one day we can return to raising animals and build a more legitimate ranch business around the skills and creations we’ve been cultivating here. We’re not done forever, just taking a break until the time and place are right.

Thank you, truly, for following our journey with them, for your encouragement, and for holding space for the joy they brought to this little mountain farm. As we say goodbye, we carry forward all the memories, and the comfort of knowing they are heading to greener pastures as the close-knit family they’ve always been.