08/11/2026
Bittersweet moment this morning. I sat at my kitchen island after the storm rolled through, looking out the window and realizing—for the first time in three years—there were no goats out there. Just the dogs curled up with Wanda in the barn.
Yesterday I had a moment where I thought, “What the hell am I doing?” I was sure I’d regret selling my herd.
But after trimming hooves, giving copper bolus, and doing CDT vaccines on all seven goats by myself in the blazing heat—with a baby melting down right along with me—I realized this was the sign I needed. My sanity mattered too.
The whole herd went to a wonderful woman who will love them just as much as I did. And even though the goats are gone, we’re still planning to make goat milk soap—I’ve got a steady hookup for milk now, without the chaos of owning goats.
Next up: testing the cows for pregnancy so we can prepare for our very first calving here at Hartley Acres. Fall farm cleanup will be in full swing come September—
What I thought would be a terrible decision ended up lifting a huge weight off our shoulders.
So here’s to new beginnings, fewer hooves to trim, and hopefully cows that don’t give me the same attitude the goats did. If not… well, at least they’re bigger and easier to catch.
