pnfcashmeres.com Blog

I combed a couple more goats today. Now I just have eight left to do. The fleece is looking quite good this year. Much better than last.
The snow is melting faster now. We have had some really nice sunny days in the upper 40’s to low 50’s with a bit of a breeze. That melts the snow quite nicely. The forest service road is in pretty good shape so far. About half of it is bare with the last couple of miles still snowy or icy.
Next week-end we are going over to Helena to hear my nephew, Reid Perry, play. He’s a great country/folk singer/songwriter and guitarist. Writes all his own songs and plays a pretty mean guitar. I am looking forward to seeing this.
I haven’t seen him, or my sister since our mom’s funeral nine years ago. Reid was just a little kid then, so this will be interesting. He’s 17 now. I think he’s well on his way to the “big time” in the music world. He’s got all the time in the world to improve and grow from here. He’s got a pretty good following in the Billings area. He’s also on a bunch of college radio stations around the country. He’s got a CD out too, called “Till the End”. Go Reid! The kid is pretty good! You can check him out on “My Space”. www.myspace.com/reidperry.
There sure are a lot of geese heading North already. Spring is early this year! The Robins are back, too. I think we will get a lot of rain the end of May into June. Not to worry about the lack of snow right now. There will be moisture this summer! Almost too much at times.
Nellie barks at the geese as they are flying over. She gets quite worried about them. I explained to her today that they are okay, they won’t hurt us, they are heading way up North to have their babies. She quit barking at them after our little talk. I think she gets it now.
Thursday I brought home another set of “boomerang goats”. I sold them a couple of years ago, then they discovered they could jump the fence they were in, so the people decided to get rid of them. So I took them back. They are Dottie’s kids from two years ago. They actually have some cashmere on them; they are out of Angus, so they should. I combed some of that out. I’ll give that to the lady that had them. She’s a spinner, too. So she can spin it into yarn and make herself a hat or scarf, or something.
I have now put Bridgett and Lucy on my website for sale. They are on the “goats for sale” page. I think I’ll sell Squeaky, too. They have longer guard hair, and I don’t want that in my herd. They have nice fleece, and both Bridgett and Lucy are pregnant. With their longer guard hair they need to be in a herd that gets sheared instead of combed. By the time I see the fiber ready to come out, it’s starting to matt up already. So if they got sheared, it would be at the right time for optimal yield without matting. Since I don’t like to shear them, someone else can get them and have some wonderful fleece. Bridgett throws some really nice kids, too. She had a really nice buck kid three years ago that has outstanding fleece. He’s over by Spokane now. She’s also the mother of Lucy. This will be Lucy’s first kid. So whoever buys them will get the kids, too. All for the same price! Can’t beat that. I think since they are getting pretty close to their due dates, I’ll keep them here until they kid, then whoever has bought them can take them home and have baby goats to play with. Bridge is a really good mom. Hopefully Lucy will be, too.
Well, it’s getting late, and there is a lot to do around here tomorrow. More as it happens…..

Here’s one of the yearling wethers named Andy, with his fiber all combed off of him. For such a small guy, he gave quite a bit of cashmere! There is some nice fleece this year. I’m about a third of the way done with the combing for this year. I get two to three done in a day. I’d better up that by a goat or two, or I’ll never get them all done. At least they don’t all shed at exactly the same time.
We are having some spring weather the last week or so. A lot of the snow has melted, although there is still enough to keep the ground white, for the most part. Good thing we are going to get quite a bit of rain in May. I hiked up to the rocks with a friend on Sunday, and we didn’t need snowshoes. They would have been nice in only one little section towards the top, but otherwise, the snow was only about 6 inches deep! There were bare spots under the trees. I even saw some green grass!
I plowed the road some yesterday to get rid of some of the slush and ice. Now it should melt off faster. I also made some turn-outs from the spring up, so if we meet someone, one of us can get out of the way.
I trimmed Rascal’s hooves the other day. Now they are back to what a normal horse should have. It only took 6 months to get them back to normal. Now I hope he will be able to stretch out and gallop properly this summer. He was so short strided from having such overly long feet that he is having to make some major adjustments back to normalcy. He is a nice little guy. Never threatens to kick, or bite or anything, even when I slip and fall against him. He’s a good boy.
The other night I heard a mountain lion scream, a couple of coyotes in the distance and an owl hooting. Obviously I wasn’t sleeping good that night. The youngest deer in our little group that hangs out here got killed by the lion a week and a half ago. When we were coming back down from our hike, we saw the four legs, back bone, and hide scattered all over a wide area. The coyotes cleaned up what was left after the lion ate it’s fill. Mother Nature at work. As long as there are deer around, I don’t have to worry about the goats getting done in. Especially with Nellie around barking at anything that moves, or she hears. She’s a good guard dog.
There is one deer that is not afraid of the dogs, though. Tonight it was coming in towards the house on the trail when Nellie and Dani went up to it barking. It just kept walking forward, and the dogs backed off. I’m thinking it has struck at them before, and they are afraid to get too close again. That does not bode well for the yard and garden this summer! We need a ten foot fence all around the perimeter of the yard to keep the deer out. I planted a bunch of flower bulbs last fall that I really don’t want eaten this spring. I’ll have to figure something out.
Well, back to work. I’m getting closer to having the cotton spun up and I finished the afghan. It looks pretty. Very bright colors!
More as it happens….

This year is going by fast already! Winter is pretty mild around here, unlike other parts of the country. Hope everyone is staying safe and warm.
I’ve started combing the cashmere off the goats now. It’s going to be a good year for it! No dander, very little vegetable matter, and it’s sooo soft. I love working with the stuff. The goats are liking the brushing. It must feel pretty good to get rid of all that hair.
I’ve spun and dyed 3 skeins of cashmere yarn in the last few weeks. Dyeing is so much fun. I never know for sure how it will come out. So far, so good. Now I’m crocheting a baby or toddler afghan for a friend of a friend. It will be a very bright blanket! Should look pretty neat.
I’ve learned, or I should say, I’m learning how to do the Tunisian crocheting. Also called the afghan stitch. It’s easy and fun. I’m not sure why I didn’t do that years ago. It intimidated me before, but not now.
I’m spinning some organic cotton now. I don’t think I ever want to spin cotton again. It’s harder to do than cashmere by far. Although now that I am getting used to working with it, it’s getting a bit easier. But, I still don’t think I want to do any more after this is done.
There is an un-planned pregnancy out in the goat pens. I went out to feed one morning this week, and here is Rusty entertaining one of the yearling doelings in his pen. He had bashed the fence enough to make a hole she could crawl through. They were looking quite pleased with themselves, so I am sure there will be a baby in July. I really didn’t want one that late, and it’s going to be the only one, so I think I will sell the doe in May or June, and someone can have a baby born on their place. She is one of Speckles’ triplets from last year. She’s half dairy and half cashmere. She has pretty markings, and her name is Molly. I was going to keep her, but I really don’t want a single kid that late in the summer. I’ll ask $100.00 for her and her unborn kid.
The one neighbor has sold his place now. We shall see what comes next. I hope a nice homesteader couple will buy it. The land is really nice, I wish we could have afforded to buy it, but it just isn’t meant to be at this time. Maybe it will just sit there empty till we can come up with the money, then we can get it! It would be perfect for my fiber arts education center that I will be building pretty soon. So, we shall see.
Well, that’s it for now….

We are in a mild spell again. This winter has has been different, that’s for sure. We have a few days of really cold temperatures, then a week or more of mild temps. We have been in a very strong inversion the last few days. It was in the 20’s in the valley and in the 40’s up here! Our snow has really settled the last couple of days. We did have around a foot of snow, but it’s settled down to about six inches or so now.
I’ve started trimming the goat’s hooves. There are a few of them that are starting to shed their cashmere already! I brushed a couple today. Maxwell and Nicolas are both definitely cashgora. I think I will sell them for pets. They are so cute and friendly. They would make someone a duo of excellent weed-eaters. They are way too cute to put in the freezer! Since they don’t have the top quality cashmere, I’ll sell them pretty cheap; $40.00 each. They do have nice fiber for spinning, it’s just not top quality cashmere. Maybe I’ll keep them and spin up their fleece, then sell it as cashgora. We shall see.
I got all eight of the yearlings done today. Tomorrow will be the four bucklings (that will be a smelly job!) and then start in on the main pen of does. I should be all done by Friday, Saturday at the latest.
I made a really nice looking cashmere beret out of the hand painted skein of yarn that wasn’t selling fast enough, and a rust colored skein. I just might have to keep it for myself, instead of selling it. I really like it!
I’m trying to get as much yarn spun up as I can this month and next. After the middle of March my spinning time will will decrease by quite a bit. Kids start being born around the 22nd. After that, I won’t have much time for spinning. I need to get some more accessories crocheted, too.
The chickens laid five eggs today. I hope this is the start of the egg laying season for them. We got a Murry McMurry Hatchery catalog today. I was looking through it at all the various breeds of poultry. We might try raising some meat chickens this year. We’re discussing that now.
I’m letting some of the chickens hatch out some chicks this year. We need some more laying hens that are young and will lay lots of eggs.
Well, that’s it for now. More as it happens…

2009 is a thing of the past, and 2010 is now here! It’s going to be a year of wild and wacky happenings, with lots of good things thrown in, too. I’m looking forward to it!
We are having a pretty mild winter. There are only about 6 inches of snow on the ground, and it’s a wet, heavy snow. It’s been in the mid to upper 30’s temperature-wise. I’m rather enjoying it. I think May is going to bring a ton of rain, so the lack of snow isn’t bothering me.
The goats are all doing fine. The chickens still aren’t laying very many eggs. I hope they start pretty soon. I’m tired of having to ration them. The turkeys are all well, and the guineas are being guineas.
Yesterday some mountain lion hunters killed a 120 lb male lion about half-way down our forest service road. When I was out feeding in the morning, I could hear the hounds baying not too far away. They worked their way all around the perimeter of the “bowl” we live in, and ended up back down on the fs road. When the neighbor came home, she saw the hunters on the road with their lion. It’s kind of sad really. Here this lion was just out minding his lion business, not bothering anyone, and gets chased down and killed in the matter of a few hours. He must have been one tired cat at the end. He led them on a very long chase! The hounds probably slept pretty good last night.
At 120 lbs, he wasn’t a young lion, so he’s been around for a while. Never has bothered any of our animals, just killed the deer that are plentiful around here, just like he’s supposed to do. I’ll bet the deer are a bit relieved, at least till a new one moves in. One less predator to watch out for. It’s still sad, though. Who knows, as the winter wears on, he might have come here to try his luck with the goats, or something. Then again, he might not have. We will never know, now.
I am still in the “getting rid of stuff” mode. It’s nice to get rid of some of the clutter around here. I want a fresh start to the new decade.
Well, that’s all for now.
Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas has come and gone once more. I had a nice Holiday. The weather was tolerable, it was quiet, peaceful, and enjoyable. We had a wonderful dinner at some friends’ of ours place. Good food, good company, a good time all the way around.
The animals are all well. Squeaky isn’t pregnant after all. She was, but someone, probably April, butted her hard and ended the pregnancy. It’s too late in the year to breed her now, so I’ll wait till next fall to breed her again. I might sell her in the Spring. We’ll see what all happens between now and then. So there are 11 does pregnant. Probably around 15 kids will be born in April.
We now have 12 turkeys left. That will be what we have till March. I think next year we will have 6 hens and the two toms for a breeding flock. They sure are tasty! Not a large bird, the heaviest one was 13 lbs, and the one we ate yesterday was only 6 lbs. But, they make up for lack of size with more flavor.
The chickens are laying one egg a day now. I got one every day this week. Maybe next week there will be two or three eggs a day. This year I’m letting at least one hen sit on the eggs and hatch them out. We need some young layers again. These girls are two and three years old. A little past their laying prime, but they will still lay fairly good. I’m not pressuring them, so they will last longer.
Our road is pretty icy now. We had a nice snow, then it warmed up and rained for two days, then got really cold again. So except for the very edge where there is a gravel strip, it’s ice. We are putting the chains on every time we go up and down the road. Rather an inconvenience, but such is life. It could be worse, so I’m not complaining.
Today there was a really pretty scene. We were under a cloud inversion, but up on the top of Wild Bill Mtn, there was a hole and the sun was shining down on the side of the mountain. Everything was covered in snow, so it was a beautiful bright white with a patch of blue sky. Hopefully tomorrow the clouds will lower down a few hundred feet, so we can be in the sun. That would be great!
Well, that’s all for now. Hope everyone is having a great Holiday!

We have snow now. About 8 inches. I plowed the road yesterday with the drag plow, and then used the ATV with it’s plow to widen it. I’ll finish it tomorrow. It’s still cold out. In the teens for the most part. It gets pretty cold out on the ATV even with layers and layers of clothes on. My fingers get pretty darn cold. Our road looks a lot bigger on the ATV than when I’m in the truck!
The goats are all doing fine. The ones that are pregnant are starting to show a bit. They are almost all overweight. Just a couple of the does are of a slimmer build. The rest are pretty easy keepers.
We are down to 13 turkeys now. There is one more for us to eat, then the rest will be added to the breeding flock. Next year I hope we have more to sell. They are becoming quite popular. Very tasty, too!
The chickens are still not laying eggs. At least I don’t think they are. I’m finding one egg most days. I’m starting to think someone is eating the eggs. I caught a turkey eating one the other day, so now they are banned from the chicken coop. I hope the chickens didn’t decide to start eating them after seeing a turkey do it.
Tonight when I went out to the dairy side of things to milk, etc., there was a rather big buck deer eating on the hay I throw over the fence that the goats won’t eat. I wish I would have had my camera with me. It would have made a great picture with the snowy trees in the background and this huge buck standing there looking at me. I really should start carrying the camera with me all the time.
We went to town today. The roads were a bit slippery, but we didn’t have any problems. All the side streets weren’t plowed yet, so they were messy. Glad we had 4-wheel drive. That kept us from spinning out at the stop signs and lights.
I got the dog hair all spun up. It turned out rather nice, if I do say so myself. Now it’s back to spinning the rest of the cashmere that is left.
Well, that’s it for now….

We are in an artic blast now. 11 below last night and it’s going to be a bit colder tonight, it looks like. It got up to a whopping 5 degrees today. Good thing the sun was shining to make it feel warmer. All the animals had their sides turned towards the sun today, soaking up the little bit of warmth it was giving. They are getting lots of feed, so they are staying fairly warm. They aren’t losing weight, that’s for sure!
I’m in the process of getting rid of just about everything I’m not using, and haven’t used for a while. We have too much stuff for this tiny house we live in. Time to do a major overhaul of our things. Flathead Freecycle is getting a lot of stuff from us!
We have three inches of snow on the ground. We didn’t get the big winds that the valley did, which is good, since it was so cold anyway. Even the little breeze we did have really made it colder. My face almost got frost bit. By the time I get all the layers on, I feel a bit like the Michelin Man. :-) Can’t hardly move. But I stay warm, so that is what counts.
I’m spinning up a pound of dog hair for a customer. I’m almost done. It’s nice and easy to spin. Fairly clean, with some VM in it, but not bad. Doesn’t smell too strong, either. It should make a really nice vest!
I’m also making a set of “his and hers” hats out of mini llama yarn. Those will be nice and soft. Not as warm and light as cashmere, but close. After that, I’m back to spinning up some cashmere. I”ve almost sold out of the prime cloud for spinning. I think I’ll keep the rest for myself to make things for the farmers’ market for next summer.
Well, that’s it for now…

Well, another turkey day come and gone. All the reports coming back from the customers who bought turkeys are saying it was the very best turkey they have ever ate, ever! Thank-you!
These turkeys were hatched here, and raised here, roaming all over the place, so I guess that is what makes them so good. They were only 10 lbs each, so they weren’t huge by any means. I think they hatched out in June, or right around the 4th of July. I will write it down next year for sure. We still have a few for ourselves. I think we will keep a couple of the hens to add to the breeding stock. There are some crosses, too. I’m calling them “Bourbon Bronze”. They look a lot like a wild turkey in coloring. They are a cross between the Bourbon Red and the Standard Bronze.
We had a good Thanksgiving. Went over to the neighbors’ for dinner. We will cook one of our turkeys on Sunday, since the dinner last night was vegetarian.
We are having a really mild start to winter! I am enjoying this a lot, and so are all the critters. I had clothes hanging out on the line on Wednesday. It was in the 50’s! That is really unusual for this time of year.
I got the dairy barn all re-done on the inside. Now there are permanent stalls built and feeders in each one. I’m working on the cashmere side now. I got the wether feeder done, but Henry is hogging the one whole side, so I’ll have to make a divider on it so he can’t do that. Poor Abraham isn’t getting to eat.
Well, that’s about it for today. Not much is happening that is noteworthy. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving this year!

I can’t believe it’s November already. This year has gone by way too fast. I didn’t get as much done as I was hoping to. Oh well…
We processed two turkeys on Tuesday. Sold one, and we are eating the other one. It’s pretty tasty! A nice change from goat meat.
I am now down to 44 goats, plus Lee’s two that I am boarding for the winter. There are ony 9 wethers now. That’s the fewest I’ve had in a very long time!
I finally got the old dairy shed torn down today. It looks much better out there now. This place is starting to look good, and just the way we want it to. Still a lot of work left to do, there is always something that needs fixing, or rebuilding, or building. A never ending process. It’s fun.
It’s breeding season now. There are five does that have been bred as of yesterday. I think there will be 5 more, then that will be it for this year.
Today was a nice day! John got the garden all ready for winter now. I made cheese, soap, spun, got my stuff all ready for Hooper’s craft show this week-end and tore down the shed. A good day’s work.
I’m teaching a workshop on how to make goat’s milk soap on Sunday. That should be fun. A busy week-end!
Well, that’s it for now….