The true meaning of "Vacay"

We are on vacation this week - truly. No jobs (mostly, I should bury my blackberry in the sand), no mail, no interruptions, no laundry, and no animals. I have been struggling with this break, actually, as I now consider my animals to be the foundation of my personal day - of course my children take precedence and root me in reality. But when I am milking my goat, rolling around in the hay with the two kids, and kissing Ruby's soft nose, I know how damned lucky I am to have this life. I am blessed with a husband who will support this madness and constant animal acquisition, children who love to muck out the barn and all the animals, and friends that I have met through being a part of this barn.

Being able to stay in bed with Eliot and Sophia and watch Sesame Street or play the snoring game instead of going to milk and feed the goats is a nice nice nice break, though. The woman I bought the goats from told me that one really can't prepare for how to take care of them, you just do it. And this is true - entirely. There is a lot of juggling of time, fear, pleasure, dedication and tons of milk to deal with. But what I didn't bargain for or even have an inkling about is how much closer I am to nature. I am so proud that my family drinks the milk that Phoenix provides, eats the cheese, and has no complaints.

On our way to Delaware, we were absolutely starving and broke down to get a quick fix at Taco Bell. I have always had a soft spot for Taco Bell as it was my first employer, but I know what goes into that crap so shame on me for giving in and ordering a 7-layer burrito. In the middle of the meal (driving), I tasted the shit that I was eating. Plastic flavored crap. Why? I have gotten used to eating the local beef from Deer Creek Meadow and Level Beef Farms, fresh eggs (until my babes start laying!) from Andy's Eggs, all fresh veggies from our CSA share at Harman's. I have been spoiled.

We ran out of my saved goats milk two days into the trip, and I have been debating whether or not to give in and get pasteurized water milk from the store to keep the kiddos happy. I am going to wait to see if any meltdowns occur before I give in.

I am one lucky lady, I know. And I can't wait to get back to all my animals. We should have turkeys in that mix by this weekend!