An Unexpected Blessing

In practical preparation, I'm still stumbling a bit when it comes to the goat herd.  I get a bit sentimental and go with my emotions rather than spirit and intellect, and that doesn't go well.  Last fall I purchased a nice young doe.  I knew she'd kidded probably once, maybe twice at the most, so no more than a three year old.  I bought her for her color and her ears.  The fact that she was mixed breed was obvious, so I knew I was already one generation ahead on the Jacob's herd.  She was a bit on the wild side, as in I couldn't touch her, but I just knew she was one for Goshen.  All of the goats here, don't have to be milkers, some just produce future milkers.  Knowing Buddy was getting to that ornery point all bucks come to, he was going to be leaving, but I liked his bloodlines.  Actually, I was planning to breed her to Buddy, in hopes of a buckling for a herd sire, but Abba had a different plan.

As it turns out, she was already bred when I bought her.  She kidded before she'd been here five months, which is the gestation period for goats.  The early arrival has resulted in a blessing beyond what I had hoped.  First, it was not a buckling, but an unrelated doeling with the ears I'm aiming for!   My big Oberhasli doe had a fine buck, as did one of my Nubians, so Buddy's bloodline shall remain in the herd.  With the new goat, Cherie, kidding an unrelated doeling this means the herd, if I remain obedient, is two years ahead of being on the way to a Jacob's herd.  If course, the first kid will belong to YHWH, but what a blessing to have such young blood in the herd now.  And there is more . . .

Cherie began eating out of my hand after she became a mom, but was still skiddish.  Knowing I was keeping her doeling, Tamar, I left Tamar on Cherie without even attempting to separate them to milk.  Since the mama had never been milked, I was hesitant to separate them, as I didn't want any health problems if the mama was uncooperative.  Here's where it gets interesting.  When I separated them, Cherie went back to being untouchable.  I understand that!  After all, I had taken her baby.  So catching her to make sure her udder stayed healthy was quite a task.  So much of a task, I considered putting her kid back on her.  I got a lead on her, finally.  We dragged each other to the milking parlor.  That is no exaggeration!  When I was ahead, she was digging in her heels and then she'd sprint forward and I'd be trying to keep up.  I coaxed/bribed/cajoled, and even lifted her onto the stanchion.  With great expectation of a real raucous, I grabbed the bucket and sat down, planning my strategy.

Her udder was tight, and her teats are short, but that goat never flinched, never offered to kick, nothing!  She stood there nuzzling my neck and ear while I milked her.  She was treating me like her kid.  All that hoop-ti-la in the pasture and then a perfect milker.  She has actually started calling me at milking time and although I still use a lead, she walks right in, takes care of business and walks back out.  I think this is what Abba meant when He said to "prepare practically!"