Kids & Kids: Grandkids, Goat Chaos, and Farm Fresh Fun

We had a houseful this weekend—two-legged kids and four-legged ones, and honestly, I’m not sure which were louder. Between the laughter, the bleating, and the barking, it sounded like a petting zoo and a playground had collided in the middle of my barn.

The grandkids came to visit, which meant Roxie, our English Shepherd, was in full-blown doggy heaven. She had someone (actually several someones) to throw her toys over and over and over again until I’m pretty sure she collapsed that night with a squeaky hedgehog under one paw and a look of blissful exhaustion on her face. I swear, that dog smiled in her sleep.

Meanwhile, I had a whole crew of enthusiastic helpers down in the barn, bottle-feeding a few goat kids whose mama was less than thrilled with them. It was pure, adorable chaos: little hands holding little bottles for little goats with little tails wagging like metronomes on espresso. The grandkids giggled every time the baby goats butted at the bottles or bleated impatiently, and I couldn’t help laughing right along with them. There’s just something about kids (of both kinds) that makes the whole place come alive.

And yes, before you say it—I know the barn’s a mess. But in our defense, the kids—both the human and goat varieties—were in the workshop area, which also doubles as a storage space for tools, buckets, extension cords, tractor parts, chicken feeders, and approximately eleven different kinds of twine that we “might need someday.” So before anyone gets judgy, just squint a little and focus on the cuteness, not the clutter.

Farm fresh doesn’t always smell like flowers, folks. Sometimes it smells like hay, warm milk, damp boots, and whatever mystery item the dog rolled in before coming inside. But if you ask me, that’s the scent of a good day—one full of laughter, love, and just the right amount of barnyard chaos.

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©2009 Sandy Davis | American Way Farm