We’ve been meaning to get over to our neighbors’ new place ever since they moved (not far from where they were before), and we finally did this week on our way home from town. We got to visit the chickens and goats, and they gave us a garden tour. Two goats had been born early that morning and others were two weeks old, really great timing for a visit. Jeff and I always get a bit nostalgic around goats. I loved watching the look on his face as he held one of the babies. He rocked it and sang to it and it started falling asleep in his arms. I almost expected him to say “let’s bring it home, honey!” Do we miss having goats at our place? Yes, we do. But we also have limited space, like having the low maintenance of chickens and ducks at this time, and don’t have the money to keep any animals just for pets. Basically, we’re happy with what we have going on at our place for the time being.

I had recently posted a chicken crossing sign and a goat crossing sign in the shop. To get the chicken picture, I had followed one of our hens around the garden and placed the sign near where she was scratching around. She moved a lot and getting a picture wasn’t easy, as you can imagine. My attempts at getting pictures were pretty hilarious. The goat pictures were from our farm day and were inside, so the lighting was rather dark. Because my pictures for the listings weren’t the best, I decided to bring the signs along when we visited this week, so that I could take some fresh pictures. With lush pastures full of goats and chickens, it was the perfect place to do it. And I had some great photography assistants! Hands were at the ready when the sign needed readjusting when the goats started chewing on it (as I mentioned in the listing, we recommend placing the goat crossing sign on the outside of the fence to keep it from getting eaten), or to spread some alfalfa to entice them over, and to sprinkle feed to attract the chickens. I shared some of the “behind-the-scenes” shots, which I thought were funny. The turkens didn’t make it into the final pictures for the shop (sorry turkens, you’re just not that photogenic), but their bantam rooster ended up striking lots of poses and being the star of the show.

By the way, our neighbors have organic eggs for sale from pasture raised chickens (look at that lush grass) and will very soon have goat’s milk available too. They will also have goats for sale, de-horned and with the most beautiful blue eyes. They are adorable. The breed is Oberian (Mini-Oberhaslis), a cross between Oberhaslis and Nigerian Dwarves. You can find more information at: Braided Bower Farm.

Oh, and on the drive to and from their place, we saw three turtles on a log. We thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Thanks to all our animal models that day! (And photography assistants too!) You can now find our cedar Chicken Crossing sign in the shop, along with our cedar Goat Crossing sign available in both painted (with non-toxic waterproof paints) and unpainted. We think they are a pretty fun addition to your backyard flock, homestead, or farm. (And yes, more signs are on the way. If you have requests, let us know!)