The weather is becoming fall like. Cool evenings ( low of 48 this morning) are helping (I hope) bring does into heat. We were able to use Scott's new alpine buck, Zeus, this weekend with Jezebel. I think my yearling Togg might have been in heat this morning and we are taking the old Alpine doe, Ditty, to another breeder tonight as she should be in heat come Thursday. This will give us kids starting in late February, and I'd like to be done with kidding by mid to late April this year. I've started to milk Spice & Taffy just 1x a day and soon that will be every other day till they are dried off.

I was so thrilled at the Tennessee State Fair that Jewel, our 2yr old Nubian milker, took champion Nubian milker-our first doe to earn a milking leg! She did look good & is holding up well milking. We'll keep her milking thru NAILE in November & the November milk test, then start drying her off & getting her bred. I truly hope her udder holds well & she freshens even better next year. Cherry, bless her, will likely be sold in the spring. With the fluid build up in her knees, she doesn't do well showing and we just don't have room for a lot of does. We shouldn't have any problems selling her and my guess is she'll go to a 4H family where she'll get spoiled rotten!

We took Mike's cider press to New Point's little festival this past weekend. People enjoyed watching us make, and then drinking the cider. Mike enjoyed it to plus it was nice as it was something we could do together. And I didn't mind the fact that I didn't have to cook either!!!

I think I have finally recovered from my trip to the Tennessee State Fair. I couldn't believe how well Andy's nubians did-the judge didn't like my does at all, even little "CC" who won her class at Nationals got buried. But Jewel not only won her class but went on to went Champion Nubian milker! She is our first doe to have a milking leg. I wish she had a dry leg, but with any luck we'll get one or two more next year. With only one show left this season, and it being NAILE, I don't hold out any hopes for any more rosettes, but we'll see how they all do.

I'm hoping the cooler weather will help bring the does in heat. I placed Spice & Taffy with Duke last night, which he enjoyed until he realized they aren't going to be receptive to him yet. Hopefully once they are bred I can get Duke sold-we're running out of room and fast.

The weather lately has been wonderful-cool mornings & not too humid. But the heat & humidity are heading back, just in time for the weekend when I'll be traveling with the goats. Figures.

Got a call from the doctor yesterday. I have to go back in for diagnostic mammograms on both breasts next week. I had this happen on my left about 3-4 years ago. If they had told me that, I probably wouldn't have thought too much about it, but on both, that caught me off guard. I'm hoping it is just the weight loss has made some tissues look different, but I had lost 25-30 pounds last year before my mammogram, so who knows. I had a pity party for myself last night (I sat in the bathroom and thought of all the worse case scenarios & cried) and since then I haven't thought too much about it. Regardless of what it shows, at least I'll know more Tuesday. If it is anything but good, news, I won't tell Mike. I can see him canceling his trip and I don't want him to do that. Whatever it is can wait till he gets home.

Andy starts his part-time job at Arby's tonight. He has been called about 2 other interviews but turned them down, so I hope this works for him. Time will tell. At least he is working enough to buy his gas, which is all I wanted right now given his class load.

Put up more hay last night and more to go up tonight. We have so much, which is a good problem to have. I hope that maybe we can get some of it sold, that would make Mike feel better too.

Well, we delivered the emus to the Indy Zoo on Friday. What a great day we had! It was rainy off & on so we didn't get to see much of the Whitewater Gardens, but our time at the zoo was awesome! The gentleman we worked with on the emus spent 3 hours showing us around "behind the scenes" of the zoo. We got to go into the animals buildings where the staff only is allowed. I got to feed a giraffee his breakfast! It was so cool to be that close to such an amazing animal. We went into the elephant house and out in their yard. One of the females came up to about 12 feet away from us. Even though she was a "small" female, she was big to me!. We were also glad to see how excited everyone on the staff was that the emus were finally there. They will be in quarantine for 45 days before going into the exhibit. We hope they go thru quantine without any problems. We're planning on taking a weekend trip with the boys up to see them in their new home. I will be interested to see how they and the kangaroos get along!

Yesterday was spent shaving a couple of the doe kids for this weekend's show. I have 4 more of my togg does to do-2 absolutely have to be done, the others could wait if need be, but would have to be done before the Tennessee show. Mike is planning a little trip, which I am so glad of! He lets me go off to the goat shows & my girls trip every year with no complaints. I can never get him to take time off, so that part kind of got me, but I am happy he is doing this. He'll be leaving the 30th and be back on the 1st or 2nd. It will be interesting to hear how he enjoyed it when he gets back. He enjoys being by himself, much more than I do. I like having people around. I think he would be nervous if I went far by myself, he doesn't mind so much when I'm with the Smith's going to shows. If I decided to take off on my own to Tennessee or whereever, he wouldn't say anything, but I think he'd be hesitant. Still, he never complains about taking everything on when I'm gone. I'm especially glad he is doing this since I'm going on a cruise in November (helps me feel a little less guilty!)

Scott is heading back to school after work today. He'll only be gone 3 days a week, but he is already dreading it. I keep reminding him that he'll be done in February, but he gets so homesick, or rather he gets to missing Christina, so much. They are planning on waiting 3 yrs until she is done with school to get married-I hope that holds true so they can get some money saved up and be sure where they are with their careers.

Oh my! It has been nearly2 months since I last wrote. So much for my resolution to do this regularly! It has been a busy summer. We have been busy on the farm, but looking back I wonder where the summer went. Andy started back to school yesterday. He is a junior this year. He is taking a college level US History class, along with pre-calculus, French, English comp, accounting, chemistry! Whew. He is so excited he gets to drive instead of ride the bus and he is to start a part-time job at Arby's next week.

Our goat shows have gone well. Going to the national show for the first time was so much fun, and work, but so worth it. 6 of the 11 does we took "made the cut" which is great-I would have settled for 1. "CC" (Cotton Candy) won her class-talk about major shock! My knees got so weak I could hardly walk her out of the ring! We have 3 more shows this fall, and I'm looking forward to them.

The big day for the emus is finally coming! We are set to take the 4 emus to the Indy Zoo this Friday. It will be interesting getting to see things behind the scenes. I'm hoping to go back in a few months once they are actually out in the exhibit and see how they have adjusted. It will be nice to say that we were able to supply the zoo with these animals.

We're still putting up hay and working with the goats. I got my new togg buckling 2 weeks ago and this past weekend we brought home Scott's new Alpine buckling and a nice little doe for him. We sold his big Alpine buck while at the Nationals and his only alpine doe kid this year died two weeks ago. She had gotten pnemonia and that with the horrid heat we had that week I think did her in. So I told him I'd buy him a doe kid for an early Christmas present. He is already talking about maybe showing some with us next year since he'll be done w/ school in February. He's been home for almost 2 weeks now and I am hoping it won't be too hard for him to go back next week. Course he'll only be gone 3 days a week, so hopefully that will make it better and easier on him.

We are in the midst of summer-by the thermometer anyway. We are trying to get hay put up-have most of the first cutting up. Next will come a little straw, then 2nd cutting hay. It stinks that we have to do a little at a time with working-but in a way it is almost better that way-we don't get too overheated.

This week should test how patient both Mike & I are. Now that the new truck is wired, he's going to attempt to teach me to pull the trailer so Andy & I can go on our own to the goat shows. If 24 years together hasn't tested our patience, this may! But it will be nice not to have to depend on anyone else & to be able to take all the supplies we need.

We just have a few weeks left until the National goat show. I'm trying to start lists of what we'll need, which shouldn't be a lot different than when we go to the state fair. Andy needs a new pair of show pants. I'll have to plan meals that can be fixed in the microwave & electric skilled. It will be an adventure we won't soon forget!

We had horrid weather this past weekend-cool & rainy, more like April than June. The goat show went okay-Andy's does placed fairly high considering the competition, mine were buried. Then to top it all off, I wrenched my back. Went to chiro today, she popped it right back in. It is still stiff, but should be okay in a day or two.

Today is our 24th anniversary. I left Mike's card & gift on the seat of his truck. We'll see if he even acknowledges it-sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. It took some time, but I am finally okay with him not reciprocating or acknowleding that these things are important to me. I think about them, mull them over & go from there. Everyone says next year is the big one to celebrate, but I'm sure we won't do anything special then either. Maybe it is best that way, to just know that we have a good marriage, a strong foundation for our family, and treat it like any other day.

Well, our youngest passed his driving test. It truly is amazing to me that both my "babies" are old enough to drive. It is also a blessing in that now my time won't be eaten up with running here & there & Andy will be able to do the things he enjoys without having to plan around my schedule.

Our biggest adventure this week-getting a new truck. The old blue Ford finally died (it had died on me too many times, now Mike is pronouncing it dead!) So we found a newer (not new) one to replace it. It will need a little work before I can run it to goat shows. Mike negotiated a good deal (didn't really know he had that in him!) and so he will do the radiator repair himself, get it wired for a trailer & then try to find the patience to teach me to pull it! That may be a truer test of our 24 years together than anything!

This weekend is another goat show. I look forward to them, and get exhausted afterwards. But it is so much fun and it makes getting up at 5 a.m. and milking, and bottle feeding, and all that stuff worth it when we walk out in the show ring with nice animals. After doing so well at the last show, it will be good to see how we do at this one.

Our 24th wedding anniversary is Monday. It sounds weird to say 24 years! It really only seems like a few years in some ways-in others I feel like I have been with Mike all my life. I would like to do something special next year, but I know finances won't allow a big trip and having 2 sons doesn't bode well for anyone to plan a party. I worry sometimes that we won't see our 50th, with the health issues prevelant in Mike's family. The odds are certainly against us since he was 28 when we got married and most Robbins men don't live much past 70. I hope we beat those odds. We are certainly trying. He takes his medicines, I watch the diet. But he has seemed to age more the last few years. He seems to get his horrid headaches more and to get tired more. Course we all get more tired as we age. I guess me working out has helped me in that area, for the most part I don't get too wore out anymore. Anyway, in 25 more years, things will certainly be different.

When I turned 40 I remember thinking that by the time I'm 50, things will change. Odds are my parents & Mike's mom will be gone by then (well, maybe not Betty, her sister is in her 90's and Betty will be 80 this December). Scott will likely be married by the time I'm 50. Andy will probably just be finishing up his bachelors when I turn 50. I'll be 44 in about 2 weeks. I'm not sure what 44 is suppose to feel like, but I don't really think of myself as 44. But then again, I'm not sure what I think of myself as!

What a beautiful weekend! The weather couldn't be much nicer-better than the 90 & humidity of earlier in the week. With luck, the rain will hold off until at least Thursday as we are hoping to get some hay put up. With 37 head of goats we go through about 2 1/2 -3 bales of hay a day. But it is cheaper than feed, so we don't complain. Some of the goats are going on diets-they have put on too much weight and so they are getting their grain cut down by 1/2. Hopefully it will make it easier on them thru the really hot weather and into breeding season this fall.

I guess I should start feeling old pretty soon. Our youngest, Andy, will be taking his driver's license exam tomorrow. He passed the written test Saturday & goes for a driving test tomorrow. I'm ready for him to get his license, he is so involved in FCCLA & a few other things at school, that it was consuming too much time running him. We live about 15-20 minutes from the school, and the teachers and others don't seem to understand that some mothers work and not all of us get off work at 3:30, or live 1-2 miles from school. Him driving will make things easier, and probably add a few more gray hairs. In a way it is a little sad, my "baby" being old enough to drive. But mostly I'm proud he has reached this milestone and I'm looking forward to things getting a little easier in that way. After our national goat show in July, he'll have to start looking for a part-time job.

It has been a year now since I switched jobs. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. This law firm is so much more professional than the last one I was at. I am made to feel like I am a contributing part of the success and not treated like an idiot! It's amazing how a little respect can make you feel. It was good last week when a client called to fuss, and the attorney took my side and told her that under the circumstances we couldn't continue our representation. Course the fact she seems unstable and not very truthful played into it as well. But the old law firm would have taken her side & reamed me out. This was a nice change.

More later!

I've read about blogs & have have been curious about them, so why not start one? I use to enjoy keeping a diary as a kid and I've been told that I write well, so it seems like a good idea. We'll see how long I keep it up!

I'm a working mom with two teenaged sons-one who is off to tech school in Ohio. My husband and I will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary in 11 days. We've lived on our little (68 acre) farm in southeastern Indiana for almost 23 years. In less than a year it will be 100% ours (YEAH). I work as a paralegal for a personal injury law firm. I love it-and at the same time can't stand it (at times). I like the work, the co-workers even the boss. I think I'm just at a point in my life where I don't want to "have to" work, but I do. So it isn't the job I dislike, its the idea of working I guess. Anyway, after working I go home & do farm work (we raise emu and goats). For the last 3 or 4 summers my sons & I have spent time showing our dairy goats. I enjoy it as much as they do and now that the oldest son is out, it is just Andy & I. Its fun and makes the getting up at 5:30 to milk seem worth it.

In a little over a month I'll celebrate my 44th birthday. Age isn't a big deal to me, so 44 doesn't even mean a lot. I feel younger at times-and older too-like most of us do. I really think I'm at a better place now than 3 or 4 years ago. I've lost weight (almost 50#) since last year, am working out 3 days a week and feel pretty good.

So that is a little about me. I'll see if I can be diligent about posting "regularly". Most weekends I don't even touch my computer, but we'll see. It would be nice to have things in writing for the kids and some day grandkids. Kind of weird to do it this way, but who knows. Someone out there may read this and realize there are others out here who are a lot like them!