It's important to understand when to let go. Which is a lesson I've been learning my whole life.

Yesterday I let go of the dairy operation at our house. Yes, that means what you think it means. I let my girls go. And I feel a bit sad. But not too sad. Because they went to live in a MUCH more appropriate, warm, happy, convivial, and spacious place. They went to live with The Goddess of All Things Micro-farmed. Seriously, this is the woman you want in charge of your life, and everyone living with her is lucky. That's where my girls are now. That is definitely the right choice for them.

This is their shelter at our house, in an over browsed pen, with chewed up trees. Kind of cute, but not so much, if you're the ones actually living there every day. Yes, we could have built them a better house and a much bigger yard. In fact, that was the plan. But as plans will, they keep changing. The new better plan is to buy a bigger farm. Which would be another right choice for my girls. However, that keeps not quite happening. Yet it looms close enough to stall building anything bigger in the mean time. While the humans are stuck in a circular planning quandary, the goats were stuck in a small circular fence. After a year and a half, that began to feel uncool and selfish.

There were many successful aspects to our home dairy project. We've proven we absolutely can keep goats here, and most suburban folks have plenty of room for goats. Though Nigerian Dwarfs would be a more appropriate size choice. Stepping outside to milk has been nothing but delightful. Sharing company with Tulip and Vanilla has been awesome. I didn't realize how often I check on them. About a 1000 times each day, apparently. They have given milk, fertilizer, and love. We miss them already.

But making the right choice for them, prioritizing their quality of life, definitely feels right.

The aforementioned Goddess stopped by last night with a cake she made to celebrate our farm trade. Honestly, at whose home would you rather live? No contest! Each little pig is hand made, people. Who has this kind of time, attention to detail, and generosity? The Goddess, of course.

 

I stood in my kitchen this morning eating cake and feeling fine in my work boots, flannel nightgown, and wooly scarf. (What, pjs are one of the perks of micro farming.) Knowing when to let go in life is key. And we all know what they say: when one door closes another opens.