As you may have read on some of my previous posts, I’ve been toying with the idea of one day having a sustainable fiber farm! Growing up in suburbia, that has felt like a pretty bold statement to make. Up until my time on the Sustainable Living Tour, I had no clue what living on a farm would be like or how to take care of farm animals! So, I was super excited when we had the opportunity to spend an afternoon taking some goats for a walk!Quail Springs is home to 16 goats. There, they live happily grazing on acorns during their daily “walks.” Providing milk for fresh cheese & yogurt! Both of which I was luck enough to try, & it sure was delicious!What I loved most about this opportunity, was gaining a bit of hands on animal husbandry experience. Now I know taking care of farm animals requires a lot more work than leading goats around a mountain side, but it was quite the lovely introduction!

Goats are pack animals. Typically a herd will have one leader & the rest will follow along. During my walk, the Goatherder carried a long stick to appear more dominate to the goats. He said they don’t like listening to humans, because we only have 2 legs. But by bringing a staff, the herder appears to have another limb. Making the goats more inclined to listen. Supposedly, it works even better with two staffs!

This activity involved very little effort for the Goatherder. Probably, why they call it a “Meditative Goat Walk.” When we returned, I asked if he counted them, to which he replied, “No, I think I would have noticed if anyone was missing”. For me, this Meditative Walk, allowed me to see if I could really picture myself doing this daily. Truth is, I’d much rather wander around with a herd of goats, than reply to emails all day. But before I put in my two weeks notice, I know I have a lot more details to figure out!Talking to the residents at Quail Springs, I was ecstatic when one of them introduced me to an organization where I could learn more, Fibershed! Dedicated to developing regional & regenerative fiber systems, I felt called to attend their 2017 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium to learn more! Boy did I! Check back soon for more from the symposium!XoXo
Peace & Love,
★★★
Megan Nicole Boyd

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