Summer – Page 2

I can’t think of a more exhilarating way to spend a warm summer’s day than in the company of goats. Until recently my only experience with a goat was as a child. For a while my family had a goat we unimaginatively named Billy. I think he was on loan from a larger farm as my father liked to expose my sisters and me to different animals. We thought Billy was entertaining and fun, but after he ate 12 blooms off my mother’s prized geranium plant, he was sent packing!

Recently I met many more goats when I took “The Goat Cheese Making Class” from The Goat Cheese Lady, Lindsey Aparicio, at her family’s farm in Penrose, CO (www.thegoatcheeselady.com). Not only did my three friends and I learn how to make three varieties of goat cheese, we used the milk we had milked from the goats that morning! We also learned all about the goats and the workings of the farm, then enjoyed a wonderful brunch that included the bread and goat cheese we made ourselves, the eggs we collected from the hens, and a fresh green salad. Gourmet chefs eat your hearts out. This simple, homemade repast was one of the best meals any of us ever had!

Memories of the day are all sprinkled with sun, laughter, and the gentle bleatings of goats of all sizes. Did I mention we got to help herd a bunch of young goats from their pen to an open pasture? Hilarious. Driving home I realized there is much to be learned by spending a day in the company of goats.

First, be willing to greet people you don’t know yet. The gentle calls of the goats when we first got out of our car began the relationships that became much more intimate when we learned to coax milk from their udders. I won’t say we became bosom buddies, but we sure got closer!

Second, know who to trust and then trust completely. When we were milking the goats, Lindsey cautiously held their back legs because our hands were strange to them and they might react and step in the milk. But when Lindsey or her son André were milking the goats, they totally relaxed. They knew who to trust.

Third, remember that giving and receiving are intrinsically connected. As the female goats willingly gave their life-giving milk they got sweet feed to munch. They also enjoyed the relief that came from being milked, as any lactating mom will attest. Giving and receiving. Both are blessings.

And lastly, if a gate opens, run through it! My friends and I were a bit tired at the end of the day. After all, herding goats wasn’t a normal daily activity for any of us. But we were so glad we had leapt at the opportunity. Just like those darling and daring baby goats.

Why is it that even though summer days are longer in terms of sunlight, they seem to slip by so much faster than winter days? Each year it seems like summer is gone before I’ve fully embraced it, leaving me to say, “But wait! I was going to go to the pool more. Hold on! We didn’t go to any summer concerts under the stars!”

Summer won’t wait. While we still have some of it left, let’s get serious about savoring every single bit of summer we can salvage! Here are some things I still want to do. How about you?

Visit a farmer’s market. Even if you’re traveling and can only pick up a few apples or carrots to snack on in the car, take time to stroll through local markets wherever you are and experience the sights and smells of locally grown produce, herbs, and flowers. I’ve been brought to tears by the sight of fresh green beans in Maryland and avocadoes in California. Add whatever you find at your local market to your family’s dinner menu. Fresh always tastes better!

Take advantage of free festivals, concerts or theater in the park, parades, and street performances. It only takes a little extra effort to log on to community websites and find out what’s happening where. A folding camp chair and cool beverage is all you need to add—but you have to remember to show up! Write upcoming events on your calendar and go.

At least once, walk through the grass barefooted. I don’t care how old you are, it’s not summer unless you’ve felt cool, damp grass between your toes. If you can run through the sprinkler, too, so much the better! The neighbors might wonder about your sanity if you don’t have any grandkids or neighbor children with you, but who cares? It’s summer, after all!

Find a shady spot and move a favorite chair into it so you can enjoy reading outside. Even better, plop down on a porch swing or hammock. Forget about the recommended reading lists and “must read” book club selections. Read something that relaxes you and soothes your soul. Doze at will.

Eat outside as often as possible. If bugs are a problem where you live, find a screened in porch. Whether the fare is grilled burgers or cool summer soups and salads, dining al fresco is what summer is all about. Don’t miss out this year.

Whether you take a vacation or a stay-cation, may you savor summer in a million little ways. If we love it while it lasts, the memories will make us smile during the winter days to come. Happy summer!

In the Company of Goats

Savoring Summer