Milking goats, building a cold frame

Last week I visited my new homesteading friends again and remembered to take picture of the goat milking experience. Here goes!

Tuna, Tulip, and Cheddar

They know exciting things are about to happen.

Cai is excited as well. We worked on NOT barking at the goats.

The handmade milking station.

Cheddar walks into the barn and jumps onto the milking station all by herself.

She gets a special snack during the milking.

I think I was rubbing her smaller teat to get more milk out in this picture. The one on the left (closer to the camera) has a healthier milk gland and produces more.

At this point in her life she produces a bit more than a quart of milk per day.

After milking Cheddar (which was, inexplicably, SO MUCH FUN), we set about building a cold frame. This is like a raised bed, but is covered with something translucent at the top (such as a window) to create a tiny greenhouse.

They taught me how to use a miter saw! This was super cool! They let me do a majority of the cutting as well.

Cai did not care at all about the noise of the saw.

The bottom row of planks. They put this one together, but then I took over the job of drilling and putting in screws.

Almost finished. After I left for the day, they put together a row of wood which slanted at the top, placed the window over it, and attached it with hinges. It will be oriented so that it faces south to maximize sunlight.

I am so grateful to have made friends who will teach me as we work, and don't get annoyed if I'm slower than they are!