Shaky Tail Women are Just like Miss Kay at Duck Dynasty; Proper!

Duck Dynasty 

Nigerian Dwarf Goats

Shaky Tail 

Nubian Goats 

at

Shaky Tail Farm-Animals
Martha and Diego de la Vega

Bah...

Farmer Style (Gangnam Style Parody)

A Holiday Miracle

Tilly takes a Groom!

Here   comes  the  groom,  Charlie!

 Tilly  has   been    waiting   for  her  

husband until she was old enough,

 and  at  last, 

 He has come....

Lambs in the Spring!

We're Expecting!

Welcome to the Farm Miss Melanie!  She is 

with baby, and "yes" that means in the 

spring we will welcome her foal...We are 

beside ourselves with excitement!  

Will it be a baby jack or a baby jenny?  

A Prayer for Hank and Patti

Our friend Hank will be going in the hospital for surgery 

on Monday, October 29, 2012.    He suffered a knee injury and

until he is fully recovered, he is in a wheelchair, instead of on 

horseback, in the saddle, riding the trails he loves.    Please 

remember him in your prayers...Pray that the surgery goes off

without a hitch and that his recovery is as fast as his horse!  

Patti  is doing all the  chores,  caring for the

animals  on  the  farm,  and  taking  care   of

 Hank  while he is recovering from  surgery.        

Back in the Saddle Again

I`m back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again

Ridin` the range once more
Totin` my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin` to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again

What did the doctor say when a mini came

 in complaining about a sore throat? 

"I know what's wrong here; 
you're just a little hoarse!"

Layton Hollow Diego de la Vega

 I am so proud of our latest addition,

 a Nubian buck out of

 Banded Rock Santa Ana's Gusty

 and 

Layton Hollow Penny's Abigail  

The Dancing Goat

Diego de la Vega

The Dancing Goat

Coffee Discovered by a GOAT?

Yup you heard right, coffee was first discovered by a goat! The myth is a young Ethiopian goat herder by the name of Kaldi in the 9th-century noticed his goats acting strange, that they became more energetic, and began to dance when they ate the cherries from the coffee tree, so he tried it for himself. His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to a holy man in a nearby monastery, but the holy man disapproved of their use and threw them into a fire, from which an enticing aroma billowed. The roasted beans were quickly raked from the embers, ground up, and dissolved in hot water, yielding the world's first cup of coffee.

The Country Visits the City!

Most people come to visit in cars or trucks, but 

some people  saddle up and visit on horseback!  

Hank and Katerina

Gypsy

Splash is happy to rest in the shade with Patti, his driver.  

James makes sure that Splash gets a snack before moving on...

Katerina riding Lucy!  

Hey, there is a cowboy and a horse out on the lawn.  

Patti skillfully drives Splash down our 

steep driveway...

He runs on a pellets, hay, and lots of TLC!  

 Thank for stopping by friends...

Friends

I get by with a little help from my FRIENDS!  

Chickens and Ducks

Hey, wait up! 

Where are you two going?

Nowhere 

Awh, that's where I'm headed too!

The Simple Life. One Weekend at a Time.

You are sure to see Colonel David while touring Gillis Hill Farm, and if you ask, "What do you do with an enormous horse like that?"  Why he pulls carts, wagons for hay rides, sleighs, and carriages!  Besides looking handsome, Colonel David is a Percheron Draft Horse and pulling carriages is his primary job on the farm.  He can however, plow a field, but the dignified Colonel would just assume leave that job to the modern day tractor.

10-Minute Rosemary Lamb Chops

This is such a great quick and easy recipe to prepare using lamb chops and nothing complements the flavor of lamb better than rosemary.  

12 lamb chops
6 TBS fresh lemon
3 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1.  Peel and press garlic.
2.  Mix together lemon juice, rosemary, pressed garlic, salt, and pepper.  Rub lamb chops with mixture and cut a piece of butter to place on top of each lamb chop.  Set aside on plate.  
3.   Preheat broiler on high heat and place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet large enough to hold the lamb chops under the heat for about 10 minutes to get very hot (about 5-7 inches from the heat source). Be sure that the handle on the skillet you are using is also metal.  
4.  Once the skillet is hot, place lamb chops in skillet, and return to broiler for about 4-5 minutes depending on thickness of lamb, or to your desired cooking temperature using the chart below and an instant read thermometer.  Lamb is cooked quickly as it is cooking on both sides at the same time.  This is called the Quick Broil cooking method.  Serves 6

Cooking Temperatures for Lamb:

Rare:

• 120-130 °F (48-54 °C) Internal appearance very red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 20-25 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting

Medium-rare:

• 130-140 °F (54-60 °C) Internal appearance lighter red; very moist with warm juices. Approximate cooking and resting time: 25-30 min./lb.. plus 8-10 min. resting

Medium (with a touch of pink):

• 140-150 °F (60-66 °C) Internal appearance pink red color; moist with clear pink juice. Approximate cooking and resting time: 30-35 min./lb. plus 8-10 min. resting

Well-done:

• 150-165 °F (66-74 °C) Internal appearance no pink or red, slightly moist with clear juices

The Picture-Perfect Cowboy!

Always there with the camera is our dear friend Hank!  He is not only a true cowboy,

but a photographer too!  He captures many special moments of events, 

prints the pictures,  and frames them for friends and family.  We have so many wonderful

pictures from Hank in our home.  "Thank you," Hank for so many 

special pictures with so many happy memories.  

It's a Goat's Life at Gillis Hill Farm!

Where does a Sheep Take a Bath? In a Baaaath Tub!

I am 100% wool!
Wash and rinse me gently by hand
in lukewarm water,
Squeeze me out with towels, gently please!
Do not tumble me dry,
allow me to air dry naturally.
Put on my sheep cover to keep my wool clean
until Sheep Shearing Day!

                                                    

                              

Chloe gets a stylish up-do after

 Mylena gives her a baaaaaath!

Farm Animal Joke

Where do sheep go to get 

their hair cut?   

To the Baaaaaaaarber Shoppe!

First Freshener

Fiona, a feisty little goat visiting our farm from End-O-Way Farm.  She is a Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat and a first freshener who came to teach me a thing a two about milking a goat!  Together we are learning!  She is learning how to stand still on the milk stand, and me, I am learning how to milk a kicking crazy dwarf goat that knows how to bust a move when I am trying to milk her.  She is pretending to be innocent and sweet looking  in this picture.

Introducing Strike and Spare, Indian Runner Ducks at Gillis Hill Farm!

Listening in on a duck conversation...
What are they calling us?  I think she just called me "Strike" and I think she called you "Spare."  Thanks to James and Caroline Gillis for coming up with our new names!   Now we are Strike and Spare...They think we are bowling pins with legs!  Who would have guessed? 

Happy Birthday America!

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.                                                                                                                   The Preamble to the United States Constitution

Fresh Goats Milk

Karen Stanger from End-O-Way Farm  gave Katerina, Mylena, and I  hand milking lessons and then we were on our own...This is the result!  Not bad for first time hand milking maidens Katerina and Mylena!    Poor Ellie, she did not eat on the stand, she kept bleating, and looking back at us.  On Karen's farm, all her goats stood on the stand and ate, no bleating!   I know we were not doing everything right on our own, but we did have fun doing it!  Poor Ellie will have to endure until the girls get the hang of hand milking a goat.   

Lucy Lockett, a Miniature Fainting Goat that Thinks She is a Cowgirl!

Lucy Locket, the Cowgoat! 

Have  you   ever  heard  of a goat  that  likes to ride  horses? 

Meet  Lucy Locket,  a  geninue  cowgirl,  the  only  problem,

she  is a goat, but is that really  a problem  for  Lucy Locket?  

No, here she is with Katerina riding on a horse and loving it!

 It seems she has to whisper 

in Katerina's ear  

where she wants to go, and then, 

she can't wait to get  there.  

 "Giddy-up Go" as she eagerly looks

 out from between the horses ears at the

 countryside that beakons her.  

 Lucy Locket is always up to something

here on Gillis Hill Farm and we can 

always count on her  for a fun,

 adventurous kinda day.

Let's Giddy-Up Go Miss Kitty!  

Sugar, an American Cheviot Miniature Sheep

Meet Sugar, an American Cheviot miniature sheep owned by Mr. & Mrs. Furney Register that own REGISTER'S SHEEP & GOAT SUPPLIES in Wade, North Carolina. It was a pleasure doing business with he and his wife and I enjoyed the tour of his property, all while meeting cute little sheep, goats, dogs, and donkeys along the way.