On Wednesday I begun house sitting for a friend of a friend while their family went to Costa Rica for 3 weeks. The house is about 15 north east from Livingston in an area called Shields Valley. I couldn't have been lucky enough to house sit for any other family. They are totally eco-conscious, local foodies like me (which come few and far between it seems)! Here are couple pictures of the place:
(Not too shabby right?)
So I said these people were local foodies and they truly are in every sense. They have about 15 hens that give them fresh eggs daily. They also have one rooster. I'm falling in love with them all. I don't know why but I just find chickens so down-right cute. As I write this I'm watching them scurry through the yard. Goofy little gals.
(Freddy, the rooster. How is that not cute?)
I definitely want to have some chickens when I'm older. They're cute, easy to care for, and fresh chicken eggs are out of this world. You can really tell the difference between eating a fresh egg from free range chickens and the perfectly white, uniform, eggs from factory farms (ewwww I get disgusted just thinking about those). Here's some real eggs:
They also have 7 goats. Three babies, an adult male, and 3 milking goats. Each morning I get up and milk the goats around 7:00 AM. Milling goats, let alone anything, was a total first for me. I came over to practice twice before I actually starting house sitting. Let me just say my first couple times milking were not pretty. However, milking is an acquired skill and each day I'm getting better and better at it. Each day I get about 2-3 cups from the 3 milking goats which I use in cooking or just to drink. Now those that know me best know I haven't drank real milk in years. I've always opted for non-dairy milk alternatives such as soy or my personal favorite, almond milk. I enjoy drinking this raw milk because it offers more nutrition than pasteurized milk. Because it is not pasteurized all the vitamins, minerals, healthy bacteria, and active enzymes found in all milk are not killed off as they are during the pasteurization process (in pasteurized milk, some vitamins and minerals are added back after the pasteurization such as vitamin D, however the active enzymes and healthy bacteria are not). Raw milk also contains a lactose-digesting bacteria called Lactobacilli. Since raw milk contains this important bacteria, people with lactose in tolerances can usually tolerate raw milk. My final plug for raw milk is that it contains all 8 essential amino acids and well as healthy fats.
Wow, that was quite a spiel. Anyways, back to the goats. Just like the chickens I'm totally falling in love with them. They each have their own personality. My favorite is Lina. Here is her glamour shot:
There are also ducks here. I'm not really sure if they have a food purpose or not, but they are welcome additions to the animal farm.
The final two animals I have to care for are a cat and dog. Toonces the cat is a complete sweetheart.
The dog is a matching all-black Mastiff named Chick. He is the most high-maintenance dog I've ever met and also the biggest sweetheart. Chick recently had a leg injury. He is on a regiment of 5 different herbs and has a series of physical therapy exercises I must do with him daily. He also wears booties on his back paws to prevent him from slipping. They fall off constantly. It's okay though, I don't mind doing all this extra work for Chickie because he lets me cuddle up by the fire with him.
That's enough about the animals, now about the actual house. The house was built in a total sustainable fashion from a variety of recycled materials. I love all the exposed recycled wood throughout the place. However what I love even more is the soap stone wood-burning fireplace. This thing heats the whole house. Every night I make a fire that burns from about 5:00 till 11:00 (Side Note: Dad, you'd be so proud of my fire making skills now!). Once I let the fire burn out, the soap stone holds that heat and radiates it out, heating the house until I make the next fire. Here's a picture of the living room and the fireplace.
I could go on and on about how cool this house is, but this post is already long enough. If you want to see more pictures of the house, check out the "Sweet Pics" tab.
To sum everything up, I'm having a great time house sitting. This is the exact lifestyle I want to live when I'm older. It's going to be hard to leave and go back to my little, chicken-less, goat-less, dog-less, fireplace-less, apartment in 16 days. With that being said, I feel so fortunate to have this experience. I'm truly "living the dream" right now.
As I wrap this post up, it's finally begun to snow a little! Yay it's finally becoming winter in Montana!
Love,
Becky
