Kathy Ramsay, Author at Wynott Farm | Mini Nubian Goats and Goat Milk Soap in Charlottesville Virginia

Nov 02

A Day in the Life of Goat Milk Soap Makers

By Kathy Ramsay | Blog, Goats, soap | One Comment

That’s right, we have THE life. I never imagined we would have the life that I have right now. About 15 years ago, we were building our house and enjoying life in a beautiful spot while raising our family. We were taking our kids to a multitude of children activities and loving raising a family. As I reflect, we had a wonderful life then too, but as our children left home, we had to find a new life and new activities to do together, to learn to enjoy a new kind of family life. Life as a couple with grown children. As we looked at what we wanted to do, of course raising a few chickens seemed nice, and then, raising a few goats seemed nice. Now, a day in our life with animals seems really, really nice.

This morning, I woke up, and even though we have no hot water (not to be fixed for 4 more days 🙁 Oh well!) showered in cold water, and sat down for a lovely cup of coffee. We went out to care for the animals for the morning and got a lovely greeting from Lucy.

The goats really enjoyed their morning grain and their morning hay and then marched single file up to the field to eat a bit more. It was a really pretty morning and following them up to the field seemed like a great idea, so we sat out with them enjoying the sunshine and what just might be one of the last warmish days of the fall.

After running some farm-like errands-taking the lawn tractor to be repaired, stopping by Costco for some olive oil with which we will make soap, and dropping by the rental place to fill the propane tank for son Derek-we returned home for a bit of rest before the afternoon chores.

In the afternoon, I made soap, and Bob shoveled out the barn. Then, after dinner, we settled in for an evening movie. I sewed on a quilt that I am working on, and at the end of the day, I will enjoy sleep on my comfy pillow. It is the type of day that makes me feel like I accomplished something. I feel tired at the end of the day and look back on the day, realizing how very blessed I am to have the wonderful, fulfilling life that I have.

Thanks God, for this amazing day!!!

Don’t forget to stop by our shop and place your order of goat milk soap for the holidays. Our soap makes a great stocking stuffer, a wonderful teacher’s gift, and a lovely component of a gift basket.

Oct 26

Journey through the Rear View - Mini Nubian Goat Deliveries

By Kathy Ramsay | Blog, Goats | One Comment

After our decision to obtain a doe from Green Gables Mini Nubians in Wisconsin, we anxiously awaited the spring 2012 due date. As we waited, we were contacted by a number of other people on the East Coast who wondered if we could transport their new mini nubian goats back from Wisconsin. These people would meet us at various locations on our way back to Virginia and pick up their goats from us.

After some map review, we realized that we could help transport 17 kids in the bed of our truck. In an 8-footbed with a camper top, we could provide a safe and secure trip back. Some of the goats would be dropped off on the way home, and 8 would be left by the time for people from South Carolina and Florida to pick up at our farm. Our excitement grew as we neared our May pick up date. I arranged to scoop our daughter Stephanie up in Kentucky on the way to Wisconsin and would drop her off again on the way home. That way we would have some great father-daughter time on the trip.

Father and Daughter

Two large dog crates. A bed full of straw. A few changes of clothing for the trip tucked in the cab. All of the goat supplies safely stowed. Off we went in our F150.

The trip to Wisconsin was uneventful, although long. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast along the way and really enjoyed some great conversation.

On arrival at Eliya’s farm, we were greeted by a warm and loving family that clearly cared for their animals and each other. We loaded up 17 goats and a cooler full of goat’s milk for the trip home (all of the goats were still being bottle fed 2-3 times per day) and off we went toward home

About an hour into the trip, on an interstate in Wisconsin, our daughter let out a shout to inform me that the camper top had just blown off. A quick glance in the rearview confirmed her statement. I had visions in my head of goats going every which direction.

After pulling to the side of the road, I jumped into the back of the truck. Much to my amazement, all 17 kids were safely hunkered down in the straw. None of the kids had jumped out or been injured in any way. Wow!!

Stephanie exclaimed “Why did we have to come to stupid Wisconsin to get these stupid goats” Clearly she just did not understand our yearning for the best goats in all of the world (lofty goals?).

The camper top was destroyed, but all of the goats, the stuff, and we were all in one piece, so needless to say, after the very kind state trooper told us that we were free to go with no citation and noted that there was a Walmart 5 miles ahead, we were ready to roll and sort out a solution to our very goaty challenge.

We put 9 of the little goat kids in the two dog rates and piled the remaining 8 goats in the truck cab for the trip to the Walmart. I am sure we must have made quite the sight. You can imagine the looks that we got from the cars passing with all those kids in the cab.

At Walmart, we purchased 2 more dog crates, arranged the hay in the crates, and packed everything snug as a bug in a rug, and took off for the rest of the trip. We met goat buyers along the way, dropping off kids and meeting some very nice people. We did enjoy a stay at another bed and breakfast, and then I dropped Stephanie off at her home and returned to Virginia.

What a journey….. And Journey sure is a beautiful doe. She was certainly worth an exciting trip to get her.

Later that summer, we found out that Journey was the last doe kid born to her mother, Echo Hills Molly O’Malley, who was a favorite at Green Gables. We are honored to have Journey and are so pleased at the 8 pounds of milk a day that she produces at her peak of production. She is an amazingly long doe who passes all of her wonderful qualities on to her kids, and she’s a foundational part of our mini nubian goat herd.

Journey as a 6-monthold doeling

It is great to look forward to life ahead, to dream and make plans. But a glance through the rearview can be good also, and I am thankful as I look back on Journeys eventful trip home, for God’s protection and provision along the way. I am thankful too for Eliya Elmquist for selling us such a wonderful doe and to my family. I am also so thankful for this trip and for Stephanie’s sharing the journey.

Never say goat farming isn’t an adventure.

Oct 22

Lovely Fall at Wynott Farm

By Kathy Ramsay | Goats, soap | No Comments

Today was a lovely fall day here at Wynott Farm. The weather was a lovely, crisp 60 degrees. The leaves are falling, but there are still enough on the branches with beautiful colors to give a warm glow to the area. The chickens are out pecking at the ground getting the last of the worms and grubs before the first frost sets in, and the fall flowers are in full bloom. I just love this time of year.

Apparently, so do Bramble and Bianca as was evidenced by their amorous behavior through the fence. The blubbering and tongue wagging that Bramble was displaying was just wonderful, and Bianca responded with a lovely flick of her little tail. Need I say more.

Looks like kids are set to arrive in the middle of March, everyone. Something to look forward to during the short, dark, cold days of winter. We always like to plan on kids during March and April. That allows the weather to warm just a bit before we wait with the does in the barn as they labor (we really like to attend every birth if at all possible), but it is still cool enough that the kids seem to avoid some of the worm and coccidia problems that seem to arrive with the really warm weather.

We will have 5 does due to kid next spring. Take a look at our goat breeding plan if you are interested in seeing more. It will give you an idea of who we plan to breed to whom and when they should be due to kid if all works according to plan.

So today, as the fall days grow shorter, and the nights get cooler (do you believe 30’s last night?) we enjoy these last days of time outside. We watch the chickens in the yard, we enjoy the sounds of amorous goats and lawn mowers clipping those last tall blades of grass, and we look forward to spring…….(Can you tell that I would like to just skip by winter? But more about that another day.)

We are ramping up for holiday goat milk soap orders, and we’d love to get your order for holiday stocking stuffers. Stop by the shop and get your shopping underway with us.

Oct 19

The Pogo Era - Our First Mini Nubian Buck

By Kathy Ramsay | Blog, Goats | One Comment

Chapter 2 of the story of Wynott Farm and the goat acquisition. (For chapter one, read here.)

Having found a cornerstone to our foundation in Esther of Sol Orr Farm in 2011, we began our search for a buck for breeding. We wanted to breed our Mini Nubian goats with great quality and with temperaments that would make the kids be great pets or companion animals as well as excellent specimens of the breed in appearance and milk production. Our research up to this point also showed us that it was equally important to evaluate potential contributing herds for diseases common to goats such as C.A.E, C.L. and Johnes disease because these diseases, once in your herd, can be devastating.

Our friend Marybeth Bellah, owner of Monte Bella Mini Nubians, was a great example of a breeder who took care to test her herd for the worst of the goat diseases and then cared for her small herd as pets as well as providers of wonderful milk. She had had a darling, very friendly, black-spotted buckling (baby boy goat) who was born in the spring of 2011 and named Pogo.We decided that Pogo would make a perfect addition to our growing herd. He was a second generation buck. This means that both of his parents were Mini Nubians, not pure bred Nubians or Nigerian Dwarfs, but that at least one of his parents were the offspring of an original cross of the breeds. He had a wonderful temperament, a lovely top line, and drop ears (although they were not fully pendulous as later generations can be). He made some very nice improvements to our herd.

Head shot of Bob and Pogo

Soon after we brought Pogo home to our herd, we realized that we needed to continue to build on the quality of our goats. As mentioned in a previous post, we found homes for our starter goats and began our breeding program.

We spent lots of time with them as Pogo and Esther grew. We enjoyed “walks” in the field or woods where our companion goats could enjoy the browse near their enclosure, and soon we realized that we would need to separate them until we were ready for fall breeding.

We were quite pleased with the first cross of Pogo and Esther, which produced Celeste. Because she was raised on our farm, she was handled a lot, and although she was raised by Esther and not a bottle, she was very friendly and never ran from us or shied from our touch. What a welcome change from those first goats. Instead of two of us fighting for a few cups of milk coaxed from the teat of a cranky, kicky goat, one of us could milk Esther with a very simple procedure. Milking became a time of quiet, calm with our beloved animals.

About this time we decided that it was time to look for another doe. We found a wonderful, well-respected breeder of Mini Nubians in Wisconsin named Eliya Elmquist, owner of Green Gables Mini Nubians. We got on her waiting list for doelings (girl goat kids) and waited until the spring for our next addition. Journey came home to our farm in May of 2012 after a very eventful trip from Wisconsin. . .

Stay tuned for that story in Chapter 3 next week . . .

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Oct 05

A Rainy Day with the Goats Again

By Kathy Ramsay | Goats, soap | No Comments

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day!!!

Today is day 9 of rain. We have gone 9 days since seeing the lovely, yellow, shining ball of warm, bright sunlight. Can you tell that I am ready for the rain to stop? As much as I am done with the rain, the animals here at Wynott are even more ready for it to cease. Why Esther (goat extraodinare) told me yesterday that she just doesn’t understand why the big water trough in the sky keeps leaking. And Bramble keeps asking me to do something about the mud in the yard as it is really hard on his hoofs and is preventing him from communicating with his girls as he must stay in his barn instead of being out in his pasture, calling to them.

In times of days upon days of continuous rain, I often think about Noah and wonder how he kept it together. I mean, stuck on a boat, albeit an enormous boat, with family and some others and an unimaginable amount of wildlife, with rain falling down steadily and hard for 40 days and 40 nights. So, Noah must have been quite a man in my opinion, ’cause it’s only been a week and I’m not happy about it.

The rain is just wonderful for our field and for the water level in our well, but it sure does a job on farm life. The mud, the wet grass, the animals not wanting to venture out of the barn, and the joys of doing chores in the rain are just a few of the things that await us outside. I wonder if all of the other farmers like us have this struggle. After talking with my friend Amy about her sheep and goats, I believe that they do. She also has a lovely layer of muck in her farm yard. And her sheep and goats are talking to her, I am sure, of the excessive moisture and their desire to walk and play in the field again instead of huddling in her barn.

But alas, we are thankful that the hurricane that might have hit us is far out to sea, and that this rain will end, and that the sun will come out, and the goats will eat in the field again soon. Rain is critical to our life, and we are thankful for it. So today, we stay inside, we make goat milk soap, we enjoy a movie, and maybe quilt a little as we wait for that lovely sunshine to come out . . . tomorrow.

Sep 28

How We Got Into Goat Milk Soap

By Kathy Ramsay | Blog, soap | One Comment

To blog, to blog, to blog. Ah, an opportunity to share all that goes on here at Wynott Farm.

Introductions are in order. Then we can start to share our heart about all that goes on here. Bob is an underwriter at a major insurance company, and Kathy is a nurse at a local family doctor’s office. We have 3 wonderful adult children, 1 extraordinary grandson, 5 dogs, 14 chickens, and last but certainly not least, 6 mini nubian dairy goats. We live near extended family and would not have it any other way. We work hard and play hard, and as our previous buck told us one day, we are happy folks with happy goats.

One day, after milking our goats and looking in the fridge at the 3 gallons of milk in there, Bob said,”Let’s try making soap,” and that is where Wynott began. We made our first batch of goat milk soap after doing lots of research on what makes a good soap and coming up with a recipe that seemed to have all of the qualities that we wanted. We used it and gave it away to friends; then, we made some more tweaks to the recipe and made some more. We found that, really, it was quite fun to make and a very nice product.

One Saturday, I said to Bob “Why don’t you try selling some at the local community market?” Bob thought it would be a good idea, so one fall Saturday, with 60 bars in hand he went to the market to sell soap. We both thought that if we sold 5 bars, we would count the day a success and would try it again. So when we sold 9 bars, we could hardly believe it. A success it was, and we have grown from there. We continued to make soap,and tried to come up with new scents. We moved after a few months to a larger community market called the Charlottesville City Market and continued to do well. We have been absolutely thrilled with the reception our soap has received and can’t wait to see what the future brings.

Bob is the marketer of the business. Indeed, one day when he came home from work with a new store interested in selling the soap, my comment to him was “Can you not keep your mouth shut?” He just loves talking about soap; he can’t help himself. The City Market is one of his favorite places to be, and he loves the people he meets there. While Bob is the marketer, I am the head of the production department. I make and wrap soap, always working on making sure that our recipe continues to have the qualities we desire and that the scents are just perfect. I keep track of inventory and fill orders. (If you’re interested in buying some soap, check out our online shop.)

So that is us, in a nutshell. We both look forward to sharing more about life here at Wynott and about our wonderful animals. Thanks for joining us on this adventure we call life.

We’d love to hear from you too. Tell us your perspectives on Wynott Goat Milk Soaps. We love hearing stories about how our friends, family and customers love our product or thoughts about how we can improve our soaps or make new offerings.

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Kathy Ramsay