Ranch Newsletter | March 2025

Originally sent to subscribers on March 31st, 2025

"Spring is the time of plans and projects." - Leo Tolstoy

I'm not used being able to work in the garden before May and I've been swinging between wanting to get all the things done RIGHT NOW, and it's still early in the season, I have time. I've also been having a hard time deciding how to prioritize what to do and as a result, have not done much more than think about what can be done.

But Craig and I have been working on planning out a large yard project. We have several sprinklers that are too close to the lane that leads out to our pasture, so we're going to move those into the yard a foot or two. We also have a large number of sprinkler heads elsewhere in the yard that need to be repaired or relaced.

And since we're going to be digging up sprinklers, we decided it would be a good time to find a solution for a couple other issues we have with out backyard. One, is fixing a low spot that accumulates a lot of water when the snow melts. Another is creating a cement path in our backyard that we've worn out in the grass and ends up being muddy in the spring.

In goat news: Our new goat, Daisy, has settled in nicely and has been with our buck Caspian. I will be able to draw some blood for a pregnancy test about mid April if she doesn't come back into heat before then. If she is pregnant, we'll be expecting baby goats toward the middle of August.

The majority of our goats have birthdays in March and April. We celebrated Caspian's birthday on March 19th and Honey's birthday a week later on March 26th. Caspian turned one, Honey turned 4. On April 4th Reba will turn 6, and on April 8th Daisy will turn 1.

In natural skincare news: I am now offering soap making classes! Learn how to create your own small batch of Bastille bar soap using entirely natural ingredients, resulting in a soap perfect for sensitive skin.

You will discover the science of soap-making, explore the ingredients suitable for homemade soap, and create a 1-pound batch batch of soap to take home, cut, cure, and enjoy.

Please note, you will be required to wear safety gear for this class - gloves, glasses, and an apron. We will be working with lye.

My first two classes will be:

Saturday, April 12th 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Thursday, April 17th 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Classes are $55 each, are limited to 10 people, and have an age limit of 13 and older. If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here: https://www.julbudranch.com/events-1

I'm starting to sign up for spring and summer markets, so I'll be sharing where you can find our booth this year in upcoming newsletters.

Easter is coming up quick! If you're looking for Easter basket items for kids, our children's picture book If You Give a Goat A Flower is a great option! Plus I can sign it and personalize a message to your little one. If you're looking for Easter gift ideas, check out the themed Easter baskets I've curated below.

In other news: We may not have baby goats to enjoy this spring, but we will have other babies! Our chicken, Peppermint, has gone broody and we're letting her hatch out some chicks for us and they should hatch toward the middle of April. In addition we will also be welcoming a new animal to the ranch: Ducks! Our baby ducks should arrive about a week after the baby chicks hatch.

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