# BYH Connects Herdies from Coast to Coast



## Southern by choice (Oct 14, 2014)

I wanted to share something really awesome!
The end of September we had a visitor come for a week.
*I met this person right here on BYH!* We had talked many times and gotten to know each other.
The trip had been planned well in advance. She was coming to NC to visit the many dairies we have here. As welcoming as most North Carolinians are, the dairy owners welcomed her and provided private tours. The trip was all set!

Before our visitor flew in my family jokingly asked if she was a serial killer and how could I be sure! and 

I asked her if she was and she said last time she'd checked she wasn't one. 

Truly I felt like I was having family in! That is, the family you like 


Now... drumroll.... it was...   


@babsbag !

Babs also got to meet another herdie that I had also met here on BYH and am very good friends with that lives around the way!

Let me just tell you I was a terrible hostess.
Life never tells you in advance that such and such week is going to be less than ideal. I ended up with 2 days of sever sinus issues, 1 day with a blown out knee and on top of all that we were having a farm crisis.
Babs was so gracious , it is as if she knew how distracted I was. One day being on the phone all day trying to handle our crisis!

I was able to go to 3 dairies with her and I learned a great deal and walked away knowing I don't want to open a dairy! I also walked away with better ideas on buildings, milkrooms, milk machines, drainage, cheesemaking and more.

I did get to see how passionate she is about the dairy and she really has what it takes to run one! She will be great! I am so excited for her. I remember her first posting here about her desire to open a dairy! 

It was wonderful to have a trusted friend but also an impartial one to look at our goats and see what we are doing. She got to see how we are in transition and so much work needs done, she never had an unkind word to say...always encouraging. She did tell us our goats were kinda fat. I protested, but truth be told after a few days I looked at them and realized yep, they are fat! The week went by too fast and we never did get to see the whole property or the sheep or through the woods into the big fields!

Babs had to put up with all the LGD's barking at her every time she stepped outside, geese honking, roosters non-stop crowing and Callie howling!

This year was our milk focus year. I was sick for 2 years and milking was not consistent. This year our focus was milking full time and cheesmaking. We had made cheese before but had not tried to do much. 
Babs made us truffles! Her own secret recipe! 
We also did 3 kinds of cheeses. She makes everything seem so simple. We also made lots of soap! She blessed our family with shipping out all the supplies needed and refused to take them back! And a special pot for the soap somehow “jumped” into the back of her car!

It was so nice to hear different methods, different ideas and looking at research and articles. Babs is great at finding articles that are always helpful!

I cannot even begin to tell you what a blessing it was having her here. We miss her already.

Everyone enjoyed her visit with us.
My daughter and I are looking forward to visiting CA when Babs opens her dairy!

The saddest part is we are on opposite coasts!

We never made it to our girls night out dinner. Never did open the “Chignon Blanc”... so that means we need to do this again! Hopefully we will be on our new farm and if not at least our new barn will be built and we won't be in CHAOS!

I hear the song "it's a small world after all"playing in my head now


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## babsbag (Oct 14, 2014)

@Southern by choice  You are too nice. I had a great time, your family is amazing, and I was just happy to finally meet you, your family, and your critters, and your friends. It is great to share life with other "herdies"; especially goat ones.   Thank you for putting up with me for an ENTIRE week. We will do it again, my coast or yours.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 15, 2014)

Southern - glad you all had a great time but it will be a loooooooooong time before I forgive you for putting that Small World song in my head.


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## Southern by choice (Oct 15, 2014)




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## Baymule (Oct 15, 2014)

United by the common thread of love for your herds, two online friends have now become face to face friends. How awesome.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 15, 2014)

I'm curious as to what dairies you visited.  I'm going to guess the "Goat Lady" was one?


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## babsbag (Oct 15, 2014)

Goat Lady as they had an open farm day but they don't have goats anymore and they make cheese on a much larger scale than what I want to do.

Buffalo Creek
Ripshin (she is not making cheese right now but still gave me the grand tour)
Celebrity
Country Charm Farm in Virginia

All of the owners were gracious and informative and all of the visits were well worth my time. It really encouraged me to see this being done successfully in a state that has almost the same dairy regs.  as CA.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 15, 2014)

babsbag said:


> Goat Lady as they had an open farm day but they don't have goats anymore and they make cheese on a much larger scale than what I want to do.
> 
> Buffalo Creek
> Ripshin (she is not making cheese right now but still gave me the grand tour)
> ...



I'm glad you had a good trip.


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## greybeard (Oct 17, 2014)

What, is a "herdie"?


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## Southern by choice (Oct 17, 2014)

We are.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 17, 2014)

She only makes a big deal about it when she connects with herdies on the left coast 

Not from 2 counties east of her


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## Southern by choice (Oct 17, 2014)

now that was funny! 
especially the "left" coast!


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## babsbag (Oct 17, 2014)

If you are the left coast then I am the RIGHT coast.


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## Southern by choice (Oct 17, 2014)

Sorry babs we are the right coast!


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## babsbag (Oct 17, 2014)

LOL


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## Southern by choice (Oct 17, 2014)




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