One of our biggest goals when we bought The Shire (our almost 12 acres near Lake Elementaita here in Kenya) was growing our own food. We spend a lot of money buying food. If we can grow or raise that food instead, then the money can go someplace else. Like school, health care, etc.
We want at least five cows. Milk, milk, and more milk. Kenyans love their milk, and Kate and I love cheese. Five cows would more than satisfy our needs. The excess could be sold or more cheese made and then that can be sold. Either way it is good for us, good for the children, and good for those we assist in the community.
Shortly after moving here we purchased a pregnant cow. She is actually due any day now, and all the children are looking forward to seeing the calf. We are of course hoping she gives birth to a little girl cow. Which would put us closer to that five mark.
Since moving out of town to The Shire we have met all kinds of new people. One of these folks has a friend who had a cow that was being neglected by the people he left it with. Mostly seems that she has not been fed properly. No grazing space and not enough feed equal a skinny unhappy cow. This fella we had met told his friend about us and they decided that we were the kind of people that could nurse a cow back to health and benefit from the cow as well.
Yesterday they brought us a skinny cow.
She was fed and watered and slept the night in one of the stalls. This morning when I went out to check on the animals she was already happily grazing in the paddock. Our vet is scheduled to come out and do a check this morning, but day one has started off well.
Thanks to these new friends we are now one step closer to our five cow goal. Not to mention closer to delicious home made cheese.
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