Friday, June 5, 2009

It's All So Clear to Me Now

One of me and Seth's frequent conversations is what we're gonna be when we grow up. Seth's problem is he wants to be too many different things and has a hard time choosing which one he wants. My problem is I can't think of anything even remotely realistic (i.e. best selling author, world traveler, a chef that only cooks what and when she feels like it). Seth's tactic is to constantly worry about what to do. My tactic is to shrug and say, "Eh, it'll all work out."


But the underlying fear for both of us is that we'll never do anything meaningful with our lives. I mean, a career is a huge part of your life. So it would only make sense that we want to do really amazing things.

So, last weekend Seth and I were having a picnic in the park and began our typical career chat. Seth has been a bit more stressed out about choosing a career lately, which is to be expected seeing as how he graduates in just a couple months. This time though, he didn't want my usual 'it'll all work out' answer ... he wanted a real solution.

This is where my memory blurs a bit. I can't tell you exactly how it all happened, but somehow goats came into the conversation. Then goat cheese. Then the most perfect plan I've ever had for a lifelong career... GOAT FARMER.


I know. It sounds crazy doesn't it? Maybe it was the Capri Sun talking or the radiant sunshine, but even today being a goat farmer sounds pretty great. I'll break down the whole plan.

So, we'd start out with a couple goats. And we'd both keep our day jobs. We'd have a little house on a decent piece of land where we could have a big garden and have a nice pasture for our goats. I think they'd have to be milk goats though... you know why? Because the other part of the plan is that I would develop the most delicious goat cheese in all the land. I'd get a small booth at the farmer's market and sell my savory cheeses to the tree-huggers and foodies that love that kind of crap. Tree-huggers and foodies pay good money for local fancy 'artisan' stuff. I would know, I'm one of them.

As the years go by we get more and more goats and sell more and more cheese and I develop my talents as a cheese chef and branch out into other things like yogurt and soap. Seth helps with the goats too, because he thinks goats are cool like I do, but he specializes in growing organic produce in his giant vegetable garden. He also grows fresh herbs which I use as ingredients in my cheese.

Neither of us have ever milked a goat, or made cheese or had a huge garden. But, it sounded really fun. I don't think we'd ever want it to turn into a huge goat farm corporation, just a mom and pop sort of thing that we do because we like it. I know something like that would take a lot of work and time and planning, but somehow I know, it'll all work out.

8 comments:

heidi said...

Kay,
I love this plan. Simple, idyllic, wholesome vision... Lovely, beautiful, back-to-the-earth way of life. And, you know, there's SUCH a ginormous market for healthy wholesome goat stuff in Boise (HINT HINT). Really, the other day I saw (and paid for, before realizing the huge price) goat yoghurt at the downtown Co-op (health food store)... medium container, $5.35! I got it 'cuz I've got problems with lactose and thought goat yoghurt might be better for my tummy. Wasn't, but was DELICIOUS.

My name being Heidi, I'm pretty much OBLIGATED to love goats, if you get me. (Thanks, Johanna S.)

Also, if you raised free range chickens... they are practically worth their weight in GOLD. And the Co-op sells so much LOCAL ORGANIC stuff of all kinds for BIG BUCKS.

But, then... you guys have so many creative talents, and people talents... Maybe you'd have to write about the experiences for the edification of millions and to enormous profit... and... Seth could run summer camps for troubled kids that would turn their lives around! Once they discovered Love of the Earth and... the Restorative Power of Wood-working! And canyoneering. And fly-fishing.

I think you guys are capable of anything. And that it will all work out. But I pray desperately that it will all work out in BOISE! Because the Gem State needs you.

XO h.

It's Me said...

That does sound nice. I actually went to a small local Mom & Pop place that sold goat fudge and cheese once. It was good. You could pet and feed the goats too. The fudge tasted just like regular fudge, and I don't think we bought any cheese (although I've heard goat cheese is really good).

Lot's of people in our neighborhood have goats. The baby goats are so cute (I know that's off topic...)

Well, we'll have to see what happens! Don't we all wish we had our dream jobs!

Rachel said...

OM freaking G. I ALSO OFTEN have fantasies that involve goats. I love the little critters.

My primary one is that we will open a used bookstore in a rambling Victorian home in the country and there will be goats and chickens and sheep and horses on the property that visitors to the bookstore can pet. And we would sell homemade goat cheese in the store.

So I feel that perhaps some sort of communal living situation could be conjured up from all of this...

Anyway, have I told you lately that I'm so happy you married my brother?

Karen said...

Wow, I thought for sure everyone would think I was crazy! Who knew everybody else loves goats too! Heidi... I totally forgot about the free-range chickens! That was actually part of our original plan... along with a couple ducks... just because they're so cute.

Rachel, your plan DOES sound a lot like ours! (except for the goat fantasies... that was a little TMI) Your bookstore idea is great! We also thought about it being kind of a petting zoo, where people would actually PAY for a little cup of feed for the goats and/or chickens and then we wouldn't even have to fork over the money to feed them! Who knows, maybe they'd even want to milk the goats too! And we could totally do a communal living situation, because frankly, Seth and I are in need of some child labor :D
p.s. I'm glad I married your brother too! (And inherited the best family of in-laws ever!)

Seth said...

Wow... and I thought this idea would be soundly ridiculed! LOL.. what is it with you people? Being all supportive and enthusiastic like that? What is this world coming to?? Personally, I just want to be able to wear coveralls and get up at like 4:30am everyday to milk the goats and hand-gather the eggs and build stuff with wood and wire and tinker with sprinklers and... you know.. work my 'crops' and drive around in a beat-up pickup truck to haul hay and baby goats and what not... And then I'd get to go to bed at like 7:30pm and just keep doing that every single day for years on end as I gradually and yet quite happily go completely senile. As for the product development and ingenious marketing ideas and things like that... I'll leave it all up to my lovely and talented wife and I'm sure the farm will be a great commercial success as well. :-)

Paul said...

I have one of these too. My *amazingly unrealistic* dream is to move to a rural farm somewhere in the Mediterranean, maybe Greece, and grow olives and pomegranates. Partially because I love olive oil and pomegranates (wacky eh?). If you do this and I do that, we can trade olive oil for goat cheese.

Rachel said...

I didn't....mean....THAT....kind....of....fantasy!

Nick Wheeler said...

Call me when you start. Or when you need help. Does this plan possibly include employees?