Author: Karen GoatKeeper

Karen GoatKeeper loves to write. Her books include picture books, novels and nonfiction for science activity books and nature books. A recent inclusion are science teaching units.
The coming year has goals for two new novels, a picture book and some books of personal essays. This is ambitious and ignores time constraints.
She lives in the Missouri Ozarks with her small herd of Nubian dairy goats. The Ozarks provides the inspiration and setting for most of her books.

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GKP Writing News

Hoarding Books

I’ll admit I’ve been hoarding books most of my life. I love books. I love reading them and writing them.

Used book sales were the highlights of my year. Every sale sacks of new books came home to fill my bookshelves.

How many bookshelves? Eight four foot by eight foot, two three foot by eight feet and a few smaller bookcases lined my front room walls, sat in side rooms and tempted me with their titles. That doesn’t count the stacks on the tops or on the floor.

Meeting Reality

Some of those bookcases held reference books. Teaching science requires a science library for lesson ideas. Researching plants requires guide books. Raising livestock requires veterinary and care books.

But the other bookcases held hundreds of books waiting to be read. I claim a thousand now, although I’ve never really counted them. Since I read about fifty of them a year, the last will be read about twenty years from now.

I am a senior citizen, an older senior citizen. Those books waiting for me to read them will probably end up going for fifty cents a box or tossed into a dumpster.

My solution was to stop going to the used book sales. I’m reading and giving away many of my books to people or book sales so others can enjoy reading them. I hope they will be read, not sit gathering decades of dust as they have on my shelves.

cover for "Capri Capers" by Karen GoatKeeper
This book was downloaded for free several times during holiday giveaways. And disappeared. So many people won’t look at a book unless it has lots of reviews, yet they won’t take the time to review a book themselves, even if they have gotten the book, a product of months of work, for free.

Book Reviews

As an author, I want other people to read my books. It’s hard work to write a book, rewrite it, edit it, create a cover and publish it.

The book market has changed. When I choose a book, I look at the dust jacket to find out something about the book. Reviews are nice, but they do not persuade me to read a book.

Why? Because there are books I enjoy reading and books I don’t enjoy reading. Take Stephen King. Many people love reading his books. I tried one, well two. The novel was enough for me. The one on writing was interesting and helpful.

The book market emphasizes book reviews. It’s vital to get reviews of your books.

Gift Giving Time

Now there are opportunities for me to give digital copies of my books away over the holidays. I’ve done this thinking people will read my books and do reviews of them.

Instead people download hundreds of free books just like the sacks I used to lug home in my hoarding books days.

The books sit on their phones or tablets or ereaders unread as so many of mine on my shelves. And then they are erased. Hoarding books is now guilt free as the books don’t sit there in front of you.

No one read them. No one reviewed them.

I don’t think I will participate. My digital books are $2.99 each. Maybe, if someone purchases one, they will actually read it and maybe do a review of it.

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Latest From High Reaches

My Goats Are Dressed Up for Winter

One thing for sure: Being cold is no fun. When the temperatures drop to the low twenties, my goats are cold. That’s when they’re dressed up for winter.

Originally I would cut old blankets in half, fold the half and tie it onto the goat. As soon as they found they were warm, they left the blanket alone, sometimes for days. That was up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where cold meant zero or below.

The Ozarks can get that cold, but it’s rare. Low twenties is more common. The goats got too hot, felt itchy and pulled the blankets off.

Then the goats started shivering again.

There are patterns for goat coats. I looked at them, even had a couple I saved. Somehow I never got around to making any as each had to be individually fitted.

Nubian doe Agate is dressed up for winter
The sweatshirts don’t seem like much protection for the goats, but they are. Cold goats don’t give much milk. Sick goats do better if they aren’t cold too.

Repurposing Sweatshirts

There were sweatshirts in my drawer. I never wore them. My preference is a vest with a hoodie over it.

I cut the arms short on the sweatshirts. Then cut a long arc out of the belly. These became the new goat coats.

It’s not much of a hassle putting these on a goat when they are on the milk stand. I slide the neck opening over their head. Pull up one front hoof and put it through an armhole. Pull up the other front hoof and put it through the other arm hole.

The goat gets warm. The sweatshirt stays put until I take it off.

Dressed Up for Winter

Now I have sweatshirts for all of my goats. They range from medium to double X for the does. Augustus takes a triple X as does Pest, my resident wether.

The does came in the first really cold morning shivering. They would go out and bask in the sun to warm up for the day.

I set up the sweatshirts. Each goat would have the right size.

My herd is a colorful array now. No one shivers in the morning. And they are easily spotted this deer season since they are dressed up for winter.

My Nubian goat herd is dressed up for winter
Goats are rough on sweatshirts. They tear them. Arguing goats can grab them and tear holes in them. Replacing a sweatshirt is much easier than replacing a goat coat. And the array of colors is pretty as the herd goes out for the day.

Side Benefit

Those sleeves aren’t thrown away. The cuffs are cut in half. Two leg holes are cut out. They become goat coats for kids.

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GKP Writing News

Ending Two Novels

National Novel Writing Month makes November special for me. It gives me license to write madly with no or few doubts about what I’m writing. It’s often the beginning of a new novel. This year is hopefully ending two novels.

Most of my novels began as NaNo drafts. Sometime in September or October the shadow of an idea occurs. It’s at the edge of my mind, teasing me, eluding me for a time.

One day this little idea grows up into characters and plot. The new novel waits for me to write it down.

cover for "Dora's Story" by Karen GoatKeeper
I was driving when the idea of a Black Beauty type novel about a goat occurred to me. I was only going a few miles, but had thought of the goat and several possible events for this new novel begun during another November NaNo and finished during two Camp NaNo sessions.

Planning For November

This year I didn’t go looking for an idea for a new novel. I have three sitting around waiting for my attention. One is a disaster in need of a total rethinking and rewriting.

The other two are unfinished. It’s not that I don’t know or have a good idea what that ending is. I do. I just haven’t written the endings down yet.

So I decided to spend NaNo ending two novels.

The goal is 50,000 words, a novella. Both of my novels are three quarters done. Neither needs another 50,000 words. Together I should have the word total.

NaNo asks the potential writer to say what novel is being worked on. I thought about it and decided to go with “The Carduan Chronicles”.

In between “The Chemistry Project” investigations and puzzles and the “Dent County Flora” pictures, memories of Cardua surfaced. I remembered names, events, where the novel left off.

November Begins

November 1 dawned. I sat down at my computer. And opened my flood/isolation novel instead.

It’s a good thing I’m ending two novels this November. I’m 16,000 words into Mindy’s story and building to the climax. About 10,000 more words will end this draft.

That won’t end work on this novel. I have lots of research to do, people to interview, rewriting to do. But it will finish the rough draft.

And it will leave me about 25,000 words to use about Cardua.

Maybe I won’t have a new novel this December. But ending two novels is reason to celebrate.

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Latest From High Reaches

Hidden Bushes

Over the summer all the plants leaf out. Hidden bushes are there in plain sight, but hiding among all the green leaves.

Autumn arrived. Yellows blazed out. As those leaves fell, the oranges and reds glowed on the hillsides.

Now those leaves are gone. Most of the trees are bare brown and gray branches. Most bushes are the same. Not all bushes.

The hidden bushes are now easy to spot. They are the ones still hanging onto some of their red leaves. These are often the bushes I didn’t know grew here.

hidden bushes include Carolina Buckthorn
This Carolina Buckthorn is a native shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. It can be a large bush, but is usually smaller and hidden by other bushes growing around it. In the fall it is one of the last to lose all of its leaves. Then its red to yellow leaves with the strong ribs are easy to spot. Some even still have black berries although those are relished by many birds.

All summer I’ve been walking the trails at ShawneeMac Conservation Area because I saw many bushes I never saw here. Some I was glad I didn’t see as they are invasive. Some I assumed didn’t grow here.

My Hidden Bushes

The hidden bushes are proving me wrong in several cases. Carolina Buckthorn is one of them. It’s a pretty bush and can get ten feet tall. I’d never seen it except around the Lakes.

Burning Bush is one I’m not as glad to know grows here. It can become quite a nuisance. There are several still sporting red leaves and fruit.

The advice is to kill out invasive species. I’m sure the reasons are good. But it is a lost cause. Nurseries still sell these plants. People still plant these plants. They have spread into many places.

Eliminating these plants in one area does nothing about the rest. As soon as you look the other way, more of them are growing where you thought they were no more.

another of the hidden bushes
At first glance this bush is a lot like the Carolina Buckthorn and may be called that by some people. There are several differences in the shape of the leaves, the darker coloring and the occasional thorns on the twigs. Now that these hidden bushes have been spotted, I can watch them in the spring to verify what its name is.

Another hidden bush is not identified yet. The tentative name is for a bush unknown in the area and rare in the Bootheel. Now these hidden bushes are spotted, I can keep an eye on them in the spring when all those green leaves try to camouflage them again.

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GKP Writing News

Chemistry Puzzles

One of my favorite parts of my science activity books are the puzzles. At least they have been. Devising the chemistry puzzles has been a challenge.

There are lots of fun sayings about water and pumpkins. There are lots of fun facts. Putting lists of words about these is easy too.

Not for chemistry.

Looking For Word Lists

I’ve found lists of famous chemists. Since “The Chemistry Project” will have many younger experimenters, the things these chemists did won’t mean anything to them. Thermodynamics is studied in college, not in high school. Electricity, while it can involve chemistry and explains some of what chemistry is about, is not familiar below high school or college.

That means my usual word searches and word skeletons will be few in number. Even mazes need something going from one place to another, and I’m still searching for these things. I did find one, but that isn’t nearly enough.

Other Possible Puzzles

Deduction problems are one of my favorites. I can probably do several chemistry puzzles of this kind. Not everyone likes these.

cover for "Goat Games" by Karen GoatKeeper
Although not a science activity book, “Goat Games” has lots of pencil puzzles of many kinds about goats. This book gave me the idea for the science activity books.

I’m reaching into “Goat Games” for more puzzle ideas. I have a couple of word puzzles now. Maybe I can think of a few more.

There will be lots of chemistry sayings and chemistry tales. These are challenging to devise. I like using a Scrabble board and letters to change the saying or tale into words for the clues.

Each part of “The Chemistry Project” has about six puzzles. I am now working on part 3 on solutions for the investigations and activities. I am short two puzzles for part 2 on matter. Part 3 needs another five puzzles.

Because chemistry puzzles are so hard to come up with, I could cut back on how many puzzles are in “The Chemistry Project”. That would solve my dilemma. But I would hate to do that. I just have to search harder for more puzzle material and ideas.

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Latest From High Reaches

Homesteading Tragedy

So many people moving to the country think this is an excuse to get at least one big dog and let it run loose. This is a possible homesteading tragedy.

I grew up with dogs and like dogs. Now my favorite dogs belong to someone else, not me.

I was talking with a man about living in the Ozarks. He mentioned his dogs killing some of his neighbor’s chickens. I snapped back that, at my house, it was a dead dog. Chickens lay eggs, provide meat on a homestead. A chicken killer is worth nothing. He barely said good-bye before vanishing.

homesteading tragedy Nubian doe victim
I have been very lucky. The homestead tragedy of dog attacks has been only a few over the years. My High Reaches Isabelle was the first victim. This was an old Nubian doe at the time so I was concerned when she didn’t come in with the herd. As I entered the north pasture, two dogs ran off. She was lying on the edge of the creek bed with her throat torn out. Those dogs came back, they usually do, a month later to kill again, an Alpine doe named Chuba. By that time I had found their home. They didn’t come back again.

Possible Homesteading Tragedy

The phone rang. A friend was frantic. Dogs had attacked one of her young goats. What should she do?

I grabbed supplies and drove over to check out the injured goat. One puncture wound went into her nose so blood dripped out her nose. Her side behind her front leg was swollen, possibly going to abcess. Her rump was scraped and bloody. She was unresponsive.

This goat had two big enemies now. One was infection. Topical antiseptic went on the wounds. A penicillin shot, first of a series for a week or so, hopefully dealt with it.

The second is much more insidious, but deadly. Shock. This young doe was in shock. Left that way, she would die.

My first remedy for shock is molasses. It doesn’t take much, only a tablespoon or two. It is easily absorbed and gives a boost.

As I shoved molasses covered fingers in this goat’s mouth, she protested and struggled to her feet. A couple more fingerfuls and she started blinking and looking around.

When the other goats came over, this goat talked to them. She wasn’t ready to join them as they rambled around the yard. She was ready to watch them. She was out of shock.

Country Dogs

At one time people lived far apart around here. My nearest neighbors are almost a half mile away. I still hear their dogs barking.

Dogs have come nearly two miles to roam up and down this valley on their own. Their owners had no clue to where they were.

Two or three dogs become a pack. They chase and pull down anything that runs. This is natural to them.

It is a recipe for homesteading tragedy.

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Mysterious Squash

Late last spring I planted Tahitian melons. At least I thought I did. Instead I picked these mysterious squash.

Tahitian melons are more winter squash than melon. They have a crook on the top and a bulge for seeds on the bottom. Their thick skin is tan. These are good winter keepers often lasting into the next spring, if not eaten first.

I don’t really grow these for my eating pleasure. My goats love them. One melon lasts them several days as dessert after mealtime grain.

The vines are something of a nuisance as they get forty feet long or more with side branches, huge leaves and a tendency to grow over all their neighbors. These were one of my monster squash, or so I thought.

Instead I ended up with a mysterious squash. It definitely is not a Tahitian melon.

mysterious squash
These winter squash are big weighing in around 10 to 14 pounds each. The coloring reminds me of cushaw, but the shape is different. They seem to be an excellent winter squash and the vines are certainly prolific. The problem is that I have no idea what kind of squash they are.

What Is It?

These squash are mostly green in a lacy pattern on white. They have no crook and no bulge. In size they rival Tahitian melons. I brought in one and weighed it at 12..6 pounds.

So far I have a pile of these mysterious squash in my pantry. There are still a few summer squash to consume before they go bad. Zephyrs are delicious, but have limited keeping even in the refrigerator.

There was one of the winter squash that didn’t finish growing. It had dropped off from frost and I had left it there meaning to pick it up later. The chickens found it first.

Chickens do like melons and squash. They pecked this one open revealing a golden yellow interior.

Next week I will cut open one of the ones in the pantry to cook up some for dinner. As most are far too large for two people, the goats will help eat them.

In the meantime I am looking over seed catalog winter squash pictures trying to identify my mysterious squash.

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GKP Writing News

Chemistry Investigations

The genesis for my Chemistry Project goes back decades to when I taught chemistry in high school. It was one of several subjects I taught every day. I developed chemistry investigations for my classes.

The advantage of school was my access to many chemicals and lots of equipment. That meant I could develop challenging experiments.

I considered these experiments challenging. The real challenge came later when I was developing the chemistry investigations for my new website.

Authors are supposed to have websites to promote their books and connect with fans.

cover of "The Pumpkin Project" by Karen GoatKeeper
Science is a ‘hands on’ subject using investigations and activities to encourage students to think about what they are learning and apply it to new circumstances. I use investigations, activities, pencil puzzles, trivia, stories, recipes and more in “The Pumpkin Project” to try to do this. And the supplies and equipments used are mostly things easily available.

My website did promote my books, only a couple at that time. What I wanted to do was attract people to my site. “The Pumpkin Project” was coming out soon.

To me, science is science. It is looking for why things happen the way they do and are as they are. Chemistry was a familiar subject so I decided to post chemistry investigations on my website.

Doing Chemistry At Home

At home I had none of the equipment or the chemicals I had used at school. The topics were the same. The challenge was to develop ways to suit these topics using equipment and chemicals anyone could find.

Why chemistry? One reason is how interesting it is. Another is that every other science has some relationship with chemistry. Yet another involves reactions, seeing things change form and color.

“The Chemistry Project” is taking shape using the posts I put up nearly ten years ago. A couple have needed changes. One Activity had to be redone entirely.

So far, the first part on the metric system is complete. The chemistry investigations are done for the second part on matter. I’m short a couple of puzzles, trivia and a Chem Story.

Importance of Science

Another problem has appeared. Putting “The Chemistry Project” together will take a lot of work. It is a science activity book. And science is now suspect.

People question the validity of science. They ban science books.

To me, this ignores the fact that most of those people would be dead without science just as half of all children died before the age of five only a couple of hundred years ago. Science created the materials in their clothes, the engines in their vehicles, the appliances in their homes.

And future scientists, the ones who will give us more technology, begin now with books like “The Chemistry Project” that challenge them to think, to use the knowledge they gain through experiments. There’s a lot riding on those chemistry investigations I’m developing. I hope they measure up.

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GKP Writing News

“The Cat Who Saved Books”

What is the power of books? Do you really love books? “The Cat who Saved Books” by Sosuke Natsukawa explores these questions.

The book is translated from the Japanese. The ideas it brings up should make you think, maybe re-evaluate your relationship with books.

Synopsis of “The Cat Who Saved Books”

Rintaro Natsuki is a high school student living with his grandfather who owns an old used book store filled with hard-to-find books. Rintaro hides himself away as a hikikomori burying himself in the books he loves and reads.

After the grandfather dies, Rintaro is left adrift. An aunt pushes him to close the shop and move in with her. He stands staring at the bookshelves thinking of nothing when he hears someone. All he sees is an orange tabby.

A tabby who announces the name Tiger Tabby and asks Rintaro to help rescue some abused books. Even as numb and uncaring as he is, Rintaro can’t refuse.

Three times the pair enter a Labyrinth. Three times they meet people who say they love books, but have somehow lost sight of that love. Each time there is a different approach to books and people’s relationships to them.

The fourth Labyrinth leaves Rintaro struggling to understand the immense power of books.

“The Cat who Saved Books” may be fiction, but books are under attack today because of their power. That power is frightening to those who would dictate to others. That power is why books are one of the first targets of such people.

Power of Reading Books

What is this immense power? Read “The Cat Who Saved Books” and find out even as you contemplate society’s changing attitudes toward books.

How do you access this power? By reading widely. It’s comforting to read only one genre or one author. By doing this you are robbing yourself.

Set a goal to read a book that stretches you out of your comfort zone once a week or a month or every fifth book. Try a book that challenges your view of the world or takes you to a time or place unfamiliar to you.

Open your mind to the power of books.

cover for "The City Water Project" by Karen GoatKeeper
So many people now seem to dislike or distrust science. In “The City Water Project” it becomes clear that we depend on science to supply, use and dispose of our water.
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Latest From High Reaches

Winter Watch

Fall is here in the Ozarks, yoyo season. Winter watch is on as days alternate between fall and winter.

On the Hills

sycamore trees turn yellow
Sycamore trees are striking in the fall with their white bark and muticolored leaves. These should turn yellow. A good number stay green as they fall to the ground. Many turn brown.

On the hills the trees are sporting their fall colors. It’s interesting to watch the change creep over the hills. Robust summer green takes on a yellow tinge for a week or so. Overnight the tinge becomes the dominant color as hickories, pawpaws, elms and hackberries turn various hues of brilliant yellow. Oaks take on a dusky red.

Nubian dairy goats don't have winter watch
Approaching winter doesn’t faze my High Reaches Nubian dairy goats. They are spending the days gobbling up persimmons, fallen leaves, acorns and grass. This is a time of plenty for them.

Wind comes through for the winter watch. Leaves start their spirals to the ground. The black walnuts are first to have bare branches except for the walnuts. These seem to delight in watching me pick them up, then littering the ground again.

I miss walnut season. No one is buying walnuts in town this year. That’s a shame as my trees have big crops and I have a friend willing to cart them away, those not left for the squirrels.

In the Garden

plastic protection for winter watch in the garden
My raised garden bed has several crops growing including spinach, flat leaf parsley, mizuna and winter radishes. These wil take some cold, but the plastic turns the bed into a little greenhouse making them much happier.

The garden too is on winter watch. Light frosts, a couple of hard frosts have laid the summer crops low. The summer squash had buffers around it and the plants are still trying to grow more squash.

Tomatoes are gone. I’ve pulled the vines off the shade house and will put plastic over it for the winter. Cabbage, bok choi and Chinese cabbage need little protection, but grow faster with warmer air around them. The Chinese celery and rosemary need protection.

The raised bed has already been covered with plastic overnight. For now, the cover is pushed back as fall is in style this week. Winter watch begins again on Sunday.

Tadpoles still swim around in three rain barrels. The ones with legs might beat winter. The ones without will perish when winter pushes fall away leaving ice on the water, branches bare and a garden put to bed for a few months.