I wish I was just a comedian making up that subject line. But alas, I am a real live person, and I am writing this at 2:50 a.m. because I was just lying in bed awake and I felt my cat walking across my legs, and suddenly it smelled like a skunk was on my bed.

You may have your own ideas about why this happened, but in my sleep-deprived brain at 2:50 a.m., I decided it must be a sign that I need to get up and work at my computer. This is the third time this has happened in the past week. No, it's not the third time my cat has farted like a skunk in the past week -- thank goodness! It's the third time I'm finding myself on my computer, working away in the middle of the night.

But first things first. Before I could get to work, I had to know whether I was smellucinating (smell-hallucinating). So naturally, at 3 a.m., I asked AI. It assured me that cats can occasionally release their anal glands, producing a smell remarkably similar to a skunk. It then helpfully listed a bunch of medical conditions that could also cause it, which was exactly what my sleep-deprived brain needed at three o'clock in the morning.

So why is this the third time that I find myself sitting at my computer in the middle of the night working? Because I am trying to juggle way too many bowling balls at one time.

The first time it happened last week was because I suddenly woke up and realized that I had not written the email about the Portugal trip that was supposed to go out at 6 a.m. in the morning.

The second time it happened was because I woke up thinking about all the things that still needed to happen before the Goat Soiree that was scheduled for last Saturday. My original vision was for that to just be an opportunity for Goats 365 members to get together in person for a meet and greet and lunch on our farm.

Then someone asked if we could do XYZ and I said sure. Then another person asked if we could do ABC, and I said sure. And before I knew it, I had a list of seven or eight things that we were going to do -- which I was super excited to do. But we're not talking about goat cuddling here. We were talking about doing blood draws and fecal tests and castrations and all sorts of serious hands-on stuff. And of course, have breakfast and lunch too.

But my goat, Maya, thought that even all of that stuff wasn't enough, so she went into labor Friday night. I do have to thank her for providing us with fresh colostrum to use for the Brix testing. Heading into the event Saturday morning, I was working on only four hours of sleep. Even though I felt like I was sleepwalking through the day, but everything seemed to go well -- or so I was told.

So why am I at my computer writing this now at 3:30 a.m.? The cat fart only drove me from my bed at 2:50 a.m., but I had been awake for 20 minutes already. How am I supposed to promote the Portugal trip, whose deadline is Tuesday midnight, as well as our farm Kickstarter, which ends at 2 p.m. Central Time Wednesday?

After kicking and berating myself for far too long, it suddenly occurred to me that I did not plan for those deadlines to be so close together. Originally, I wanted the farm Kickstarter to be completely finished before I had my first cataract surgery on May 26. But putting together a Kickstarter is a lot more work than I had anticipated. And it has to be approved before it goes live. I wound up submitting it for approval about eight hours before that first surgery. So, it got approved before my vision was good enough to be able to work at the computer for a week.

When I was finally able to work on the computer again, I struggled with when to start and end the Kickstarter. Once you hit the launch button, the deadline cannot be changed. I'm not going to take you down the rabbit hole on why I finally decided that it should end on July 1st at 2 p.m., but that's what it is. As I look at my dashboard now, I see that $921 has been pledged towards our $1,500 goal. And we have 58 hours to go.

If we don't reach that goal, then none of the backers pay anything. And we don't get a dime even if we raise $1,499.

When my friend Janelle and I started talking about the Portugal trip, I wanted to go ASAP because I've been dreaming of visiting goat farms in other countries for years. She said the rainy season is in winter, so we need to do it before then (or wait until spring), which is why we chose October. We are staying in a couple of amazing small boutique hotels that have very limited availability, but they were willing to hold rooms for us without a deposit until this week, which is why the deadline for that is Tuesday at midnight Central Time.

So if you've been wondering why you've been hearing about Portugal and the Kickstarter at the same time, now you know. It wasn't some carefully crafted marketing plan. It was simply the collision of two projects that each had deadlines I couldn't move.

If Portugal isn't your thing, that's okay. If glamping on our farm isn't your thing, that's okay too. But if either one makes you smile, I'd love for you to take a look before the deadlines pass.

And if neither one is for you, thank you for putting up with a couple of extra emails while I get through what has unexpectedly become the busiest two weeks of my year.

Hopefully tonight will be the last time that a cat's rear end inspires my productivity.

Here's to fewer surprises,
Deborah

Quick recap:

• 🇵🇹 Portugal Goat Tour: Deposits close Tuesday at midnight (Central). [Link]
• ⛺ Farm Kickstarter: Ends Wednesday at 2 p.m. (Central). If we don't reach $1,500, the project won't be funded. [Link]​