The Storm
I hope you will have a good Mio Monday.
Thank you everyone for the comments on the big news. I know it’s a shocker. I am not surprised you all care so much, I am a little overwhelmed with all the comments and such. I have tried to get back to everyone, but it’s hard with facebook’s bad system, especially replies to replies to comments, it gets almost impossible for me to keep up. Sorry if I have missed anything. Thank you all so much for caring. Thank you for your suggestions too. I have noted some stuff down that I have to look at. I want to make it clear that they do not want to put down the goats, that was the first thing Lars told me. I don’t want to make it sound like they don’t care about the goats and just want to get rid of them. They have to be rehomed, but we’ll find a way. I think it will end up being hard on me whatever the outcome, but we’ll do all we can to make it good for the goats.
I was up all night so now I’m going to go to bed and sleep for a long long time and dream myself away. And then i’ll be needing some good goat time, because that is still a place I can be happy. When I’m there with the goats it still feels like heaven. So I need all I can get of that. Have to to start preparing for Mia’s birthday too, it’s on Sunday. Sigh. Let’s all wish for her to get a safe happy home as soon as possible.
Again, thank you all for caring and wanting to help. All my disabilities make it even harder. Even just walking up to Ophelia, whomst I really like, to ask how it’s going is hard. I know some of you would be much more capable and proactive about this. But I’ll do my best to keep fighting. I’m just an old goat too.
8/8 2022
—
.
HappY Yogi daY everyone.
Talk later.
9/8 2022
—
.
Good goat times today. It is still my happy place. Although it’s tinged now with the sadness of knowing I will lose it soon.. whatever happens, this part of my life is going to end. Feels like you’re holding diamonds in your hand and they’re slipping out through your fingers and there’s nothing you can do about it..
But I do want to enjoy my last time there. I’m still happy in the moments with the goats. Hard not to be. They are my everything, now.
I did some weeding. Brought gloves and pulled up stinging nettles. Kinda stupid when you know in a few months I won’t even be going back there. In a few months they’ll be dying out anyway from the cold. Seasons change, fa la. But I just wanted to get some of the worst ones away from the places I like to sit. Of course I got stung quite a bit in the process. Because I’m smart. Sm rt. Too bad the goats don’t eat stinging nettles. They don’t get hurt by tem but they aren’t interested in eating them. I thought goats were supposed to do the weeding for us?! Blabla. If only they could weed out some humans..
Thanks everyone for all the support and stuff, and stuff.
9/8 2022
—
.
Can’t have one without the other
9/8 2022
—
.
A bit of goat butt parade. And other.
9/8 2022
—
.
For the Keiko level subscribers, here is a berry video. Still gotta laugh a little.
9/8 2022
—
.
Have a good Hump Day everyone. With bonus humps.
10/8 2022
—
.
Lily on her platform. She either sits there, or next to wherever Nuller sits.
10/8 2022
—
.
Have a good day everyone. Here’s Vanilje from 2007.
11/8 2022
—
.
goatlog
11/8 2022
—
.
Mia, Milo and Sky. Really hope we can keep the family together. I have autored a letter detailing the natural grouping of the goat herd, I am not sure how aware the playground staff is of their natural split in two groups. And since I’m not always good at talking to humans, bleat bleat, I thought i’d write it out and give it to them in the hopes that they’ll pay attention to that. And also with a request that if possible they talk to the Gellerup playground and see if we can’t get them to take Mia since she’s the best at being playground-goat. Hooves crossed.
11/8 2022
—
.
Thank you to everyone talking about writing letters or emails or petitions etc. I am a little wary, I don’t want to make things adversarial right now. As it stands the playground is doing what they can to find a good home for the goats that can’t go to Gellerup, and it’s not up to them to change the overall decisions, since it’s imposed on them too. I will give them the letter I wrote and hopefully they will understand how the goats should be split in their groups. And hopefully they will see the idea in asking Gellerup to consider taking Mia even though she’s a bit old.
I know it’s easy to see the playground as the bad guys here, but right now we are still on the same team trying to solve things. There are things they can’t change and so far I have no reason to think they won’t listen to my thoughts.
Incidentally, my dad was over today with prints of the letter I wrote (I don’t have a printer myself), and he was talking about appealing to the council etc. He’s got some experience with politics and the government etc. I don’t really believe there’s any chance of the overall decision being changed, they’re not going to change how things work just for my benifit. I’m just some random weirdo. But anyway. I told my dad he could try to look into appealing to the council or whatever he might come up with. I don’t have any hope really of that working, but I guess we can hope.
We’ll keep on working for the best outcome. And if I do think we need letters or media or whatever I will surely come to you all. I know some of you would love to write some angry complaints haha. But again. I don’t want to be antagonistic while we’re working to solve things.
11/8 2022
—
.
Hope you have a good day today. Here’s Ping and Pong from 2016.
12/8 2022
—
.
gorgeous goat day. Heatwave advisory on the forecast. Upwards of 27C/80F. Had a goat party. Mia turns 10 on Sunday and since I don’t go in the weekend we celebrated today. Raspberrie,s strawberries, blueberries, grapes. Turned into lots of berries everywhere.
12/8 2022
—
.
We’re alreaday out of food? The caterer gets zero stars on yelp for this
12/8 2022
—
.
Guess who’s deathly afraid of flags? Another one to add to Milo’s lists of ‘do not bring that thing near me”
12/8 2022
—
.
It was so hot today that the goats all relocated to under the house.
12/8 2022
—
.
Okay, I have an important update. And it’s not a good one, unfortunately.
I wasn’t sure when to tell everyone, I kinda wanted to try to wait so we could have a good day on Sunday to celebrate Mia’s birthday. But I don’t want to keep the news from you, and it’s burning me up inside.
I have been informed that the goats going to Gellerup will be moved on Tuesday. Yes, this Tuesday. So much for ‘September/October” I guess.
I do not know how many or which goats will be going. All I know is they don’t want Mia because she’s too old.
Now, I haven’t given up hope on that part yet. I’m going to be there Tuesday and I’m going to plead my case for them taking Mia. And for them not splitting the naturally bonded groups of the goats. It’s not impossible, but I don’t think chances are good.
Let me tell you what happened today. We’d had the lovely birthday party for Mia. And I had the letter that I wrote in my pocket. And I was trying to gather up the nerve to go talk to the staff about it all. And my anxiety was crippling me. I just couldn’t do it. Even with something that I care about so much. I just froze.
So I literally stood at the fence for about an hour, pretending to pet the goats while secretly hoping SOMEONE would notice me and come over and talk. Or that I would hear Ophelia’s voice so I knew there was someone there that i felt fairly comfortable talking to.
But no luck. There were people, but no one coming over to the pen and no Ophelia. Eventually time was up and I had to start heading home. I went through the playground grounds (normally I go down past the pen and on the paths there, away from the grounds), hoping that Ophelia would be there and just hadn’t been talking. But no Ophelia. so I started leaving. Walking away. At the last possible moment I turned to a path that goes around one of the buildings and I sort of pretended that I was looking for someone there, or whatever. I was actually gathering courage. And then I managed to turn around and walk back toward the playground buildings. And I poked my head in through a door and said “excuse me” and told them I wanted to give them a letter about the goats, and my wishes and the bondings of the goats etc. And before I could even give them the letter Lars said “good that you’re here. Gellerup will be coming to pick up the goats on Tuesday”.
So that was a gut punch. Good thing I managed to go back and talk to them so I found out. They want me to be there. After I’d mentioned about the goats bonding the other guy, I think his name is Adam, nice guy, he asked who ‘number 18’ was bonded with. And I told him about Sky and Mia. And he said he was really going to miss that guy. Apparently he’s gotten quite close with Milo. Nice to know Milo has made friends, not just made people scared of him. Not that it does him much good now…
They both commended me on ‘doing my homework’ and trying to inform them, they seemed to appreciate it. “That’s exactly the kind of stuff that’s hard for us to pick up on” they said about the bondings.
Lars and I went over to another building so he could check that he got the right date and time that the Gellerup people would come. While we were walking over there I blabbled a little about how good Mia was with kids, and Lars said “great, that’s the kind of stuff that’s helpful”. He didn’t shut down the idea of Mia going to Gellerup. But it sounds like the Gellerup people will basically come over and get to pick who they want. And so, it will be up to me to make my case to them. To try and convince them that Mia is the perfect playground goat even though she’s old. And try to advocate for them taking the natural bondings of the goats into consideration for their welfare and well being.
good things I’m so great at talking to people, huh…
Well, I’ll be forced into the situation, so there’s no choice. I’ll have to do my best. It’s a lot to process. It’s scary and frustrating. Best case scenario I convince them to take Mia, Milo and Sky. If they don’t want that then taking Sassy, Lily and Nuller. Worst case they just pick randomly. They’d probably take Sky because she’s the ‘baby’. And then probably one or two of the newbs. Which would be awful for Sky. I will do my best to avoid that.
But whatever happens it will be hard. Tuesday will be the end of my goat paradise. Having Mia, Milo and Sky right next door would be wonderful. But even so I’d lose three other goats I love. And I’m still worried if the conditions at Gellerup playground will be ok for the goats. It almost certainly won’t be as good as our current location. That’s pretty much 100% sure. In a way it might almost be better if Mia didn’t com to Gellerup, if she could go to a proper sanctuary or to Angeline or something, somewhere perfect where she would have all she needs and be well taken care of. But she wouldn’t have me. And I wouldn’t have her.
I don’t forking know. I cried in the shower when I got home. I think it’s the first time I’ve cried about this. I have been sad and depressed and worried of course, but I have kept it in. Tried to focus on having a good summer with them and working for the best results, but now it’s just all very real. And right around the corner. Literally. Four days. And I don’t know what’s going to happen or what will be best or how I will deal with what will happen. I just want it all to go away.
Sigh. Turns out there wasn’t time for my dad to look into the council and politics and all. And your letters wouldn’t have made it in time.
Oh, and there is no news about a home for the goats that won’t go to Gellerup. Lars again told me to bring him any ideas I might have. I hope they are really looking. The first thing he said to me when the news broke was that they do not want to put them down. They better keep that. I still have some of your suggestions to look at and pass along if they are possibilities. And I don’t even know who’s home I’m searching for, I don’t know anything.
I feel pretty broken.
Incidentally, my dad just informed that my mother has been walking around with a broken back since she fell about six months ago. It’s not a big break, apparently, it should be ok. Shouldn’t be serious, i’m told. But she needs to get that fixed obviously. Did I mention that my dad’s dementia exam thing has been moved up further, now November instead of December. So that’s something. I just feel like everying’s going to shit. The whole world on a global scale and my personal and family life and everything.
I’m trying to fight off the depression. it’s not easy. I am not good at dealing with things. I prefer burying my head in the sand. But now it’s quicksand and, well mixed metaphors get me nowhere. I can’t avoid dealing with this. Things just change sometimes at the snap of a finger, everything gets turned around and suddenly what you thought you had is fading..
Okay I better shut up before I go completely down the spiral. Thanks for listening. I will of course keep you all updated. Next week will be very important, with lots of stuff still to do.
Thanks for all the support. I know the goats mean a lot to a lot of you too. I’ll try to get some kind of happy future with and for them. I wish it didn’t have to change.
love you loves.
12/8 2022
—
.
Okay.I am heading to bed now. I’ll probably stay there for about 24 hours. I’m a bit of a nervous wreck right now. But I’m trying to remain calm and pragmatic. What will happen will happen. I will do my best, but most of it is out of my hands. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
I just wish i could freeze time.
Thanks for the support everyone, as always. Hope you’re all doing okay.
13/8 2022
—
.
Happy Funday everyone. I hope you will have a good day. Happy Birthday, Mia. light of my life. I wish I could give you everything you want and need all the time. I hope the coming days will work out okay for us all.
14/8 2022
—
.
My favourite pizza place is back after a month’s vacation. Treated myself to their expensive goodness, in honour of Mia’s big day. And my big belly.. Nice to see the regular delivery guy again.
I’d give up pizza in a heartbeat in exchange for a good goat outcome, of course.14/8 2022
—
.
Mia’s birthday party. At least I got to have that before they sprung the news on me.
14/8 2022
—
.
.
—
That’s all for now.