Bella Luna
Good times with the little and the minis today. A hot hot day. With a nasty humid heat. The forecast said heavy showers later in the day. You could feel that humidity heavily.
Jeanette had dropped off a bunch of branches she had brought from her neighbour, and in fact when I arrived she was heading out to pick up another batch. So I gathered up a bunch of those and put them inside the goat house in various places. Figuring that it would be nice for the goats to have some greens in there when the rain came later. Also placed a bunch of them under one of the platforms and under the big tree, in the hopes they will stay somewhat dry. We’ll see. Lots and lots of leaves for the goats in any case.
Other than that not too eventful. We had some headbutting. Real headbutting this time. Last week they reared up on their hind legs but came down without clashing heads. Today they did actually connect. horns. Not very hard, not like some of the really fierce headbutting you sometimes see. But definitely clacking horns a little. I think both minis went up a few times with Sky. So I think that’s good, that must mean they are getting more comfortable with Sky and less afraid of her. I mean, she still chases them off now and then, especially when I was giving out treats. But that’s nornally. Ask any goat who got in the way of the Mio train back in the day… when there’s food, it’s every goat for themselves and the strongest will want it all.
Had another bout of douple lap goat time too, sitting on the bench with one of the minis in my lap and then the other jumping on too. So funny. Not very comfy, but so funny. I had some relaxing lap time with the both of them too. It’s fun when you have one in your lap and they are squirming and the others are running around and you’re giving out treats and it’s all a bit frenzied. But it’s also really nice when you have one sitting in your lap and they settle down and just relax and chew their cud. It makes you feel like they feel safe with you. And it’s a good bonding thing, so I made sure to do that with both. And I made sure to sit with Sky too so she knows she’s still loved even though there’s a couple of interlopers trying to upstage her. The are all wonderful.
Later the blazing sun went away. And then the skies went really dark, just as I was getting ready to leave. Jeanette told me I’d better leave right away if I wanted to get home dry. Well. I was heading for the supermarket. And if I’d left the goat place ten minutes earlier I’d have made it there dry. As it were, I didn’t. The heavens opened up. We call it “skybrud” in Danish. Sky break. Luckily, not the goat Sky breaking. But the clouds breaking into extreme downpour. And just a few minutes outside in that left completely soaked and drenched. So the people in the supermarket god a nice Mr Wet T-Shirt view of me. If you’re a Premium+ subscriber check out the photos in the member’s area. (Just kidding. Probably…). By the time I’d done my shopping the skybrud had eased into just normal rain. I think it’s stopped raining althogether now. So it was fairly brief, but it was good to get some rain for the greens. The forecast for the coming days is looking cooler than the heat and drought we’ve been having. So that’s pretty good.
26/6 2023
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Still no name for this big girl. Jeanette told me that they were gathering suggestions Tuesday and Wednesday and then probably voting on Thursday. It could still be a few days after that until I hear the result. But we’ll see. I entered a couple of suggestions for the voting. Soleil and Solskin. For the sun theme. But I doubt they have a chance. Soleil is a bit too fanc for the humankids probably. And Solskin is a little weird. Not as weird as Myg, but not really anything I’ve ever seen used as a name. Means sunshine in Danish. Jeanette told me that one of the suggestions so far was Bella, which was her favourite. She quite likes the Bella Luna combination. Do Americans know that? I guess it’s Italian for Beautiful Moon. Judging by a quick google search it’s a phrase that’s used a lot in Denmark, a lot of food places and other things use that phrase as a name. When I was thinking of names at first, before the Lille My and Myg and Luna came up, I had actually thought of Bella as a possibility. So I’d be happy enough if that won. Bella and Luna, that works well.
For now she remains TBD. Temporary Bella Doe.
26/6 2023
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The goaties working on the greens. And this is just the first batch, Jeanette came back with twice as much to add. Thank you to her neighbour for giving the goats a nice buffet.
26/6 2023
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Hey look ma, I caught a Luna!
26/6 2023
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Good goat times today. The weather has cooled down, but it kept dry and we got some nice sunshine too. A bunch of sweet visitors, kids happily running around amongst the goats. A couple of girls were a little too eager and were picking up Luna and running after the hens. But that’s why there’s adult supervision, so they can be taught not to do that. But everyone was quite happy. Later on I had some really sweet times. Sitting in the middle of the bench with Luna in my lap. TBD sitting to the right of me. Sky sitting on the black tub to the left in front of me. All of us just relaxing in the sun. Perfect happy family goat time. The kind of moment when you wish you could get up and tpakee a picture. Except you’d ruin the moment as soon as you get up. Catch 22. Catch 3 goats.
Got some more headbutting in too, the goats not me. And the minis have gotten their first peanuts, I thought it would take longer before they were able to eat them with shells too, I’ve been de-shelling the nuts (ouch) but they can take them whole too.
27/6 2023
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I mentioned sitting with the goats and not being able to get up and take a picture, well after sitting there for a long time I did get up and set the camera to film some video. But when I sat back down with Luna in my lap, well TBD had gotten up and decided not to sit back down again, she just stood there and chewed her cud. So in this still from the video, imagine TBD also sitting down next to me instead of standing. That’s how we sat for a long time, all four of us relaxing in the sun. Luna in my lap, TBD sitting to my right, Sky sitting on the tub in front to the left.
27/6 2023
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Having a chat with Sky. She was just listing her grievances with the babies.
27/6 2023
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And now for something completely different.
It’s
27/6 2023
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Entertaining visitors.
27/6 2023
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Sweet kids of all kinds.
28/6 2023
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goatlog, the second day of our new kids.
28/6 2023
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Good goat times today. A grey day, but comfortably warm. After the scorching drought it’s not bad to have some cooler days.
Lots of fun and sweetness today. We got a goat circus. The threebies running around and being silly. That’s the first time since.. Day 2, I think. I was wondering if Sky’s silly running days would be over now that she doesn’t have her playmate Milo anymore. I was a little worried about that. But it’s good to see that the 2 minis can get her in a playful mood too. It started with her chasing them away from the treatpocket and then it just went from there with lots of sweet zoomies.
And the minis are at that perfect age where they just can’t help themselves, if you sit down with them then they just have to climb onto you. it’s so sweet and funny and I got mugged good by the goat brigade. I am trying to resist teaching them to climb up on my back to reach leaves… I know I shuld but oouuooogh I just miss that thing. At least I can have them climbing in my lap.
There’s more to tell, but I need a powernap and a pot of soup. Then I’ll be back. Do we have a name for the big mini? Well, I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned and find out later, won’t you?
29/6 2023
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Okay okay. We have a name. Well, she has a name.
And the name is… Bella. Not surprising, but I’m happy about it. I would have like some kind of sun theme to go with the moon and the sky, but as I mentioned I had already considered Bella as a name for one of them, so I am happy with that. And it was Jeanette’s favourite. Bella and Luna go well together.
She’s a troublemaker in the making though. Jeanette told me she has to be careful when going through the gate, because this gal likes to try to slip out with her. And she’s butting heads with Mia and pushing Luna around too. She will probably want to take over command of the flock when she gets older. We’ll see if Sky can stand her ground. For now Sky can still send her running, but who knows.
But I’m glad that’s settled. Sky, Bella and Luna. And Lasse makes four.
29/6 2023
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The funniest thing happened today. Sky was doing what she’s doing in the below picture. She often does that, sitting down and then bending backwards to groom/scrach her hind legs or around her tail or butt, heehee. Well, she was doing it on the lower slope of the mountain. If you look at the picture, imagine her bending and stretching back even more. And doing it on a downards slope… well she stretched so far that she tumbled over. She was completely fine but it looks do funny. It looked like she fell down.. while sitting. It’s hard to describe really. It looked like she did one of her jumping pirouettes, only lying down. I had my camera on the tripod filming, but unfortunately I was filming upwards of the top of the mountain, and she was below the frame. That video would have gone viral I tell you. It looked so goofy. Goat contortionist.
29/6 2023
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I know you know, but I just love these goats. It struck me today what a feeling of peacefulness and love I get when I am with them.
My whole life is one big hurricanei of anxiety and pain and fear and doubt and constant noise. It’s like being at a heavy metal concert. And then when I’m in the goat pen it is calm quiet. An oasis in the desert. No pain and fear. Well, I mean. At least not when things are going well. I guess that’s why it hits extra hard when there’s trouble related to the goats. When the pain and fear extends into the goat pen it is extra hard.
I can’t say everything is just fixed and healed now. But I am able to feel good again. I am able to focus on the good, at least for a time.
I really feel sad for people who don’t know the happiness of being around animals. It makes me sad that the government is closing down some of these animal playgrounds, we should have more of them not less. Especially in areas like the one I live in. The ‘ghettos’. For kids to have this kind of space with greens and animals and adults who care. I wish there were ressources to have much more of that.
A thing that stuck with me for all these years, I forget the exact details of it, but it was a litle girl, i think at the first playground. She was so happy to around the goats and she told us that her and her mom lived in a tiny apartment and they couldn’t have any pets. It made me really sad, but also happy that there was a place she could go to have contact with animals. I don’t know how my life would have gone if I hadn’t discovered my sanctuaries. I am thankful to have somewhere to go to escape reality. Even if all the places have had their flaws. Sitting with the goats is just healing.
As you know, it’s been a rough year. And there will still be bad things ahead. But hopefully also times to enjoy the good.
That’s enough babbling. Thank you for providing some digital sanctuary for me as well.
29/6 2023
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Goaten morning. I dreamt that grandma Mio came back last night. I wish dreams came true…
Maye it was a sign from her that she approves of our new generation of goatlings.
Thank you all for your lovely words.
30/6 2023
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Hvor er tiden der tager os, tho?
30/6 2023
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Meawnhile, Bella Luna.
30/6 2023
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goatlog
30/6 2023
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Embrace Goats
30/6 2023
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I know I shouldn’t but…
I’m not going to pretend I know anything about student debt in American and the pros and cons and consequences of canceling it, but.
What really makes me sad is how many Christians seem to not care about the message of the bible. About kindness and charity and helping the poor and not lying and not killing and so on and so forth. Like, I will never ever in a million years understand how someone can claim to be a Christian and support the death penalty. It’s right there in the top 10 of things you’re supposed to follow. It doesn’t say Thou Shalt Not Kill (* unless they really deserve to be killed). I understand the emotional reasonings, there are definitely criminals who do things that make us feel like they should be executed. But, you don’t kill. It’s right there in the book. If you demand the leader of your country to be sworn in on your holy book, you don’t get to just ignore the teachings of the book. As I understand it the president isn’t legally required to be sworn in on the bible, I would so forking love it to see someone ask to be sworn in on the holy book of another religion or fkn comic book or something. See how that would go down.
Imagine what a wonderful world it would be if religious people actually acted like their holy teachings tell them to act. Instead of using religion to control and divide and subjugate and destroy. Imagine all the people.
If you think it’s okay to kill criminals, if you think [my country] first, if you eat shellfish. Then you are not following the rules in the book you use to hit other people over the head with.
Yeah yeah I’ll shut up now.
30/6 2023
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Aand just to have a goat post at the top of the page, here’s Sky. I love what a little cuddly teddy bear she can be.
30/6 2023
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Still nothing. There’s GOT to be an easier way to make an omelette, this is taking forever.
Bella is impatient for breakfast.
1/7 2023
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Just keeping your seat warm!
1/7 2023
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Oh! Remember I told you about the funny Sky roll? And I said I didn’t catch it on film!
Well, I was just editing footage and.. here it is!
Now, I probably oversold it a little when I told you about it. From my angle above it looked completely wacky. Maybe it’s not quite as funny from the camera angle. But it’s still pretty funny. And you can see the wagging tail afterwards, she was just fine. Only thing hurt was her pride. I included a little snakeyslide down the mountain too because I know some of you enjoy that.
1/7 2023
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I know you have treats, don’t make me headbutt you.
1/7 2023
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This is not a walkway! This is a trough for food. But tell that to the kids, they like getting up there and walking around.
2/7 2023
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Well if I can’t stand on uncle’s back…
2/7 2023
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Judge me by the company I keep.
2/7 2023
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,
..
That’s all for now.