Mads About You
Hah! I laugh. Guess what happened today?
It rained. As I copy/pasted from my livejournal earlier, the last two days I have not brought my jacket to work. Normally I would always bring it. Even if it was too hot to wear it, I’d still carry it with me like a safety blanket. Now I finally manage to leave it at home. And then it rains. Go figure. Normally I look stupid because I’m wearing a jacket when it’s too hot. Today I looked stupid for not wearing a jacket in the rain.
Ah well. I certainly wasn’t the only one caught unprepared. It was rather a funny sight actually, the streets full of people in summer clothes. The lucky ones with umbrellas. The rest left to the mercy of the skies.
And the thing is… it felt good. Cool summer rain. After a couple of days of unbearable heat (by my standards anyway) it was really good to cool down. To just stand in the rain. It was perfect really. Not raining too much. Not too cold. Just a refreshing, cool shower. I would be quite the ingrate if I were to complain about the rain right after complaining about the heat.
There is something reassuring about it too. This is what Danish summer is supposed to be like. Heatwave followed by rainshowers. You can never be sure what you’ll get. Of that you can be sure.
Yesterday I had a really good time with Mads. While the sun was roasting everything in sight. I sat down, and he came soon after and sat down next to me. And then he sort of rolled over on his side and put his head in my lap and just comaed out. While I scratched him generously. Per came walking by and burst out laughing. “You big lapdog, Mads”. It was really rather sweet and funny.
All the best photo-ops are always the ones where I’m in a bad position to take pictures. I should have a personal photographer follow me around. But here are my attempts at capturing the moment:
Now tell me goats aren’t good pets. Tell me that Mads isn’t just as cuddly as a dog or a cat. If goats could purr he would have purred. Instead he just made his adorable groaning/snoring sounds. What a wonderful thing, sitting in the sun and scratching him behind the ears while watching the kids jumping around for joy. It is happiness.
A family came by too. The dad took their boy and girl in to the goats. The boy was just a baby almost, and he was so happy and excited by the goats. He was laughing out loud as he petted Vanilje. The playground brings a lot of happiness to a lot of people.
Now if only I could put my head in someone’s lap and be cuddled. Then I’d have it all.
June 15th, 2006 at 2:16
I’m jealous. I want RAIN, too. We need rain here badly. I’m tired of watering all my outside plants – I want a big, old rain cloud to do it. I will gladly stand outside in the rain.
I don’t know who is happier in your pictures, you or Mads. Our goats have never done that before. If fact, they were quite put out tonight. We got home from work later than usual and there was lots of angry baaaaaing going on. “We want our hay and grain”! Now! All was forgiven after they ate themselves silly. Now for some ruminating and being “spoolish” (sitting on their big cable spools).
What does your T-shirt say in your picture? It’s really neat looking. Next time see if Mads will take a good picture of you, okay? That goat will do just about anything else for you.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:54
Deb – I will do a little rain dance in your honour. Hope it’ll help.
I can tell you that I was spectacularly happy. Spoolish. That’s an awesome word!
My t-shirt says “The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”. A tour shirt from ’95. They are my top favourite band. Unfortunately I never got to see them live. But hey, they’re reuniting these days so maybe I’ll get the chance.
You can see the cover here: http://www.sleurink.nl/images/album_covers/thumbs/1159f.jpg. A fantastic double album.
June 15th, 2006 at 22:38
I’m an anoymous cowboy! hehe :)
June 16th, 2006 at 0:07
I LOVE those photos, especially the one with Mathilde looking on. Mads just adores you. I know it might seem he has you wrapped around his hoof but I think it’s the other way around. Nobody can get to Mads like you can… awwwwww. Obviously you are very important to him. He waits for you, he needs you, you are his keeper.
Speaking of the beauty within animals and the similarities between us and them, this article might interest you.
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/06/no_longer_a_mind_of_our_own.php
June 16th, 2006 at 13:55
I saw a show on TV about those elephants that Katherine’s article talks about. The theory was the young males didn’t have an older adult male to keep them in line (pecking order), show them how to behave as an adult male, etc., and so they just went on wild rampages. Evidently the older male elephants tell/show (by behavior) the younger ones: “We don’t kill rhinos.” Interesting to think about animal “culture & behavior”, as we think humans are the only ones with culture.
June 16th, 2006 at 23:55
Deb, you’re exactly right. In one area where teenaged male elephants were causing all kinds of trouble and were up to mischief, the instantly settled down when some big bulls were brought in. The bulls are mentors for the younger independent males. When males are living with their mothers, mom is boss and she can be pretty intimidating. Females learn from their mothers.
But there is evidence of elephants killing humans out of anger and revenge. Whales have done this too. There is a story of two hunters and two orca whales. One of the hunters shot and killed one of the whales. The surviving whale overturned the boat the hunters were in and killed the man who’d shot the whale. The whale left the other man alone. They’re amazingly intelligent.
June 18th, 2006 at 21:55
Agh. I replied to all of yall’s comments but it got swallowed by my spam filter I guess. I hate spammers forever. But thank you all for the comments. And that link, Katherine. Very interesting.
I’m off to work on my spam filter. Well, actually I’m off for bed. But I’ll work on the filter asap.
June 18th, 2006 at 23:14
Guess what’s coming up on Animal Planet? “Killer Elephants”! Just what we’ve been talking about. Cosmic forces are at work here, I think.
Watch out for any wild, murderous teenage male elephants this week at work! It’s a jungle out there.