Note To Self: Don’t Forget To Add a Title
While we try to ignore the bombs falling in the distance and the earth quaking beneath us, let us travel to my personal little world of joy.
Nina on Saturday. When I let her in she always runs straight to that table. Usually there is already food for her there. In theory I’m supposed to feed her, but in actuality I just unlock the door for her. And change her water, of course.
3B with a mouthful. Is there anything happier than a goat with a mouth full of food? Maybe a Plume with a goat on his back, quite possibly.
The ducklings have grown so big that it scarcely makes sense to call them ducklings. Unfortunately one of them died. The beautiful golden one. Don’t tell me the playground is not life and death.
Mads with a bucketful of leaves. Is there anything happier than a goat with his head in a bucket full of food?
Inside he wasn’t satisfied with the bucket though. He kept rolling it around. So the food would gather in one corner of the bucket. Yes, buckets have corners. Anyway. Finally he just rolled the bucket over completely so the food ended in a pile on the floor. And then he proceeded to eat from that.
I like clouds. Even dark rainclouds. Oh who am I kidding, especially dark rainclouds.
Listen son…
I love when goats put their legs up on things. Especially if those things are me. It always makes me happy. It was one of the first ways that I felt “accepted” by the goats, back when I started going to the playground. Just having Mads put his leg up on my arm. They usually do it to chew on their own feet. Or lick or scratch or whatever. A Plume makes a nice prop to rest the leg on.
That could very well have been a picture of me. But it’s not. It’s a picture of a girl. I am often in that very situation, though. Sitting on the bench, with a couple of kids walking all over me.
I love the way goats bleat like the Simpsons characters yell. With their tongues stuck out in the air, almost vibrating.
It was brought up in the comments whether I speak to the goats in English or Danish. Or French. Incidentally I find it funny that I can never remember whether to spell whether as whether or wether. The funny part being that a wether is a goat. That’s sublimely subliminally funny, don’t you agree? Anyway. I speak Danish to the animals. Sometimes I feel like I have two worlds. The online world which is almost exclusively in English. And for a long time most of my life was in that world. Then there is the real life world which is almost exclusively in Danish, and which has gotten a thankfully larger part to play these days.
My thoughts are one big jumble. Sometimes I think in English, sometimes in Danish. I’m not sure if there is a rule to when I do it respectively. But I’d guess that I think in Danish when I am in social situations where I have to speak Danish too.
Where was I? Yes, the animals. I don’t actually speak a whole lot. In general I don’t talk much. I usually communicate with them by touching them, scratching, stroking etc. But I’m trying to be more vocal. It’s good practice. It’s “safe” to talk to animals. There is no social phobic monster in the back of my head. That is what’s so great about being with animals. They are pure and they are easy. I am used to not talking though. So it takes some effort. The first times I worked at the playground for example, I didn’t say hello to the animals. I’m not sure if that is weird or normal? If I open up the stable and go in to the horses I’d imagine that the normal thing would be to say hello to them? But the natural thing for me is to go up to them and stroke them on their face, say nothing.
Now I’m more comfortable with it, I talk more to them. And I try to talk more to the human people too. They are much more complicated to communicate with, but the rewards are better too. As it is with most things, hard stuff brings greater reward. You appreciate the things you have to fight for more than the things that are handed to you.
Not that I’d mind winning the lottery. If someone wants to hand a million dollars to me, I’d sure appreciate it. I take check and credit card too. FYI.
C’est tout, mes amis. Au revoir. Hils de andre. Sehr gut. Viel danke. Isn’t it kinda funny how many million words we have, while animals get by without. Put an English and a Danish goat together and they’d figure things out. You may say that they don’t have as much to talk about as we do. But then you’re forgetting about the meaning of life. And it’s pretty silly to forget about the meaning of life, don’t you agree?
August 31st, 2006 at 3:01
Did you hear whether the wether was out in the rainy weather? (Hee, hee)The pictures are lovely. I watched our goats eat hay tonight. They do enjoy their food.
I always talk to animals when I approach them. I guess I don’t want to startle them. I also talk/whistle to squirrels and song birds in trees. My husband says I talk way TOO much. (Ha, ha) I have not always been this way, and I figure I’m making up for lost time. I have lots to say.
So, Plume, do you dream in different languages or primarily in Danish? I dream in color (and in English) and found out some people don’t. They dream in black and white – like an old tv show or movie.
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Problem was I can’t swim and don’t live near an ocean. I used to watch “Flipper” (about a family with a dolphin). Sort of a watery version of “Lassie”. I knew from an early age that animals could communicate with us, if you knew how to listen and watched their body language.
So, I’ve become a “kitten tamer” in my spare time. Don’t need to swim to do that! Although I have given some kitties a bath and have ended up as wet as they were. Yes, I have gone back and read your earlier blogs and that’s why I started commenting. You have interesting things to say and YOU LIKE GOATS!
Does Luis have a cat? I know he mentions how much he likes them and comments on Nina and Moomincat’s pictures. Nina has such pretty colors.
PS: I also wanted to be “Jane Goodall” and go live with the apes in the forest! Now I talk to squirrels and birds while I paint outside. My husband is big and hairy and grunts, so maybe I did get my wish! No, he’s really good and I shouldn’t tease him, but I do anyway! I’m bad!
August 31st, 2006 at 9:03
I loved the pictures of the goats. They’re very cute and they actually look rather cuddly. You seem to be doing a bit better at the moment which is good to hear/read. Life has been ok for me but busy.
On a football/elmander note, I think he has a crazy fangirl and I don’t know why but that makes me giggle. This was left in a guest book for the site two more sane fangirls run. I got some very odd definitions using the online tranlator/dictionary, but I got the impression of a 14 year old girl who dreams he will return to denmark and love her for ever? Poor bugger.
jeg savner dig.
arg’ sidder her med tårer i øjnener’ tankerne flyver gennem hovedet på mig. jeg savner dig sådan, jeg savner dit smil, dine ord og specielt dit grin. jeg vil gøre alt for du kommer tilbage til danmark. jeg tænker på dig døgnet rundt, tænker på hvordan verden ville være uden dig ? ;s den vilel være så tom, alt ville være så koldt. Elmander, jeg elsker dig ..
du er værd at dø for, tro mig jeg vil gøre alt for dig .. du er min drøm
jeg savner dig.
Johan Erik Elmander. jeg savner dig her i danmark.
det har virkelig en stor betydnign om du er her eller ej.
du er guld værd, og jeg elsker dig af hele mit hjerte, du er skøn.
du har virkelig lyst mit liv op’ på flere måder. du er som
en drøm der er blevet til virkelig. jeg elsker alt ved dig MIN !?
August 31st, 2006 at 16:48
I love the 6th picture of the clouds. I’ve always wanted to be a cloud. Maybe I’ll come back in my next life as one! The State Fair is happening here in Albuquerque next week and I will think of you when I see the goats. I love the pygmy goats – so little. Debbie
September 2nd, 2006 at 21:48
Deb – In all kinds of weather hehe. Once I start talking you probably won’t be able to shut me up.
I’m not sure if I dream in English or Danish. It’s kinda funny when you think about it, that I don’t know. I think it’s a mix though, like my thoughts. And the colours too. It’s all a big melting pot.
Saying I like goats is like saying a snowman likes.. snow. Or something. HMm. Yes. Hehe.
I wonder if Lasse is a flipper. A.ah.
I hope you have tamed your husband. Okay, enough with the comedy!
Noodella – The goats are extremely cuddly. They are darling animals.
I wish I had a fan that crazy!
Debbie – I wouldn’t mind coming back as a cloud. A cloud full of snow, if I’d have my way. I hope you will enjoy the fair. And the goats. Say hi to them from me. And watch out for the pygmies, I have it on good authority that they can be very naughty!