Goats Walk With Me: a History Lesson
So, the Debster, as I like to call her, asked how long I have been going to the playground…
What an excellent excuse to go look at old pictures. The first ones from the playground are from 2004. There’s a couple of pictures of the horses, taken from outside the playground as I walked by. And there’s a picture of a sheep. And then it seems that June 16th was the first big playground day for me. Lots of pictures of sheeps and goats from that day. For example this one. Aw lookit Mathilde and Mads, so tiny back then. Hehe. And there is this one. The first time I ever touched Mads. It was such a great feat that I had to have my camera out and document it for posterity.
At that time I didn’t have any special relationship to animals. Never had a pet. Never been around animals much. And the reason I went to the playground in the first place was just to get to take some pictures with my camera. But of course I was soon hooked. I didn’t go there every day, but sometimes if I left “work” (at the Reva/job center) early I’d get off the bus early too and walk by the playground on my way home. Sometimes I’d stop in Favorit and buy some bread. And then feed it to then animals. Like in this picture. Usually a long piece of bread so I could hold it out and let them eat from it. I didn’t dare to let them eat straight from my hand yet.
And I was starting to get really smitten with Mads. I would thrill at his escapades. Like this one. He’d jump up on fences all the time. He probably couldn’t even do that today, too wide and heavy now hehe.
I was still just a casual visitor back then. Maybe saying hi to people once in a while, but not really talking, not really knowing anyone. Didn’t even know the names of the animals. I was too shy to ask. I called them Blackie and Kees instead of Mads and Mathilde.
It slowly progressed from there. Spending more and more time. Getting to know people. Maybe the defining moment came a few days after my birthday in 2005. When I went up to the playground and saw a little, brown thing standing in the doorway to the goat place. This little brown thing. I still wasn’t really talking to people at that point. So I didn’t know that Mathilde was pregnant. In fact I didn’t even know Mathilde was a girl (yes, by now I know how to tell girl and boy goats apart, but I was clueless back then!). But there she was, little Magnethe. And my heart was captured. And Magnethe became an excellent catalyst, an excuse to talk to people. To get to know the playground and the staff better.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Now I go there almost every day. I work there every other Saturday. I am the big “goat guy” on campus. I know the people who work there, a lot of the kids who come there, the animals. And I love it all.
Here endeth the lesson.
Last night I woke up with a scream. In the middle of the night. What had scared me? BOB had. He was in my dream. I have mentioned it before. Bob from Twin Peaks still scares the living daylights out of me. He didn’t even do anything in my dream. It was just his face. Looking at me. And I woke up and screamed out of sheer fear. And then I lay in my bed for a while and smiled because it’s so silly that he still scares me like that. I am not easily scared by TV or movies. And I love nightmares. But BOB… he still does me in.
I fell back asleep and had weird, scary, surreal dreams. Wonderful. The goats have also been appearing in my dreams the last few nights. They are always very welcome, in dreams and reality alike.
January 15th, 2007 at 1:33
What wonderful pictures of Mads and Magnethe. Mads is so long and lean with short horns compared to now. And Magnethe as a baby was so cute. It’s no wonder they all like you so much if you’ve been coming around since 2004.
What a great thing it was when you got a camera, some animals to pose for pictures, and a computer to show them to us. You’ve come a long, long way since 2004.
I wish you could of had some animal friends when you were a kid. They meant so much to my sister and me when we were growing up. Yes, they get old and sick and die, but still they added so much to our lives.
I never really watched Twin Peaks too much when it was on. I don’t remember any of the characters. Tell that “Bob” guy to stay out of your dreams!
I talk, twitch, run in place, etc., in my dreams. Drives my husband crazy. He tries to wake me up and can’t. Every once in awhile I will actually wake up and talk to him and then I can’t remember doing it in the morning.
Twice I have jumped out of bed to the floor. I wake up when I hit the floor. Luckily I didn’t hit the wood dresser when I jumped. Keep me away from any high buildings when I sleep!
Thanks for the background and pictures of the animals. I start looking a one picture and then keep on looking at the others.
January 15th, 2007 at 20:25
Medications do that sometimes. My medications gives me the most vivid dreams in bright colors. And just like Deb I twitch and move in my sleep just like in my dreams. One night I was moving my hands as if I was playing the violin. I haven’t played in years but I remember having a dream about it and I woke up and I could see my left hand going through routine finger exercises.
I hope you don’t mind but I stole a couple of photos of the goats when they were younger. I use them as background for my computer. It’s great to see them when I log on in the mornings and at night.
As for Twin Peaks, I remember that show being almost dream-like. I suggest to think of good thoughts before you go to bed. That helps me a lot.
January 15th, 2007 at 23:15
Debster – Maybe I should have cleared the nickname with you before using it! Heehee.
Weren’t they all wonderful back then? They still are of course. Maybe they are not as adorable as when they were tiny babies, but they are still beautiful.
It sounds like you get plenty of exercise in your dreams! I don’t think I move around much. Maybe I should get Bob to chase me so I’ll do some dream running and get fit. Hah.
Luis – Yeah the meds have certainly affected my dreams too. I love dreaming. The weirder the better. You play the violin? You never cease to amaze.
You didn’t have to steal the photos! You could have just asked, I would have given them to you! Haha. I love that “my” goats are traveling all over the world, through computers.
Twin Peaks was definitely dream-like. At its best it was so surreal and odd, much like a nice and weird dream.
January 16th, 2007 at 3:52
Hay, Debster’s okay with me. I call you the crazy danish goat boy, or Plumey, or the Plumiest. What nickname can we have for Luis, the violin virtuoso? (It can be tacky, don’t you think Plumey?)
Maybe we’d better okay it with Luis first? Or he will be sending pink flamingos to stalk us!
PS: We had snow flurries today. Didn’t amount to much. Lots of ice though. I fell down once and had to be rescued by two other contractors. My husband was off into the house at the job site, oblivious to my distress. I fell in slow motion and I was laughing after I fell. Usually try NOT to do this in front of an audience. Guess that’s why my middle name is not “Grace”!
January 17th, 2007 at 4:35
Those pink flamingos are fast movers. One minute they’re staring at me from behind a bush and the next they’re off flying onto palm trees and staring at me from way up high.
I hope you didn’t get hurt too much, Debster. And I do that, too. I laugh at myself for something silly. But be careful. Sometimes all it takes is one fall.
Ironically, we have lots of tree trimmers out here especially for palm trees. And always the case, one does fall from way up high. Sometimes they’re ok; Unfortunately, sometimes one doesn’t make it.
Well, let’s see. I shall defer to you, the Debster and I like Plumiest, but we’ll let him decide. Any name placed on me shall be an honour indeed. And once that’s choosen, it will be used as my own personal monicker here from now on…
January 18th, 2007 at 22:20
Debster – Oh my! I am glad you’re okay. Be careful when you’re climbing mountains and buildings and the like. Maybe you should have a stock of goats (haha) to stand beneath you, so you will be caught by a woolly carpet if you should fall. Coincidentally, my middle name isn’t “Will &”.
The Wacky Tacky Club of People With Silly Nicknames. Yeerrr!
Luis – Tree trimmers? If I had palm trees in my back yard I’d let them grow wildly all over the place. I wouldn’t have the heart to trim them. My fear of heights is not lessened by all this talk of falling. May gravity keep it’s hands firmly on my beehind.
January 18th, 2007 at 23:39
Luis, tell Plumey about the big RATS that live in the palm trees!
January 19th, 2007 at 23:00
Debster – Rats?! In trees? I have never heard of such a thing. Okay, trim the trees! Trim the now!
January 20th, 2007 at 1:53
Yes, I always speaketh the trutheth abouts rats in palm trees.