Grab A Goat By Its Tail
It’s been a little up and down the last couple of days. I thought I was feeling all better, but then yesterday morning my stomach started acting up again. So I got up too early to spend time on the toilet. And then back to bed and slept longer than planned. When I finally got up I wasn’t feeling too great. But I was also missing the goats a lot. I really felt the need to go see them. So I did. I didn’t have anything to eat and I could feel that my stomach had been quite “emptied out”. So I figured I could go without risking any big explosions.
And good thing that I did. Because it was wonderful. I love the little goat girls so much. They are beautiful and perfect and they make me happy. I didn’t have a second to think about my stomach because I was having too much fun. It was a very good time.
Today I have still had some stomach problems. And I had a little hit of depression in the morning. I’m not sure why. I was lying in bed. The sun was shining through the window and I could hear kids playing outside. It should have been nice, but for some reason I felt bad. I felt apart from the world. All I wanted was to curl up under the sheets and hide away.
Luckily I managed to get out of bed a couple of hours later. Took a shower and went to the playground. And once again enjoyed the company of the goats. Beautiful in the sunshine.
So here we are. I hope my stomach will be back to normal soon. It’s gotten better, but still not all good. But there you go. Now, it’s picture time.
Remember the bunny who has learnt to jump over the walls much to Alice’s chagrin? It is running around freely now. And the above was supposed to be a picture of the little goat kids saying hello to the little bunny. But right as I took the picture, Magnethe came running into the frame and pushed the bunny away. No horrible bunnies are going to harass her babies!
Is it my imagination or have they gotten bigger while I was gone?
Certainly the horns are getting bigger. Last time I checked they were just little bumps under the skin. Now they are protruding. Funny to imagine how they’re just going to keep growing and growing into proud goat horns.
They love being scratched around the horns too. Really getting into it.
And little brownie loves the power struggles more than ever. If you put your hand on her head she’ll push against it. Really grind and jump around and push and push and push.
That’s a girl called Bibi. Playing with brownie. “You wanna fight?! You wanna fight?!” and then pushing against each other.
Sille the horse in the background, keeping tabs on the little ones.
Playing dead. They’re too cute when they just stretch out like that. Lying on their side. A good position for belly rubs too.
While sister looks for food.
Biting off more than she can chew.
Checking if mother is still there. Yup, no danger.
And finally:
My idea of happiness. The two little goat girls settling down next to me. Sitting in the sun. Rubbing Lakrids’ belly. Closing my eyes. And just being a part of the world.
April 12th, 2008 at 3:37
Glad to hear you’re feeling some better. No fun being sick.
Oh, they are changing! The girls are getting so big and their little faces even look different. Those cute little horns. I wonder if they itch and that’s why they rub on things and people?
That’s a cute picture of Bibi with Brownie. Brownie looks so squarely situated on her little legs.
We have had wild cottontail rabbits in the goats pen last year and this year already. Last year one made a nest in the tall grass and another rabbit made a nest under one of the wooden spools we have for the goats to climb on.
Our boys never seem to pay too much attention to the rabbit and I know they must know there was one out there. They always paid attention to the cats (when we still had some). They liked some cats right off the bat and other cats they would chase away out of the pen.
The goats pay attention to our dogs when they are out because they have bells on their collars. We keep dogs and goats well away from each other although Frankie seems mighty interested in the dogs. All the goats are bigger and heavier than either German Shorthair dog.
It has been another “inside the barn” day as it’s been raining off and on. The goatzies were out for a short while today, but no sun for them to bask in.
We have a funeral to go to Saturday afternoon. It’s one of our former clients we’ve done work for. He was only 63 years old and had retired a few years back and built a new home for him and his wife. They have a pygmy billy and nanny goat, too.
Had another friend from where I used to work pass away last week. She was 94 and we exchanged Christmas cards and letters for a number of years. Her granddaughter called me the other night to say they had received my sympathy card and how much the letter I had wrote to her family had meant to them.
I will miss both of these nice people who were in my life for what seems like a very short time.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:45
I’m so sorry for you loss, Debster. 63 is much, much too young these days.
And it’s nice to hear that the granddaughter and the rest of the family appreciated your kindness to them.
There’s no doubt in your talent for writing. She must have been so terribly happy to receive your Christmas cards and letters in the past.
Writing letters is truly a dying art. Not many people do them in this age of IM, texting and emails.
IM, texting, and emails are rarely, if ever, printed out onto hard copy. But your cards and letters will live forever.
April 12th, 2008 at 22:17
Debster – I imagine having horns grow out of your head is a bit itchy, but of course I wouldn’t know. I’m not some kind of freakish devil-boy! I’m not growing a tail either.
The playground goats usually don’t pay much attention to visiting bunnies either. Maybe it’s just Magnethe’s maternal instincts flaring up. We all know how dangerous those bunnies can be, if you don’t watch out.
Sorry to hear about the passings. No matter how long it is, life is always too short. So it goes.
LuisLemmings – Almost seems strange that there was a time when people actually had to write real letters and wait for them to come in the mail. When I was a kid in school none of us had cell phones. Today I would be surprised if all the kids in all the classes didn’t have one. All the kindergarteners probably have them too. When they go to take a nap they can text “sleep well” to each other. And wake up to the ringtones. Life eh?
April 14th, 2008 at 4:08
The funeral was very sad. I cried thru most of it. The deceased’s brother is a minister and he did some of the ceremony. I don’t know how he got thru it, but he did and he did a very touching job of it.
We went out to the cemetary and then back to the church for a meal and talked to some people. It was hard to go, but I’m glad we went as our friend’s wife and brother were very pleased to see us and thanked us for coming.
It’s so very hard to know what to say. So we mostly just listened, and cried, and hugged.
April 14th, 2008 at 21:38
Debster – My condolences again. It sounds like it was hard to get through. But then I guess that’s how it’s supposed to be. When someone you cared for dies it shouldn’t be easy. *hugs*