Well, today was rather exciting. The goatfather was doing some manly burning of brush piles, so we got to go along. Of course we were with the goatmother because the goatfather was far too busy to worry about which grass patches were at optimum flavor and which Salal bushes had the best leaves.
Even though the pasture was delectable, I still need my space. I can't be expected to just eat. I have to take in the vastness of the universe. I have to commune with nature. I have to watch for dogs. And so, I wandered off to appease my inner-goat. Boo and Ella, of course, follow the goatmother everywhere she goes. I am not sure if this is out of some misplaced assumption that the goatmother is omniscient, or simply a matter of intense desire for Peanuts. Peasants! They simply do not see the greater workings of life - the dangers that abound!
Of course the goatmother gets quite irritated with me. She can not find it in her heart to just let me 'be'. There is no faith in my superb intuition. And so, periodically, I am forced to abandon my musings and catch up with the crowd.
On this particular morning, however, it was a darned good thing that I was paying attention. Nobody else was. The neighbor's dog appeared! She did hesitate before bounding forward, but by then my eagle eyes (which are really goat eyes, but that is beside the point) had spotted her. ALL the hair on my back stood up and I ran to warn the others! We circled the wagons against the imminent attack. But the dog just ran up to the goatmother and the goatfather, bounding here and bounding there, and really looking quite ridiculous. Then the unthinkable happened. Ella, that dolt!, actually ran forward as if to play with the dog! My heart sank. But the dog simply continued her bounding here and bounding there, back and forth between the goatmother and the goatfather. Then she took off bounding back toward home. (she does a lot of bounding, that dog.)
As my heart returned from my throat to my chest, I began to relax and soon all seemed right with the world. I looked around, decided everyone was doing quite well on their own now, and wandered off again. If only the goatmother could realize there is a difference between misguided wandering and disguised vigilance.
Life goes on amidst change. Finding the laughter one day at a time...
6 comments:
Marigold, I would like to see Boo and Ella on a real trail. Hah! They sound like they would do better at the mall! They must be city goats, how tiresome for you to have to keep track of everything.
Dear goatfarmer,
You have no idea.
Marigold, you are sooooo wise and diligent! What would they do without you!
Dear Robyn,
I shudder to think...
Do goats really like eating salal? Will they eat the stems or just the leaves?
i'm thinking about getting goats to clear out the salal from underneath my forest, so this information is quite helpful.
Please contact me.
Thanks
Dear DOM,
I HEARTILY recommend salal. Mostly I eat the leaves, but a few of the stems are nice. In no time you would be left with sticks that would be quite easy to remove.
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