The Face of Change

What we have here might possibly be the biggest change that has happened around here in a long, long while.  As I said before, we lost the Mighty Quinn.  To be exact, it was on Halloween day and has been quite the seismic upheaval in our lives.  After all, the Mighty Quinn was with us for almost 15 years.  Like Betty White, he didn't quite make it to the mark, but we cherished every single moment we had. We are so lucky to have been able to share our world with such an exceptional guy. 

Cabra adjusted, but was fairly subdued.  So after the shock wore off a bit, I began to consider two things: 1) Maybe another dog would help Cabra.  You know, give her a new lease on life sort of like The Ottoman had done for Peanut.  Cabra is just a year younger than Quinn, so she is 14.  I hated the thought of her spending time alone when she had been with a companion virtually her entire life;  and 2) Maybe it would help the Goatfather and I.  There would never be another Quinn, but perhaps it would help to somehow fill in a bit of that huge hole in our lives. Maybe.

So the search began.  We didn't want to find another Australian Shepherd because it would never measure up to Quinn.  Plus, well, there is that whole thing about not being as young as we used to be.  (Now I've done it.  I've actually admitted this twice now.  Is this becoming a habit?  Oh, crap.)  No, we decided.  We can't keep up with another Australian Shepherd.  What we need is a 'lap dog'.  Uh. Huh.

After awhile, I happened to see an ad in the paper for Shih Tzu puppies.  Hmmm...we actually had owned a Shih Tzu in the past.  His name was Chester.  He was never the brightest bulb, but he was terribly loyal and loving.  Hmmm...  And maybe being a puppy, and being more like her, as in another 'mop' dog (Cabra is 1/2 Bichon and 1/2 Havanese), as well as more her size, Cabra would readily accept such a dog.  Trouble with that was, we forgot to consult Cabra. (More on this later... is your curiosity piqued?)

Long story short, enter Mochi, the Shih Tzu, with 1/4 Havanese mixed in.  Have you ever gone to a Japanese restaurant and had Mochi for dessert?  If you don't know what it is and have never tasted it, you are missing out!  Mochi is an umbrella term for all kinds of Japanese rice cakes, but usually, in a Japanese restaurant, it means a small ball of ice cream (green tea, red bean, or mango) covered with a sweet glutinous rice flour. It just seemed to fit this little guy.

Of course he is a bit bigger in this picture, but when we brought him home, he weighed a mere 4 pounds.  So far he has been quite an adventure.  At times he is incredibly sweet and loving and at others it seems the demons are at his heels as he races hither and yon in fits of the 'zoomies'.  (Really.  'The Zoomies' is a bona fide term.  I Shih Tzu not.  Google it.)

Remarkably, Mochi has many traits that the Mighty Quinn possessed.  Who knew?  I don't know if this is because he is a male or if somehow the Universe has a sense of humor.  Like the Mighty Quinn, Mochi started playing fetch almost immediately (so much for not having to keep up).  And, like Quinn, if you get ready to throw the fetchable object, he runs about half way and stops, looking into the distance for said object to come zooming over his head and land.  Plus, Mochi cocks his head to the side when he recognizes a word ... Just. Like. Quinn. Coincidence?  Hmmm....

Mochi has more than met our expectations.  He is cute, outgoing and friendly.  He has quite the personality.  So much so that on a recent visit to the vet, when I called to say Mochi was here for his appointment, the response I got was a resounding 'Yay!'.  Everyone loves Mochi.  I just wish people could figure out how to pronounce his name.  We have heard everything from 'Moh-kee (like Mocha but with the ee on the end), Moo-chee (wasn't that a Disney kid??), Mo-gee (as in emoji?).  Nope.  It is Moh-chee.  Just like the Japanese treat. 

So, yeah.  This has been quite the change.  Once again change created a loss but at the same time, created a space.  One available to be filled with something new.  "Loss is nothing else but change and change is Nature's delight". - Marcus Aurelius

The Loaner Goat

 

When Ella went to butt ...  I mean be with Boo, Marigold and Watson, Peanut was distraught.  Change with a capital C - that nasty word reared its ugly little head once again. Suddenly the youngest member of the troop and the littlest kid to have ever been born at his former home (though I expect that record has since been broken) was utterly alone.  It was very sad.  He wouldn't even venture out of the barn. After all, as Bilbo Baggins said, “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door, ... You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."  

So after a lot of serious thinking, wailing and gnashing of teeth, and a whole lot anxious consulting by me, Peanut and Marigold's former Goatfarmer, over at Heron Hill Dairy, offered a 'loaner' goat.  What in the world is that, you might wonder?  Well, a 'loaner' goat would be one that is graciously loaned until such time as the remaining resident goat (that would be Peanut) passes on to that great peanut factory in the sky.  Said loaned goat then goes back from whence it came thereby eliminating the perpetual cycle of one goat alone.  For all my love of goats and the many wonderful adventures we have had together, alas, I am not as young as I used to be. (Did I really just admit that?  Talk about change! OY, indeed.)

 Anyway, now, about 'The Ottoman'.  That is a strange name for a goat. But after all, one must understand that her sister is The Footstool.  What can you expect?   Apparently The Ottoman was fatter.  The Ottoman was deemed  the best choice for a 'loaner' because she likes people and would likely follow me (the Goatmother) out of the barn.  Peanut, definitely not fond of being left alone, would thus be lured outside.  And it worked.  Mostly. If it is a just a little bit too cold, or a little too damp, or just a wee bit early or a tad too late, The Ottoman has to go it on her own.  Apparently some things don't change.  A man has to have his standards.

The Ottoman is much smaller than Peanut (if you can imagine).  A veritable lightweight weighing in somewhere in the range of 65ish pounds on a fat day.  (You know about those.  We all have them.  The day after you had that one piece of cake that turned into two, or those three, or four or five ... maybe that  sixth ...whole bag of cookies?)  Let's just say she is small enough that, upon arriving home, I was able to lift her out of the back of the truck and carry her to the pen.  Who knew?  ( You still got it goin' on, Goatmother! ☺) And after Ella the Giant, well, The Ottoman's size took a bit of getting used to.

All in all, Peanut has come to accept her, though he learned his lessons well from Ella.  He really gave The Ottoman 'hay', as Marigold would say, for the first few weeks.  Change.  There it is again.  After years of being last at everything, Peanut was now first.  Still, gradually he slacked off his reign of terror, and The Ottoman began to give back as good as she got. Yet another change. Peanut has regained his former zest for life and will probably outlive us all. Sometimes change is a good thing.

So there you have it.  The Ottoman: a change of the auspicious variety. Peanut is no longer lonely and no longer last.  He is first for treats, the best places to lay in the sun (if there ever were any sun), and first for Nacho flavored Doritoes.  He has learned all too well:

"Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change." —Jim Rohn

Change

 

C leverly

H idden

A uspicious

N ever-ending

G rowth

E vents

Good day!  It is I, the Goatmother... Well, former Goatmother...  Well, maybe still a Goatmother...   Of sorts.  But I digress.  Since the passing of our beloved Marigold , there have been many changes.  I don't know about you, but I am not overly fond of that word..  Change.  It seems a bit of a pox. Yet, it is the only constant in life.  Or so they say.  But then they never seem to remember laundry or dishes. Still there you have it.  Change.

After the passing of Marigold, you may remember our dear Watson tried, or maybe didn't try so hard, to be a conduit for Marigold's wise and instructive thoughts from beyond.  I guess she made the afterlife sound a bit too enticing for not long after, Watson joined her. He was followed by Ella and  I  do so hope the great beyond was prepared for her.  Alas, poor Peanut was left all alone.  He refused to even venture out of the barn.  Taking pity, Marigold and Peanut's former Goatfarmer gave us a 'loaner' goat in the form of The Ottoman. (more on this at a later date).  After a period of adjustment, Peanut finally quit butting her all over the place and things settled down to a tenuous calm.  At any rate, this is why I am a former, but still sorta' kinda', Goatmother.

Things weren't too bad until our equally beloved Mighty Quinn developed heart problems.  We managed things for quite awhile, but last Halloween, he too went to join the others.  I imagine the goats are none to happy about this since there are no electric fences across the Rainbow Bridge and the Mighty Quinn is no longer hindered by that fear.   I am quite sure  his natural herding instincts are now in full force and the goats' only hope of respite lies in somehow managing to figure out how to throw a frisbee.

So there you have it.  That dirty little word - Change.  No one likes it, but I guess we need to somehow learn to accept it.  And maybe even laugh about it while we're at it.  In the time since Marigold's passing I have decided two things:  

1) Llfe goes on and we need to look for the good.  As the late Thich Nhat Hahn, Buddhist monk, wrote: "No mud, no lotus".  The beautiful lotus flower blossoms, transcending the tenacious and unforgiving mud from which it grows.  Perhaps, as my wise neighbor says, the lotus flower is always there and we are like the man thirsting but up to his neck in fresh water. Hmmm....

2) Change is simply an acronym for what appears at the beginning of this post - C leverly, H idden, A uspicious, N ever-ending, G rowth, E vents.  Things that occur to challenge us to become better.  To find the joy in our life instead of constantly ruminating over what we think isn't now, or hasn't ever been, right.  Joy is contagious, just like laughter.  If we find it in our life, it will fan out away from us just like ripples on the water.

So stay tuned, please, because I'm Movin' On.