departures

Today brought new homes for 2 more kids. My daughter Penny and Toby both went to live across the street at the neighbors. They will be starting their own herd when they are old enough. I just hope Penny doesn't escape and try to come back. She is very smart, Toby on the other hand, well he is a buck kid so he is easily distracted to say the least and no blood of mine flows through his veins, another distinct disadvantage in my opinion, but he is a good kid. I'll miss Toby stomping around making bucky sounds like he was 10x his size, yeah like a toothache.
H-mom started weaning the youngest kids off their moms yesterday and there is plenty of yelling from everyone. I'm off to check out some blackberry bushes for a snack and some peace and quiet.

why oh why

I've often heard the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" which clearly some goats take literally because they spend an inordinate time trying to get under, over or through the fence to check out the other side. For myself, I tend to think the sayings meaning is more figurative, in fact stating the simple fact that no one is ever happy with what they have and are always looking for something better. Exhibit one, above photo of Studley hefting his 200lb plus body onto his two back legs just to reach a leaf. Now I think to myself, how good could it possibly taste? Is it better than ones within easy reach?
This is something worth pondering while lying in the shade and chewing my cud. I am thankful that I do not always crave that which is out of my reach.
H-mom has rearranged us again because she thinks I am picking on her "baby" Dudley. She never sees him egging me on, oh no, he is no dummy. He is an obnoxious spoiled 200lb. brat, but he is not dumb. So now I am with the 2 boy kids, Dudley and Studley are in with Stella, Maggie and Nate, and all the other ladies are together. Of course Nate doesn't bother precious Dudley and he is so smug about the entire thing, but that's ok. I am a very zen goat.

Fat and Happy

Lots of leafs later - all of the leaves are gone and there are some VERY happy goats here at
Happy Goats Ranch.






Nate and Stella chilling on the back porch.


In other news, Charlie was bought by a very nice family and left to live with them on Saturday where he is to be their buck. His brother Terry has been sad, but he is My son so he is taking it like a buck. Over the next couple of months, all my beautiful kids will be going to new homes, except Star. H-mom decided nearly as soon as Star was born that she would be staying here. Breeding will start here in August, which is of course my favorite time of the year, sort of like Christmas for me, so I am counting down the days. Dudley tells me I'm just wishing my life away, but he is a wether so what does he know.

Meet my mom - Maggie

Some have questioned how a goat, even one as great as myself can be so smart. Well wonder no more, meet my mom - Maggie. She was browsing around and noticed her hoof was getting a bit long. After a quick check of her other 3 hoofs, she wisely decided it was past time for a pedicure. She went straight over to the stand.

She's checking the setup - like she always tells me, safty first.

Um, hello? I don't have an appointment

but I could sure use a pedicure.

Hello?? Anyone? Sigh, you just can't get good service anymore.

So as you can see, I get alot of my intelligence from my mom.

Toby snuggling with h-mom on the back porch. I remember when she could snuggle me like that, but it was a few pounds ago.

Another load of branches rolling in but SOME goats are so impatient, they just can't wait!

It has been leaf heaven here for us, but h-mom is really getting tired of moving branches. She loaded up the flat bed trailer yesterday then brought it to the goat pens and unloaded it, and you can't really tell it made a dent in the pile by the driveway. She was mumbling about being careful what you ask for, you just might get it - which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but humans are hard to figure sometimes. Well, I have to get back to the branches. I'm craving some nice Mulberry leaves, and maybe some cottonwood too.

opportunities taken

So yesterday, the utility company was on our road trimming trees that are too close to power lines. Talk about a waste, they feed all those limbs covered with delectable leaves into a noisy machine and that's the end of that! I was in the pasture watching the horror out by the road and thinking there is something very wrong with a world where humans wantonly destroy and waste something so, well precious. I mean we don't have a lot of trees in our pasture and so we eat more grass than we'd actually prefer. I'm not complaining, there are a nice variety of weeds and such, but anyone knows that leaves are the best. Of course, the very best are always just out of reach, but I digress.

Then I noticed h-mom out by the road talking to the men do the trimming. I couldn't hear them of course, but there was some pointing and such and then h-mom went back to the house. A little later, I noticed the men putting branches (covered with beautiful green leaves) in a pile by the driveway. Hmmm, this piqued my interest and I moved a bit for a better view. Sure enough, a sizable pile was accumulating but unfortunately several hundred feet from my mouth. Some of the other goats had started to notice the pile of greenery by the driveway and of course, many had started to bleat plaintively, clearly begging. Some goats have no self respect!

Now when h-mom started the gator and drove over to the pile even I could barely contain myself and an inadvertent bleat escaped me. She loaded the back of the gator high with branches and turned towards ME, be still my bleating heart. Next thing I knew I was eating some of the biggest, most delicious leaves of my life. Bless you h-mom and the tree trimmers too.