No rainforest, but our cycle of life and death played out on Sunday...........

Our plans of walking in the rain forest on a restful warm Sunday afternoon all went awry. I checked on Dahliala first thing in the morning. She quietly passed on. She deserved her piece and rest, her life had come to its fruition. She left as quietly as she lived her life. We fed the animals. We will bury her this morning, in our little goat graveyard. We all went out in the late morning, to watch Cubbie, Boy and girls play with Lambchops and Dessert run and play with the kids. Son was working on his goat barn, he was very precisely measuring and leveling it. Mokie kept picking up Dessert to cuddle him. He is just totally fun to watch. Lampchops is still recovering from his joint illness but loving the outdoors. All is as it should be a slow nice Sunday.

Mokie mentioned to me that her little pregnant female doxie had been a little sick for a couple of days, sort of vomiting maybe a form of morning sickness.  I decided to go check on Cleo as she had acted funny at feeding time. I was glad I did, she was in early stage labor. So for the next couple hours I continued to check her. Mokie went home and found her little doxie had discharged blood from her bum, and was in the end stage of parvo. I hate that it is such a destructive disease. The little dog, had her shots, was not the right age to get it but her pregnancy must have helped to harbor the disease and accelerate it. Mokie wrapped her up and made her comfortable, she did not last the afternoon. Mokie was sobbing with her heartbreak. She so loves little dogs and her little Olive was her pride and joy.

I got Cleo into the birthing barn, Poppie, calls it the goat hospital. She was restless and wondered out so I monitored her. I saw that she was getting close so put her back into the barn and made her stay. It was nearly time, Daughter and Bug showed up. Daughter came to the barn with me to help. It amazed me that she wanted to be there. Mokie joined us there. Yogie and Buga were there as well. Cleo seemed to be making progress but before long it became apparent something wasn't quite right. Mokie called Son, we are both good a pulling babies, but if it is complicated we both defer to Son. Son came and watch a few minutes then went in to pull the baby. The babies legs started to come, but he could not find the head. He checked again and it was the bottom of the baby. She was pulled out breach, she was not moving, Son roughed her a little and she cried out. We were so glad, she was our first little doe this season and Mokies, as she had been waiting for a little Boer to get to add to her herd. Her sister joined her with in seconds, so she had two to choose from. One a classic little Boer and the other a little oddly marked sweetie. Mokie loved the odd marked one, the one that had come breach. Her sorrow for her little Olive not gone, but hope in the future, renewed in her little doe. Buga, 3, had been present, as was Yogie, Yogie took it in stride. Buga couldn't wait to tell everyone that goats have babies by blowing bubbles out their bottoms, she did just that, eveyone now knows the truth of goats birth. I guess that is what happened in the eyes of a three year old.

Son, Mokie and I, after the week with Dahliala, couldn't leave until the placenta came, it took almost two hours but it was worth the wait to make sure our Cleo was safe. We did get to enjoy all the newborn antics of the two little does as well. A very rewarding and renewing time.  Yogie got the other kids to come see the new babies. All got to see the little ones. The after birth finally came and our vigil was done. New babies, does, and a safe and healthy momma. Two more mommas due this week, two later in the season and our spring birthings will be complete. Death comes to us all in the end, and birth is inevitable both a joy and a sorrow in different situations. We had a complete day with hope for the future. ..... tomorrow.