Goats, Goats and more goats. The rodeo has nothing on us.

I was startled by an early morning call yesterday.  The Professor was on the other line and needed to talk to me, well he was being an emissary for the Herbalist to talk to me.  She was up early so I asked her if she had even been to bed, and no, as I suspected, she had not.  She had asked me to help her sell some of their goats a couple weeks back but to my amazement she had adapted her plans, not sure if it was due to sleeplessness or real intent, probably real intent after I thought about it, as the Professor did make the call.  I digress, anyway,  they had decided that if we would take them they just wanted to get the goats gone, they were not able to find the time and energy to take care of so many extra goats.  They wanted us to come pick them up and do what ever we wanted with them.  I said if it was October or November I would just harvest all the bucklings, they hadn't been withered as they had thought of keep one as a buck but now they were to old to castrate.  Herbalist said do it now, I hadn't thought of that, it would take some work but they wouldn't be stinky yet.  I said I guess I could do that, I have a pig I have to cut up, already butchered and cooled in the freeze.  I could make sausage out of the two and be all set with a goodly supply of sausage, a few ribs and some tenderloin.  I agreed we could do it.  Poppie groaned at me.  Mokie was excited and was sure she wanted some of them, not sure why they don't eat the meat, though Bubble does only drink goats milk now, she just could not longer do the formulas they all made her spit up or throw up.  I end up sharing lots of milk as Mokie can't always find time to milk her one milking goat, and Yogie won't milk her as she is usually too tired by the time she finishes all 5 of ours.  Booboo has decided with the new ones coming she might try milking the one she has chosen as hers, we will see that outcome...... I agreed to pick them up in the afternoon.

Mokie and I, with Boy, Yogie and Booboo in tow went out to pick up the goats after I got home from CAKLS, yay I got to go.  Had a wonderful time with the ladies, I do so miss them when I can't go.  Lady gave Yogie a book while we were there, Yogie needed a break from the other kids so came with me, she was having one of her melancholy days.  She doesn't get them as often as when she was little but occasionally she just needs time.  Yogie was enthralled with the book, it was such a special blessing for Lady to give it to her, a nice bit of kindness she often thinks of, most adults wouldn't think to give the odd old farm husbandry books to a child but I guess maybe that is why she is a librarian, she sees a special interest a child might have. We were off on our adventure.  Poppie had Bubbles, Cubbie, Curious and Cartoons at home with him. 

We got out to Herbalist, spoke to her and she said we could take the trailer, she left to go to the post office and the Professor was doing his Tuesday radio address.   I backed up to the trailer, with a little wrangling Mokie and I put it on the hitch and we were ready to go.  I drove forward 30 to 50 feet and we both knew something was wrong, the trailer was a huge anchor.  Mokie looked into the rear view mirror the tire on her side was not moving.  We got out and the fender was smashed into the tire on the passenger side.  I knew that if I moved the trailer it would ruin the tire.  I volunteered to hike up to the house and advise the Professor.  Shortly he and I returned to the trailer.  He was a concerned as I was, he knew immediately that Herbalists son, Accident, had done it but he was upset that he hadn't told them.  He had left for Utah earlier in the day and they had no idea that he had missed up the trailer.  Funny, I have an adult son that causes me endless days of sleeplessness, sort of comforting to know that I am not the only on.... We called Poppie and Son and they came out to help us, after Shinny picked up Curious and Cartoons.  I hadn't known that Professor had told Poppie that I might have hit something with the trailer or that Accident had done it.  Poppie arrived, he been fully prepared to give me what for but then he said, 'I saw a tree down the road that had been hit and there is a drag mark all the way up the road right to where the trailer was parked.'  Whew, I don't think that a lecture from Poppie for careless driving would have been helpful at that point.  Professor told Poppie after he got off the phone he too had decided that I couldn't have hit anything in the 30 feet I had gone, maybe it was just hope on his part that it wasn't Accident this time.  Funny how as they age they still stay in some ways that little boy that we couldn't figure out what we were going to do with, I told them I had one of those so I totally understand the hope we can have, or not have.

Son and Poppie had to do a lot of jacking, prying and finally let the air out of the tire and some pounding to fix the trailer enough to load and take home for Poppie to weld and really fix.  The trailer temporarily fixed, we went to loading goats, one of the little bucklings was most definitely a female, but soon we had them all loaded and we were on our way.  We got home around 8, we disturbed the goats to the right pens, some went to Mokies, some to my doe pen and the three nasty little ornery and horny bucks to the old weanling pen so they could await harvest without bugging my little goats.  I may actually try to sell one of the them his is a truly nice specimen.  Funny, I ended up with all the Saanans, the sibling of my does and Mokie prefers the Oberhaslis, the children and grandchildren of her goat from Herbalist.  I like the whites and she likes the browns.  Mokie and I are alot like the girls much alike and totally different in our tastes.  The buckling were like holding on to a meteorite on a rope to move to the pen.  They had never been on a lead and the fought like little bulls at the rodeo.  All in all a totally adventurous afternoon and evening I don't think any of us want to repeat.  Made dinner, dumped out the cheese I had started but forgot about when I came home from CAKLS,  I guess it was not my day to multi task.  The pigs will get a treat so no harm no foul.  I would have been much more upset had I not had the pigs as back up.  I do so hate to waste food but with pigs I do tend to be a little more generous with our scraps. 

Today, Mokie is making a cake for a baby show at Church.  I am going to be taking photos of the goats I am going to list on Craigslist.  I will have to eventually list a few more but have to decide which does work in my herd and which don't.  I would love to keep them all but hay and grain are expensive.  I just need to sell more soap I guess...... I hope your day is a rodeo, good or bad it gets your heart pumping and the Lord knows surprises are good for the Soul.... tomorrow.