Not Even Gone Yet

Well, for my first post, I guess I'll talk about the most recent upcoming event. It has to do with a few little boogers born this past spring. One is almost three months. One is almost two.

Maximus is a purebred American Alpine wether. He's just like his daddy, Jasper, who we bred to his mother, Bedlam Manor's Mercedes (aka Lissa) in December of the previous winter. He was born on June 7th, just 3 days before my 20th birthday. Of all the kids I've gotten from Lissa, he just seemed like the most sweetest, even tempered little guy of the lot. He started out a bit shy, but his momma loves me, so it wasn't long before he discovered the pleasures of a good ear scratch. And even though he is the youngest of the three kids born this spring, he was already the biggest the day he was born. Despite this, I remember his lack of balance on his long gangly legs. He was so big, and grew so fast, "Maximus" seemed a fitting name for him. He's a lovey dovey little boy. He's got a horn growing back a bit, but it just makes him even more like his also super sweet dad.

The second booger is a purebred Nigerian Dwarf named Thor. A sweetheart and the first to break the human-goat barrier. When I make a fist he comes up and lightly butts it with his head. I like to think of it as his favorite form of greeting. He was also the first to figure out that when I sit down, he can jump up onto my lap. Even now, though Max jumps up to get height so that he can stand on my lap, Thor immediately lays down, as if to say "Nap time!". He's very flexible, and allows lots of manipulation so that you can cuddle him while he lays on his back with his belly up. He is really lovey too, a real sweetheart and cuddle-butt.

This Sunday they are going to their new home. And I've been missing them since last week. Even though they haven't left. Oh dear. This'll be a tough one.

On the bright side, we are keeping Thor's twin sister, Rosie. I like to call her my comatose goat, because once she lays down on my lap, she's out like a light. She's also a real momma's girl, so it's good that she'll get to stay here for as long as she lives. It'll be exciting to see a goat grow from birth to adulthood. Usually we get them toward the middle of the process or sell them when they are a few months old. I'm looking forward to that, but it'll only dull the pain of loosing my lovey dovey sweethearts just a bit.

Goats are very good at teaching life lessons. From pain of death to joy of life to regret of sold to excitement of purchase. Quite the roller coaster. But I wouldn't trade my girls for the world.

Click on the pictures to enlarge. Maxi is black and white, Thor brown and white. Rosie is the little brown one, Pheobe (the twins mom) is the gold dwarf, and Lissa is the big white girl.