Dreams of Goaty Goodness
Spring is around the corner and Goaty Goodness is afoot. I can feel it. My kids are out there somewhere.
El Diablo has in his head that we’re getting a pygmy goat. It’s so cute how he comes up with these wild ideas. He thinks a pygmy will be “less trouble.” He came to this conclusion after listening to tales told one wintery eve by a fellow traveler who had bought goats during what she described as a mid-life crisis. In an attempt to dissuade me from following in her missteps, she told a succession of horror stories about her experiences with her goats. The moral of her story was: get sheep, not goats, because sheep are a lot less trouble.
While I would consider sheep in addition to goats, I can’t consider them a replacement. A mid-life goat crisis is not something that can be lived vicariously. I want to have my own. There is no substitute for Goaty Goodness.
So, I’ve been reading up on goats lately trying to figure out which kind would be the best addition to the farm. I keep coming back to Angora goats. I have an elaborate fantasy of sitting at the spindle and spinning their fur into mohair yarn to dye and knit. Yeah, I know someone has been watching too much Once Upon a Time lately. You can call me Briar Rose. If you’re going to dream, dream big.
Operation Panda Rescue
In other news, Moon Pie is a freakin’ genius. We have been playing a fun new game in which her favorite toy, Panda, is in peril and only she can rescue it. It took her five trials to figure out how to break Panda out of jail. I’ve posted two videos (Trial 2 and Trial 5) of her training below. Trial 2 was an unsuccessful attempt to get Panda free, but it features her stealthy army crawl technique.
Trial 5 demonstrates her brilliance and bravery. Mission accomplished!
The Duck Report
The baby ducks are going through an awkward phase. They are growing all long necked and legged, but they are still too short to scale the pool walls on their own. So yesterday as I was changing their water I had this bright idea: Wouldn’t it be great fun to catch a baby duck and let it go for a swim?
“Fun” is not quite the right word to describe what happened next. Baby ducks run remarkably fast for having such little legs. After chasing ducks all over the pen for a good five minutes, I finally managed to catch Mistletoes. Mistletoes went from cute little peep-peep-peeps to frantic cries of “PEEP! PEEP! PEEP! PEEP!”
And that’s when P. Recious Rainbow Queen Mother stopped running away and went all “momma bear” on me.
She came barreling at me with lightning in her eyes and malice in her squawking. I guess she called on her pterodactyl ancestry because she somehow transformed herself into a huge winged monster. I stood deer-in-the-headlights frozen by the sight of her as she grabbed a hold of my boot with her ferocious bill and viciously yanked at it. All the while she was flapping and hissing. I was screaming and flailing. Baby duck was PEEP! PEEP! PEEPing.
Moo-moo was out the outside of the pen, going crazy. All of our Panda Rescue Missions had been leading up to this moment. She went barking up a storm, lunging at the pen in an effort to save me from my attacker.
In trying times you learn who has your back…and who does not. While all this was going on, El Diablo was standing outside the pen laughing and fumbling for his iPhone in an effort to video the spectacle. (This is exactly the sort of behavior that earned him the name “The Devil.”) Lucky for me, he didn’t have his phone on him.
Mistletoes did not get to swim in the pool. He was returned to Moma Duck and I got the hell out of there. Getting your ass handed to you by a duck is a humbling experience.
23 comments
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January 22, 2013 at 4:29 am
petspeopleandlife
You are too funny. Loved the the idea about goats. I have one huge one that is about 10 years old now. Named him Billy Bob. More about him in a post down the road.
January 23, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Lunar Euphoria
*gasp* YOU HAVE A GOAT!?!
What kind? You must tell me everything.
January 22, 2013 at 7:24 am
Maddie Cochere
So funny … all of it. 🙂 There is something so charming about that goat picture, Moon Pie *is* a genius and sooo cute, and the duck story … well, I had a duck charge me one time, and I understand what you went through. They are in-your-face scary!
January 23, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Lunar Euphoria
I love that goat picture. She looks like her moma styled her ears in a little flip for her school picture. I image her name is Molly and she’s in 3rd grade.
Thank you for sharing your duck story! It’s crazy how a squat little bird can strike such terror in one’s heart.
January 22, 2013 at 12:35 pm
skatturcast
LOL…where is the video of the duck attack? That would have been a good one to see.
January 23, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Lunar Euphoria
Ha! Thank goodness there is no video of the duck attack. That would be humiliating.
January 22, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Tori Nelson
This post made me totally want a goat. Is a quarter-life goat crisis acceptable?
January 23, 2013 at 2:58 pm
Lunar Euphoria
haha! Welcome to the Goaty Goodness fold. We will accept a good goat crises at any stage of life.
January 23, 2013 at 2:32 pm
roughwighting
Fascinating post. I’m reading a book by Nora Roberts right now called “The Search,” and she describes dog agility training so well (and those dogs are then used for rescues). Check it out. Fun to find you here – glad you stopped by my blog!
January 23, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Lunar Euphoria
Oh! I have read a bit of Nora Roberts in the past, but I haven’t come across this title. I will have to check it out!
January 27, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Jackie Cangro
I loved the videos of Moon Pie trying to get panda. Moon Pie is one beautiful Springer Spaniel! Reggie is a Springer also. But he doesn’t act much like a Springer. He is afraid of the water and he won’t chase a ball. 🙂
January 28, 2013 at 12:00 am
Lunar Euphoria
Moo-Moo is a cutie pie – and Reggie is handsome! How strange that he isn’t crazy about swimming and chasing balls! How old is he?
January 28, 2013 at 6:14 pm
Jackie Cangro
I took Reggie to the lake once and he stared at the water for the longest time. All the other dogs were splashing around and chasing balls, but Reggie didn’t want any part of it! Crazy, right?
I think he’s 10. (He was a stray before I adopted him, so it’s one of those things I don’t know for sure.)
How old is that Moo Moo cutie?
January 28, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Lunar Euphoria
Maybe Reggieis just too mature for such tomfoolery.
MooMoo is about 6 months.
January 28, 2013 at 5:51 am
Debra Parmley
Moo-Moo is so smart!
Goaty goodness is in the air, I can feel it.
Geese chased me once in our yard before we learned they are afraid of frisbees. With no dog here to chase them away we now have to get out the frisbee if they try to take over our yard. I have to wonder if it looks to them like some sort of alien space ship.
January 28, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Lunar Euphoria
This week Moo-Moo is working to learn the difference between her toys Panda, Bunny, and Squirrel. If we get inspired we may post another video.
And those water fowl are suprisingly aggressive!
February 3, 2013 at 11:34 pm
Kathy
Just wanted to say that I liked this update on so many subjects. One of my friends has goats. Don’t know if they’re Pygmy or Regular Goat.
February 10, 2013 at 10:55 pm
Lunar Euphoria
Glad you liked the update. I need more friends with goats.
February 10, 2013 at 6:49 pm
Dana
I haven’t had my ass handed to me by a duck before, but I *have* been schooled by a particularly cranky Canada Goose. I’m still scarred from the experience– those things are HUGE (and mean!)
Can’t wait to hear more about a goat-getting mid-life crisis. Angora?? Yes, please!
February 10, 2013 at 10:57 pm
Lunar Euphoria
I’ve heard horror stories involving geese. I’m glad you came out relatively unscathed!
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