Goat Adventures

     I've been enjoying reading books by Jenna Woginrich, as well as her blog Cold Antler Farm.  She inspires me with her adventures.  Presently, I am reading Barnheart: the incurable longing for a farm of one's own.  Each chapter unfolds her growing knowledge abd experience of farm life.  I read her book One Woman Farm first and loved it; it's not so much about being independent but rather how farm life is a matter of being interdependent.  It speaks of church to me in some manner of speaking without need of building or creed;  there was several references to breaking bread and seeing the land and critters as sacred.
     After many years, we're creating a little homestead of our own!  Jenna can run circles around us I would imagine. Recently, we had a homestead event that made us stop and think about our path to simplicity.  It was our male goat: he would not be persuaded to stay out of our garden, despite an electric fence surrounding it.  Mostly, he left the garden alone, but he once took advantage of my good nature and managed to initially get in the garden as I was getting out.  Grabbing his collar, I managed to get him out, but before I could close the gate and alarm the fence, he was munching down on our pea patch.  Again I escorted him out, but getting my feet tangled up in the fence, I took a nasty fall!  Thinking I couldn't get up at first, I ended up letting Rascal have his way in the garden.  My husband arrived and he attempted to rid the garden of the thief--and after several attempts, my Mr. was terribly winded and Rascal was now on to the cucumbers.  Hubby frightened me as he clutched his chest.
     Finally, I managed to get up, commendeered the aptly named goat, moving him to the barn and safely locking him inside.  I couldn't decide if I needed to dial 911, but as I approached the Mr. I noted he was ok and breathing well again.  We were covered in sweat and tears, when suddenly we looked at one another and broke into laughter.  Jenna is a 20-30 something; but we had reached the over 60 crowd in recent years.  What were we thinking?  Farm life in our senior years?  Poor little Rascal was only doing what comes natural to a goat!
     We had to repair the fence, and add another couple of lines for the electric fence and thankfully, Rascal hasn't even attempted to get back in!  We couldn't imagine life without him now, or his sister, Miss Daisy.
Our lives are richer for our experience, and we are a lot more careful about getting into and out of the garden.
     Life over 60?  It's grand... and Jenna keeps me dreaming of chickens!  Thanks, Jenna!
And thank you God for such a beautiful way to grow older!