Good Haircut vs. Bad Haircut!

They say the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is two weeks. I hope this is true. You see, the farmer got a little crazed the other day and went after me and my mom with the clippers. Both of us were taking our time with shedding out for the summer and our coats were not shiny and pretty like normal. I admit that I was not in my best form, but I don't think I needed a hack-job of a shave like I got! This mess had better grow out before the Goat Club shows up at the farm in three weeks or I will be pretty embarrassed. I won't come out of my pen if I don't look better. If the farmer wants to try to make me show my face, she can go ahead and try but I won't budge!!
Look at this mess! It's all patchy and uneven. I used to be so pretty and now I look like a sock puppet!

Please don't let the farmer shave my hair again! PLEASE!! Call the Humane Society! Call the ASPCA!! Call PETA! Help!

My Family

Hello everyone! Here are some nice pictures of my family. This first one is of my mom, Gloria. Notice her big udder? She passed that one on to me. Thanks mom for the good genes! She is the leader of this herd. She leads with wisdom and kindness. Someday I hope I can be just like her.

This next picture is of my very handsome son, Black Bart. He is very lovely and is going to be the daddy of all the Alpine kids next year. I think that is a great idea because who doesn't want a hunk like him?

Here we have a picture of my buddy, Matilda. Matilda moved to a new farm but she is still well remembered here. Oh yeah, that other goat in the picture is Pepper Ann. Look at that goofy look on her face, how silly!

Last but not least is a picture of my good side. This was taken back when Matilda and I were roomates. Now I have to live all alone. I don't mind it too much because all the grain and hay are mine and I don't have to push her out of the way anymore.

Somethings Taste Good, Somethings Taste Bad

All this wet weather has me feeling icky with worms. That's right, worms. I admit it, like most in the caprine world, I have worms. They're hard to escape from, especially since all the good grass is located on the ground. As I eat that yummy grass, those horrible worms get in my mouth and then set up camp in my stomach. Luckily the farmer has noticed my problem and has set about to freeing me from the onslaught of the unwelcome invaders. The down side is that the deworming medicine tastes just awful! I am a smart one so I know that any time the farmer comes at me with that big oral syringe there's no fighting it and no matter what I do I will end up with that yucky stuff in my mouth (and some on the farmer's shirt). I wait my turn. I am a good girl, unlike Pepper who runs around all willy-nilly until the farmer puts her in a full-nelson and jams that syringe down her throat. Then Pepper runs around coughing and shaky like the total drama queen that she is. I, on the other hand, take it like a champ and hope that it will be followed by something more palatable to wash the taste out of my mouth (like peppermint nibblies).

Just when I was certain that the big syringe only contained things that taste bad, the farmer surprises me with a syringe full of yumminess! It was full of yummy Red Cell iron supplement. That is my favorite because it is about 90% molasses and 10% vitamins and minerals. Once I got a taste for that I sucked the stuff right out of the syringe, licking my lips the whole time. My mom saw what was going on and when her turn came she grabbed the syringe with her teeth and didn't let go until it was empty. Pepper on the other hand had to have her fill of drama so she gagged and choked the entire time. Argh! Nubians -- you can't live with them, you can't convince the farmer to get rid of them.

So now my theory about the bad tasting syringe is shook to its core. I don't know what to expect the next time the farmer comes in carrying it full of some mysterious liquid.

Wet and Wild!

It's seems to be raining a lot lately. Usually I don't mind the rain because the farmer lets me stay in bed all day with a full rack of hay to eat. Lately, though she has been forcing me to stay outside and get rained on! Most of the day it is sunny and nice but then inevitably it starts to rain and sometimes pour. We all get together and cry and scream to tell the farmer that she needs to come and put us inside. Sometimes she is there and will put us in, but sometimes no one is home and we have to sit out in the rain. I don't like sitting in the rain because it is cold and wet and uncomfortable. Not to mention my hair goes all frizzy and I can't do anything with it.

Then on Friday it was not raining, in fact it was sunny all day for once. And what does the farmer decide to do --- She gives us a BATH! B-A-T-H is a four-letter word. The farmer pulled us out of the pasture one by one and just when I thought she was giving me my dinner, she dumped a bucket of water on me!! She scrubbed and rubbed and put my hair into a complete tizzy. The only consolation I got for this humiliation was a little soggy grain. I can't believe she would ruin the only dry day in two weeks by a BATH! Oh well, I had to laugh when the farmer dumped all of the rinse water on Pepper and that ditz just stood there! She acted like getting all wet and soapy was a good idea to her. Sometimes she can be clueless.

Hopefully it will stop raining soon. I am not a fan of wetness.

The Banshee Sisters

Here at the farm there is "us" and "them". The "us" is me and my mom, both Alpine goats. The "them" are the Nubians. The oldest Nubian is Pepper. She thinks she is in charge. She acts like she is in charge. She isn't really in charge. Pepper walks around with her nose stuck in the air and her tail up like she is the best thing ever. She tries to boss everyone around. Really, the one in charge is my mom, Gloria. Gloria is the queen of the place. Pepper is just the "princess".

Just when I had finally gotten used to "Princess Pepper" and all her goofy ideas, she gives birth to two kids that think they were born with a silver bottle in their mouths! I call them the "Banshee Sisters" because they don't ever shut up! They are constantly complaining about everything. I don't mind being put out in the pasture during the day. They act like it is a death sentence. It doesn't bother me to be fed at 6pm rather than 5pm. They act like they will starve to death at any moment from the lack of nourishment. Each one is louder than the other in their protests to the injustices. Sometimes they even scream just because it is something to do.

The one good thing about it is that Pepper doesn't condone the behavior. She will get after them for screaming. She says she chides them because the cacophony is driving her mad. I think it is because finally there is someone who complains louder than she does and she doesn't like that. Not that long ago, Pepper was just as loud as these two. My... how the tables have turned!

The Way It Is

Yesterday my good friend, Matilda, left. I am not sure where she went. The farmer and two people came way past bedtime last night and took her. They pulled her out of our pen and put a leash on her and took her away. They also took my half-sister Madge with them. I have seen the people the farmer was with before. They have come to visit a couple of times and have brought their little half people with them (they call them "kids", but they don't look like the kids I know - they just look like short farmers).

In the past visits they have made quite a fuss over Matilda. I can't really figure out why. She was a good friend but not a real looker (if you know what I mean). Also she is a little bit of a scatter-brain. She spends a lot of time running around asking everyone "WhAAAAAT's going on?! WHAAAAAAT's going on?!". I was always telling her to just eat some grass and be quiet but instead she always worried about stuff.

Even though she had these faults, I loved her so. She was a good roommate for the last two years. I appreciated that she didn't mind when I was in a bad mood and I pushed her away from the hay manger or pushed her out of the feed bowl. I also have to give her props for putting up with her letting her kids' nurse. I was so thankful when the farmer took my kids and gave them a bottle. But Matilda didn't want any of that. She had it in her head to do things "natural". Good for her.

But now she is gone. I don't think she is coming back. I have seen this happen before. Goats come and live here for a while and then one day they disappear. I am not so broken up about my half-sister leaving. She was so immature and annoying! I have no respect for anyone that can put up with the "Banshee Sisters" like she could. The "Banshee Sisters" are the two Nubian kids that were cursed upon this farm this spring. They haven't shut up since they were born! I think they get louder every day! And yet, Madge would just hang out with them like it was cool. Kids these days, I don't even know what to say! So it is okay that she is gone. The less screaming kids around here, the better.

I will miss you Matilda! Good luck in your new life!

Hello!

Hi everyone! My name is Lucy! I am a two-year-old dairy goat that lives in Northern New York State. I live on a farm with my mom Gloria, my aunt Pepper Ann, and some other friends. Being a goat, I like to do all things goat-like. I enjoy eating grass, eating hay, eating grain, being petted, chewing my cud, watching the chickens, eating tree bark, napping in the sun. I like all things like that.

I hope you enjoy my blog! You can visit the farmer's blog at www.rosesgoats.blogspot.com