The Escape: Part Deux!

When we were put out to the pasture yesterday morning, I could hear the familiar click of the electric fence charger in the distance. We knew the fence was on. We knew we would get shocked if we touched the fence. We knew we would get no extra grain treats that night if we got out of the pasture. But we also knew there was a great delicious forest on the other side of that fence.

Pepper was the first to make a move. She eyed the fence up and down and then picked a spot to test it. She put her head down, aligned her shoulders, and gave a mighty shove to the hot fence. She did it fast, faster than I thought a Nubian could move. So fast in fact that the fence didn't get time to shock her. Once the fence was leaning, we could all easily step over it. Pepper went first, I followed, Cookie followed me. Gloria hesitated but didn't want to be left out of the feast like yesterday. She daintily stepped over the hot fence trying hard not to let her dangling teats brush against it (nothing is worse than a hot shock to the udder!). Just a little hop, skip, and a jump and Gloria was free from the pasture along with the rest of us.

We started first on the raspberry bushes and maple trees that we hadn't gotten to yesterday. Then we moved back to the spruce trees by the chicken barn. Gloria taste tested all the flowers in the two barn flower planters. Cookie and I moved along the front of the barn to the bushes next to the dog pen. We found gooseberries, maples, and a spruce to eat.

By afternoon, it had started to rain. We decided to move the party indoors to the barn. There wasn't much to eat in the barn since all the grain was in bins. Pepper tested the bag of oyster shell for the chickens and found it too much like sand to be tasty.

The farmer came home and noticed there were no goats in sight in the pasture. She asked her husband if he had put the goats in the barn. He said that he hadn't. The farmer came out to the barn to find us all drunk in massive food comas from the day's pillaging. She put us in our pens with no dinner for the night. Oh well, we really didn't want any dinner after that smorgasbord we had today!

Perhaps tomorrow the farmer will let us out to the pasture again?

The Great Escape!

Pepper was the first to notice it when we were let out to the pasture in the morning.
She said, "I think the fence is off".
I said, "No, it's never off. You test it".
"I don't like getting shocked! I don't want to test it", Pepper replied. "Let's get Cookie to test it".
"How will we get her to test it? She's even more of a scaredy-goat than you", I snorted.
"Let's trick her into testing it" Pepper said.
"Good idea", I said. "Hey Cookie! Come over here for a minute."
Cookie came running over to the fence.
"Cookie, look at this bush on the other side of the fence". When she turned to look, Pepper gave her a headbutt and pushed her into the fence. Cookie fell over the fence, knocking it down. Pepper walked over Cookie and into the great forest of delicious leaves. I followed Pepper. Cookie followed me.
"You'll get in trouble!" Gloria called after us. She stayed inside the pasture on her thinking stump and mulled over the situation.

When the farmer came home she saw that the fence was knocked down and the goats were wandering around the yard. She quickly grabbed Pepper, Cookie, and I and put us in the barn in our pens. She then went and let Gloria out of the pasture and put her in her stall.
"Good girl, Gloria" the farmer said as she gave Gloria a scratch and an extra grain treat.
"You are all bad girls" the farmer said to the rest of us. We didn't get any extra grain treats that night, but it was okay because I know I was not in the mood for any extra food after the buffet I had earlier in the day. Oy!

Dawn of the Does

We are watching you!










I am watching you!!

Where did I go?

"Where did I go?", you might be asking if you are a fan of this blog. I didn't go anywhere. Nope, nowhere. I haven't been able to post because the farmer has been busy training her new farm helper - "Baby Emily". I am not too impressed with her progress in training. By three months old, my babies are already learning to jump off of high places, climb the gate for grain treats, and they are ready to be weaned from milk. So far in three months, Baby Emily has learned only not to scream so much while the farmer is busy milking me. Sheesh! That's not much of an accomplishment if you ask me! I often wonder what the farmer has been training her to do, if anything at all. She can't even hand out one grain treat yet. Human babies are so unrefined.

So, what's going on with me, you ask? I am well. The summer has been good to me. I had twin boys this year, if you remember. Both of them grew up to be strong and happy by three months old (unlike some other baby we have around here!). They went off to their new home to entertain a young girl with cancer. I hope they are behaving themselves and are keeping the girl happy.

Finally we have a real summer of sun and heat and not so much rain. The last couple of summers have been rainy. Us goats do not like the rain. It's wet and cold and very un-fun. Sometimes when it rains the farmer lets us stay in the barn for the day. That is boring but at least we get some hay for breakfast and we don't get wet. Sometimes, though, we aren't so lucky and the farmer makes us stay outside in the rain huddled under the pine tree. Yuck! Well, I digress.... Summer has been good this year. I am fat and shiny. The other goats are fat and shiny as well (some fatter than others -- Pepper Ann!). Fall is coming. It's getting colder and the leaves are starting to change. Oh well, all good things must come to an end.

On another note, the farmer says she has found me a boyfriend for the fall. His name is "Jazz" and he is quite handsome. He's a Nubian (patooey!) cross, but I have been assured that the Nubian part of him is very faint and hardly noticeable. The farmer says she is trading him for my roommate, Martha. Martha has been acting badly and was put on the list to leave the farm. She was being silly and running away from the farm sitter when the farmer went on vacation. That kind of thing is not allowed and Martha must now find a new home. Also, the farmer says that 5 goats is too many for the small red barn in the winter time. I will miss my roommate, but I will be happy to meet my new boyfriend. Here is a picture of him (please disregard the Nubian (patooey!) ears).

Well, that is all that is happening with me. Later!

A Face Only a Mother Could Love!

Nubians! Ick!!

Cookie Comes Back!

I thought the farmer had settled on ONE Nubian being enough for the farm. Well, lo and behold, who shows back up yesterday, but Cookie. Cookie is Pepper Ann's kid from last year. Pepper Ann is the one Nubian we had, which I thought was satisfactory. Pepper Ann is a big pain in the butt, but as long as there are only one of her, it's manageable. Now there's two of her!

Cookie came to the barn last night and was put in with my boys. The farmer figured since the boys were big enough to hold their own but not too big as to beat up the new arrival, that they would be good house-mates for Cookie. Cookie did well during the night and doesn't seem to be as whiny as her mother (thank God!). This morning the farmer opened the door to the outside pen for the boys. Cookie went through the door and then a horrible racket was heard! Cookie was bouncing off the fencing on all three sides of the pen. She must not have seen it because she kept running into it. The farmer told her to knock it off and Cookie did. No one ever said Nubians were the smartest breed.......

After that little episode, the farmer put the big girls outside (me included) and I luckily don't have to deal with Cookie again until dinnertime when I come back into the barn. Whew!

New Pictures!

The farmer got a new camera. Here is what she took pictures of this morning.


My two boys. My how they have grown!!!

Grandma Gloria says, "What are you doing out of your pen?!"

All of the adults out in the morning. Can you spot the Toggenburg?

The barn in the morning. It's still a little dark out at 6am.