It was one of July's hottest days when we arrived at our scenic getaway - and as we pulled into the rocky lane I saw the cabin was every bit as adorable as the web site photos. Eagerly we dragged our luggage inside - and then we saw the signs. The first one we spotted was right inside the kitchen door - "Please use bottled water. Tap water is not safe for consumption." Guess they forgot to mention that on the rental agreement. (Sure wish we had stopped at that market fifteen miles back and bought some!!) Perhaps it was a good thing we wouldn't be drinking much, because of the signs in the (one) bathroom - "Please use toilet paper sparingly due to septic limitations." Another missive directed us to limit shower use and turn off the water while lathering with soap to conserve water. Actually, we wouldn't want to be in the bathroom long anyway as the door latch was broken (however a large rock was conveniently provided to push the door closed for privacy.)
We also quickly learned that the washing machine was off-limit to renters (the water thing again) and that because there was no garbage pickup, we would need to take all our trash home with us at the end of the week. In addition, when my sister put her four-year-old to bed on one of the upstairs doubles, the entire bed came crashing to the floor. Not quite the idyllic retreat we had expected...
It's kind of like that with goats. We fell in love with our cousins' tiny bottle-baby kids and then cute photos on the breeder's website, and we jumped in with both feet and little idea what we were getting into. Only after we had Ellie and Em home did we notice the little signs popping up everywhere -
"Please discard all previous fencing and build higher barriers to keep us safe."
"Please leave no poop unscooped."
"Please feed us at least six times a day and devote every spare minute to keeping us content!"
"Please do not wear any clothing that cannot survive being chewed on by sharp teeth."
Would I have gotten goats six months ago if I had any concept of what was involved? Not in a million years.
Would I give the goat boys back now, having known (and loved) them for six months? Not on your life.
Emily and I were sitting on the deck the other night, each holding a goat, and she asked, "Who would have thought we could fall in love with goats?" But we did...and when you really love someone or something, you just learn to adapt to the inconveniences, to live with those pesky little signs.
And by the way, last week marked the third consecutive year we have rented that same mountain cabin - guess we found out the the good parts outweighed what now seems minor quirks. (Also, we located several nearby rest stops where trash can be disposed of discreetly after dark!)
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