When "TROUBLE" Starts With "G"

Yesterday my husband stomped into the kitchen and announced that deer have been nibbling some of the plants in our garden. "You can tell it was deer," he explained, "because their hoof prints look just like the goats', and the droppings are similar."

Unthinkable.

Here's my ethical dilemma. Do I let non-existent deer take the blame for that day when the goats escaped from their pen and ransacked the broccoli? When I had to run back to the garage for their leashes and a spray bottle to chase them out of the asparagus bed? When Emerson, mowing through the cabbage, head-butted me so hard that my entire right shin sports an angry greenish bruise?

Well, I don't want to be a snitch, so maybe I'll leave it up to Em and Ellie to confess their misdeeds. My real question, however, is this - does that shirt come in goat-size? If so, order me two.

I Will Not Eat It, Goat-I-Am!

One of our most cherished childhood stories is Rosemary Wells' First Tomato, in which Claire (having an awful day) is magically transported to the "Bunny Planet" where she is comforted by the first ripe fruit in her mother's garden. (Really, I still love this book!!) So imagine my delight yesterday when the first three tomatoes ready in our garden coincided with our first supper of local sweet corn. Ahhh, summer...

Last year, both goats loved the outer "shuckings" from our sweet corn, so after I husked the corn I took a tub out to the yard for them to devour. First corn, goat boys!! Emerson started chomping, but Elliot sniffed, head-butted my leg, then tried rooting in my pockets for something better. What is this garbage? I don't eat corn husks, not this summer! Don't you have orange peels somewhere? When did he get so fickle??

Finding no other treats, Elliot found another way to show his displeasure at this unacceptable meal. He carefully backed up to the pile of corn husks, lifted his tail, and...yup - made a deposit. Take that, stupid snack! I poop on you! Thanks a lot, Ellie!

Last summer they also adored tomatoes, plucking them right from the vines. I'm not yet ready to share our precious few of those - maybe in a month or so when we're picking by the crate. Wonder how Ellie will react then! Maybe someone needs a one-way ticket to the "Goat Planet!"