Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Happy Place for Goats, and other small tales


Give Emerson and Ellie a choice of any spot to sleep - they'll always pick right here, soaking up the sun against the garage door. Doesn't look so comfortable to me, but these are the same creatures who munch thorn bushes like candy yet refuse to walk on damp grass...

With the blessed arrival of warm weather, Elliot's skin condition has cleared up and his hair is growing back. See you again in December, scratchy, itchy sores and horrid bald patches!

Emerson (aka "Little Skunk" these days) is up to his usual antics. Last week he sneaked up behind me when I opened the car door and gobbled a map from the seat pocket. No problem, you rascal - next time we travel upstate and I need that map to find my way home, you're the one who'll be missing your warm vinegar water while I'm hopelessly lost in the woods...

Also, he chewed a giant rip in the pocket of my favorite jacket. Sure, a marvelous pile of animal crackers cascaded from the hole, but I ended up throwing the ruined coat away. Now no garment with pockets is safe from Emerson. Got any treats in there, orange peels, anything? Let me bite through the fabric and check!

Today a friendly neighbor left a bag of dried orange peels hanging on the garage door handle for me - unfortunately the goats were outside and found it first. In a few days we'll see what a plastic bag looks like, post-goat digestion. That was yummy!

My daughter recently informed me that sauteed "spruce tips" (as in, the ends of an evergreen tree branch) are a culinary delicacy served in the finest establishments. Since the goats have been nibbling our evergreens for years, I am apt to believe her. Maybe a little garnish of poison ivy?

Ahh, goats...