Good morning!

Such a nice, cool morning so far, I am so thankful. My ac is off, fans blowing and windows open for fresh air. I'm enjoying the peaceful quiet of the morning. Lying on my bed, contemplating my day and letting thoughts flit in and out, at will.

I love my rural existence. I loved being a child of the city, when I was growing up, and hated moving to "the country", yet now the hustle and bustle of a metropolis holds no appeal and I try to avoid having to go to one, as much as possible. I laugh that I have "grown old" and "don't like people any more". I think it's just the peacefulness and the slow pace that suits me better. My days as the life and soul of the party are a distant memory, that was me back then, this person who enjoys the quiet and solitude is me now. I do like people, but I like them "out", LOL. I am still a social butterfly, just rarely a physical presence any more. I hate the intrusion of the phone, and yet when someone calls, will spend an hour or so happily chatting away. On social media, I am always sharing opinions, memes, commenting on threads, and chatting by private messages.  I am so contradictory, I amaze myself  sometimes (and laugh) at the seeming polar opposites of my personality.

The 13 years we have lived in the house, are the longest I've ever lived in one home.  When we moved here, my body was still working as it should, and my goal was semi-self-sufficiency. I tilled, we planted, we got goats and chickens and guinea fowl. We have one surviving goat - Sadie - she is 13 at the end of the year. 2 chickens are left, one who likes to ride around on Sadie's back. Our days of our backyard barnyard may be gone,  but what fun times they were.

Back then, our closest neighbours to our left, were a field away, down at the corner of our street. In the field between our properties, they grazed their sheep, they kept geese, and (way back in the beginning, 2003) boarded a horse. He was gorgeous, ungelded, very spirited and majestic, and he stole my heart. I'd get home from work (I worked in a call center back then) and would get alfalfa for my goats, and I'd get a handful for him and could call him, and he would gallop up from the barn waaaay down the field, and up to me at the fence. He was beautiful, a glistening black, and he would let me love on him over the fence. I did not know he was only boarded next door, nor that his owners had failed to pay for his keep. One day he was gone, and I found he'd been sold for the money owed. He'd been there 2-3 years that  knew of, at that time. If I had known he was for sale, I would have got him myself.

We had lots of fun times with our animals, and lots of issues, too. Particularly in their self-identities.

Our first goat, Rammy, was my baby darling. A preemie who came to me needing bottle feeding. 

He was a character. I warned my hubby not to play with him like a puppy, but he didn't listen. What was cute at 20lbs, wasn't as amusing at 175lbs! He loved us dearly. He would play with us as if we were another goat, rearing up on his hind legs and bringing his head down to butt, but we'd put out our hand, palm stretched like a "stop" and he would butt his head so gently against our palm.

When he was still small, I would take him with me in my car, and show him off to friends, and walk him on a leash. He took it all in stride, and loved all the attention.

My friends didn't believe me until they saw it for themselves, and then they'd laugh, but he had two distinct cries  "da-ddeeeee" and "mmaaa-mmmaaaa" depending on which of us he was calling for. It was so sweet.

Goats aren't solitary animals though, so we looked for a companion for him, and got our darlin' Cleo.
 

In January of 2004, we rescued 2 sick goats, Red and Sadie, and my "herd" was complete.

Red

Sadie

They were in pitiful shape. I learned very quickly how to give shots and do other things to try to bring them back to health. We must have done something right as a few month later, my vet said he had never seen such pampered goats, LOL.

We lost Red in the Summer of 2013, Rammy that Christmas, and Cleo last year. It has been the end of an era.

Sadie now runs with my dogs, as part of their "pack" when they are outside. It's funny. If she is out there alone, she walks like a goat, if she's out there with the dogs she runs like a dog.

I have a host of memories from those days - I'll have to share some of them. They've made people laugh, over the years.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, my friends :)