The Widow's Goat Guard
Today I came home from work to find my little goat "Hot Shot" with his head stuck in the fence once again. Awhile back, I posted a photo of a friend's homemade Goat Guard, created from a wooden stick and radiator hose clamps - but, I, not being so mechanically-inclined as my friend, decided upon a more primitive invention.
Using the ever-versatile duct tape and a wooden paint stir stick, I fashioned a headdress atop the little goat's horns. This structure will hopefully prevent him from putting his head through the fence and then being unable to get it out.
His mother, Tinker Bell, a delicate little white goat with a heart-shaped face, nibbled at my shirt and my hair while I held her young one captive and operated on his head.
Once the headdress was in place, the three of us walked back up the hill to the goat houses. The adult goats pointedly ignored Hot Shot in his new finery, but the younger goats knew immediately that something was different about their young cousin - and they came close to see what it was. I could almost hear them saying, "Wow, dude! Cool hat!"
Now Hot Shot is all ready for his trip to a friend's house for a Thanksgiving visit with children from up north in the big city. My little red goat will spend a few hours entertaining the City Slickers, who have been tormenting their southern cousins and calling them "hicks." I think the "hicks" are planning a big Southeast Missouri surprise for their uppity Yankee relatives. I believe the plan is to give Hot Shot the run of the house for a period of time, as if he's just one of the dogs...
Okay by me, unless they make fun of him and cause him to have an inferiority complex - and I simply will not tolerate that kind of behavior!
Ah, Thanksgiving traditions! A fire in the fireplace, the smell of pumpkin pie in the air, a roll of duct tape on the table, and a goat on the hearth! What more could you ask for?
From the down home hills of Tillman, this is your friendly goat herder, wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Who knew all that was going on in outer space?? Maybe Orson Wells had it right!!
Hot Shot has been moping around the farm all week! Let's hope he doesn't put a call in to his alien friends to come zap some of us humans with a death ray!!