Madeline (Giles) DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She graduated from Dexter High School in 1960 and Southeast Missouri State in 1964. She can be contacted at advancensc@sbcglobal.net.

Another goat story

Posted Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at 5:22 AM

Hot Shot, one of my goats, sports an anti-head-catching device I made for him, in an vain attempt to keep him from getting stuck in the fence. My "device" is a ruler, duct-taped to his horns. You guessed it--he broke the ruler, so the trick didn't last long.

I meet another goat herder

If there's something I've learned about raising goats, it's that the stories last longer than the goats.

We were visiting family in the great state of Texas this weekend, when the gentleman sitting across the table eating catfish with us said, "You've raised goats? Heck, so have I!"

While the rest of the folks sat and took it all in (the catfish and the goat lore), he and I began to swap stories on how much trouble a goat could be.

"All my goats had horns," I said. "While the horns were handy to grab hold of (providing you were strong enough to hold the goat), it was a real hassle to keep the fool goats out of the fence. They'd turn their head sideways to get through the fence, so they could eat the grass on the other side, but then they'd forget how they did it, when it came time to get out. I'd come home in the dark, after a meeting--freezing rain pouring down--and I'd have to go down through the brush and briers and get one of the kids out of the fence."

We talked about how a goat will eat up every plant you have on your front porch, even if he has a field full of honeysuckle and poison ivy to keep him occupied.

We described how a goat can jump any fence, and, if you don't watch out, he'll be up on the cars in your driveway.

I told about how my billy goat broke down all my fences, and I had to carry a cattle prod to protect myself from getting butted all over the farm.

We talked about how much trouble they were to worm, and how (to quote one local goat herder) "if a goat takes a notion to die, there's nuthin' you can do to change his mind."

However, our new acquaintance from Gilmer, Texas told me the wildest goat story I'd ever heard.

When he was a boy, his family had a large herd of goats, which would jump up on anything they got a chance to. One night, one of the goats jumped up on their stone well, not realizing that it didn't have a solid top. Of course, the goat fell down the well.

"My dad was too big to fit in the well, so I had to go down and rescue the goat," our friend said. "It was our drinking water, so we couldn't leave it there, treading water till it died. I crawled down and Dad threw me the rope. I tied it around the goat and Dad pulled it up."

All did not end well, once they had the goat out of the well, however, as the father hurt his back, pulling the goat up.

"Thanks, son," his dad said. "I'll send your uncle to get you out!"

It took several hours for the uncle to get there, so our friend had a pretty cold wait.

I had to admit it--his goat story topped mine!

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My response the best things goats supply to this life is the goat burgers my grandson and I enjoyed for 2 years at the Puxico Fall Festival. The goats would probably disagree but until you have experienced the delicacy, don't judge.

-- Posted by Dexterite1 on Tue, Mar 26, 2013, at 7:52 PM
How can you look that sweet little goat in the face and even think of EATING him??

I have to say--the tribulation of raising goats is offset by the pleasure that the young ones bring, as they bounce around in the fields.

I no longer have goats (even though I haven't changed my name), but it I were 20 years younger and had the proper set up (good fences, strong shelters, and a little help), I would love to get a few goats to show my grandchildren.

-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Mar 29, 2013, at 12:39 AM
I'm going to have to try one of those, Dexterite. I know goat milk and goat cheese is good.

-- Posted by swift on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 4:02 PM
Yes, swift, I agree on the goat milk and the goat cheese--they're delicious, and they're all the better, because you don't have to KILL THE GOAT to eat and drink their products!

-- Posted by goat lady on Tue, Apr 2, 2013, at 11:04 AM
Yeah, GL, I don't think I'd have the heart to kill a goat. Especially that cute one in the picture.

-- Posted by swift on Thu, Apr 4, 2013, at 3:25 PM
Hear's a question I have always wondered about and I'm dead serious about it. Perhaps one of the readers can answers. Why to goats poop little rabbit turds. Being as large of an animal as goats are one would think their waste would be least the size of a medium size dog. I'm not trying to be funny just curious

-- Posted by bobma2000 on Thu, Apr 4, 2013, at 9:39 PM
Bobma2000, while I can't answer the "why" of your question, (only God knows that), I can shock you further by telling you that moose have similar poop! Yes, moose poop is in pellet form--though much larger pellets than goats.

When we were in Alaska, I actually collected a bucket of moose poop, while blueberry picking in the Goldstream Valley, outside Fairbanks. My idea was to dry the pellets, varnish them, and use them to make hilarious practical joke gift items for my family back home in Missouri. In fact, I did make a necklace for my mother!

I don't believe she ever wore it....

-- Posted by Madeline1 on Fri, Apr 5, 2013, at 4:24 AM
Madeline.. Did you mean mother or mother in law

-- Posted by bobma2000 on Fri, Apr 5, 2013, at 12:42 PM
Haha! No, my mother-in-law was a sweet lady with a sense of humor that would not understand such a joke.

My mother, on the other hand, was as "off the wall" a jokester as I am. In fact, that's where I get my somewhat off-kilter approach to humor. If you only knew all the practical jokes I had to tolerate, growing up with her! I think she invented the whoopie cushion and the fake-snakes-shooting-out-of-a-can-of-peanut-brittle!

Oh, wow, bobma, you have just given me my next blog! Thank you very much!!! Whenever I think my brain is running dry, someone pops up to prompt another topic! Muchas gracious!

-- Posted by Madeline1 on Sat, Apr 6, 2013, at 6:01 AM
Glad to help

-- Posted by bobma2000 on Sat, Apr 6, 2013, at 9:16 PM
Mmmm...I need to round up a picture of my mom for that blog. I'll have to check my desktop at home.

-- Posted by Madeline1 on Tue, Apr 9, 2013, at 10:38 AM

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