My barn is now a goat retirement home filled with old goats suffering through the cold winter weather. I get to sneak back into the house to warm up. My old goats stand out shivering even with sweatshirts on.
There was a time when the old barn was full of goats, young goats keeping each other warm and busy as they debated which goats got the best spots. That is now a decade in the past.
Nine Goats Remain
Once the goat herd numbered over forty. Now there are nine. The big goats range from four to thirteen years old. Kingpin is bored with all the old goats.
At seven months old, Kingpin loves to play. The does don’t. They get mad and whomp him. Pest is his playmate.
There was a time when Pest was very small. He is now over 200 pounds and trying to be dignified as befits his age of seven. However, Kingpin is persuasive and they have head butts every morning.
Late January Thaw
The cold weather is supposed to take a break this week. My goats are already feeling better as their itchy sweatshirts are off.
Snow is disappearing from the pastures. Smashed grass is reappearing. The herd is abandoning the boring troughs of hay for the taste of grass.
Looking Forward
My goat retirement home should get lively in several months. My old goats are not too old to have kids.
Kids are so cute. They are also temptations. Surely I can keep one or two.
It will be so nice to have lots of milk again. The prospect of buying milk is so disappointing after fifty years of my own fresh from the barn.
Being Practical
My barn will remain a home for old goats including me. My goat retirement home will have no new members.
Time marches on and my goats and I must deal with it, like it or not.
