THAT'S A GOAT? Pt. 1

     I like goats. I really, really like goats. I love goats, even and they don’t have to be mine for this particular emotion to be elicited. I like seeing other people’s goats, I like seeing goats in pictures, and I like seeing goats on TV. I just really, really, like goats.

     Last spring, a friend of mine had several does who gave birth.  Each time a blessed event would occur, she would email me with the news and photos of the kids. I would read her words and sigh over the pictures of the newborns and wish I could have a doeling of my own. I already had her name picked out – Sage. Unfortunately, almost all the kids that were being born were bucklings. Still, I kept hoping.

     I already had five goats in my herd – Mocha, the goat herd queen, a red Boer who is nearing the end of her years but still goes strong, Sweet Pea, a red and white Boer who is next in line for the throne, Munch, a white half Nigerian Dwarf, one quarter Kiko, one quarter Boer mixture whose impressive horns give tribute to the Kiko portion of his bloodline in spite of the fact that he is a wether, Tater, a full blooded Nigerian Dwarf wether and my first bottle baby, and Trigger, another full blooded Nigerian Dwarf wether I purchased from my friend the previous summer. I did not lack for goats. Nevertheless, I still wanted a doeling that I would name Sage, the most perfect name for a little girl I was certain would be perfect.

     One doeling was born, but she was not well and in need of much care. My friend took her into her home and began to bottle feed her, though it wasn’t easy as this baby wasn’t as interested in eating as all that.

     My friend and I emailed back and forth about this so far only doeling who was named Faith and I would inquire about her well- being. I thought that maybe this little girl was Sage and, at long last, I finally knew who Sage was. She seemed to be eating a little better a week or so later, but she still was not thriving as she should have.

     Meanwhile, more bucklings were born as well as a black doeling that I was sure would become Sage when my friend made it known that Faith would not be available due to her health. Now I was sure I knew who Sage was. However, my friend did not seem to want to commit with the black doeling either, as there were things that needed to be done first such as the baby being weaned and then apprised. I began to lose hope that I was ever know Sage’s identity, that she would ever become a reality.

     Then, on an evening in mid-March, I received another email. This time, it was to announce the birth of quintuplets, one of whom was a tiny doeling who needed extra care as her diminutive size made nursing from mommy nearly impossible. My friend didn’t think she could bottle feed two babies and go to work as well, so, would I be interested in taking this newborn? I didn’t need to think much about that, but just in case, my friend sent me a photo of the cutest black, tan, and white doeling, a coloring known as chamoisee, I had ever seen. I now knew who Sage was. At last.