It is almost hard for me to write about them, because this is not just a distant memory, it is closer to home than I want to accept and has been a source of contention to say the least.
A little over a year ago, back in October of 2009, the kids and I were at home getting ready for our evening routine, when the phone rang.
It was Ray, of course, calling to let me know that he was on his way home, but for all of us to come outside to the porch... he had a surprise!!
Oh Boy, was all I could think. The kids all got so pumped, because Daddy's surprises were always very exciting. Not like mine. My surprises were things like, making brownies for dessert, or renting a fun movie to watch as a family. Good surprises, but not life altering.
Daddy's surprises are always, "in your face, get ready to embrace whatever curve ball he is about to throw our way, you REALLY will never guess" kind of surprise, and always very exciting.
We all went out to the porch, where we stood and looked down our driveway for Ray to come home. We saw a truck, that we didn't recognize, pulling in the gate through the trees. As it got closer to the house, we could see Ray in the back, holding on to something. It was alive.
As the truck pulled up to the porch, the kids all started to scream, "It's a goat!!" The girls, especially Esther and Anna started calling it "adorable." The rest of us just approached it slowly to check it out.
Now, to Ray's defense, we had discussed having some animals on our 10 acres, besides dogs and cats. The summer leading up to this, we had started raising chickens, and had entered the "farm fresh" egg business. We had also talked about getting some goats, eventually, because I love goat cheese, and thought it might be kinda fun to have fresh goat milk.
But, at this point, our property was not fenced for goats. Cattle and horses, yes, but not for goats. We have bob wire and pipe fencing around the entire property, and cattle guards. This is great for large animals, but not so good for goats.
After the excitement wore off from the kids, I inquired as to where we were going to put this goat.
Ray said, "Oh honey, it will be fine, he will just walk around and eat all the weeds and brush."
So, for the night, we turned her loose, by the way, her name was "Sassy." Also, she was FREE. You have to be concerned as to why someone wants to give you a FREE goat.
Anyway, the next morning, was a Thursday, and I was leaving on an annual get together with some friends from college. I had lots to do, as the homeschooling mother of 5. We had to pack their bags, leave meals for Ray, load up all school work, pack my bags, get the kids to where they were staying, and just get out of town for the next 3 days. This is always a stressful thing anyway, getting out of town with 5 kids, but then to top it off that we had this goat roaming around.
Now, I will say, that it would have been no big deal, except that this goat is a friendly goat, loves people, and thus, wanted to be as close to us as possible. So, she had camped out on our porch all night, and if any of you know goats, anywhere they stand for any amount of time, they poop. (Sorry if this grosses you out!!) Little goat poop everywhere on the porch. And if you don't know goat poop, it doesn't really look like poop at first sight, it looks like little black balls, not really that noticeable at first, until you know what you are looking for.
Well, I had not been outside that morning, I had just been sending kids out with armfuls of stuff, loading the car for the 4 day weekend. On one of the many trips, my sweet daughter came marching in to get her pencils for school, and I saw her tracking, what I thought was mud, into the den on the carpet. Once I started cleaning it up, with her helping, we realized, it was not mud, but poop!!!
I screamed halt, for all people to remove their shoes, thinking at first that this had been a mishap, and Ruth had accidentally walked in the grass. What I didn't realize was that all of them had been walking back and forth through the goat poop, since it was all over the porch, and we hadn't noticed it, since this was a first for our family.
I went outside, after cleaning it up, and saw that it was EVERYWHERE. We were living in a goat litter box!!
I screamed at the kids, to get in the car, we were running late now, because of the clean up, and I called Ray on my way out of town.
With the most Godly voice I could muster :( , and with the most respectful words I could find, I basically told him, that was it! After only one day, it was the goat, or me. That goat had better be off my porch when I get home!! I am sure the Lord was honored in that conversation!!
I headed off for the great weekend, hoping to forget this all happened.
On Saturday, my cell phone rang. It was Ray.
He said, "Did you know goats can jump 12 feet straight up in the air?"
"What?!"
Ray had decided, since he wanted the goat to clear out the brush on our property, and the only place we didn't want the goat, was on our porch, that he would lay an electric underground fence around the house and yard, so that the goat would not come onto the part where we lived and played, but would still have access to all the other parts of the property to eat the brush down.
Do you know that goats are related to sheep. Sheep are thought to be some of the most dumb animals in the world!! That is why the Shepherd has to LEAD them to water, and MAKE them lie down. We are compared to sheep in the Bible....but anyway.
Ray thought it would be a good idea, to put a shock collar on the goat, Sassy, and then flip on the electric fence he had soooo diligently worked on to keep this goat off of my porch.
He turned it on, then shooed the goat towards the house. Ray said, as Sassy approached the electric underground fence, she began to baaah a little louder. By the time she was on top of the wire, she jumped straight up 12 feet in the air!!!
Ray couldn't believe it. She turned and ran!! Ray thought he had Victory!!
He was so proud of himself as we drove in on Sunday afternoon. So proud of the way he had fixed the problem.
He demoed it for me and the kids several times to show us how she would turn and run. Success.
That night, as we unloaded the car, and all were on the porch, I guess Sassy just couldn't stand it. She would get closer and closer, and as the current would get stronger, she would just keep pushing through, until finely, she would leap across the current, baahing loudly the whole way. She would then happily walk up to the porch, for us to pet her.
Ray thought maybe he just didn't have it turned up enough, so he cranked up the current to the highest setting, then we all snuck into the house so Sassy wouldn't see us, and prayed that she would stay outside that underground fence.
To our dismay, the next morning, there sat Sassy, all curled up on our porch, happy as could be to see us!!
UGHH!
Well, all I can say is the Lord is using this as a refining fire for me.
More to come on the goat story later.
JJ
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