My favorites

March 15, 2016

We began farming with six pet goats. All the girls had names and we loved them. As the farm grew, we didn’t name all the goats. The new generations were not pets, they were our milking herd. We got into the rhythm of life and death and rebirth. Every birthing season brings the thrill of new life, and it’s still a thrill, even though it is an exhausting two months of work.

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It might not sound evident, but babies with special needs lighten our workload in spring. Just concentrating on their care takes the cloud of exhaustion away. Nekkie was one of twins born to one of our experienced milkers this March. She was motionless. I laid her aside on the straw and fed her twin and the morning’s other births. When I returned to her body, I saw a limb twitch. I picked her up, to find that her neck was dislocated. But she was alive!

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We are so fortunate in Pescadero to have a tightly knit community. My neighbor Pattie took over. Pattie took the baby to a veterinarian and collected a neck brace. She massaged the baby’s neck muscles. And Nekkie recovered, so much so that she returned to her peer group of babies within the week, thanks to Pattie. My favorite kid of the year!