Cuzco's Glamour Shot o' the Day

[Charlie Horse]

Wow, how old is he now?

My favorite pictures of him are above-- The one where he's the only goat in the shelter while the other one has all the rest of the goats.

I can't believe how green your area is this late in the year.

[Nanno]

Cuzco turned 14 around April 1st. Our grass was turning crispy and brown in July but August has brought some much-needed rain to perk things back up.

[Taffy]

Cuzco's coat looks nice and shiny. He may be getting up there in years but he hasn't lost any of the wonderful presence that makes him Cuzco!

[Nanno]

This popcorn frenzy from last March has finally been uploaded to the internet!

[Nanno]

Well, it's official: we now have definitive PROOF that Cuzco is an incurable PYROMANIAC! 

Tonight he very nearly immolated himself when he stole the fire that Phil was in the process of lighting. It happened like this: Phil crumpled up the paper for the campfire while Cuzco, as always, peered over his shoulder and micromanaged the operation. Phil pushed him away and proceeded to light the paper, but Cuzco would not yield. Phil thought that Cuzco would back off when the paper was lit, but boy was he wrong! As soon as the paper went up in flames, Cuzco snatched it and took off across the yard and beyond Phil's reach. The paper continued to burn and Cuzco refused to drop it as flames engulfed his head. Phil was afraid Cuzco's hair would catch fire and he might set our yard ablaze, but thank goodness he finally came to his senses and dropped the fireball on the grass where Phil stomped it out. 

Cuzco's entire face is quite singed. With his blackened nose, he looks like one of those cartoon character bums with the heavy five-o-clock shadow.
   

All the hair has been scorched from his nose and lips and the skin is shiny but does not appear damaged. He was obviously sore because he did not come back and hang over the campfire as usual. He started to, but then he began licking his lips like the heat hurt them and he backed off and kept his distance for the rest of the evening. I rubbed aloe gel on the blackened spots after he finished his dinner (the burn did not seem to dampen his appetite). 
   

All of the whiskers on Cuzco's muzzle, chin, and around his eyes are completely burnt off. His eyelashes are singed, the fringes around his ears are shriveled back, and the hair on his cheeks is all burnt brown and curly. But for all that, he seems rather proud of himself. I hope this does not become a habit! 
   

We were not able to get a picture of the actual conflagration, but Phil was able to fix up a creditable image of what it looked like:     
   

[Nanno]

Oh, and Cuzco's incineration did not dampen his love of music. He ventured back over to the fire as soon as Phil broke out the fiddle. 
   

[DownUnder Gal]

Hilarious! But a bit scary - I'm glad the old boy is ok.

[hihobaron]

Hello Nano
Cozco the Fire Breathing Goat, Next Thing will be jet assist when he lifts his tail
Glad he is OK .
MAYBE he will learn to not micromanage fire starting??? Probably not.
You have a unique goat breeding program there Fire Breathing, Meat Eating, and working on Jet Assisted.
Happy Trails
Tell Cozco he has a fire bug friend in SC
hihobaron and the Troops in SC.

[Nanno]

Poor Cuzco. While he acted fine otherwise, he went off his feed for several days once scabs formed on his nose, lips, and chin. Snot likes to collect on the scabs where it hardens into big blobs which I have to remove. I try to be careful because I don't want to tear the scabs while peeling away the hardened snot. I'd leave it alone but I can't let his nose clog up and I know he feels better when his nostrils aren't blocked. But still, the de-crusting is painful and tonight I made the poor fellow's nose bleed in a couple of places where the crusts tore the edges of the scabs away. I've been putting aloe vera gel on his muzzle every day and he likes that. He recoils at the first touch, but then he relaxes his posture and puts his head down so I can rub it well in. Even though his nose looks worse now than ever, it's starting to be less painful now that the scabs are beginning to peel away. He ate most of his breakfast this morning and cleaned up every scrap of his dinner tonight and even went for seconds. I was sure glad to see that!

[Nanno]

Yesterday Phil and I headed into Colorado City for a load of water. We were planning to take Finn and Sputnik with us to go for a walk around Lake Beckwith, but they were nowhere to be found. We wandered over the ridge and hollered, but the only goat to answer our call was old Cuzco! As the others didn't seem inclined to make an appearance, and as it had been a very long time since Cuzco had gotten to go anywhere with us, we decided to take him instead. 

The poor fellow isn't doing so well these days. He's been losing weight since the grass turned brown and he doesn't seem to be finishing his meals lately. He had a very hard time climbing into the truck even though he was able to use the trailer as a step. The two-foot gap between the trailer toolbox and the truck tailgate seemed a canyon-wide leap to his weary old bones. Even the 15-minute drive was hard on him. He was panting when we got to the lake. 

We made our way around slowly and stopped for a while to let Cuzco eat the soft green grass still lingering near the lake's edge. Even walking is laborious these days, but he kept up and I could tell he was enjoying himself. 

We took Cuzco to Lake Beckwith nearly every day when we lived in Colorado City. One old gentleman remembered and stopped to say hello. "I haven't seen you in ages!" he exclaimed, not realizing that we moved almost six years ago. Cuzco hadn't died or been sold or disappeared--he simply was no longer one of the lakeside regulars. I think his appearance brought a smile to the old neighborhood, and I'm sure the old neighborhood brought a smile to Cuzco. The walk brought me back to those days when Cuzco was in his prime. 

He was lean and muscular back then, and my tie-dyed hat was not yet faded.           
   
   

The parking barriers have been knocked down in the years since we moved from Colorado City, but back then they provided a wonderful opportunity to play and show off. 
   

A small gap between truck and trailer may be a poser now, but once upon a time Cuzco was a lean, mean, jumping bean. I once watched him clear a six-foot horse panel from a standstill. He didn't even scramble at the top--he just cleared it. He's been an amazing companion, and at almost fifteen years and more close calls than I can count, I feel fortunate he's made it this long. I don't know what this fall will hold for him, but we may need to make a Decision before long. Naturally I want Cuzco to live as long as possible, but not at the sacrifice of his dignity or his enjoyment of life. Until we make that Decision, we cherish the time we have left.