Chat
Phil and I usually take a spring vacation, but never before has it involved goats! Goat vacations are usually reserved for summer (Rendy) and fall. But this happened to be a good year to include goats on our spring trip. Most of my grandparents are in their 90's now and can't travel any more, so if I want to see them, and if they want to see my goats, me and the goats have to do the traveling. I've been afraid that if I didn't get down there soon, I might not see them until there's a funeral. All of my grandparents are fascinated by our goats and ask about them any time we talk. Some of them even rode Cuzco's cart many years ago when we lived in Lake City. When I said I'd go down for a visit, all of them asked if I'd be bringing goats, so I said yes! And since I was headed to Texas with goats, it only seemed natural to also call up some NAPgA members and organize a small packgoat get-together while we were there!
The fun times started on the last day of March when I visited my mother's mother, who we call Bitty. Bitty is around 92 or 93 years old and she lost "Poppy" almost 15 years ago. She lives in her own house in the suburban McKinney sprawl and my aunt Laura lives with her and takes care of her. Bitty was thrilled when I told her we were bringing goats. She wanted us to put them in her little back yard so we could watch them through the window while we visited.
Bitty spent a little time petting Finn through the back door, but she couldn't manage anything more because it was very cold that day. We had been hoping to get her out for a goat cart ride, and if the weather had been nice I'm sure she would have loved to take a spin through the neighborhood! But elderly people and cold, windy weather don't mix very well, and since Bitty broke her hip last summer she has to take it easy.
Finn was gentle and affectionate, which was a good thing because he's taller than Bitty!
My aunt Marva and my cousin Erin live a few miles from Bitty in an almost identical-looking suburban neighborhood. I'd go crazy living in one of these places. Miles and miles of countryside north of Dallas have been carpeted by McMansions laid out in over-planned neighborhoods with mazes of streets and houses that all look alike. Goats look very out-of-place in these settings, but that actually makes it fun to take them there and see the looks on people's faces!
My cousin Erin has four kids and all of them were eager to see the goats! We started off with a little goat show, and Sputnik even shook hands with the older two girls, Kinsey and Hadley. Then I hitched Sputnik to the cart and we gave them a ride. "WEEEEE!" It's a good thing I always hook the reins to the harness instead of the halter because kids sure love to haul away!
Erin rode with her daughter Findlay. Findlay was very upset when the ride was over and didn't want to let anyone else take a turn. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when Erin made her get off and share.
My aunt Marva rode with the youngest, Becket. He didn't seem overly impressed by the goats or the cart and he did not volunteer for a second ride, but Marva sure had a lot of fun!
Next day Phil and I visited Dan and Billie who live in downtown Dallas. My grandfather, Dan, is the one I was most eager to see because I have a feeling he is not long for this world. He's broken several bones in the last couple of years and he's been wheelchair-bound for the last year or so. He finally had to move into a nursing home full time last fall. He was a tall, articulate man with a deep, booming voice and a commanding presence who ran many big companies and important projects in his day. He is technically my step-grandfather, but he's always been much closer to all of his step-grandchildren than our biological grandfather. He and Billie were always so active, and it's hard to see them now in this stage of life. Dan can hardly communicate any more, so it's difficult to know what he's thinking, but I know he recognized Phil and I and he probably would have loved to engage us in conversation if he could have. We ate lunch together and Phil played his fiddle for a long time. Dan loved the music, but a feeble tapping of his hands was all he could manage.
We were originally planning to wheel Dan across the street to the park and give him a goat cart ride, but the weather remained too cold and windy for Dan to go outdoors, so we left the goats behind for this visit. Dan and Billie thoroughly enjoyed the article I wrote about Cuzco in Goat Tracks magazine last year. They both loved Cuzco and took cart rides when we lived in Lake City. They have always been great animal lovers, so it's a shame we weren't able to share Finn and Sputnik with them on our visit. I fear there may not be a "next time" for Dan.
The fun times started on the last day of March when I visited my mother's mother, who we call Bitty. Bitty is around 92 or 93 years old and she lost "Poppy" almost 15 years ago. She lives in her own house in the suburban McKinney sprawl and my aunt Laura lives with her and takes care of her. Bitty was thrilled when I told her we were bringing goats. She wanted us to put them in her little back yard so we could watch them through the window while we visited.
Bitty spent a little time petting Finn through the back door, but she couldn't manage anything more because it was very cold that day. We had been hoping to get her out for a goat cart ride, and if the weather had been nice I'm sure she would have loved to take a spin through the neighborhood! But elderly people and cold, windy weather don't mix very well, and since Bitty broke her hip last summer she has to take it easy.
Finn was gentle and affectionate, which was a good thing because he's taller than Bitty!
My aunt Marva and my cousin Erin live a few miles from Bitty in an almost identical-looking suburban neighborhood. I'd go crazy living in one of these places. Miles and miles of countryside north of Dallas have been carpeted by McMansions laid out in over-planned neighborhoods with mazes of streets and houses that all look alike. Goats look very out-of-place in these settings, but that actually makes it fun to take them there and see the looks on people's faces!
My cousin Erin has four kids and all of them were eager to see the goats! We started off with a little goat show, and Sputnik even shook hands with the older two girls, Kinsey and Hadley. Then I hitched Sputnik to the cart and we gave them a ride. "WEEEEE!" It's a good thing I always hook the reins to the harness instead of the halter because kids sure love to haul away!
Erin rode with her daughter Findlay. Findlay was very upset when the ride was over and didn't want to let anyone else take a turn. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when Erin made her get off and share.
My aunt Marva rode with the youngest, Becket. He didn't seem overly impressed by the goats or the cart and he did not volunteer for a second ride, but Marva sure had a lot of fun!
Next day Phil and I visited Dan and Billie who live in downtown Dallas. My grandfather, Dan, is the one I was most eager to see because I have a feeling he is not long for this world. He's broken several bones in the last couple of years and he's been wheelchair-bound for the last year or so. He finally had to move into a nursing home full time last fall. He was a tall, articulate man with a deep, booming voice and a commanding presence who ran many big companies and important projects in his day. He is technically my step-grandfather, but he's always been much closer to all of his step-grandchildren than our biological grandfather. He and Billie were always so active, and it's hard to see them now in this stage of life. Dan can hardly communicate any more, so it's difficult to know what he's thinking, but I know he recognized Phil and I and he probably would have loved to engage us in conversation if he could have. We ate lunch together and Phil played his fiddle for a long time. Dan loved the music, but a feeble tapping of his hands was all he could manage.
We were originally planning to wheel Dan across the street to the park and give him a goat cart ride, but the weather remained too cold and windy for Dan to go outdoors, so we left the goats behind for this visit. Dan and Billie thoroughly enjoyed the article I wrote about Cuzco in Goat Tracks magazine last year. They both loved Cuzco and took cart rides when we lived in Lake City. They have always been great animal lovers, so it's a shame we weren't able to share Finn and Sputnik with them on our visit. I fear there may not be a "next time" for Dan.