Farewell Finn

[Nanno]

Thanks Nancy. We're in Utah right now, enjoying 2 full weeks of goat packing. We just spent the past week in Ferron with Herb and his goats, and this week it's just Phil and I with our goats in Escalante at the old bed & breakfast we've always loved. Cuzco stayed here several times, as did Finn and Sputnik on their first trip to Utah in 2015, and again in 2019 when we got lost in Death Hollow. This is our first trip in many years without Finn and it feels different, but we're discovering a new appreciation for Sonic and Scout, who have always lived in Finn's shadow. And we also have our up-and-coming little guys, Pongo and Gandalf, who are best buddies with each other and extremely people-oriented. One thing is for sure: Without Finn our herd is remarkably peaceful. Everyone shares the trailer with hardly a squabble. The boys lay down nicely with each other and share space and hay bags. Sonic can sometimes be a bit bossy when he gets tired, but he doesn't demand his own separate everything like Finn did. My buck Pest has been a marvelous influence on our herd and on our genetics. He's in charge but he's not bossy or aloof. As long as the other goats respect his authority, Pest is quite gentle and kind to all of them and allows them to share his shelter, his food, his space, and his friendship. He always lies down with the other goats and rarely hits anyone. It has set a good example for the others and they get along better now than they did when Finn was king. Finn was a wonderful companion to people and we may never again own his equal in that regard, but he was not so fond of other goats and he had a tendency to be jealous when we paid attention to anyone but him. I've been hoping that this trip to Utah is rejuvenating and gives us a newfound appreciation for our other goats, and so far I think it's accomplishing that. It's hard to let go of a goat so dear as Finn, but we still have so many blessings in the others who share our lives and we don't want to miss out on that by not being able to let Finn go.