Barn Gossip

Sometimes, I wonder what the goats, cows, or the pesky cats are thinking.

Other times, I don't have to wonder - they make things PERFECTLY clear.....

This morning, I trudged out through the new fallen snow, to give the critters their morning fare. Just when we hoped winter was winding down, we wake to find 6 more inches of the white powder on the ground.

Stupid Ground hog.....

I found Shadow out playing in the stuff:



He's got a reputation around the barn of being a bit of a "nutcase" so the cows just roll their eyes and go back to eating hay.



Even the cats are starting to think he's a little off, they just don't tell him so they can manipulate him for their devious intentions.

The goats are ALWAYS gossiping about someone - usually ME. They plot and plan, especially in winter, when they are too afraid to venture outside and get their toesies wet. They have nothing better to do then sit around all day and THINK.

This morning, I pass through the barn, bucket of food in hand - and headed outside to the feeder. It was kinda nice, I got to the feeder, cleaned snow out of it and actually dumped in the food WITHOUT BEING MOLESTED.

The goats just piled into the doorway, trying to guilt me into feeding them inside.

It took but a few seconds to realize their plan had failed....They all came bounding out through the door on a hit and run, "gobble" mission.

While they were at the feeder, I go about rubbing backs, patting necks, and giving them a "once over". It was during this that I noticed something odd.

SOMEBODY WAS MISSING!

Cookie, one of our two newest Does, had decided to skip breakfast! This is unheard of in the goat world. Breakfast (actually ANY meal...) is the most important meal of the day! A goat missing food is like a Polar Bear at the beach in Figi - it just isn't done!

Since there were no "goat tracks" further out, I figured that she had to be in the barn. I entered the barn and rounded a corner into a room and saw this:



Yani and her puppies are in the far room in the corner, and Cookie was standing there, talking to Yani over the gates in the barn. They had a pretty good lengthy conversation, Cookie stayed like that for about 10 minutes (that I know of.

I finally asked her "What are you doing?", and she turned around, gave me a dirty look, then hopped down.



At that point, Yani hopped up again like she wasn't done telling her story.



I almost feel like I interrupted something special between these two. Maybe they were bonding in a way we can't understand, and I blew the whole thing right out of the water, and killed a budding, wonderful, and glorious relationship...

Then again, it's probably just a case of two women gossiping over the back fence....