Tasha Speaks!

It's breaking news! And not just because very little happens or changes around here... this is real news, up to the minute, and worthy of reporting, compelling, too.

Tasha Tudor Goat, about to turn 9 years old, is a Nigerian dwarf goat. She loves to be brushed, to nap in the sun, and to wander out into the garden. She has a fondness for flaxseed & multigrain chips from Trader Joes, as well as pine needles, and dried leaves. She is an excellent rose pruner, sticking to yellow and dry leaves, and long runners. And she rarely, very rarely, speaks. Her roommate and lifetime companion, Ada Lovelace Goat, speaks almost incessantly. Ada adores most any food, greeting vistors, head-butting, and making regular announcements on any happenings around the garden. When Tasha has something to say, her higher, more plaintive voice stands out, and brings me running, and this happens only a couple of times a year.

It's hard to believe we have had these darlings for nearly 9 years. I was being pretty bold adopting goats, like I did. I knew so little, besides all the reading I'd done, but no regrets! Not a one. They endeared themselves to us, and all of our friends, right from the start. And I am tempted to add another. Every now and then someone asks, How long do goats live? And it makes me whince, a cloud descends on my heart, because I know they don't live forever. And! Goats are herd animals, and one goat without her companion would be too heartbreaking... then what will I do? These are questions I have not resolved, questions that trouble me. A nice thing about goats is how much they ease my troubles, and set me right. I love to sit with them... they calm me, make me smile.

Tasha is so serene, but maybe you'll want to turn down the volume! The chickens are making a racket, pecking industriously at the pie pan that holds their breakfast!