Here's to The Goats.

I think most of you have already heard about our tragedy this last week, but for any who haven't, we had a terrible attack by a family of mountain lions. We think that it was a mother lion teaching her two youngs how to hunt. But the end result is that we have lost our four Angora goats Olivia, Aspen, Reno and Laurel. I'm not going to get on my soapbox and go on about whether it was right or wrong, good or bad, whether the lions needed them for food or for education...all I can say at this time after almost 6 days, is that I miss them dearly and wish I could have protected them better. I'm sure most of you have lost "good friends" such as these and will indulge me while I offer a quick word about each of them.

Aspen was always one of my favorites because she was the one who really enjoyed a "good petting". I think she was probably one of the smartest and knew that if she succumbed to "the pet" then a treat was likely to follow. The fact that she was not shy made her a great photographic subject as well...although I usually got shots of her nose since she tended to get too close. She enjoyed hot tea, green onions and being with her best buddy, Laurel.

What can I say about Reno? When he first came to us he had "pizzle rot"...which is exactly what you would expect. Therefore, he and I became friends out of necessity, since every couple of months he needed to be thoroughly cleaned up. He was the most skittish of all the goats, but we came to a "through the fence" understanding. I loved his crooked smile...it always made me think that he invisioned himself "quite the man" even though he was really "womens' best friend" :) and totally harmless.

Laurel taught me a valuable lesson just recently. We had never been particularily close. She was a beautiful goat, but a little reserved. Well, about two weeks ago I noticed that her fur had become really lovely this last season. I couldn't resist touching her, so during their morning breakfast I would sneak up on her and give her a pet. As it turns out, she didn't mind the petting at all. It made me realize that some people want to be loved but just don't know how to initiate the process. Anyway, I'm glad that we became closer those last few weeks.

Olivia. I called her my "smiley goat". She had a wonderful attitude. It didn't matter whether she was stuck in a fence, being sheared, or getting a treat...she always had the same calm, accepting, happy demeanor. She was the most trusting of all the goats. When I called her, she came. When I haltered her, she walked. When I petted her, she stood still. When I photographed her, she smiled! Quite the sweetheart, and I will miss her dearly.

We had the llamas before the goats, and somewhere along the way we adopted the phrase "they're just GOATS" while trying to gauge the appropriateness of their food, their housing, their overall well-being. But they weren't JUST goats. They were individual beings with their own silly quirks, likes and dislikes, fears and foibles. They inhanced our lives immensely and will be greatly missed.