Well... it's been a long time since my last post! Shame on me! I really wanted to keep this going on a regular basis, but life just seemed to get so busy, and before I knew it, it was June! However, I feel compelled to pay tribute to a good friend who left our farm to cross the Rainbow Bridge last Saturday evening.
Donny came to live at Cattail Meadows last September. His previous owner (my great friend and Pygora mentor) tragically passed away last July, so he and many of his goatie, sheep and llama pals came to live with us on our farm. They are a wonderful group of animals...each having a truly special and unique personality. It's been fun and very rewarding getting to know them all individually.
Donny was the oldest (and biggest) goat of the group. With his super-soft, thick white fleece, and rotund stature, he reminded me of a loveable old polar bear! He, and his best friend Rusty, were the very outgoing "keepers" of the wether pasture, always greeting me at the gate every morning and evening as I checked their water, handed out treats and tidied their shelter.
Donny was a very gentle giant. He loved to have his head rubbed and his back scratched, but was never pushy or rough when other goats came up to me for some special attention. He would patiently wait for his turn, knowing that I wouldn't leave without properly acknowledging him. He was very much the "gentleman", and didn't have a "mean bone" in his body.
Last Saturday was a very warm day in Deer Park. While the goats and llamas contentedly grazed in the sunshine, then quietly relaxed in the shade while chewing their cuds, my husband Mike and I were busily working on our next (and quite possibly never-ending) pasture fence construction project. It seemed like a beautiful spring day on our farm. It wasn't until after dinner, as I was doing my final check on everyone for the evening, that I found my sweet Donny had quietly passed away in the pasture surrounded by his goatie and llama friends. It was completely unexpected since he was his usual happy-goat self that morning, but not entiely surprising since he was 10 years old... however, I feel a quiet sadness knowing that his friendly face won't be at the pasture gate to greet me each time I head down to the barn. I sincerely hope that his journey across the Rainbow Bridge was wonderfully peaceful. I miss him so much already... even though his spirit will remain with me always.
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