Dateline: July, 2010
Jethro and i went to goat camp at Texas A&M in July. It was a great experience, we both learned a whole lot, and came back with some great stories. We had been waiting for this camp for an entire year, and in all the literature, nothing was ever said about the focus of the camp, just that the kids were to bring their goats, "any age or gender." Dopey me, i assumed they meant any breed as well. i tend to forget that the meat market is its own culture, and they do not appreciate or acknowledge us dairy people. Market goats are nothing but livestock and treated as such, whereas dairy folks usually have "relationships" with their animals, and the two groups just don't understand each other.
There was only one choice of goat to take--Cherry Blossom. Cherry was a rescue brought to us to "save" last kidding season. she was sickly and has parrot mouth, and is basically a scrub Nubian--not a goat i would want my name associated with, but we never turn anyone away that needs a home. Unfortunately, i had 14 kids on the ground at that time, and Ellie May and i had our hands full, and i couldn't risk compromising my "cash crop," so Cherry was banished to the brooder house with the chickens, and Jethro was assigned her care and feeding. I told him every day not to get attached, that as soon as she was healthy and weaned we were finding her a home. Famous last words. A bond was formed. A very strong bond. This goat follows him around like a dog, and cries for him at the door when he comes inside. She has been dressed up as Zorro, Clint Eastwood, and various nefarious characters. They slept together in a tent one nite, and have been seen napping head to head under numerous trees and structures. The goat doesn't know she is a goat, she prefers layer mash to goat grains, and laps water like a dog.
So...the first day of camp, Jethro walks into the arena....150 youngsters, 149 market goats, and Cherry Blossom. We were the proverbial Baby Ruth in the swimming pool--everyone was giving her a wide berth because she looked sickly compared to the market animals (but just fine for a milky goat.) But by the end of camp, just about everyone knew her and Jethro by name, and before the final judging, people were coming over and wishing them luck. I had parents in the stands talking and asking questions, they had little to no experience with dairy goats, and were amazed at the relationship.
Every once in a while one of the children would drop the lead on their market goat, and it would bolt across the arena toward the pens, and it would become a "mutton busting" event. Some children would hand their leads to whomever was next to them and go help the child that was chasing his goat. Jethro would go to help, but would drop is lead, and Cherry would mosey along behind him, and then when the loose goat was retrieved, Jetrho would turn around and there was Cherry, standing behind him chewing her cud, just waiting for him.
On the last day, in the stands, i got into a protracted conversation with a woman about dairy goats. She was sitting next to her husband, and they were obviously "Big Hat Lots of Cattle" types. The woman was very nice, and asked lots of questions, but he was quite the curmudgeonly type, and never looked me in the eye. He did, however, hear most of the conversation. So the camp is over, and everyone is packing up to go, and loading, dragging, and carrying animals to trailers and cages in the backs of pickups. Turns out we were parked next to this couple, and while they were "loading their livestock" into the animal cage in the back of their big diesel truck, Jethro comes to the car with his arms full and Cherry, untethered, following along behind. When Jethro opens the door to the Buick and gets in, Cherry jumps up in the seat and curls up in his lap. By the time i finished loading and was starting to get in, i see the old codger looking in my back seat, and grinning from ear to ear. Jethro and Cherry were nose to nose and snuggled in for a long nap. I looked at the man and said, "I know what we look like, but i'm thinking we are doing something right." and he nodded and said, "Yep, i think you are."
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