APHRODITE ? - 12/21/11

"The other day this goat showed up in our horse pasture. Not sure what we are gonna do with it, my dad thinks we should find it a home.  Can't catch her though."  "Really?" I said,  "I'll take her!"

Of course I said that.  I'll take any unwanted animal or stray.  She was very difficult to catch but eventually we cornered her and got her by the horns. She was a beautiful Boer goat.  How she came to be no one knows, she just appeared in that friend's horse pasture that day, just like Aphrodite, the Greek goddess that rises from the sea foam. And as she enchanted anyone who saw her, just like Aphrodite, we named her such.  It was befitting of such a lovely young goat.  My dream is that she escaped from the meat truck on the way to the butcher.  I could see the other goats yelling yelling from the back of the truck, "Go, go!  You did it!  Be free!!!"

 She was a perky, spunky little goat and was very difficult to catch.  We finally did and brought her home.  this was over five years ago.  It took her a little while to become accustomed to the love around here.  Within a few months she became our friendliest goat and to the day, she would be the first one to greet you when you entered the goat pasture.  She loved to have her head scratched, right between her horns, because obviously, she couldn't do it herself.

The other day as I was out to do chores, I realized that the few days before when she had difficulty getting up, that things were for the worse now.  She couldn't stand at all.  She must've suffered a back injury as she was totally paralyzed down the back.  She couldn't get up and if I touched her she would wince in pain.  And I couldn't even scratch her between her horns, she would toss my hand away.

I called my friend and asked her to come over and put her down.  I am really not a true farmer as this is something I cannot possibly do, I can't kill an animal.  I've had times when you have to do what you have to do, but I can't shoot an animal, and I can't watch an animal suffer.  So I called in the one person I know that could do it, a hunter.  She came and we dug a hole over by where we buried my horse Annie a few years ago.  We put her in the back of the tractor trailer and I held onto her the whole way over to her final resting place, petting her and letting her know how much she was loved.

We placed her in the hole and I walked away, not being able to watch such a thing.  I tried not to think about it, but the tears came.  I don't care what anyone thinks, I love all my animals as if they are my own children.  It's never easy to see them go.

Life on the farm is never easy, but this is the worst part by far.

Rest in Peace, Aphrodite.  You will truly be missed.