FormerlyHomelessGoats

Ceasar passed away spring 2006, he was 16 years old.

I met him one hot summer day when I went to the feed store and saw him standing in a small corral in a corner. He stunk to high heaven. He had no shade. It was almost 100 degrees. He seemed sad to me. I went over and petted him, warned by the man at the store that he was an intact buck and stunk. I didn't care. He looked into my eyes and I could tell he was a sweet heart. He had no name, that they knew of. He was here to be sold. Week after week I spent a minute or two with him and tried to get them to get him a friend or some shade. Finally after weeks of bothering them and negotiating, I bought him, not as a breeding buck, but to bring him home and to love him. We soon had him wethered (neutered for goats) and later found out he had originally been a very important breeding buck but when the man who sold all his goats sold them, somewhere along the line, no one wanted him and he was passed around. His given name was originally Bo-Dacious but we called him Ceasar. He was handsome, and regal and gentle all of his days. His last few months he spent going wherever he wanted to go at the farm, sometimes he followed me around, sometimes he wanted to be in the baby pen. I once saw him drinking from the water tank when a tiny baby came up to drink, I was afraid of the size difference and of Ceasar's huge huge horns, but as soon as a thought could cross my mind, Ceasar turned his head sideways to move his horns out of the way, and stepped back so that the baby could drink next to him. Ceasar taught us that sometimes the biggest most powerful and daunting looking creatures are the sweetest and most loving at heart, if you will just give them a a chance. Ceasar was the first goat we brought here, calling him a "rescue" but what we learned watching and living around him, it was us that was rescued that day.

Marilyn

Marilyn was like our Walmart Greeter..

She was a very good show goat who has been retired

My friend and daily companion, she went where she pleased but often stood in our shop

to guard it from the dogs and cats

Marilyn adopted ME

She stood next to me every day while milking and watched over me, sometimes she insisted that I hold still so she can clean my ears

Marilyn had such an intellegence and communicated freely with people

She dearly loved fruit, especially apples and bananas and an occasional sip of wine

Marilyn chose this hat you see her pictured in

though she loved to sit in the hot desert sun

(she'd lay her head back against the fence and close her eyes napping most of the day)

She had a passion for lady like things such as hats and jewelry

We were always searching for just the right necklace to do her beauty justice

Marilyn truely was my friend

October 25,2007

Last night in her sleep one of my best friends went to the rainbow bridge.. and wow I'll bet things are shaking there today! Many of you know or have heard about Marilyn.. my friend, (Lamancha goat) who has been here only a few years, she came from a show situation, basically came here to retire.. didn't want to be "one of the herd" and instead became my true friend, my walmart greeter, guardian of the milk room and constant companion.. she loved hats and pretty bright things.. we painted her hoofies bright pink.. and she begged for hats she liked right off my head..she has been so sore and tired and thin for so long now, as some of you know I thought she'd never make it thru last winter and then was sure the horrid summer heat would be too much.. well, she made it thru and then had trouble getting up and down her ramp into the shop, had trouble doing a lot of walking around at all, got knocked off balance easily.. she was sleeping on a down comforter (thanks Jess) in the barn with big couch pillows and was soon to come to my yard and then start sleeping in for the winter (I hoped).. her appetite was good and she dearly loved apples... you couldn't hide any medications or vitamins in her food, tried that with banannas , she found it and quit eating them... she was a picky old lady and liked who she liked and you knew it.. went out of her way to pick on a particular milk goat she didn't ever care for.. would still hobble across the floor to bite the dog and tell him to leave.. she started drinking fresh milk about a month ago.. every night.. Its been a long time now since she could get up without help and had to be laid down to rest for the afternoons or she would stand until she almost fell down.. she was proud and always kept her eye on me, told me what she wanted and for sure, what she didn't.. she was tough til the end.. even yesterday she wanted out the front gate and wouldn't pay attention to me when I told her no.. she could barely walk, all arthritic and spine twisted, hadn't had muscle tone on her old thin hips in so long.. but still she would paw the ground, give her "superior look" to the dogs who came too close to her and made the effort to hobble over and lean on those she claimed as her friends..for me, she laid her head in my lap and talked to me soul to soul.. I begged her to stay with me for many years and promised I'd get her "new parts" if only I could.. and wished I had had more time with her.. and mainly I prayed that God would take her quietly in her sleep, with no pain and no fear. .. last night He did.. i only wish somehow I could have been there, maybe tucked her in one last time.. but she is out of pain and has new parts today in heaven and I am sure I have a new guardian angel.. today when I was trying to get thru my morning chores, thinking and thinking and crying, I was saying to myself I should track down that gal where she came from and see if she has a ribbon she won or show pictures, etc. and just as clear as she had been in life I heard in my mind "don't bother.. that was before" and sure enough.. that was her life before she was "Marilyn" the name she chose and always answered to.. beautiful and proud as she was.. always my lady.. so I had to share as some of you know her, know her story and some of you have even been chosen as her friends.. she was laid to rest in a nice shady spot in the yard under the lemon tree.. need to plant an apple tree there i think.. she would like that.. we put her morning apples in with her and said good bye..for now..

here's to Lady Marilyn..

Blackberry

Blackberry was a grandchild of ours..

well, of Lilly, our first doe.

We sold her twins when they were small

and eventually, Blackberry was born!

He was sold or moved twice after that and came

back to us after that family divorced and moved

he had been moved around many times and even

once here, was adopted out and returned

Once home, we promised him he would stay forever

no matter what

Last summer we found a large cancer that would

have created more risk to try and remove

so he became sort of a barn goat in efforts to treat

him, feed him extra and mainly make sure he had

extra love in his last months

About a month before Blackberry passed, his old

friend Freddy passed so they are now together

I am sure and healthy and playing at

The Rainbow Bridge

Blackberry passed the night of Feb 21, 2006

after an evening meal of his favorites

including Raspberry tea.. he loved

his Raspberry tea..

"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here,

that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all

of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is

plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and

comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and

vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,

just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing;

they each miss someone very special to them,

who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly

stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His

eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying

over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally

meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the

beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your

pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together"

Author unknown

Those of you who have been blessed to know and meet Ike can count yourself lucky as we do, to have been able to know such a beautiful and loving creature.

A fallow deer of unknown age, Ike came to us over four summers ago with a little wild herd of homeless potbellied pigs and his buddy, Billy.. the goat.. We had been contacted by Mary at Ironwood Pig Sanctuary who was in the midst of some emergencies, about this little "herd" in Scottsdale. The owner had a "collection" of odd pets and was moving out of state, promising to euthanize anything that was still on the property the day the house sale closed. He had made half hearted attempts at finding homes for these last ones and finally had contacted Mary about the pigs. Mary was in the middle of some emergencys and was very worried she wouldn't be able to help. She had asked if all else fails, could I take the goat.. after we spoke further I found that the goat and the deer were a bonded set of buddies and so I agreed to take them both... Days before they were all to be euthanized and Mary was unable to help, mom and I hired the kid from the feed store with a stock trailer to drive there at the crack of dawn and meet with the man's caretaker, assuming we would be bringing six friendly house pet type pigs, one small goat and his buddy, the deer.. Mary and crew came and helped us set up temporary pens, shade, and brought pools for the pigs and we went to work communicating with our driver along the way .. this was June and if I recall the temperature that day was 116.. finally they all arrived! The pigs (there were eight!) were terrified (many still don't like me much).. and the goat and the deer were very afraid, everyone ran to the back of the corral we had created and stared at us.. Within a few days, Ike (the deer) began to explore a bit and turns out he was very friendly and very sweet.. soon we moved them all to a larger area you have all seen with the other pigs and everyone got along great.

When we would open the gate to allow for some exploration, Ike and those big long legs would walk quickly from corral to corral to see who else lived here and quietly introduce himself.. his poor short legged friend Billy tried to follow and complained the whole time. They were quite a pair.. Within a year Billy got a new friend, Ringo who arrived here after his mate died and the three were all fast friends. T

The best news ever, was on June 9, 2007, our little baby Duke arrived (another fallow deer).. once Duke started spending time outside he and Ike became friends thru the fence and soon Ike decided he would hop the fence and hang out in the yard with his buddy Duke.. Since then, many of you who have visited have probably experienced having something you were wearing slimed and nibbled as this was their favorite pastime. If they were in the front yard, they enjoyed begging for treats and attention and trying to sneak into the shop.

We really never knew his exact age but by looking at his teeth he was not a young man when he came here four years ago.

Recently Ike snuck out the gate and showed up behind our place in a neighbors yard late at night. When they called, around 11:30 mom and I grab a handful of cat food (his favorite) and drove over in the truck.. he saw mom (his favorite person) and smelled the cat food and jumped right into the back seat! We laughed all the way home at him riding like a very well behaved passenger.

Last nite I was doing my bed checks and he was comfortably lounging, chewing his cud near the big saguaro near the goat pen and I petted him and told him goodnite. Dern, if only you have a clue, huh.. I would have sure sat down and spent a little extra time with him.. I didn't realize it was my last chance.

This morning I was looking for him at feeding time and found him in the cow barn already gone. He had come up to the barn as usual for breakfast and apparently just passed away sometime early this morning.

Friends came to our rescue and we buried him near that big Saguaro. We will miss those beautiful light green eyes and those crazy cactus horns..his soft winter coat, and even his nibbling on us.

It was a blessing and a privilege to know him and to share his last few years. I had never touched a deer in my life when he arrived. Wow what a gift.

Ike was a sweet and loving creature, he truely was nice to everything and everyone. He will be missed by all of us!