Yesterday I became a hero! The day started out as just another day, only I had a grandson with me. He had spent the night so we had the whole day ahead of us. We usually take a fairly long walk and that was how we started this day. We walked up South Road toward 25th lane. The ditch angles off across the country in a sort of south easterly direction. Before we got to the ditch we passed the goat house. It is really not a goat house, but a man lives there who has raised goats since I have lived out here lo onto 40+ years.
We noticed a small goat with his head through the fence munching on a weed. We stopped to watch, but he just kept straining at the fence. My grandson noticed that his head seemed to be stuck in the fence. Crap! What to do? The gate to the yard where the owner had his house was locked. I called out a couple times, but there was not any sign of life forthcoming. All the rest of the herd was gathered to watch the small goat struggle.
I am not a animal person by nature. Dogs and cats and an occasional bird does it for me, but it soon became apparent that I was the adult in this situation and if the little goat was going to be freed from the fence, it was going to be me doing the freeing. I had a short conversation with God, wherein I asked if he could take care of this, but he did not answer. Great! I knelt on the ground and touched his horn. Yep. He was in there very solid. He was not going any where anytime soon.
Now when I find myself in a situation like this I always assume the one who got into the pickle was a male. I being the alpha female needed to solve this some how. With the grandson breathing down my neck I grasped the little guy with one hand on his nose, (in case a goat bites) and the other on the horn. He was very calm as I raised his nose so I could manuver the tip of his horn through the fence. That being accomplished the nose and other horn quickly slipped through the fence. He looked at me with what I hoped was a look of gratitude, turned to his herd, kicked up his back feet and ran for the barn, followed by the rest of the herd.
It was at that point that my grandson declared I was a hero! I had saved the goat! I must say, I did have a very warm feeling at that moment. It is kinda nice to have a kid think I am a hero, even if it was sheer luck that it worked out so well! The owner of the goat will never know what transpired while he slept, but my grandson and I know. I just talked to my son and my grandson never mentioned it to him, but that is alright.
For just a little while I was a hero and my grandson looked at me as something more than a cookie machine. The little goat has probably forgotten his predicament. He will no doubt grow up to be dinner on someone's plate.
It is called the circle of life!
Peace!
