After working all day at the goat fence I have 10 posts set in concrete and braced with three more to go. This will do each of the four corners and the gate. The run between each corner will be supported on metal T-posts, much cheaper and MUCH easier to install.
Digging post holes 2' deep in an area that used to be covered with fir trees means you will encounter tree roots no matter where your hole goes.
Before putting in the T-posts and field fence I'll build the.... We don't know what to call it. It's their shelter, but that word is so boring. And it will also have a small storage closet for grain, straw, and hay, as well as things like hoof trimmers.
So in the spirit of MoHo, Barnette, and Fred we need a name for this structure. The Spanish word for goat is cabra, but Casa de Cabra is too long and clumsy. Barn in Spanish is granero, a possibility.
We'll have Boer goats, a breed originally from South Africa, so I thought about calling it Boerdom.
Do you have a suggestion??
Even though today's temps were 12 degrees cooler than yesterday and the humidity was much higher the fire authority kept the Level Four status that means no doing anything involved with wood. Unless you want to swing a splitting maul, which I don't. So cutting the rest of the logs into rounds will have to wait until the end of next week. That's because we're heading OUT OF TOWN!!
Way, way back in the late 70's I was the pastor of Community Bible Church in Prunedale, CA, just north of Salinas. That was a wonderful group of people and we've kept in close contact with several of them. (The people are the best part.) Many of us were at the same stage of life, about the same age, and with kids about the same age.
Bruce and Debby didn't have kids at the time but were and are VIF's. They don't come any better than the McGowans, and our bonds are deep. Bruce's mom also attended the church, and I did a poor, rookie job of being her pastor through her battle with breast cancer that eventually took her life.
Bruce didn't attend the church, just Debby. So my contact with him was primarily at Christmas and Easter (he'd come then), and encountering him when I was with his mom. We hit it off, but he had no real interest in spiritual things.
One of my most cherished ministry memories is my last Sunday at the church, days before we left to take the pastoral position in Riverside, CA. They had a potluck in the basement of the church and it was filled with the somewhat awkward goodbyes typical of that kind of event.
Then Bruce came over. He's a big guy, maybe 6'4", and very smart at almost everything. He said, "Well, since is your last Sunday we should probably talk."
We went upstairs to the sanctuary (that's what they called it back then) and we sat alone in one of the pews (yep, those too). Thirty minutes later Bruce was not just a friend, he was my brother in Christ.
I get emotional just writing that.
We've stayed at their incredible home outside of Solvang, CA where they live now. Seriously, as beautiful a place as you've ever seen, more like a resort getaway than a home. Bruce is a genius with a hammer and has put his skills to work rehabbing and remodeling their place into a House Beautiful masterpiece. Debby has a wonderful design sense and is a Master Gardner.
We're meeting them Monday afternoon for camping at Humbug Mountain State Park, south of Port Orford and north of God Beach. Tuesday we're doing a jet boat trip up the Rogue River, a 7-hour excursion that includes quiet water at the bottom and rapids at the top. And Wednesday we're coming back to Baker Rd. so they can see where we've made home.
We're really looking forward to spending time with them. Conversation will be easy, sometimes light and sometimes deep.
Yes, people are the best part and however trite it sounds, I am blessed with 42 years of relationships with a whole group of people like the McGowans, from churches I pastored and college classes I taught.
There were days I'd have given my right arm to have a well paying job pressing a button on a factory machine All. Day. Long. But looking back, and when anticipating spending 3-4 days with Bruce and Debby, I wouldn't trade the struggles of ministry for all the money, stability, and security of any job in the world.
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