"Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend." - John Singer Sargent

From friend, Sue. We laughed out loud.

Just about the only thing on our minds right now is what happened this afternoon.
The background:

The two goat kids get bottles at 6 a.m., 1 p.m., and 8 p.m., and grain right after that first bottle and again at 4 p.m. At that second grain feeding yesterday I noticed that Asante had a nasty tear near the bottom of his left ear. I have no idea how he got it, but a patch of skin about 1" x 1.5" had been peeled back. My best guess is that he got his head stuck in the feeder and injured himself getting out. I've seen him get his head stuck before.

He was fine at that 8 p.m. bottle and for this morning's 6 a.m. bottle - took the whole amount at his normal rapid pace and was fully active afterward. When I went down for the Monday barn cleaning he was huddled in the corner and didn't want to get up. He'd stand up, reposition himself, and lay right back down.

Pam went to the feed store and got some spray antibiotic to clean and treat that wound but he continued to go downhill. Today was the day we dropped that 1 p.m. bottle but I went out to check on him and he was worse. Wouldn't even get up and just cried (a loud "baaaaaa").

As soon as Pam pulled in the driveway from being in town doing laundry I got in the car and drove over to Marta's to get some banamine, an oral sedative/pain killer. When I got back I went down to administer it and found Asante had died.

I learned that right after I left Pam went down to look at him and found him where I did - laying on his side in the middle of the barn. We now realize he had already died.

Marta came over and could find no reason for his death. She says that as nasty as that ear wound looked it was certainly not bad enough to cause death. I'd sent our friend Sheila a pic of the wound because she's both a nurse and has also raised goats, and she agrees; it wasn't that serious.

Whatever the cause, Asante is gone. We're sad. But....!
He was a goat. Anyone who raises animals understands this happens. We don't like it and we're sad, but what lives, dies.

We have dear, dear friends going through very difficult things - some physical, some relational. Our hearts ache for them. On the scale of significance, and at the risk of sounding insensitive, Asante was a goat. Sweet, cuddly, enjoyable, but a GOAT. I'm much more concerned for, and in some cases grieved for.....
(You know who you are.)

The people are the best part.