Last year I built an addition to the barn, an additional 8' section so mamas would have a safe place to give birth. A door separates the two sections with an opening just big enough for a kid, but not an adult goat to get through. That's where Burrito and Dolly are. It also works as a place where they can have access to alfalfa 24/7 which helps them grow, but is too rich for an adult goat.
I wrote in my last post about how brutal Sundae and Stella were toward Burrito and Dolly.
Today those two kids won't come out of that kidding area for fear of the two adults. Can't say I blame them, but at some point these guys need to learn how to get along. That won't happen if they stay segregated.
I sent Marta a message to ask her the best way to proceed. She responded that time will fix it, the kids will eventually emerge from their safe place, and the herd will settle into ease.
It got down into the mid-20's last night and both hose bibs were frozen this morning. I got water for the animals out of the bathtub, but this is a first even after last winter's cold snap. I don't think any pipes burst under MoHo because all the inside faucets work fine.
I think I'll get some more pipe insulation and climb under there to put it on.
(It's nasty under there, and slightly intimidating.)
For tonight I've got both hose bibs dripping and the heat lamp on in the pump house.
I'm by no means an experienced international traveller, but in 2016 I had the opportunity to spend an extended time (nearly two weeks each) in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Tanzania. Three very different cultures even though two of them were Latin. I enjoyed my time in each, was treated graciously in each, and saw unique strong points in each. But at the risk of offending FB friends in each, I most enjoyed Costa Rica.
They call themselves Ticos. Nobody is sure why, but a tico is a term recognized in all Spanish speaking cultures as referring to Costa Ricans. I think they're as unique and special as their appellation.
Their culture is very focused on the family, even compared to other Latin cultures. I watched families sit together in church and interact in ways you don't see here in the States. Teenagers sat with their family, not in groups by themselves, and their interaction with their parents made the strong attachment obvious. I especially enjoyed that part of my time there.
Ticos also touch. At first I didn't know how to respond to their propensity to touch each other. If you're talking with one of them they'll reach out and put their hand on your arm as they speak. I eventually figured out it's just a physical way of expressing the connection they feel with you in the conversation. And I came to appreciate that, even to return the gesture. It's another indication of their warmth.
They greeted each other, and me, with a hug. Men, women. Maybe they saw you the night before, but if they're glad to see you you'll get a hug. If they're really glad to see you it's a quick kiss on the cheek.
Again, at first I felt awkward (I'm a pretty reserved guy) but I quickly came to see it for what it was, a wonderful expression of genuine warmth. It's impossible not to feel honored by that and to want to respond in kind.
Americans are touch-averse.
And now...!
Pity the fool who reaches out and touches the arm of a woman as he talks with her. A kiss on the cheek? Unemployment line.
Methinks that though there's certainly a problem with in over-sexed society with men given to legitimately bad and exploitive behavior, we've now criminalized warmth as expressed by touch.
And we're all the losers for it.
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