Ode to Lil Bit

My lil' bit, my baby goat,

How soft and shiny is your coat.

Gone is the click of your hooves on my linoleum floor,
And the loud cry of "Ma-ah-ah-mie" when I walked in the door.

The covers are cold where your warm body once laid,
And now only a shadow where at my feet you once played.

Fed by my hand, I watched you grow tall,
"Going forth and skipping like calves from the stall."

To Moxie and Casspurr, you were their baby to preen,
 Such a sight in your diaper to keep my house clean!.

I loved you, I held you, you were my "baby-boo",
But I know someday you'll be the STAR of the petting Zoo!

 My dear friend, Teresa Harding, wrote the above poem for me yesterday... emailed it to me today.  Just last weekend my parents made the two-hour drive up to the mountains to meet Lil Bit.  One must ask oneself ," How could a little baby goat make such an impact on so many people?"  Read on...

You see, as I have been caring for Lil Bit, I've been thinking about the Passover Lamb.  God - through Moses - instructed His people to take a lamb into their home and care for it for four days... This was so that a bond would be created between the family and the lamb.  Then, they had to sacrifice the lamb and put its blood on the sides and top of their doorway.  This would prevent the angel of death from stopping at their home, and it is a foreshadowing of blood atonement, sacrifices in the temple,  and, the ultimate Sacrifice and atonement of sin - Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I am sure that each family's love for their little lamb made sacrificing it very difficult.  But, God was showing His people what He was going to do and how great the sacrifice would be when His Son became the Ultimate Passover Lamb.




"... God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16




SHALOM  Y'ALL - 
  
     TWYLA

Lil Bit

me, in bed, feeding Lil Bit

My hubby wrote about this very same topic last night on his blog, TheCompostFiles. But, I couldn't help myself; she's just so darn cute!  "Lil Bit" was born last week, was very tiny (still is), at less than half the size of the other baby goats.  She is bright-eyed, affectionate, and as cute as pie. Because her mother rejected her, Lil Bit depends on us people to feed her, keep her warm, etc.  Out at the farm (where she was born; and, where Moshe works), she gets bottle-fed a couple times a day, but that's really about it.  Here, she gets her bottle every couple hours; and, she also gets catered to, hugged, talked to, kissed. Loved.  Ahhh... it's a goat's life!


The only problem was...well...she's a goat...  and, even more to the point, she's a baby. This created the challenge of what-to-do-about-the-pee-pee...  Lil Bit has been coming home with Moshe after work, spending the night here, going back to work again with Moshe in the mornings.  All along, my biggest concern has been preventing her from peeing on everything - and, particularly, the bed!  I put a giant trash bag down in the center of the bed, covered with layers of towels, and topped with a soft blanket that Lil Bit seems to appreciate. (Maybe it feels likes another animal?  I don't know.) So far, this had worked well - no bed-wetting - praise God!  Bless her little heart, she stays right there in the center of the bed, warm and secure with "Mommy and Daddy" petting her, and talking to her, and hugging her.  Although she is friends with Moxie and CassPurr,  I think Lil Bit believes she is a "person", belonging with us.

the first attempt at a diaper... a bit too loose around the legs

But, I know that as she gets older and bolder, she is more likely to move to other parts of the bed - and other parts of the house!  So, I kept looking for a solution... Yesterday I found just the right thing.- adult incontinence products - the pads that hook onto a belt.. Moshe and I experimented on poor Lil Bit.  The first try worked okay, but it was really too big; it was loose enough around her legs that if she lay down, the wet would come out the sides.   The second try worked great; by cutting the incontinence pad in half, it folded "just right" on Lil Bit's tiny body to make a perfect diaper.  We secured it with - what else - good ol' duct tape!  So, the baby goat is now in a diaper!  It's so nice to hold her in my lap without having to change clothes afterwards!

a grown Nubian goat

Lil Bit is a Nubian goat. Some say that the Nubian goat is the best to purchase for milking purposes... their milk is abundant, creamy, and smooth.  A Nubian goat will produce between 2 quarts and a gallon of milk per day!  Nubian milk contains more butter fat than other goat mil - you can make butter and cottage cheese with Nubian goat milk. Internet sites also state that Nubian goats make good pets... but, then, WE already knew that, didn't we?

Shalom  Y'all - Twyla

Lions n Chickens n Goats, Oh My!

Okay, my last two or three posts have been pretty much singin' the blues, so today's will be a refreshing change...  As many of you know, we were given a baby goat - little Chestnut - but, he died within eight hours of our receiving him.  I was more than a little heartbroken.  And very, very tired.  Moshe tried to cheer me up by bringing home another baby goat Monday evening "to spend the night".  We dubbed her "Ellie", and she was cute and funny and everything one might expect a little kid goat to be.  But, as I mentioned, I was tired. And, Ellie was rambunctious! Even though she was only a few days old, she was an active little critter.  She slept for about two hours;  from thereafter, the only way to keep her from roaming the  house was for me to camp out on the office floor and keep her company.  Moxie and CassPurr assisted, and there we spent the night... Ellie, Moxie, and CassPurr, and me...  all scrunched together atop a couple of old quilts, with garbage bags under the "designated goat area", to at least attempt to protect the carpet.  I somehow had the foresight to put a plastic bag over the heating pad, then cover it with a pillow case.  Once Ellie discovered the heating pad, she pretty much stayed in one place. Meanwhile, I was on the floor - cold, tired, and not terribly thrilled with goat duty... Let's just suffice to say that Ellie's kidneys worked. And worked . And worked.

Me, holding the rambunctious Ellie

Tuesday morning I got up, looking like a "before" ad  for an insomnia medication; feeling like murder.  I barely coped with the morning chores, got my shower etc., and went into town to run errands.  I think I sleepwalked through most of the day. Ugh.  Bone tired. It'll work on your mind, sleeplessness... Fortunately Moshe realized that it would not be wise to bring home orphans of any sort Tuesday evening.  I got a good night's sleep, and  managed to get lots and lots of stuff done yesterday.

Lil Bit , between another newborn and a Momma Goat - TINY!

Then, yesterday evening, in walks Moshe with yet another baby goat! This one was even tinier than poor little Chestnut. Her Momma had given birth to three kids - a set of twins, and then, this little runt who is not quite half the size of the twins.  Momma goat rejected the runt, so Moshe and his coworkers bottle-fed her and held her throughout the day.  Then, she came home with Moshe...
Oh, tiny, but NOT sickly!  She had bright little eyes, and she wagged her tail crazily like Moxie does when she sees something that makes her happy.  Moshe dubbed her "Lil Bit".  Lil Bit and I hit it off from the first second. She tried to nurse my chin, then my nose, then my T shirt.  She took to the bottle like an old pro.  When she is hungry, she has a voice that sounds EXACTLY like a clown's horn on a unicycle! A LOUD clown's horn! I thought I'd laugh myself silly over the enormous noise coming from this tiny creature.  She sat in my lap all evening, very graciously wetting onto the towel/plastic provided for such a purpose.

Lil Bit has a good appetite

Not wanting to go back into sleep deprivation, I decided to try fixing the bed so that Lil Bit could sleep with us. I put a layer of plastic, then two or three layers of towels, then a nice soft baby blanket in the center of the bed.  As if she already knew the routine, she snuggled in and slept through the night. Oh, I woke up a few times and checked on her, like any adoptive mother would; and, every time she would awaken when I touched her , softly ma-a-a, then, go back to sleep.  Good baby.







Meanwhile, there ARE other animals here on our little farm...  Moxie got me up around midnight, wanting to go out.  I staggered down the hall and opened the back door for her.  It's almost a full moon, so the back yard was pretty well lit... and, what do I see, but one of the Peeps perched on top of the doll house on the back porch! "Okay", I think,  "One of the Peeps must have not made it inside the little coop before we closed it up for the night."   We have seen a mountain lion in our back yard twice now.  Once, I saw it; the second time Moshe and I both saw it.  So, of course, I couldn't just leave the little bird out there!
So, I go back up the hall, put my shoes on, grab a sweatshirt, walk back down the hall, and go outside to put the bird to bed... I picked up whichever Peep it was and carried it over to the little coop.  I opened the coop door. And it was empty! Oh my gosh!  I looked back around, and ALL the Peeps, plus Pretty Face, were perched on the back porch... on the back of the doll house, in flower pots, on the boot cleaner mat (GREAT, huh?), etc.  We had closed up the coop before ANY of them got the chance to go in for the night!  Eleven trips I made, carrying each chicken over to the safety of the coop.  Each of them squawked and put up a fight, then, immediately went quiet once they realized they were safely "home".  Moxie, of course, thought it was great sport!  Wow!  We get to play with the Peeps tonight!  Hooray!!! There's always one in every crowd... Last night it was Blondie... Blondie is one of the Peeps who is now a rooster.  Apparently he felt the need to act  "roosterly", so he crowed and flew, crowed and ducked under the Jeep, crowed and ran alongside the house.  Moxie herded him back toward me, and I got him and carried him to the coop. where he - like all the others.- immediately went into the trance-like sleep that only another chicken owner recognizes.

CassPurr and Lil Bit on the couch 

Thankfully, I too was able to go back to sleep, and woke up to a pile of happy animals - and a dry bed.  Lil Bit  - ever the gracious house guest - waited until after her morning bottle to wet. The chickens are happy to be back in their groove.  Moxie has spent most of the day outside cavorting with Beau.  And, CassPurr is the smartest one of all... With the exception of meal times, he has napped on the couch all day...
 Lil Bit is coming back to spend the night again this evening.  This time I am better-prepared, and, hopefully, we can all sleep the sound slumber of contentment.

 SHALOM  Y'ALL - TWYLA

Tears on My Pillow

Life is fragile and so am I.  Friday God sent us Chestnut, the brand new baby goat.  I briefly posted about him that evening, showing pictures of Moshe holding him, Moxie bathing him, etc.  But, by 5 AM Saturday morning, little Chessie had "gone to goat heaven".  I got up with him several times during the night, concerned because he wasn't interested in drinking the goats milk Moshe brought from the farm. Finally, at 3 AM I got up and took him into the office to better inspect him, see what I could do for him.  It was pretty clear at that point that Chessie wasn't going to make it.  I fixed a pallet of quilts and pillows on the office floor.  Moxie and Casper immediately joined me in my vigil on the floor, with little Chestnut curled up in my right arm, the other animals nuzzling him. Moxie whined softly;  she - like me - is constantly wanting to mother whatever creature enters her life... I prayed one of those selfish prayers, "Lord, please let this little baby goat live. Please don't make me have to tell Moshe that his sweet little baby goat has died."  I immediately recognized the presumptuousness  of such a prayer, and contritely added, "Nevertheless Thy will be done... I know that You know better than I do."

Moxie greeting Chestnut

So, I cried when little Chessie died.  And I cried when, indeed, I had to tell Moshe of our loss.  And I cried again when Moshe carried that precious little body, wrapped in a white towel, and took Chessie outside to be buried.  We had a quiet day.  My Mom called in the afternoon, having read Moshe's addendum to his blog in which he tersely wrote that Chestnut had not lived through the night.   Mom and I agreed that there was most likely something physically wrong with Chestnut to start with... and, that's why his mother abandoned him.  Nature seems cruel, but, somehow animals have more sense than we people do.

Last night I awakened around midnight, thought of our precious little Chessie, and cried for all the mothers and fathers out there who have lost an infant child..  I can not begin to fathom the pain one must feel, having anticipated the birth of a baby all those months only to lose him in infancy.  Much as we hurt when we lose a pet, it is not even noteworthy in comparison.  I do think, though, that losing animals prepares us for the loss of friends and family... a  "trial run" of grief.

This morning I washed all the towels that had been Chestnuts' bedding in the basket that served as his bed.  When I carried the basket to set it by the back door, Moxie got excited.  She stood up,  pranced like she does  when she's happy, and wagged her tail crazily.  I realized that she must have thought Chestnut was "back", and I had to show her that the basket was empty.  Very empty.

I have no doubt that my little family and I will have other babies to nurse throughout the years. It's just a matter of Gods' timing.  It may be tomorrow; it may be sometime far away. This experience with Chestnut taught me several things, the first one being that I need to have pet/animal supplies on hand... preemie diapers, syringes  and/or doll bottles for feeding, a spare heating pad or two...soft white towels or small blankets.  Next time I will be better prepared. Although I realize that preparedness would not have helped Chessie,  I will nevertheless be more prepared.  Next time.
SHALOM  Y'all - Twyla

Chestnut

S  

Aren't they both adorable?

  Moshe brought home a baby goat this evening.  He named him Chestnut; I call him "Chessie". Chessie is only about 12 hours old as I write this post...  Right after Chessie was born, one of the adult goats stepped on him, so he has an injured hind leg.  I just changed the dressing on his leg and created a diaper for him.  He is drinking his mother's milk from a latex glove.
Moshe and I are both so sentimental and soft-hearted... We keep holding Chessie, hugging him, kissing him.  Moxie bathed him and wagged her tail so hard that I thought she would fall over!  CassPurr gave Chessie a nice welcome, too - he purred and inspected his new little brother; then, asked for some food in his bowl... after all, entertaining a baby goat requires good nutrition, right?
Between the two of us, we have taken 40 or 50 photos. I'm going to share some of them here on my blog.

"I think you need a bath"

 

Baby's first Shabbat

Proud Poppa...

Shalom  Y'all - Twyla