A CALL FOR ACTION

I'm taking name suggestions for our three male goats. The more creative/controversial the better. If I get enough good ideas, I'll let you vote on the best ones with one of Blogger's polling gadgets. Otherwise, they're going to end up being named something easy like Moe, Curly, and Larry. Make 'em interesting, like your three favorite presidents, or Jeff Goldblum characters' names.

"Man in the black pajamas."

Scott and I laced up the work boots and went to town on the jungle this afternoon. Solved the creek channel problem, uncovered some fencing from under the deck, sawed some trees, rearranged brush, relocated some cinder blocks, and built a shelter. At some point during all that, some good ol' boy delivered two truckloads of wood to smoke our pig over. So now there's a 5 foot high wall of stacked wood surrounding the pit. That's a lot of wood.

Notice the brilliant combination of form and function in this low budget example of Minimalist architecture. Holla at ya boy Ludwig, reppin' the "Less is Mo'." Unfortunately, it' will only be on display for the public temporarily. The cinder blocks will be placed around the pork pit, and the "Free Palestine" rally-goers want their sign back. (This particular side reads "Tear down this wall!" It took Taylor about 15 minutes of exposure to start yelling his new favorite phrase. Pretty funny.) Next week we'll have to build a more stable structure. Assuming no tornadoes or Palestine haters sweep through the backyard, this baby should last the weekend.

The creek channel issue was resolved by jamming the frat dumpster salvaged wood horizontally above the water. It's got enough space for higher water and your everyday flotsam to pass under, but no goat's gonna go through the trouble. It isn't like this place is Alcatraz. They should perfectly content chilling in our back yard.

The deadline for the fencing to be ready to go is tomorrow around 9:45 AM. It shouldn't take long though. Under the deck and entangled in English ivy, we unearthed several bundles of black plastic fencing and a dozen stakes. Scissors work fine on shaping the fencing to size, so that chore shouldn't take more than an hour. Plus, in an exchange for a ride home, our buddy Archie donated a bag of zip ties to the cause. Another friend, Hans, is lending his SuperSize dog crate to help in the goat transportation process. "Friends like these, huh, Gary?"

I meet Miss Charlie tomorrow morning around 10:30 to pick up these three dudes. To date, our total cost has amounted to zero dollars. All salvaged or stolen goods with the help of only a rusty old saw. Good practice for 2012. The goats will be our first cost. Miss Charlie set the rate at a buck a pound. With each goat weighing at most 45 pounds, the most expensive scenario is under 150 bones, or clams, or whatever you call them. Not bad for a mute landscaping crew. I'll keep a running tab on the operation and compare the total cost to the crew alternative. Interesting to see how much cheaper it will be.

Several family members have expressed interest in investing in my goat venture. Word's gotten loose within the family tree that $20 bucks up front will get you a couple of pounds of prime goat meat for the freezer come Christmas time. Now I've got eager calls coming in from uncles and aunts, and Grandpa claims Uncle Al is willing to outbid all competitors. I'm hoping the Thanksgiving table turns into a livestock auction and I end up looking like a miniature CSA. "Goat farmer" on the resume?

Tomorrow, you'll see goats. Until then, this should tide you over.

Goat Toy

If our goats are anything like these badasses, this 3 sided compost pile and fallen tree should provide some entertainment.

Here's the creek entering Dunc' and Dora's property. Notice the existing fence a couple of feet above the water.