Dougie Pit

Dougie Pit

A backyard bonfire pit had been the topic of conversation for the past few weeks. Then, one afternoon, Scott and Willy decided to lace up the work boots and scavenge the backyard for suitable rocks, concrete chunks, and splash pads. Once assembled and dropped into place, they made a pretty sweet little fire ring. And, before you know it, there were a dozen friends in the backyard lounging around a nice, warm fire.

Not only did the goats effectively clear out an area in which to build and enjoy a fire pit, but they also gladly provide the next fire's fuel every time I toss them a fresh privet branch. So, along with clearing out the backyard, we can applaud these goats on encouraging the Dougie House residents to get out and enjoy the backyard. (This is especially timely, considering Taylor's recent diagnosis of Nature Deficit Disorder. More to come on his path to recovery.)

Since that night, quite a few defoliated privet branches and fallen limbs have been relocated to the pit, which leads me to believe there'll be another bonfire night in the very near future. Rolling a few more log sections around the fire might be necessary to accommodate the masses...

"Wouldn't hold out much hope for the tape deck though."

It's raining again.

But the goats seem content just chilling under their 'Free Palestine' roof. The hay has remained dry despite its doubling as a bedding material for Tevon (or whatever we're calling him this week). Also, the palette is keeping plenty of floorspace dry. That's the good news.

The bad news is that this rain's getting in between me and my shepherding duties:

• there's a roll of neglected hog wire begging to be pilfered and strung up,
• one of the two creek channel fences needs a makeover, and
• we desperately need a better way to keep goats off the bridge.

"You didn't think I was rollin outta here naked, did ya!?""

If you haven't already checked AllThingsGoat.com today, you need to start adjusting your internet browsing destinations. Give it a look see. Our goats should still be on the front page. First blog shoutout. Sweet.

It's raining now, and has been all day. Scott reports the goats have been under their brand spankin' new shelter, munching on the bale of bermuda grass hay that Miss Charlie hooked us up with. It had been sitting in the back of my vehicle this whole time, waiting for the appropriate time and venue to vacate the Jeep's trunk. Not a moment too soon.

In other news, last night's reconnaissance bike ride led to the discovery of 3 rusty rolls of hog wire among discarded washers, dryers, and dishwashers behind a graduate housing building. One in particular looks to be just the right amount to replace our makeshift goat barrier. I'm not opposed to liberating a few linear feet of neglected fencing from leftover University construction. Again, it's all justifiable as personal revenge for President Adams' unforgivable sin. (And the Dougie Deck really needs its table back.)

"Over by the In-and-Out Burger."

Finally got a chance to see Homegrown, a short film following the Dervaes family's attempt to live a low impact, self-sufficient, Little House On the Prairie lifestyle - on a 1/5 acre lot smack dab in the middle of L.A. Sounds like prime blog material, right?

As the product of a similar urban situation, I was encouraged by Papa Dervaes' success. Something crazy like 6,000+ pounds of produce! And only after 3 years. Think about that. In 36 months, his house went from pain-in-the-ass, weekly mowed, relatively useless American front yard, to a working, edible landscape.

Granted, the Dervaes family devotes all their energy to their household. Odds are, the average Jeff Goldblum isn't going to cut short his miraculous big screen career to start tending his bok choy beds. But what if everybody eased up on their definition of the "perfect yard" a smidge to the point we wouldn't dub Mr. Dervaes a "nut?" Or at least not make a movie about his yard.

What's so sacred about a giant, trimmed green rectangle anyway? Usable space? Try again. When was the last time you saw your parents host a flag football tournament with their friends in the back yard? Throw some native grasses out there and let the thing go, Pops. Maybe go crazy with a few rows of corn and wine grapes. Or goats.

There are countless superior alternatives out there, both economically and ecologically. Xeriscapes, permaculture, formal gardens, forest settings, wildflower drifts, native prairie grasses. Plenty of job opportunities for me and my classmates should the average American quit listening to Scott's commercials...

"Who's this gentleman, Dude?"

Goat's Eye View of Wall of Deck Furniture

There was some furniture rearranging last week on the Dougie Deck. Realizing no one would be home for the weekend spurred some creative solutions to keeping the goats on their best behavior during our absence. Digby has been getting bolder and bolder in his escape attempts, regularly climbing up the steps and hurdling over the small fence onto the deck. Once on the deck, the goats would still be confined to the back yard by the deck's opposite fence - but better safe than sorry. Our makeshift barrier included 5 or 6 chairs, a table, some pots, a ladder, a tool shelf, and a grill. Not pretty, but it worked. And it only cost zero dollars.

In addition to securing the perimeter, I also cut some more overhanging privet limbs. About half were placed under either side of the shelter to encourage its use. The other half disappeared within minutes of hitting the ground.

I cut another huge pile of privet last night that should keep the goats occupied all day. After last night's pruning, almost all of the privet hanging over the fence line has been removed and consumed by the goats.

2 Birds: feeding the goats and visually widening the yard.

1 Stone: Dunc' and Dora's backup (and antiquated) loppers.

Suggested Reading

Here's a cool article on Chattanooga's attempt to control kudzu using goats. It's interesting to think that goats could be the first step in the invasive control and restorative processes. Just during the brief amount of time I've observed them, it's clear that goats can, in fact, be extremely helpful in clearing out exotic invasives. (Quick before/after example.)

• For one, every piece of foliage is stripped from the stems and branches of the evil English ivy. Take, for example, the downed mulberry on the other side of the creek. It's stump and lower trunk were completely carpeted with English ivy. Once defoliated, the ivy pulled right off the tree. Now, the tree is entirely visible again. Much more visually appealing.

• It didn't take long to realize that privet was like goat candy. Of all the plants in the back yard, native or introduced, privet disappeared first. Now, all that's left are their individual leafless stalks. I haven't tried, but it looks like they'll be much easier to grab a hold of and pop out of the ground with the help of a spade.

• The patch of light green reedy plants by the creek was taken care of pretty quickly too. I'm not 100% sure on its ID, but if I had to guess, I'd go with Nepalese Browntop. If you happen to know the mystery plant, don't be shy. Be a hero and let everybody know through the comment box.

• The liriope is also starting to disappear, or at least become visibly sheared off. They've still got plenty to nibble on though. My neighbor pointed out that goats won't get down to the roots on these plants, so their permanent eradication will take some extra grunt work.

"I'm a brother shamus!"

As of 10:30 PM the goats were not using their shelter tonight. Instead, they're huddled up against the brick house, directly under Taylor's window. There's enough overhang from the roof above to keep the first 3 or 4 feet protected from rain. My guess is that our new Goat Mariot has a leak, or several leaks.

Closer inspection revealed that their TempurPedic cargo palette under the shelter was indeed damp. The roof must be saturated with water and dripping all over the interior. I assume a simple tarp would solve the problem. Besides a chance of rain tomorrow evening, the weather looks dry for the next week or so. Should be enough time to dry everything out again.

Last night, after Dusty's hairdo finally evolved into something similar to a young, '02 World Cup Landon Donovan. (With Kev's help, as is the case when friends shave friends' heads, the process took a detour through the Kenny Powers set on the way to the finished product.)

How is Dusty's scalp relevant to urban goat ownership? Well, you can strike "human hair" off your list of things you thought goats would eat. With this much goat-human interaction, we're bound to come across plenty more outlandish offerings. For example, according to Willy and Taylor, goats are simply not interested in over ripened bananas. Dora, on the other hand, would be quick to tell you that my goats enjoy the taste of her prized gardenias and ginger lilies.