"I've seen a lot of spinals in my day."

The family came in town last weekend to check up on me and the goats. After their initial fascination wore off, Mom whipped out the new camcorder in hopes of bringing back some urban goat footage back to the grandparents and immediate family. (Dougie Shoutout to Uncle Homer for the names "Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.") To spice things up, my brother Henry and I encouraged some climbing by placing privet and goat feed up off the ground. Here's the result:

"Sometimes they fall. That'd be ideal." We couldn't have scripted it any better. He even waited for me to finish my story. Fortunately, he hopped right back up and went after the Noble Goat like nothing happened - so I don't feel guilty posting it for the world to see.

"Like an Irish monk?"

Here's the new bridge gate. Yeah, I realize it's not going to featured on any home improvement shows, but it gets the job done. And it was free - liberated hogwire fastened to lumber from a frat dumpster with some nails.

The already leaning rail makes the entire bridge look awkward (and unsafe), but no goats have been dropping land mines on it since the gate's inclusion. So we're saying mission accomplished.

"It's just part of your whole sick Cynthia thing."

Remember that post daring any ambitious goats to make the 4 foot jump into Dunc' and Dora's yard? Well, John Abraham strutted up there and leaped like it wasn't nothin' but a peanut. He stuck the landing and promptly starting munching on Dora's camellias.

I blocked off that potential escape route with a conveniently shaped limb. (Since this picture was taken, the barrier has been beefed up with the salvaged dumpster lumber.) When he made a second attempt and was stumped by the new impasse, he did a 180 back to the notch visible in the picture. Then he took off even farther up the downed tree, getting as much as 10 feet off the ground. He didn't like his odds as much from there and turned back before I could snap a picture from the other side.

Again, I suppose I could take preventive measures and block off that route as well. But, like before, I'm interested to see just how capable these goats are of escaping. A nine to ten foot jump is quite an accomplishment. Maybe something I could brag about as a goat owner...

"Dude, I finally got the venue I wanted."

The Dougie Deck is once again hospitable. Now, the steps and side of the deck pictured are fenced off with our newly acquired hog wire.

It's becoming more and more obvious that the number one challenge with goats is keeping them where you want them. Definitely underestimated their abilities. I'd say about 75% of my time spent with the goats is patching up a fence or solving some other boundary issue. If you have the option, do it right the first time and save yourself the trouble down the road.

"This isn't 'Nam. There are rules."

Here's the first paragraph of the email I received earlier today from University Housing:

"Juneau Construction plans to conduct a pre-dawn, concrete slab pour tomorrow morning. The concrete pour is scheduled to begin at 3:00am on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. Set-up will occur before 3:00am. Set-up will likely include mobilization of the pump truck, minor crane operation, powering-up of light towers, and mobilization of manpower."

All right outside my window. Is President Mike reading my blog? Am I being punished?

"Mobilization of manpower?" Are we getting ready for war? And is there really such a thing as "minor crane operation?" If you're operating a freaking crane, you're operating a freaking crane. It's going to keep me up. That's just asking for me to liberate construction materials for my goats. Maybe a few leftover palettes. Or maybe even some new roof shingles for the goat house...

Still Accepting Donations

"Slam" Duncan and Dora's Most Recent Contributions to the Cause

Big Dougie Shoutout to neighbors Dunc' and Dora for their generous donations of 3 antiquated and disfigured landscaping tools:

• Rusty and undoubtedly unsafe, those loppers are still every privet bush's (and my appendages') worst nightmare.
• The newest gift, our bent pitchfork, has definitely seen better days. But I'd put money on my Grandpa being able to fix it. So it may be useful yet.
• Those old school wire cutters are money. We had some dinky ones from one of the guys' tool kits. Probably a graduation gift. All they did was wear my arms out. These guys, on the other hand, slide through hog wire like butter, making my life so much easier.

Dora's even hooking up the goats with the occasional treat of a Ginger Lily plant from her yard. She says they slurp down the long, lanceolate leaves all at once. Pretty impressive.

"Eyeball to Eyeball"

John Abraham laying the wood to Digby

While working on a new fencing solution to keep the goats off the deck, I heard Digby and Johnny A going at it on the bridge. I snapped a few action shots but only this one comes close to giving justice to the intensity and sheer bloodlust. There were some serious head butts and even a few flying kicks out of Johnny's corner. Almost knocked Digby into the creek. He's easily the baddest mutha on the block.