In all seriousness, we are not kidding

No, seriously.  We're not kidding.  But we almost were!  We were sooooo close to getting two pregnant purebred registered Nubian goats and a buck to keep things interesting.  I think that it is just as important to record the crazy things that we didn't actually end up doing, so here's the story...

We have a real weed problem in our pastures.  Moving to the country with only a humble garden spade from Wal-Mart as your "farm equipment" has a way of making a few acres get a bit neglected real fast.  It happens.  At least to us.  One pasture in particular, that the kids nicknamed Chicory Field, has these wickedly hostile looking weeds...

We have been planning on getting goats at some point, but weren't really thinking about it at the present until someone mentioned to us that goats will eat weeds like that. 

We had been standing around in the cold scratching our heads wondering if we should burn them or try to dig them up or what would be the easiest best way to get rid of them. For all of our enjoying hard work, there is, however, a limit to enjoying it when it just seems to keep on going.  When every new task we undertake seems to uncover more work that needs to be done and that leads to a new revelation of even more work that needs to get done before we can accomplish the previously discovered more work...well, we can be prone to looking for a quick and simple solution so we can get back to what we were originally planning on doing.  That's how we got thinking about actually getting goats right now while we have so many irons already in the fire.  You see, there is a logic to the insanity.  It doesn't just spring up out of nowhere!

We have a friend who happens to be needing to sell several of their goats due to a personal crisis happening in their family right on the eve of the time of year that goats drop their kids.  (Just in case anyone wants to hear me spout my newly acquired and fondly cherished "rural talk"...cows throw calves and goats drop kids.  I'm telling you, it's a rough life out here in the country.)  

We were excited about the seemingly fortuitous timing and we all got good and fired up...until we realized just how much more work that would make for us and that we would only have 2 days to complete it so our fields and barn were ready.  Not to mention the steep learning curve we would have to surmount to figure out how to be a midwife for a couple of goats so that we can catch those kids they'd be dropping.  Then add to that the fact that we would be bottle feeding at least 2 if not 5 or 6 baby goats.  Oh, and the fact that we would still be trying to nurse Brisket back to health and would still be bottle feeding him for several more days...well, the moment of insanity has passed.  The fog that was casting a haze over all of the difficulties because we really really wanted to make it work has lifted.  We have all decided, it just isn't a good time for us to be getting goats.  So we have reluctantly let the wonderful, fortuitous opportunity pass and now we are all sad that we are not kidding. 

 And that's no joke!