Barbed Wire

Goats seem to be my lot here.

5:30 AM: Yank goats from pen with calculated separation of the scary, horny male from the abundance of females. Wander around hopelessly looking for ropes tied to trees. (No one can remember where those darn things are.) Yank goats to ropes when finally located, abandon to eat whatever.

The waking up early is easy. The bedroom has a skylight and the sun is already peeking at that time, the weather is already warm enough for sandals. It’s not even the goat yanking that is difficult.

What is difficult is the barbed wire.

The barbed wire “crossing” on the way to the waterfall was surprising. First time for everything, might as well learn to carefully squeeze like the rest of the world. The barbed wire at the entrance of the soccer field was shocking. Why in the kj&$*&%jhgksljf didn’t someone build a gate into this square? It seems that it’s just more convenient to flatten oneself into a foot high inverted limbo player. And when we were told the goats had been moved to a better area, after about a mile, we came to barbed wire. This barbed wire was gosh darn ridiculous. It’s not that it might rip your clothing, or pull your hair or whatnot: it is just inconvenient.

I can’t say I’ve ever had to yank goats through barbed wire before (at no expense to them, they are already pros, but incredibly stubborn.) Before living here, that is. But at 5:30 every morning, the goats are reluctantly pulled, sometimes into fields they probably shouldn’t be. It seems that it doesn’t really keep anything in or out anyway; cows and horses stand all over the roads and trails.  

I haven’t been inconveniently barbed yet, which is excellent news, because this means I can explore any part of this backcountry that is somehow left unbothered by the rest of the entire world.

***Chickens do not have barbed wire. However, they do peck at your legs when you bring the feed to the trough and try to hide their eggs. When they are in my way, or if I am irritable, I have been told to grab under the chicken armpits and toss. Oh, life lessons!