Another Herd Sold

P&CW Farm's myotonic goats leave for Oliver Springs, Tennessee.

This afternoon the remnants of our fainter herd hit the trail. We sent Mary and her pals off in the care of a nice couple named Joanne and Hugh, to a farm that's already fenced and cross-fenced--it just needs some goats and now a livestock guardian. They'll make a pretty herd over time, as they have the peach-and-white buck Brad Pitt and the sturdy tri-color buck Joshua who originally moved here from Mt. Juliet. The other goat who also came here from Mt. Juliet, Mitzi, went with Joshua--although her kid Josie stayed behind with Cocoa's kid LA (or Lisa) because the latter two are scheduled to move to Portland to be with Todd (now Toby) and Kendall. Both of our Numbers girls and their pal Sarah left today, along with Sarah's yearling Carla. Oh yes, and Feenster was in the truck as well.

Now that the grass is lush and green and we've made it through the thin cold days of winter we sold the little goats to give us time. Once Josie and LA move, we'll be down to a manageable herd of three does and the sole buck Midnight Hank.

Poor Hank, he has spent the last several days knocking heads with Brad and Joshua, enough so that he seemed to forget to miss his does--moved away from him as they should soon kid. I'll have to figure out how to keep him occupied. Maybe he'll adjust to a work schedule of consistent mowing--all that grazing might get his mind off of the gals.

Although I will miss the characters so many of those goats were to me, these sun-filled days give me plenty of chores to keep me occupied so soon they should be just happy memories.

So Long, Sweet Nadege

The first pup of our two litters to be named was Nadege, the only all-white Pyr pup. When I couldn't tell the others apart, already Nadege was easy to identify. Smart, like all Pyrs I've met, she understood that she had a name and it was "Nadege." Before the pups were even walking, she responded to hearing her name.

Her name was an outgrowth of variations of "white" and "snow" beginning in Blanc, Blanca, Bianca,then Neige, and finally Nadege. Some years back I had the pleasure of mentoring a young mother by the name of Nadege. The name appealed to me and stuck in the back of my mind. The little white pup provided the opportunity to finally use that name.

Puppy Nadege moved on a week ago today, leaving P&CW Farm for Angel Acres Alpacas in Manchester, Tennessee. During the time her new family and I chatted on the porch, Miss Nadege formed an attachment. By the time they departed for Angel Acres this gal was smitten, and with good reason--the folks at Angel Acres clearly value the animals in their lives.

We are thrilled to have her going to such a good home, where she'll have her own alpacas from the start.

"Sweets" Moves On

The pup known on P&CW Farm as "Sweets" has moved to a farm in Alexandria, Tennessee. He enjoyed being combed in preparation for his move, but then sensed that something was amiss and vanished just before his new owners arrived. With their help, he was located underneath the storage trailer. Sweets then made a point of lying down and rolling in damp, dirty cedar shavings before allowing himself to be picked up, carried downhill, and introduced to his new family. He now has two clever girls for companionship and care.

From his going away photo taken on our porch, I gather he approves of his new girls. I certainly do; Sweets has found himself a lovely new home. He will have twice the acreage to roam that he had here and a new canine friend about his age for company.

Soon he'll probably have a new name, too. (After all, what kind of a name is Sweets for a boy?)

So long, Sweets! Enjoy your new home!