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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The smell of goats

The stuff arrived from Australia today.

I had forgotten that we owned most of it – and some of it I am sure I have never seen before. But it has all been tucked away in the loft and there it shall remain until we leave these  fair shores.

Except of course for the gardening implements. The rakes and shovels will be useful – as will the garden clippers – but I am not sure about the sledge hammer. Why have I got a sledge hammer?

The man arrived to fix the cooling. He found one problem and fixed it – but there is another one – which requires parts which need to be ordered.

The good news is that the dampers which were ordered a month or so ago have arrived. They apparently came by steamboat from Ouagadougou.

Cate has decided to buy a dog. A large dog. I have described to her in great detail the debacle which will take place when the cats meet the dog.

She has brushed this off and said everything will be just fine.

She is not the one who will have to deal with the complete nervous collapse and lengthy recuperation of Monika – who at the best of times is frighteningly fragile and runs and hides at the sound of butterfly wings flapping.

It had better be a really big dog or Sissi will kill it and eat it on sight.

So now I need to organize fences and plan feeding stations and suchlike logistics because Cate is getting the dog but Muggins will be dealing with the daily consequences.

I have had the smell of goats in my nostrils since she gave me this news.


And I am not 75 – I am not even 70 – but am galloping towards it.

10 comments:

  1. A dog will keep you looking young and handsome, Badger. Especially a large one.

    I used to scorn little dogs, believing they were yappy and annoying. We had always had Golden Labradors, but had to replace the last with our current Jack Russell, for space reasons. He is a sweetheart.

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  2. I am a rescue dog person and I love dogs. One small one at a time. Today Sammy Spanky Dog peed on the newly cleaned and laid down wool rugs. He is an asshat today.

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  3. I love your word, "galloping". My mother reminded me that my big dog may not live as long as other dogs and she just wanted to make sure that I knew that. THEN she realized that she was talking to me about my dog dying (eventually) during the same telephone conversation for wishing me a happy birthday. My previous dog lasted 14 years and Cooper is 9, so he probably has a few more to go. He certainly isn't worn out from pulling dog sleds and has had a couple thousand dollars worth of routine maintenance vet bills.

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  4. Instead of goat you'll get wet dog smell. And worse. I imagine Cate will want to do the dog walking, mornings before she goes to work and evenings when she comes home.

    Have you been moping around the house, complaining about not having enough to do?

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  5. Don't know why, but the word "kill joy" keeps popping up in my head all of sudden. ;-)

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  6. Although I love my Dachsador, Nigel, I wish I'd given more thought to taking him. He and the cats are like having toddlers in the house--I'm exhausted! Not a month goes by that I don't think about finding a new home for him. I will never do this, though, because I believe pets are forever commitments, but I do wish I'd given more thought before I took him.

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  7. There isn't enough space here for me to explain why you really need to get Cate to re-think this idea. Suffice to say ncounted $ vet bills and researching electrified fences are the two latest past-times that are all consuming - and both related to having a dog !!
    Good Luck - although I fear you will need more than good luck if Cate goes ahead with getting a dog !

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  8. A dog would be a perfect addition. A big active and goofy dog, like our 30kg rescue Foxhound, too, one that likes to chase squirrels and foxes (and command the entire sofa)! Just think, the money saved on feeding the squirrels could go toward veterinarian bills and the like (there is no socialized medicine for dogs in America,.) It's a win-win all around!

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  9. My 90 lb dog is terrified of my (husband's) 8 lb cat, so there is hope. However, ugh, I have a 90 lb dog. I keep trying to give him away (along with all the other animals), but everyone else in the family seems to think they should all stay. They, of course, don't scoop the box, vacuum the hair, or bathe the 90 lb hydrophobe.

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  10. Alexia: I confidently expect that it will run me ragged and the give me a nervous breakdown. But I would like a Lab!

    fmcgmccllc: I guess I am going to have to learn to love dogs too.

    esb: Cooper is so well looked after I can imagine him lasting quite some time.

    Merisi: Can't wait for that. But I think I will be stuck with all the messy stuff.

    SK Waller: I will pass this on to Cate - but as I am the one who is home all day I anticipate a lack of sympathy.

    Me: That horse has already bolted.

    VictoriaK. I am thinking a win for Cate and a lose for Badger.




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