A miracle is considered to be “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” There. I like this definition.

In the context of this – I hoped for a miracle when Rover was dying. I’m now hoping for a miracle because Stormy is dying. I know that when goats get really ill, that they generally don’t rally. And I’m not expecting Stormy to pull through. But, well, there is always the likelihood of a miracle.

She’s become increasingly more lame in her right front leg over the past week. There has been no heat or swelling.

Stormy playing with Buckwheat last summer

Today she wasn’t able to stand up at all. She also began sounding like she might have pneumonia.

We called Dr. Kaiser, our veterinarian, and he came over an hour later. He examined Stormy and said to give her antibiotics and continue giving her Banamine, a pain killer. He was very empathetic, almost too much so. He didn’t charge us for the farm call, just the medications. Not a good sign. Goat is going down, so he most likely didn’t want to send our bank account into the negative numbers.

She stayed put all day, by the fence on the hill, so that she could converse easily with Ranger and the chickens and watch the road activity.

I’m not yet writing her eulogy, although perhaps my subconscious is working on it. I write one for each animal here, when they die. The last animal to die was some time ago – it was actually our dog Rainbow.

The question I have is, should Stormy pass, what will we do about Ranger? Will he remain an only goat or will we get him a buddy? I’d be reluctant to go back and get another goat from his breeder because her sales animals are culls from the milk line. I can hardly blame her. Stormy presumably had offspring when she was with her former owner, but she did not have any here.

I of course feel despondent about this. I got through the afternoon by first going for a run with Tinni and then taking all three mares on trail rides. I am working hard to vary the routine, which was why I took them all on Pat and Ray’s trails, which are out at the far end of the road. There were several somewhat deep snow patches – I think the mares enjoyed the cooling effect of these patches and also just being out on the trail. I also took them out on Siggi’s trail, which is drying up nicely.

All the while, I of course thought about Stormy. She has such a good disposition. And right now, it seems to me to be life’s greatest unfairness that after making it through an acutely miserable winter, that this should happen. Life just isn’t fair, not for us, not for our animals.

Tomorrow will be another day. I am hoping that Stormy rallies.

Next: 122. 5/3/21: Thinking, thinking