Usually when goats go down, they do not get back up. We’ve experienced this here, multiple times. And when they go down, they are twice as heavy as normal.

I thought Ranger was a goner yesterday when both Pete and I had to lift him into place. And I thought he was a goner today, when again, Pete and I had to lift him into place. Both days he tottered around and drank the broth that I made for him.

Ranger learning agility

Ranger told me that he would like to stick around for a while. I told him that we’ll of course give him an assist. On my part, this means making sure that he gets his broth three times a day, and that he is lifted into place when he’s fed.

If people knew what fortitude goats have, they might hesitate before butchering them and eating them. I’d like it if they then decided to forego eating goat entirely.

Why are we humans the way we are? What makes us so insensitive when it comes to determining our dietary needs? The amount of forage needed in order to end up with a full grown cow is astronomical. Bypassing the cow and eating that which we grow ourselves is a far more efficient way of going about things.

I am a vegetarian. Inevitably, I am asked when I mention this, how do you get your protein? It’s mistakenly thought that we need far more protein than we do. And it can be plant based.

I became a vegetarian when I was 14. The reasons then are long forgotten. They’ve of course changed over the years. However, my unwavering concern for animals has remained a constant.

I suppose that if I owned a pig or two, I would feel for the species the way I do goats. I don’t, but I would not eat pig.

I do eat fish. If, however, I was to go dip netting, I’d net the fish on one side, then let them go on the other side.

I once purchased a lobster at Newick’s Seafood House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There they had a tank filled with lobsters. I purchased the smallest lobster, named him Bob, took out the pins in his claws, then released him out in the bay behind the restaurant. I don’t know if he lived or if the change in environment was too much for him. However, I suspected that dying in semi-familiar waters was preferable to being scalded to death.

Ranger and Rover were fortunate in that they won the lottery. I remember the day Matt Shaw walked out into the herd and picked them out. It was spring and there were a lot of baby goats running around. He picked two males and handed them to me. One of the mother goats looked distressed when he took her baby in hand. Matt apologized to her.

I think Matt knew that the two goats were going to a good home. Ranger knows this now, which is why he is putting up a good fight. He would like to stay put.

Next: 335. 12/6/22: Snow and Warm Temperatures