And then there were three. Jeremy adds a third kid to the goat herd.
LAZY DAYS TURN INTO CRAZY DAYS
Go-At and Aponche snooze happily on the step back before their world is turned upside down with the addition of Nwansane on September 7th. The first few days were unsettling for all three kids with Nwansane crying incessantly for her old herd mates. Crying, nay, shrieking with an ear-piercing bleat that sounded like the scream of a terrified woman. Aponche had her horns full, never missing an opportunity to remind Nwansane that she was at the bottom of the pecking order and Go-At woke up to the painful awareness that he was a lone buck among the does without a firm grasp of what to do about it.
PRETTY AS A PICTURE
We all agreed that Nwansane (Twi for deer and pronounced Nwohn san EE) was a beautiful goat, despite her odd looking little dangles which we later learned are hereditary and are called wattles by goat know-it-alls.
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Before she received her proper name from Jeremy there were other names being tossed about. Camille liked Cindy, short for Cinderella, a nod to the little doe’s princes-like demeanor, champagne color and vastly improved lifestyle. No longer would Cindy need to roam the streets in search of discarded rice. She now had the run of our grassy yard and a compost pile brimming over with banana peels and carrot parings. Jeremy’s nephew voted for Goatasaurus. Lauren voted for Nellie.
In the end, Jeremy picked Nwansane because of her fawn-like coloring and because he originally thought the correct pronunciation of Nwansane would rhyme with John Cena. Come to find out it sounded more like John Sanee. Now, we’d never heard of John Cena before moving to Ghana but when we are out and about with Jeremy, Ghanians will call out to him, “John Cena!” because they think he looks like the American professional wrestler. So we looked him up and we had to admit, we could see the resemblance.
THE THREE
For a week or so, there was a lot of ambling about, posturing, curious looks and head butting between the three kids.
Eventually, things settled down. Go-At went back to eating weed seeds off Aponche’s coat and the three were able to share the front steps for mid-day naps.
WEARING HER HEART ON HER HEAD
Aponche is a bit of an enigma. She can be tough or sensitive, callous or vulnerable, needy or ambivalent We argue back and forth about whether she is super smart or super not-smart. Like the others, she often hangs out on the steps and hollers for a hand out. The one thing we can all agree on though is that she has a big heart on her forehead.
JEREMY LOVES HIS GOATS
They’re like dogs but edible. They’re curious and friendly and great fun to chase around the yard. And heck, their poo pellets don’t smell and they roll away when you sweep.
OUR BOY, GO-AT
Go-At was the first to accept us as benevolent, letting us scratch him all over and pick him up without so much as a squeal. When we aren’t around, he has to scratch himself on the concrete out front. He is growing some funny long hairs on the front of his face, some sort of upside-down mustache and he has a ridge of long hair along his back which stands up straight when he gets excited.
PHEROMONES
Love had been in the air since Nwansane’s arrival. Much to Go-At’s consternation. He seems to have an inclination about what the new attraction might lead to but mostly seems frustrated and a little confused. He follows her around, growling in gargled, guttural tones. Sometimes she squats and pees and other times she whirls and butts him in his side. We watch, curious and bemused, trying to figure out whether she is ready or just leading him on and wondering if young Go-At is ready to begin his career as a stud.
MAINTENANCE
Jeremy is bottom-line responsible for the welfare of his three kids. He trims their little hooves and cleans out their pen. He also cleaned out the chicken house above to make it ready for another of his objectives while living in Kumasi.
CHILLAXIN’
By the end of the month, Nwansane has settled in and life has returned to a quieter affair. She still talks to us but no longer shrieks and has accepted our caresses as something she need not escape.
DOG!
Our friend Elodie from Lake Bosumtwi stopped by with her friend Alex and his dog whom they had brought to see the vet in Kumasi. The goats were on red alert and bursting with curiosity while the dog, not feeling well to begin with was not interested.
APONCHE THE BOLD
Well, now we know who the lead doe is around here. Aponche got her mane standing straight up and bravely approached the strange looking mammal. Feeling threatened, the dog tucked her tail and waited. When Aponche touched her nose she received a little warning nip and scrambled off.
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[Latest] * [Troutsfarm] * [A Two-Birthday Month] * [FS2BD Construction Continues] * [A New Goat] [Around the Yard and Gardens] * [Wetland Walk] * [Bopping Around the Kumasi Markets] * [Ayoum Village]
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