Saturday found us scurrying up the mountain for a quick morning in Flat Rock, NC. Someone in the family suggested, "What about going over to the Carl Sandburg home while we're here?" Mmmmmmmm, high 70s, lightly blowing breezes, blue skies, fresh spring greenness everywhere. Yes, yes, yes, let's take a little detour to Carl Sandburg's.What a gift he gave the public by allowing his beautiful property (346 acres!!) and home to be open at no charge to the community.
We wended our way over bridges,
along lush fields bordered by wire fences and peeling wooden gates still swinging on their 50 year-old hinges,
and around the vegetable garden with its comical, lopsided scarecrow.
But these were just sidelights to the true goal of the walk . . . the goat barn! The newborn goats that we knew we'd find at the end of the trail.
And find them we did. Soft caramel and cream Nubians. Wiry cocoa brown Alpines. All about a week old. The children and their cousins crowded around . . . 7 children jostling for the rubbing of silky ears, the stroking of warm, soft muzzles, the tickling of sunshine-soaked flanks.
In a flash, the goat babies had new names, had been claimed by respective children picking "their" goat, and plans were in the making for taking them home. "Mom, please can we have one of them. It could live in our yard."
As we left, we strolled past the females in their pasture and the males behind their fence. Hmmm, yes, goats grow up. Not so cute now. A little malodorous, a little too large, a little too bossy and aggressive.
No, please, no goats in our yard. But we'll be up again next year to walk to Carl Sandburg's barn and love on the spring babies.
I was about to request my own goat until I got to the very end. Guess I won't have one chewing on my grass. But, oh, they're soooo cute!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Shelley, clicking in from another blog (you know how that goes.) Love these pictures. This is exactly the kind of places I love to visit. Those goats are just too cute. I'm a "closet" goat lover. My girls give me a hard time about it.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great day. Glad you made the detour.
♥
Joy
We love the Sandburg place and visit regularly. If you head up our way again, let us know and maybe we can join you.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know baby goats are there now - we'll have to make the journey soon.
Did you know - we used to be goat farmers, of a sort? We had 18 goats in Virginia! :-)
I have never been to Mr. Sandburg's beautiful place. It looks like a trip that would be great to make.
ReplyDeleteAre baby goats the cutest or what? My cousin has goats and we always love to go look at and play with the little ones. The big ones... not so much. Not only are they a little smelly, they are not very friendly, either.