I went to the Clay Center Livestock sale last night (June 29th) to take the last wether I had here to sell. While there waiting for the sale to begin, I walked around looking at the goats that were already in and being unloaded. You will never guess what I saw!!
Over in one pen there were several Boer/ Nubian cross does. One looked just like RUSTY--You can imagine my shock and even delight. There was only one problem--I had left most of my money and my check book at home. Didn't have any money or very little in my checking account once I paid bills out of my SS check. Anyway, I was talking to some other goat producers standing around looking at the same goats and some Boer goats and kids in the pen next to them. Nice looking goats they were too, and mentioned how the red one looked like Rusty that I had lost in the barn fire two years ago, but that I didn't have the money to get her with. Said I had been looking for one like that color since the fire and had never found one til now. Up steps this old gentleman that I had seen there before and over at Herrington many times, and he tells me that If I want her to go ahead and get her. He would pay for her and then I could pay him back. I almost cried. I didn't even know his name, but he knew who I was. I told him that I couldn't do that, but he said he had the check book and all I had to do was get a number and try to buy her. I finally told him that I wouldn't go too high on her, but I knew in my heart, that I really wanted her. I told the gentleman who had offered to pay for the red doe that I was sorry I had gotten 3 goats instead of only one. He just looked at me, and says not to worry about it. She's wild just like Rusty was when I first got her, as well as the two other little gals that I inadvertantly bought as well. The other two does--one is dark brown with grey spots, and the other one is a dark chocolate brown. Now don't laugh at me. I had only intended to get her, but they sent 3 of them through the ring at the same time, and when I had made the final bid, out the door they went, before I could tell Lynn that I only wanted one goat and not all three. So I have 3 new goats here--all disbudded, and could be bred as they have been running with the buck.
Here's the KICKER--I didn't have Nary a rope let alone a collar with me to put on these gals so I could get them home in the back of the van--60 miles away!! In comes another gal I had met a couple of months ago who was up there selling her pygmy goats. Turns out Laura had a can of collars in her truck and told me I could have 3 to put on the goats. I told her I would send them back, but she said "No", they are DOLLAR GENERAL store collars and to keep them. Well, I have the collars, but no rope to tie them with in the back of the van. Off I go to the office to see if they might have any Baling Twine around. The gal in there tells me to go talk to one of the guys out back at the loading chute as they might have some out there. Sure enough, one of the older guys tells me there should be some in one of the stock tanks up at one of the other loading chutes. Now I am thinking to myself, that if there isn't any baling twine, what in the Hell am I going to do so I can get these gals home?? Fortunately, this seemed to be my night for "small miracles" as there was some heavy orange baling twine in the stock tank. I grabbed it and headed back to the van.
Laura was still there with the two sons of a friend of hers who were at the farm helping out for the summer. We (the two boys and I) headed back to the holding pens where the 3 girls were. We had to wrestle them to get the collars on and adjusted so they couldn't slip the collars off. We also laughed our fool heads off at these three goats trying to get away from us in a tiny 4'x4' pen.
Needless to say, it was a fun evening. Two of the guys from the auction helped me load them and tie them in so I could get under way. I got home around 9 PM, but knew I was going to need help unloading them at the barn and getting them into one of the small pens at the barn--I don't have a loading chute. Anyway, I stopped by the house to ask my husband if he would come out and help me unload some goats. He looked at me like I had lost my mind--more goats?? I told him about the one that looked like Rusty and he came out to the barn to hold the other two in as I unloaded the first one. Eventually, I got them all unloaded, but he let the last one go with the baling twine still attached to the dollar after I cut it loose from the seat belt straps in the back. I did manage to get her into the pen and decided taking the baling twine off would have to wait til this morning to get it off the collar.
Anyway that is how I wound up with 3 new goats instead of one. I paid $ 180.00 for the 3 of them. If they are indeed bred, I will have gotten some bonus kids out of the deal. Let's hope they all 3 settle down, and the reddish color one--I will be calling her ESTHER (see RUSTY'S TRIBUTE to learn more about ESTHER)--will be as good as Rusty once was. Only time will tell...
