Birthdays and Baby Goats.

I was planning this really nice, introspective blog post about new things, new beginnings and new ideas. Fitting for it being my birthday and me having the most spring-like birthday I've ever had, as well as signifying the absolute most change in my person and situation since last year. But, this blog post is a little late for that, and a handful of goats re-routed my train of thought. Yes, literally, a handful of goats.

Thus begins the most ridiculous and awesome birthday I've ever had.

Frigg and Early, born April 8

On Sunday, I got a call from Tor. He was out of town for Easter, frantically on his way back. Apparently, goat Freya had triplets, found by the folks who own the property Tor keeps the goats on. He called me up to see if I could go out and hang out with them until he got into town. The babies were about a week early, and Freya rejected the smallest one. It was graciously taken inside, where goat colostrum and bottles were found from neighbors. While things weren't looking too good for the littliest baby, the others were healthy - clumsily rambling around while I attempted to herd them together with Freya and 'protect' them from the neighboring cat. Nothing like standing on a hillside on the eve of your birthday with newborn goat bleets to make you introspective on your last year. I talked with Cristina on the phone during a good portion of this standing-waiting evening, in which she said several times (and I had to agree) ... I can't believe you're in Iowa!

Pancake and Tikka, born April 9

For my birthday the next day, I  had purchased tickets in advance and planned to go see Fun. in Iowa City with Tor and another friend. There was some question as to the feasibility now that Tor had baby goats to care for. Steffen said he could feed the littlest one while we went to the concert, and despite the chaotic morning we were all set to go. That is, until fifteen minutes before a late leaving time - Tor checked on the goats and goat Terra was now having kids. Tor hadn't realized she had been bred at the same time as Freya, so this was a certain surprise. As it was too late to round up anybody else, the concert was no longer an option. In a weird way, I felt that the universe just did not want the concert to be - it could have worked out, but everything happened in such a way that it didn't. Nevertheless, now without a concert to go to I invited coworkers and friends to my house for an impromptu birthday party that night, and I left work early to play with the baby goats. Tor let me name them given the shared birth date. The boy is named Tikka (the boys won't be kept, so what's more delicious then tikka masala with goat meat?) and the girl Pancake (or Pan for short). They were adorable, much bigger than the triplets, and so very special to hold.

After we forced Terra to fed her baby goats, I headed to my place for a really nice evening. Quite a few people came over and brought all sorts of delicious foods, and my new roommate surprised me with a beautiful chocolate cake with raspberry topping, decorated with violets and candles! It was really quite lovely, and I enjoyed spending time with my friends and eating good food. What made this party even more fantastic was the presence of the littlest baby goat. As it survived the first night, it still needed to be fed every few hours and wanted to be held for warmth.So, it came to my party. Who else has baby goats at their party?

Willow in my apartment

I've been keeping the baby goat with me during the nights this week as Tor has been sick, and it's really fantastic and hilarious at the same time. Baby goats don't belong in houses, and tend to look quite out of place. Bailey doesn't know what to do with the baby goat since it smells funny and plays differently. But helping care for this goat has been a really great experience, and the whole goat ordeal definitely made this a birthday for the books.

And not only did I get all kinds of goat experiences for my birthday, but everyone was so nice to me - I got cards from various people, all sorts of flowers, cakes, and even whiskey in the mail from Natalie! I ended the day feeling very blessed and lucky to not only have been able to help with baby goats (and play such a role in their lives), but also to have so many people that care about me. It's a warm-fuzzy kind of feeling that I've been riding off of this whole week - baby goats and birthday love.

That's an epic kind of birthday.

Birthday goats :D