The Great Goat Toilet Paper Scheme

“How many rolls did you get?” Ollie asked Opie as I entered the barn.

“Five,” said Opie.

Earnest the pig wandered by.

“There is no reason for you to be hoarding toilet paper. You do not require supplemental supplies to poop or piddle, toilet paper is for humans because they are bathroom challenged,” said Earnest.

At this point, I had to step into the conversation.

“Where are you getting this toilet paper?” I asked. “I can’t even find a roll at the store this week.”

“We made a deal with the dog down the street, he brings it to us from the house and we give him a bucket of chicken scratch per roll,” said Ollie.

“But you don’t need toilet paper,” I said.

“I know,” said Ollie, “I can poop and walk and talk all at the same time without it.”

“Ollie heard on the news that if you don’t have at least one roll of toilet paper per day the virus finds out and kills you,” said Henneth the blind chicken.

“Where did you hear the news?” I asked.

“The llama gets WiFi off his ears,” said Earnest.

“You are the victims of misinformation. The virus is not prone to detecting who has or doesn’t have toilet paper. Secondly, you do not need toilet paper. Thirdly, the virus infects humans not little goats or llamas or...” I continued….

“...or bees? Do the bees get the virus?” asked Opie, very concerned.

“I do not believe so,” I assured him.

“March right back to that dog and give the toilet paper back,” I said.

“We did not steal, it was a gift of the dog!” said Ollie, quite upset.

Just then one of the Secret Sisters, the hens of the farm, came rushing out, breathless from excitement.

“I would like a roll of toilet paper! My undergarments often get white cling ons, it is a real problem and so unsightly!”

“It’s true,” said Earnest, “Very undignified.”

“OK, I’ll allow one roll of toilet paper to be left in the barn. But it has to last a long time,” I said.
How many rolls have you taken from that dog?” I asked.

“Sixteen,” said Ollie.

“It’s double ply too,” said Opie.

Opie was named after the little boy in Andy Griffith. As I began to speak, I channeled Andy,

“Now, Opie, you need to do the right thing. People need that toilet paper,” and I walked back to the house.

The next morning, I heard a rukus in the front yard by the road–usually off limits to the animals. A line of cars had pulled in and Opie and Ollie were tossing rolls of toilet paper into their cars.

Soon after, I heard the familiar little hoof steps at the door, and then a knock. There before me was
Opie and he handed me a bucket of money.

“I made $450.00 on the toilet paper,” he said. And he ran off to be with Ollie.

I’ll have to talk to him about price gouging.

Opie and Ollie and the balloon

Today is Ollie's first birthday. There was an earnest discussion going on when I got outside this morning to do chores. I try to stay out of their personal conversations, but...it appears that Opie gave Ollie a balloon. By the time I wandered in, this was what I heard:

"I saved it for you, from my first birthday last year," said Opie.

"What do I do with a balloon?" asked Ollie.

"Not much," said Opie.

"Can I fly away on it?" asked Ollie.

"I don't know, maybe," said Opie.

Ollie sat on the balloon. It popped, and let out air and squirted and flitted around before there eyes.

"That was delightful," said Ollie, and he ran off.

Opie sat down, holding the remnants of his balloon.

"I have to ask, Opie, where did you keep your balloon safe this entire year?" I asked.

"In the hayloft, under the third beam by the north window where I play sometimes," he said.

"Hmmm, what do you play?" I asked.

"I make card houses," he said. He let out a long sigh. "My balloon is dead," he said.

"But Opie, it made you happy when I gave it to you, and it made Ollie happy when you gave it to him, and it went out flying-that's a good life for a balloon," I assured him.

Opie ran back to the barn. The goose followed him, saying, "All things must pass."
No photo description available.

Ollie, the resident goofball

This guy brings me such joy. Ollie is truly the goofiest fellow in the barnyard, and full of love. I have not had him out on a therapy visit yet. He does great here at the farm. I need to have a second set of hands to do that. So I'm working on finding people that are good fits to help me. All in good time. I don't seem to be in a rush anymore. I think I get to choose my speed. I feel like I rushed a lot in the past years, sometimes out of necessity, or because my work was more deadline driven, and I am entering this new slowed down version of myself. It's nice.

So, Ollie, don't worry-we will find ways to share you more on the road of love.

Now what? The ongoing thought process of one woman and two goats ambassadors of love

I took this photo today, spontaneously, as I walked in the front gate after doing errands. There they were, just set up for a perfect moment caught forever by a photo.

Sometimes things evolve so fast that I have to stop and take stock of what was and what will be-or what I want it to be. I am after all the co-pilot of this raggedy ship. I've been doing a lot of thinking about how I want to grow our ability to share our love ambassadors. When I looked at these two, and then the photos after I got in the house, I got this big feeling in my throat, like my heart shifted up to my throat but then it fluttered all around my body and then burst out into the room where I sat.

Somehow, I stumbled on Opie and then I stumbled on Ollie, or someone stumbled on me to send me Ollie. Was it all written out on a map of my soul long ago before I was a human vessel? As I drove to the feed store this afternoon, I was again in awe of how beautiful the autumn was this year. And then I realized I was beginning to know certain areas more on my routine drive, I knew the coves and bays more and it felt familiar, it did not feel like we just got here and were fish out of water [even though we always felt good here]. I thought of the couple of friends I've intertwined in my life now who are loving, funny, positive creatures and I'm thinking as I drive-I'm here, this is so the way it is supposed to have played out.

I feel like I'm on a nice speed–propelling forward with my work, and life.

Opie will be turning two in December. Look how little he was! Meanwhile, Ollie is growing like a weed and continues to be a lover not a fighter. We need more lovers, don't we?

Yesterday I went and visited a very beautiful elder residence, with beautiful views of New Harbor, right on the water. I will be taking the animals there after the holidays for regular visits. The residents there have come here twice and I'm so excited to have yet another nearby place to visit. Remember the wonderful 101 year old gent that came to Misfit Love Day? He lives there.

Tomorrow we will have the residents of some of The Greens come for a farm visit. I'm glad. I love my "Greenies" as I call them - The Greens is a group of seven homes, in small little vintage houses in different village settings, where 6-8 elders reside. And next week, I'm visiting one of The Greens I have not been too that we've been given the go-ahead to have animal visits at, and residents from the other homes can come on designated visit days. Part of the reason this is happening, besides my interest, is the help of one of the Greens employees [thank you, Cindy!} and a local man who now can drive the residents. This is so wonderful and he's great with the people too. It's very hard for the elder homes to get people places, due to staffing issues.

So one of my big goals is to develop these winter visits.

My other ideas are to start drawing days in the upper loft, which we plan to winterize and summarize -hoping to do that this winter. The elder cat suite will be opened up so the elder cats can walk around up there too. Elder people won't be able to get up there, it is a lot of steps. So I'm a bit frustrated on not having a place here for elder people for winter. But maybe it is meant to be that I find these other places for winter animal therapy visits?

I still would love a little winterized shed for animal visits-but the logistics of keeping the snow plowed around it, safe for elders-it's the little details I need to figure out.

Meanwhile, Opie and Ollie, are ready to report to duty as soon as I say, "Let's go!"

Opie on arrival back in December 2016