Out for a Sunday Stroll…
This new year kicks off a new Frizztext Alphabet Challenge, and my personal challenge is to use Spanish words each week. Although ‘ceviche’ popped to the front of my mental list, I realized that my number-one garden pest also starts with a C.
“Shhhh! Look! The Gringita is going to town! There’s an all-you-can-eat buffet at her house!”
Chivos! Cabras! The locals in Ecuador call them, Chivatos, but I call them “Damned Goats!” I am presently replacing an old bamboo fence with a new one to keep them out of the yard. Ecuadorians call bamboo, ‘Canya,’ so that’s one more C-word to share with you!
They strip the entire yard bare and gnaw the woody stems. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
They seem to have a network of spies that reports when I leave the house!
At times I catch them, and the chase begins… This morning we had a break in the rain, and I heard the bleat of a goat. I dashed to the window to see one small goat standing inside the gate. It quickly turned, squeezed back through and joined the others!
The funny part is, when they’re not around, I sort of miss them!
“Who? Me? She misses us? Wait! I’ll go get the others!”
So that’s my word for the day, and the reason I continue improving the canya fence! See Frizztext’s post HERE for great illustrations for C.
…She loves us, she loves us not. She loves us, she loves us not…
Z
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
Especially love your opening shot!
thanks! that goat’s eye glowed with the sunlight.
What cuties. In Mexico we love to eat “cabrito”, or baby goat! Barbecued 🙂
Just sayin’
i’ve been threatening to have a huge goat roast! the last time they slepped around the edge of the rocks on the riverbank, and they stripped the yard. nibbled a starfruit tree to a one-inch high nub.
(damned goats!) perdon! z
z
Is that where the term cabrones comes from? 😉
JA! we need an espanol specialist to set us straight on that one!
How wonderful, your post and photographs, not the problem itself, Still enjoyed your story, I think you would miss them too, as irritating as they are my friend!:)
sometimes i see them when i am walking to town, and we have this one-way conversation.. it starts like this, “Don’t EVEN think of raiding my yard!…… Understand?….”
You know I can almost see the look in your eyes as you’re saying that! You know the “Evil Eye” look! lol
That really gets my goat .. hehe, sorry couldn’t resist.
ha! thanks for the unexpected chuckle! have a great day! z
Canya, if you said that to an Aussie he would say,”Can ya’?” think then add “Yes I can.” Goats are beautiful pity they are so invasive. I like the “who me.” photo best
thanks! that’s funny! yes i can!
yes, the goats are unique animals – i can usually hear – or smell – them before they arrive!
thanks for the sweet comment to bob as well! z
Oh dear, what rascals. But so cute and they know they are photogenic too.
yes, they are! ‘Rascals’ is a great name for them! thanks for he smiles! z
http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/court-victory-for-goat-caught-eating-flowers/2ixuvdw4?from=
You may be able to watch this. Goats get their own way always it would seem. 🙂
that’s crazy! i love the hat on the goat, and the video rolled to the ‘goat that thinks its a chicken..’
thanks!
C is for Chase too; they seem to like a game of chase.
ja! that’s a good one! thanks! z
Love the photos! :). I am redoing my website but I am stuck when it comes to colors. Then it hit me, look at Lisa’s blog and get inspired… :). Thank you, my friend //Marianne
ha! the straight-down ran has fallen all night, and it’s abut half an hour before sunrise. how great it was to awaken and:
1. have power
2. have internet
3. find this refreshing comment!
thank you so much, amiga!
z
That is a lot of goats! Are these just wild wanderers? I wish you luck with your canya fortification campaign, Lisa!
BTW, Next after geese I do love goats. Something else we raised as a child. I am hoping to have a few of my own in the coming year. They will be Fainting Goats from Tennessee, and they do not jump fences to eat gardens and jump on the neighbor’s cars… 😉
thanks, lynda! yes, the goats and i have a bitter-sweet relationship. as long as they’ve not stripped the yard, i enjoy going out and ‘saluting’ them as they pass by the house. they have a home and return there each evening, but they have ‘free range’ in this little shrimp-farming valley! at the end of the dry season, they venture a long way from home each day. with the very-wet january we’re having, they should have ample grass closer to home really soon!
the little ones are so precious! it will be fun to see images of your ‘Fainting Goats’ and learn more about them!
z
“number-one garden pest also starts with a C” – I’m amused by your free living curious goats – imagine: better than strolling elephants or bears!
hi Lisa,
you inspired me to write about “Animals Strolling Around” – scheduled for Sunday with a link to YOU!
oh how fun!!! thanks, i look forward to whatever you create! z
I’m fascinated by your strolling goats!
+
i loved your latest post! that horse is quite intelligent!
Are these goats wild or just domestic goats that the owners don’t fence in? Fascinating — and lovely. I can understand your ambivalence.
they have a ‘home’ where they return each evening, thought they have have a wide free area where they graze each day! they find their way to my area at the end of the dry season when vegetation is scarce. ah, my yard surely beckons like an oasis! i truly can’t blame them for sometimes breaking through a weak area of the fence. i would too if i were hungry!
we’re receiving lots of rain – all yesterday, through the night and nonstop this morning. the goats will soon have all they can eat much closer to their home!
thanks for your empathy!
z
Beautiful images! So they love outside with big red huh?
ha! but of course! they do much more damage than big red, as well!
I bet they do!!
You have the goats and we have the deer! My hydrangea are no more thanks to the deer! I need to replace these plants with something that has a definite odor. They do not like anything with an odor, like rosemary and lavender. Can you grow those plants there, and would the goats devour these too? Hugs – B
rosemary grows here, and it would look lovely in the border. i’ve not seen lavender, though it might be in the andes as well.
i considered putting hot sauce in the bucket of water and standing back to see what happened! now that it’s raining they won’t be so quick to raid the yard or back-up bucket of water!
I love, love, love that first photo but am sure they can be quite destructive.
Hi Lisa! Veo que ya publicaste la entrada de los chivos, sorry I couldn’t answer you before. Locals often call “chivito” to the calves, but they are really “terneros”.
Your post is fine, these are “chivos” or “chivatos”, the main ingredient for the delicious “seco de chivo” mmmm… maybe you could learn how to prepare it, that may keep them away… 😉
you and your family should drive over one day and help me catch a few! now THAT would be funny!
That would be very nice! maybe in a few weeks we can go to Jama. I let you know… but.. I don’t think we can catch them, they look serious.
it woujld be great if all of you could spend the day here! it’s been raining like crazy, though. it’s been nonstop for about 36 hours and is coming down hard right now.
i have an appointment w/immigration on the 29th.. i think that’s next tuesday.. it’s time for a road trip!
That’s exactly what makes me think in the posibility. I’d love walking in Jama beach on a sunny day. Ojalá en febrero…
ps.. and thanks for clarifying the different words for the goats!
Hilarious – those last pictures, with the single and then the many – priceless.
thanks! i have lots of photos of those ‘darling’ goats!
I had some goat friends as a child (white ones), and I still miss them. Not less after this story.
how sweet! yes, goats are special – unless they destroy the entire yard! i can’t reallly blame them for trying when they’re hungry for green vegetation, but do they have to chew the bark from the trees as well?!!! ja! z
very destructive but they sure are cute 🙂
it would be horrid if they found their way into your gardens! yow! miss mary would be preparing goat stew for the entire village!
how’s the weather there? we’re on about hour 36 of almost nonstop rain. i’d guess we’ve had four or five inches in 24 hours.
Love your pics of the naughty tykes. Not your usual garden pests. At least they allowed you take their pics. 🙂
taking their photos is quite funny… they know they have to go past me, so they slow down as they ponder their choices, then usually speed up and dash through as fast as possible!
😆
I love goats and sheep, but their eyes…I don’t know. Wonderful firts shot!
thanks! yes, their eyes are sometimes all but surreal! i like that first one, with the glowing eyes, as well!
More words for my dictionary 🙂
Damn those chivatos!
Great post. (And, sorry, funny)
ha HA! you make me laugh! z
What a pleasant walk you had, z! Love the photo by the water.
thanks! it’s a muddy walk this week! we received about four inches of rain in 24 hours! it’s stopped now, thank goodness!
Thanks for teaching me some new words too. Hopefully I won’t need them much but you never know what you will see around here :o)
Your pictures are so fun!
I’ve only eaten goat once or twice and would never buy it myself to cook but I can happily eat a piece of lamb. Why?
hey rosie! that’s funny; i’m not sure ‘why'[ but we humans are funny that way. in fact, one would think we’d be more sensitive about not wanting to kill a soft pudgy lamb yet have no qualms about killing an scruffy goat! i’m reaching that point of being sensitive about killing any animal – i never thought i’d be that way, but i am.
if i happen to see that the goats have stripped my yard of all foliage again, i’ll quickly lose that sensitivity again!
🙂 thanks! lisa/z
Oh, this post is a hoot! We used to have goats in the Ozark Mountains. But, when they climbed up on our car and truck and left little hoof marks embedded in the metal, it was time for a goat roast! Good luck with the ‘damn goats’. They are so darn cute though! 🙂
ha! wow, i’ll bet that your goat might have been ‘authentic ozark’ kind of goat! the ozarks are so beautiful!
we’ve had a lot of rain (more like september in central america) so the grass will be greener closer to their home base, and hopefully they won’t be visiting for another eight or so months!
thanks! z
Love the goat parade…a love.. hate relationship. We even had electric fences and some would defy that. Those are the ones that got sold.It’s hard to deal with someone else’s goats who have free range. Damn cute goats!!
Love the pictures! Im calling the big goat in the first picture, the Justin Bieber of goats due to his awesome hairdo! Could we borrow a few of them to cut our grass? We are using the neighbors cows but it seems that goats would do a better job. Also would love to be included in your blog roll, if you do that. http://atruetalltale.wordpress.com
hey! i’m glad you enjoyed the images of the goats! we have a bitter-sweet relationship for sure!
i would love to fill a bus with goats and send them in your direction! does coactur come through your area?!!!!
i will be happy to add your site to the blogroll! i’ve not updated in quite some time and was thinking a few days ago that i needed to do some housekeeping under the dashboard!
how’s life treating you? we’ve been receiving a LOT of rain, but i’ll bet you’re receiving more.
Love the goats. My dad used to raise one in our backyard growing up. It was a fun childhood memory. Have a great weekend my friend.
one goat sounds perfect! yes, i have fun childhood memories about goats too. they’re so unique! z
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Well, I’ve made it all the way through the comments and not a single person mentioned that “other” creature – the chupacabra! There were rumors around here a few months ago that one had been spotted out in the Davis mountains. Then, there was another report on a ranch near Uvalde. And from what I hear, they’re running loose in Puerto Rico! One good chupacabra as a guard animal ought to take care of your problem, pronto!
In the Texas hill country, you can spot the ranches that have penned goats. The tree canopies all are flat on the bottom, exactly at the height the goats can reach when they stretch their necks.
And of course there was the day the fellow gave me directions by saying, “Tell you what. Go on back down the road a piece, past the old Gibson place. Pass by the goat on the right and keep a-goin’. If you get to the substation, you’ve gone too far.”
Later, I found out why he made reference to the goat.
i love the directions – so was that a real goat or a stuffed goat?!!! the goat was fat, the pony was fat, and the dog looked happy! the landscape was nice and green!
i’ll have to ask my friends if there are any stories about chupacabras! i have one woman in particular i’ll ask – just to watch her reaction. she once asked me what religion i was, and i said, ‘protestant.’ she gasped! i’m not sure what the right answer should have been, but to her, a protestant was not the best answer!!!!
yes, one chupacabra would probably keep away all visitors!!!!
Fab shots, particularly the first. Look forward to improving my Spanish vocabulary 🙂
🙂 and now there’s D for desayuno. i’ll bet you’re familiar with that one! z
I laughed at the conversation the goats had about you off to town.:lol:
i rode with a friend to town on monday, and i saw the goats along the way.. i stuck my head out of the window and exclaimed, ‘Stay! Away! From! My! Yard!”
And what did they answer?
ha HA! you’re too funny!
Land-mines, Booby-traps, sniper-rifle.
http://insellos.wordpress.com/tag/zickig/
now that the rains have returned, and the grasses jumped from ‘none’ to a foot tall in a few weeks, i think the goats will stay close to their home base for another six months!
btw, you posted a great snake photo today! Z