Time Wasters

I have such a good story for the next post. I wrote it three nights ago on my tiny iPhone keypad, using one finger... But since I'd pre-loaded the baby duck photo, the giraffe video and the picture below, that story had to wait its turn. So please check back in a day or so! In the mean time, this post is part of the continuing series of Adventures that occurred on our honeymoon. By virtue of spending 3 wks in New Zealand and an additional week (too short) in Australia, I collected a plethora of adventures in nature, ranging from the usual to the outrageous and extreme.

Today's mention fits into the category of the former, though having never spent time with goats, let alone ones names Ringo and Lilly, I personally found nothing usual about it!

This is on the rolling 40 acre homestead of my friends who moved from LA about 6 years before, to live out their dream of a simple, good life. They found this land with a house they've since rennovated - mostly with their own hands. While these two goats are theirs and they hope to have more animals, for now they lease out much of it for sheep to graze (a great way to mow and fertilize the land while bringing in a bit of cash). They mulch, they built and grow most of their own fruits and vegetables and make most of their own furniture. He's a volunteer fireman and edits arthouse movie trailers, she started a theater co., helped wheelchair bound kids experience freedom by learning to ride horses, writes,sews and goes into nearby Auckland to see plays. They're great cooks and have made lots of friends to keep them busy, as if the things I've listed aren't enough!

All of this is to explain the title of this post. These goats are so amusing that my friends feel they spend far too much time being distracted from their many chores by them. Hence their nickname -- time wasters! They come right over to you at the fence like this and won't let you go. They want treats, pats on the head, their ears scratched. That's Ringo in the foreground with a look that says, " Drop the camera and give me BETTER attention!" I admit it took a little getting used to their eyes- the pupils are horizontal rather than vertical, which gives off a kind of alien vibe.

They are leash trained so they can come out of their pen to enjoy long walks. Perhaps the funniest part is when they may wantto go faster or stray off the path and told no. They express themselves by delivering a nice little headbutt to the behind of whomever's holding that leash. Once our friends finally free themselves from these two hooligans and indeed get back to work Lilly and Ringo can be seen settling in atop the tin roof of their shelter (as goats love to climb) perhaps to keep an eye on their masters, or better yet, coerce them into coming back.

Though I have much yet to write on our adventures in New Zealand, there are a few others to be found under that label on the right of this page

A Moment for Giraffe Appreciation

I loaded a few things before I left so I could post them while away if I could get to a computer. I took a little video of this one year old baby girl last weekend while I took my friends and their kids to a special feeding. There's no great story behind it, just my way of inviting you to join me in my appreciation of these sweet beasts. There is one point she raises her head and my camera tilts way up... Reminds you how tall she is and how much taller she's destined to be-- her daddy's almost 18 feet high!

Fuzzy Wuzzy

A lone baby duckling was turned in to the wildlife rehab the other day. This one was as fuzzy to the touch as it looks.

I wish you could have seen his little feet. The top half were burnt orange and the bottom half -- closest to his legs -- was a nice mahogany brown, just like his fuzzy head. I have no idea what kind of duck he'll grow up to be.

I've never held a baby duck before. But he was relaxed and settled quickly into my palm. I would have loved to hold him for longer, as he has no mother or brothers and sisters for company or, more importantly, to keep him warm. But though it's a privilege to be able to get this close to wild animals, if we really care about them getting a chance to live the life they were born for, it's best to not "imprint" our human selves on them. Though we mean well, they risk becoming too tame to go back and live where they can be free. I only took him out to clean his tank. After this 5 second picture, I put him back in, among the large water bowl and soft clean tee shirt I tenderly prepared for him, with a bit of chick feed sprinkled on one part of the ground. Later I balled up a thick piece of fleece and put that in with him too, hoping it might seem a little like a nice, cozy brother.

What's best for this little one is to be with other ducklings, to learn by watching them how to be a duck. It's a little tricky for babies born this late in the season. Most others are several weeks older, but if there is this one, there are others on some kind rehabber's land somewhere and I'm sure next time I go back, I will hear that he's gone somewhere to grow big, handsome and strong.