We have had happy days and sad days at the farm, but usually they don't come so close together. This time they did.
Our friend Stacy kidded on Thursday, February 16 with a set of beautiful triplets, two girls and a boy. Stacy had never had even a single girl before, so we were very excited to see two, and both -- all three of the babies, actually -- were exceptionally pretty.
But it was a very very cold day, about the coldest day we have ever had here, and Stacy had a very hard kidding. In the end she couldn't push the kids out, and the farmer had to go in and pull them.
Stacy did not recover as she should have after having her babies, and despite showing how big her heart was with a heroic effort, she died three days later.
There are smarter goats here than Stacy, and there are prettier goats, and there are better milkers. But there isn't anyone sweeter: Stacy was the queen of the down-below pasture, and she was by far the kindest, gentlest leader at the farm. She never bullied smaller goats, and she always made room at the feeder for her friend Stevie, a tiny Nigerian who only has one eye.
On a warm summer's day, all the down-below girls loved to doze in a big pile, with Stacy at the center as their giant pillow. Stevie and Penrose the nutty Toggenburg stood at the fence and watched as Stacy was buried under the apple trees.
Stacy's three kids are Stacy's Starlight (Lolo), Stacy's Starbright (Betsy) and Stacy's Moonbeam (Moony).
Stacy was four years old.
5/13/2001-2/19/2006.
