Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Saddest Day of the Year

Every year we mark our calendar for the saddest day of the year. It came two days ago. After struggling mightily through several milkless days and exhausting the Christmas Starbucks gift cards, the farmer finally bought a quart of milk at the store.

Cow milk of course. Awful stuff. Just awful. I pity the calf who would even consider drinking it.

That brings us to the kidding countdown: the farmer's special pet Wronny, the world's most perfect milker according to the farmer, even though she has come in last place at every show she has ever been to, unlike my family, which always brings home scads of ribbons, most of them blue, but anyway we can't all be beautiful, will be the first to kid.

The fabulous last place ("I prefer to think of it as fifth place," the farmer insisted this year after the fair, since only four other goats showed up in Wronny's class) Wronny is scheduled to kid on April 3rd. She has never had a buck kid so we are laying odds on that, and even though she has always had twins, I am going to go out on a limb and bet she has triplets.

And speaking of long odds, the farmer has vowed to keep showing Wronny until she doesn't come in last. Then she will retire in a blaze of mediocrity.

So the world will be waiting with bated breath for that wonderful day when Wronny comes in next to last. Personally, I would take the Cubs in four games in the World Series first.

6 comments :

Anonymous said...

Grocery story cow's milk?? The stuff in the big, white, plastic jug?? Uuuuggghhh! That really is sad! Especially at a goat dairy, for heaven's sakes. What's wrong with all you girls out there??
Things just haven't been the same, since I left...Sigh!

Marigold said...

Oh. My. GOAT! No more scones??? Woe is me.

Anonymous said...

I'm still shuddering at the thought, although they have to buy that awful stuff around here too sometimes because I think the Farmer stopped bringing us any because you girls arn't putting out enough!!
Milk, I mean! :)

Anonymous said...

Bated? Bill Gates's thesaurus doesn't even know what that is. Pitch the OED and run with the younger herd. Everyone knows the word is "baited".

goatfarmer said...

Dear Anonymous, how lovely to hear from you again! How convenient it must be for you to know everything! No need for a dictionary! No money wasted on spelling classes! How everyone must admire you!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bated

Anonymous said...

Ok, I'll settle this once and for all...after all, I was an English major at the very proper and prestigious school for Goats!! And, everyone knows where THAT is!
The proper use of the word Bated here is, well Bated, not Bait...isn't that something they put on the end of a hook?
"Bait is sometimes used improperly for bate in the phrase bated breath" Webster's II New College Dictionary"
Sorry Anonymous!