Gigs and Poats

September 8, 2007

We have goats. Four of them. They are Purdy, Lucky, Sugar and Princess. We used to own over 20.Those were the days when we had 3 young men very involved in 4-H who attended many a goat show. Now those fellows are all grown and living away from home. So we kept just 4 goats for pets. Two weeks ago we noticed the pigs pasture getting a little sparse while the goat pasture was overgrown. So we combined the two species. I was only a little concerned that the pigs might push the goats around or the goats might head ram the pigs and damage our future bacon . That did happen a little on the first day, but after that the pecking order, I mean ramming order, was established and all went well.

What the goats hadn't eaten in the pasture the pigs dug up. Under those plants the pigs found grubs and worms and other great delights. When I brought scraps to the goats, the pigs ate the leftovers of those as well. They plowed through each others manure spreading out any parasites. What a symbiotic relationship ! (That was the only word I remember from 8th grade science , I was too busy making eyes at a basketball player named "Buzz" , which I think had something to do with his hair but may have had something to do with his mental state. It was 1971 after all.)

While watching them with grandson Wes, he called them "gigs and poats" Reminded me of the time my then 6 year old niece Jordan asked us all to come to Thansgiving dinner dressed as "pigrims and idiots." Funny, it wasn't all that hard coming up with an idiot costume.