Piano lessons

Typical Saturday activities around the farm include chicken and fox parades in the back yard, dehorning calves, a good goat wrangle, and of course, piano lessons.

I only allow one animal disaster per day, and we honestly haven't had one in a good long while, so I should have know one was coming.

Piano teacher was on her way to leaving, lesson completed. Heidi was trying to put the goats back in the pasture since they apparently had gotten out when they heard her latest rendition of a C scale. Scrappy goes back on in no problem. Sweet Grass, however, always has a problem with everything. Heidi fetched a bowl of feed. Heidi ordered brother to fetch the rope. Well, it is actually several ropes and a chain all hooked up together. The rope/chain was tied around Sweet Grass' neck in a series of farm-kid knots that later proved to be very difficult to untie. Note to self: the most important aspect to tying knots is knowing you will be able to untie them when the time comes.

With the knots in place, Heidi was able to lead Sweet Grass back to the series of gates that we have which allow the other crazies to stay in the pasture while you put the rebellious one in. Heidi had some problems at this point, which involved a lot of yelling, spanking, and clenched fists. I tried to help, really I did. I got a gate shut that needed shutting. Then, the piano teacher, who hadn't left yet but stayed on observing our Saturday afternoon romp, offered her assistance.

She climbed in, grabbed the goat by the horns, pulled and tugged and shoved, and then proceeded to attempt to untie all the knots...all while trying to keep the goat where he wouldn't escape back out again. Seriously folks, this was intense.

Me: "Be careful. He's not the friendliest."
Her: "That's OK. Neither am I."

Knots were untied. Goat locked up. Goodbyes (and THANK YOUs)said. And lesson(s) learned.


This photo was taken many moons ago, probably May 2009. I don't take many photos of the goats so this was the only one I could find of Heidi and Sweet Grass. And that's Tony of course, Sweetums' part-time-lover.