Gus

On the Farm . . . what's happening this week in words and pictures.

This week we put a lot more seeds in the ground - more green beans, more peas, more beets, more spinach, more lettuce, etc. The tomatoes are crowding our little greenhouse as we impatiently wait a few more days for warmer temperatures before moving them to the field.

Saturday we attended the Spring Green Farmers Market Opening & Farm Day. There was a good turn-out despite on and off rain. Along with the produce, bodycare and flowers we were selling, we took three of our baby goats, Gus & Lily (brother and sister) and Johnny English (named after a goofy movie the kids and Bill like.) The goat kids weren't excited about the rain but appreciated the extra attention they received. It was a nice day, and it felt good to be back at market.

Several of my sisters and their families and my mom had come for the market and stayed at our place for the weekend to help us on the farm. Early Sunday morning Liam, Aidan and Marlee took their 2 year old cousin, Henrich, out to the goat pasture. There they discovered Gus had had an unfortunate accident probably not long before. He slid his head down into the V-shape of a rotted off tree that was situated along the side of a bank. Once his neck was in the bottom of the V, he apparently couldn't lift it straight back up to get out. He must have panicked and either jumped or slipped off the bank. His feet didn't touch anymore, and he died.

Liam gently removed him from the tree, and they carried him back to find us. Everyone was shocked and sad. It seemed like it couldn't have really happened. Such a freak occurrence. Gus was a personable, curious, cute goat - it didn't make sense.

It is a lesson that we experience on our farm more than we care to. Even though we do our best to prevent it, it happens. All around us this spring are signs of new life; baby birds in the nest, vegetable seeds germinating, fragrant lilacs blooming and still . . . Gus died.

It is hard to understand, and yet it is what it is. We go along being nice people, doing our best at our jobs, caring for others, mowing our lawns and then . . . we are reminded that some things are out of our control. Life ends even when we aren't ready for it to.

We spent some time remembering Gus and his silliness - how he had touched each of us and how he had enjoyed his short life. It was also a time to reflect on how we carry ourselves while we experience our limited, yet nonetheless meaningful lives.

We slowly moved on to the day's tasks - feeding chickens, gathering eggs, planting seeds - all the while treasuring our time together.