Ciao Bella!

This is Bella and the new stump....

The goats got a new "toy" on Saturday and as you can see (beyond the old rotten stumps), it is simply enormous!
Some time during the summer, we had a pretty bad storm and an old, very large oak tree blew over. It had grown smack-dab on the property line between us and our neighbor, Mr. Richardson. Since the tree fell on his side of the property, he gleefully came around with his chain saw and began hacking away at the debris. I asked him if I might have part of the stump for my goats to climb on since their stumps had gotten old and rotten.
Last Saturday, Mr. Richardson drove his tractor over to deliver the stump....and it was quite an ordeal! The stump got picked up, dropped, dragged, pushed, shoved, flipped and manipulated until it was finally set in place. It took two hours, two tractors (the first tractor wouldn't fit through our gate, so he had to go back home to get a smaller one) and three people to wrangle that thang!
When all was said and done....well, the goats wouldn't even attempt to climb on it. Quite the disappointment for all of us who had made such a grand effort! They milled around to chew on the bark and give it a good sniff. And that was it. Gee, I thought they'd be swarming all over that dang stump! We finally had to bribe Sequoia and Bryce with treats to get them to climb on top, just so we could get some satisfaction out of the experience.
~~~
Today, Bella decided to give the stump her stamp of approval. She claimed it for herself and stood on it for a good part of the evening. Goats! They certainly work with their own agenda!
~~~
Bella is the youngest goat in my herd. Ken calls her a "firecracker" because she is very feisty and independent. She might be the smallest goat, but she runs the fastest, hollers the loudest, wiggles the most during shearing time, and generally stands up to any kind of challenge. She has dragged me across the dirt and teased the dog unmercifully. She has an under-bite, she's pigeon-toed, and she's built like a little tank. She can make me laugh by running around and hopping sideways at the same time.
Bella is simply a delight.
Thank you, Bella, for making my day!