Tag Archives: farmer

LIVE IN THE PRESENT, LEARN FROM THE PAST

I moved to the city ten days ago. I grew up in rural North Carolina on a farm. My father grew soybeans, corn, and, my favorite sweet potatoes. He made a good living, but it was back-breaking work. We all helped out when it was time to harvest the crops. I made a promise to myself that when I graduated from high school, I was going to move to the city up North.

18th Century farm

And I kept that promise to myself. Halfway through my senior year in high school, I started surfing the web job market in the Philadelphia area. Luckily, I had taken as many courses in high school and some night adult classes to prepare me for office work. I spent the months before graduation sending out resumes to companies that I researched on Google. I didn’t get any responses for the first couple of weeks, and I began to get a little nervous. I was just about to give up when I received a text and then an email from Colonia Pennsylvania Preservation in Newton Square. It turned out that it was an eighteenth-century living history farm. I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake, but I was desperate. I wanted to move up north and away from the rural south.

I called the number they sent me and ask if I could speak to the person in charge of hiring new employees. I waited a few minutes, and then a man who identified himself as Mr. Charles Daley said he was so pleased that I had responded to his email. He believed I would be perfect for the position that he was trying to fill. I said, really? Because I don’t remember sending a resume to your company. He said my resume had been forwarded to him by a close friend who thought I would be a perfect fit. Farm North Carolina

“Really, what position is it? He said, “it is the assistant Program Manager for a Historic Farm in Gradyville, Pa.” I hadn’t heard of Gradyville, Pa. But, then I really didn’t know any other city except Philadelphia. He said, “it‘s about a two-hour drive to Philly from Gradyville to Philadelphia. He knew it must seem like a long trek, but I would have a vehicle at my disposal and would have two days a week off during the week since they were busiest on the weekends.

I said, “well, honestly, Mr. Daley, I really do not want to do any farm work, I’ve been doing it most of my life, and I was looking forward to a different kind of challenge. He said, “well this will be a new challenge I believe you have the skill set and the knowledge for this position. “You will be the assistant Farm Manager, but most of your time will be teaching students about active participation in historic farm practices and skills that made 18th-century life possible.”

“Really?” And you think that I will be up to that challenge? I have only been out of school for one year, and I hope to work in an office.”

“ You will be working in an office at times and in the field with students. You will be coordinating weekend programs and events for children, visitors, and volunteers, including weekly field trips and summer camps. You will be overseeing the planting and weeding harvesting of crops. And teach the continuation of heritage variety seeds. In addition, maintaining the necessary supply of feed and bedding for the farm animals.”

“Wow, that sounds like a huge undertaking, and you believe I’m up to that?”

I spoke to all your references, and they gave you glowing reports. You will also be working in an outreach program in the Philadelphia area seeking new students, schools, and donations. So, I can safely say you will have every opportunity to visit the city. I would like to assure you that you will be starting off with a full benefits package and thirty- five thousand dollars for the first Year. And up to forty-thousand the following year. “

“I said, “wow, I’m impressed, but perhaps I should come to The Farm and get a better idea of what I would be doing from day to day. And you would have the opportunity to meet me in person and see if I am the right person for this opportunity.”

“Well, how about you come here for a week, and then you will have a clearer picture of what your position would entail and the quality of people who work here? How about that? Of course, we will pay for your travel expenses. Why don’t you take a day or two to think about it and then call me back at this same number and give me your decision.”

“Alright, I will have to look into taking a train when I have that information, I will let you know, and hopefully, you can arrange for someone to come and pick me up at the train station.”

“Yes, certainly, I can do that. Text me when you know when and where we should pick you up. It’s been great talking to you. Talk to you soon, Elizabeth. Good Bye for now.”

Three days later, I made my decision. I have to admit that my parents put a lot of pressure on me to accept the job. Although, they weren’t crazy about me living so far away from the farm. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I have to admit I still had doubts about having that much responsibility. On the other hand, I had a great deal of responsibility working on our family farm my entire life. I started helping out when I entered grade school. And my responsibility increased the older I got. And perhaps fate had stepped into my path with this opportunity, and I decided I would be a fool to let it pass me by.

I notified Mr. Daley that I decided to take his job offer, and I sent him the schedule for the train that I would be taking from Raleigh to the Gradyville area. And then I found out that I could get a train station near Gradyville. And when and where I could be picked up. For the entire week before I left for my new life, I was torn between fear and excitement. I was having a lot of difficulty falling asleep at night.

But, before I knew it, there were only two days before my departure date arrived. Although my parents were happy, I was hired for such a prestigious position, and I could tell it was hard for them to say goodbye. Especially my mother, who cried for three days before I left. They took me to the train and watched me board, and then they stood there until my train began to depart and waved at the train long after they could no longer see me.

I was amazed at how fast the train traveled and how quickly I arrived in the North East. What I could see of the passing landscape was not that different than North Carolina. But as we got closer to Grandyville, I could see that I had once again arrived in a rural area. I knew that I had planned to try and live in the city, and that didn’t happen. But, I also knew that with a short train ride, I could visit Philadelphia and, maybe one day, New York City.

When the train finally arrived, I saw two people standing at the train station holding up a sign that said, “Welcome Elizabeth to Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation. And there was a young man holding it and waving it frantically, which made me laugh. I waited until the train came to a complete stop before I stood up and grabbed my bags from under my seat. And then, I had to wait patiently for everyone else on the train to do the same. We slowly progressed up the train aisle and waited until it was our turn to step off the train. And I could begin my new life. I have to admit I was excited, especially when I saw that I wasn’t going to be the only young person working at the farm.

I walked up to the people waiting for me, and the woman that was standing next to the young man said, “Welcome, Elizabeth. We are so happy that you decided to take our job offer. You are the perfect candidate for the job. You have your whole lifetime of experience in farm life in a rural area, and I know you will bring that expertise to our clients.”

“Thank you, I hope I will be able to fulfill all your needs. I have to say I was surprised that you would consider hiring me since I haven’t really had any other work experience outside of working on our farm. “Well, your teachers all gave you an A +. And they assured us that you were mature for your age and a hard worker who was always on top of things and strove to surpass any expectations that they had. By the way, I’m Jimmy Daley, and this is Ms. Christine Simmons. So, let’s be on our way. Is that all your belongings? “It’s all I brought with me on the train, and I’m having the rest of my things shipped here. They should arrive by the end of the week. I look forward to seeing the farm.

The time seemed to fly by as Elizabeth watched the landscape go by. As they got closer to the farm, she started to feel more at home. She knew it would take a while for her to adapt to her new home and live away from her parents and the home she had lived her whole life. She started to feel excited and less fearful. She was looking forward to the challenges that she would have to meet in her new job. She had every intention of doing everything within her power to succeed. But still, she kept her fingers crossed that all would go well.

And then she heard Jimmy Daley say, “well, here we are. That didn’t take that long, did it? I hope we meet your expectations and that you will be happy here. If there is ever a problem, you know you can come to me, and we will work it out. Don’t be bashful.”

And that was the beginning of my new life. And it truly was a new beginning. I worked hard every day, but it was certainly a learning process. I interacted with people from all over the country. People who were interested in how farmers ran their farms in the eighteenth century. People knew there was a lot to learn from the past that could be assimilated into present-day farms. The past became my present, and I looked forward to it. Every morning I awoke, I was excited about what that day would bring me. And every day, I learned something new. I planned my first trip to Philadelphia, and Jimmy Daley invited himself along. I learned that life is what you make of it.

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THE LAUGHING GOAT

Nubian Goat

The day I have been looking forward to for the past year has finally arrived. I have literally counted the days I had left to work for the past year.

When I arrived at work, I punched in my security code at the employee entrance. I did a little jig as I walked through the door. My boss happened to be walking past the entrance at the same moment, and she gave me a thumbs up and walks over and shook my hand.

“Congratulations, Marion, you will be missed, but you deserve to have a wonderful retirement. I doubt that we will ever find anyone who can replace you. Your dedication to excellence in every project you worked on and your ability to inspire others to do the same.”

“Thank you, Constance. I have enjoyed working here. But I’m more than ready for a new chapter in my life and new challenges.”

“I have no doubt that you will succeed in whatever you choose to do. What exactly are you going to be doing?”

“Well, I’ve sold my apartment here in Philly, and I bought a small farm out in the country. I’m going to be growing organic vegetables and raising goats and making goat cheese and goat milk.”

“What? you’re kidding?

“Kidding? No, I’m not kidding. That’s exactly what I’m going to be doing. I have been investigating and reading about organic farming and animal husbandry for years.”

“Really, I had no idea. You are constantly surprising me, Marion. I have no doubt that you will be highly successful. I would love to come out and see your farm once you are settled in.”

“Really? Well, sure, as soon as I get everything in order and I have my farm up and running. I’ll let you know. I’ll be leaving on Wednesday. The people that bought my apartment will be moving in Thursday morning. And the family that I bought my farm from has already moved out. It’s a beautiful area outside Philadelphia in Delaware County, or Delco as the locals call it. I purchased all the farming equipment, and my goats will be arriving by the end of the week. I’m starting with six goats at first, and eventually, I will have twenty in my flock, or some people call it a toop.”

“Well, Marion, I’m impressed. Good luck, and let us all know how you’re doing.”

“I will. Thanks, Constance. Sorry if I bent your ear. I know I have the tendency to be long-winded. I have enjoyed working under you. You are an excellent supervisor. I’ve learned a great deal about organization from you. That will no doubt benefit me in my new career.” Marion and Constance shake hands and depart. Marion headed toward the break room to get a cup of coffee.

When she walked in, she was surprised by all her workmates yelling, “Congratulations, Marion and giving her a round of applause. Marion was so flabbergasted that she almost fell over. Her office mate and friend, Katie, ran over and gave her a big hug. And then everyone came over and shook her hand or patted her on the back.

“Wow, I’m shocked I had no idea you were going to do this. Thank you all so much. I’m overwhelmed. And Marion starts to go walk over to the coffee machine, and she realizes there is a huge cake with green icing and a barn on it with a fence in an area where little goats are grazing on the green icing. “Oh my god, this is amazing. Did you do this, Katie?”

“Well, I ordered the cake, but we all helped decorate the room, and if you look to the left, you’ll see a pile of gifts for you and your new life out in the sticks.” But I do have to admit I had trouble finding the little barn and fence and goats to decorate the cake. I finally found them online. They are toys for little kids. I knew you would like it.”

“Like it? I absolutely love it.” And she gives Katie a big hug. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Well, you deserve it, Marion. You are the one that has trained most of us in our current positions. And you have always been there for us and helped solve any technical issues we had. Why don’t you sit down and open your gifts?”

Marion walked over to the pile of gifts and started opening them. Some of them were envelopes. She opened them first, and they were all cards and gift certificates to The Tractor Store. “Thank you, guys. I know these gift certificates will come in handy.”

The second gift she opened held two pairs of denim overalls. When Marion opened these, she started laughing. “Won’t I be the bell of the ball in these lovely overalls?”

Everyone started laughing because Marion had previously been known for her hip dress attire with never a hair out of place. It was hard to imagine her living on a farm in rural Pennsylvania living on a farm and raising goats. It was impossible to imagine her milking goats and making Feta cheese.

The last box she opens is huge, and Marion can’t imagine what the package holds. She picks up the box, and it’s as light as a feather. She opens it up and finds a cashier’s check from the company president for $10,000. Marion is amazed. She holds up the check for everyone to see. And her friend, Howard, who is the Chief Financial Officer, shouts out, “and you deserve every penny of it. You have brought so many new accounts into our company over the years. I know you will be a success in your new enterprise.”

Marion has tears running down her face and can’t speak for several minutes and then finally says, “well, let’s get down to business and cut this cake. And everyone starts laughing and comes up and shakes Marion’s hand and wishes her all the luck in the world.”

“Thank you, everyone. I want everyone to know that you are welcome to come and visit at any time once I get myself moved in and everything under control. I will definitely send you all invitations to my open house. I’ll miss you all.” And then tears start running down her cheeks. And she doesn’t wipe them away. She has no regrets, although she will miss these people with all her heart. They are like family to her.

After everyone enjoys some cake and coffee, they start heading back to their respective offices to start their day. Marion goes back to her office to finish closing up some of her files. And then handing them off to the people who will be taking them over. She can’t believe how quickly thirty years flew by. The only time she believes it is when she looks in the mirror and sees a face that is no longer young but still full of life. She is so looking forward to her new life. As she has always looked forward to a new challenge. She has never failed before and trusts that she will succeed in her new endeavor.

At the end of the day, she stops by her closest friend and workmate’s desks and shakes her hand. Katie hugs her again and says,” You better call me as soon as you get settled in so I can come to see your new home and meet your goats. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone before. And she smiles and laughs and then starts crying. I’ll miss you so, but I know you will be happy in your new life, goats and all.

As Marion heads back to her apartment, she feels equal amounts of happiness and sadness but no regrets at all about her decision to retire. She is looking forward to her new life at the Laughing Goat. That is what she decided to call her farm. Because goats always seem to be laughing when they neigh or bleat. And recently, Marion found out that goats from different areas have different accents. And that young goats bleat differently when they are bleating at other “kid” goats. Humans always think that they are superior to those creatures in the animal world, but the fact is we are not as superior as we seem to think we are.

Marion pulls into the driveway of her apartment complex and into her parking spot. She has lived in this apartment for the better part of her life. She has been happy here. She knows many of the tenants. She will miss them as she will miss her workmates. Marion has always accepted the fact that every time you gain something, you lose something at the same time.

Marion gets out of her car and locks it, opens up her trunk to get out all the packages, and then decides against it. After all, she will be moving tomorrow, so there’s no point in taking it out of the car. Tomorrow morning, she will rearrange things in her car so she can fit her personal belongings like her computer and a change of clothes. And a set of sheets and towels to use at her new home tomorrow. The movers were here today and took the bulk of her belongings and furniture to the farm. She had told them to leave the air mattress in her bedroom along with her change of clothes and her computer.

Today had been an especially emotional day, and she needed to calm herself down and decompress. She hoped she would be able to go to sleep. Sometimes when she got overwrought, she couldn’t fall asleep at all. She decided to take a hot bath, drink a cold beer, and hit the air mattress. And she did just that, and when she finally did flop down on the air mattress, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her bloodshot eyes.

The next morning, she woke up at 7:30 with a start. She let the air out of her mattress. And she took a quick shower and got dressed, ran a brush through her curly grey hair, and started taking her few remaining belongings to her car. She managed to fit everything in by some miracle. She put her purse and computer in the passenger seat and took one last look at what had been her home for almost twenty years. She felt equal amounts of nostalgia and excitement.

She pulled out of the driveway of the complex and headed toward the highway and her new home and new life. At the last moment, before she got on the highway, she decided to pull into a fast-food restaurant to get a large coffee. And then she was on her way to beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was about an hour and a half drive.

And before she knew it, she was pulling into the gravel driveway of her new home. It was a beautiful Spring Day, and the sun was shining. It was breathtaking how beautiful this part of the country is. Marion can hardly believe she’s made this all happen. She pulls up to the house, and she sees the moving company arrived. And they are in the process of unloading the furniture and bringing it into her new home. It’s a typical house built in the late 1950s, but it has been beautifully maintained. There are red and yellow tulips blooming all around the front porch.

Marion steps out of her car and stretches, and takes a deep breath of the country air. It’s wonderful. She walks up to the steps on the front porch and into her new home. She peeks in the door and waves at the movers, and says, “hello, I’m Marion Wilkes. Thank you for arriving on time. Let me know if you need anything. I’m going to be checking out the house. I won’t be far.

Marion had hired painters to come in and paint the interior of the house last week before the movers arrived. It looks just as she hoped it would, bright and welcoming. She decides to go upstairs to her bedroom and see how it looks. It was supposed to be painted periwinkle blue. One of her favorite colors. As she walks into the bedroom, she notices that all of her bedroom furniture is in place, and she immediately starts to feel at home.

She says out loud, “Oh, it’s just as I imagined it would look.” She knows it will only look better once she gets her art up on the walls.  Just then, she hears one of the movers call up to her, “can you come down here for a few minutes and make sure we are putting everything in the right place?”

“Yes, I’ll be right there after I make a trip to the ladies’ room.”

When she came downstairs, the movers were bringing in the living room couch and recliner. Marion walked over to the place where she wanted the couch and said, “right here is perfect. Also, I would like the coffee table in front of the couch here. And the side table to the left of the couch. I take care of the small things like the lamps if you can just bring them in and put them over there by the back wall.

An hour and a half later, everything was in the house and in place except for the paintings and photographs and wall mirrors. She hasn’t decided where she wants yet. She would have to live with it for a while until she decided. The movers were just bringing in the last items. She said, “thank you so much. You all did a great job. She handed the young man closest to her a tip. “This is for all of you, be careful on your way home. They turned and walked out the front door. Marion watched as they drove away.

Marion spent the next hour putting dry goods in the kitchen and then made a list of food she would need to buy tomorrow. She knows she’s too tired to go food shopping today. Tomorrow she is going to be extremely busy getting the small barn ready for the goats and making sure all the post and rail fences are secure. Sometime tomorrow afternoon, she expects her goats to be delivered. She hired a local carpenter to come out and double-check her fences before the goats arrived. Which was late tomorrow afternoon.

The rest of the day and into the early evening, Marion did her best to get her personal belongings into her clothes closet and dresser drawers. And right before she was about to call it a day. She put all her bathroom essentials into the medicine cabinet in her personal bathroom and the half-bath downstairs. She couldn’t believe how much she had accomplished in one day. She decides to watch a movie on the internet, and then she realizes that she forgot to have an internet connection. Thank goodness she at least had the water and electricity connected. Marion took a long hot bath and then fell into bed without eating any dinner. She was too tired to even think about making anything to eat.

She woke up when her stomach started growling. It was six o’clock in the morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise. It was another beautiful day. So, she made some instant coffee and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sits on the porch until the sun was high in the sky. She thought about her goats that would arrive before the end of the day. And the thought alone made her smile.

Her immediate plan was to purchase Junior Does, that are already pregnant. And they would arrive late this afternoon.  And in that way, she would only have to wait five months to start collecting the milk. Unfortunately, she had to pay a breeding fee. Meanwhile, Marion would be setting up her barn to start making cheese a lot sooner. It wasn’t really about money. It was Marion’s desire to start her new life as soon as possible. She had been planning this for a long time.

After Marion had dressed, she made up a list of the things she needed to buy. She had the hay delivered to the barn a couple of days ago. And, of course, the goats would be out in the field most of the day eating. She filled up the troth with fresh water and then set her GPS up to direct her to the nearest food store.

And she was on her way. When she arrived at her destination, she didn’t find a big box food store. She found a Mom and Pop grocery. And although it was charming in its own way, she was certain that she wouldn’t find all the things on her list. She parked her car and locked it out of habit and walked up to the door, and walked through.

She heard the jingle-jangle of a bell at the top of the door. It was reminiscent of her childhood when her mother used to send her to the corner store. She halfway expected Mr. Fuelle to be standing at the counter. He owns the little Mom and Pop store in the little town she grew up in. But of course, it wasn’t him. He died fifty years ago.

There was a cheerful, middle-aged woman with bright, red, frizzy hair at the counter. “Let me know if there is anything you can’t find. I’ll be glad to help you. I’m the proprietor here.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. I just moved to the old Sutter place yesterday.” Marion grabbed a cart and started walking up and down the aisles. She was pleasantly surprised by how well-stocked it was for such a small store. It looked like she could get almost everything she needed here.

When she got up to the counter, she realized that the counter was a glass case with candy in it. In fact, it looked like all the candy she used to eat as a kid, including red hot dollars, candy cigarettes, and her favorite black licorice. “Wow, I’m impressed with your store. I’m so glad I came here.”

“Well, we’re small, but I pride myself on keeping my customers happy. If there is anything that you want and it’s not here, and you will want to buy it often, let me know, and I will get it for you, even specialty items. By the way, my name is Thelma Rice.”

“Hello Thelma, my name is Marion. It’s a pleasure to meet you. And you can be assured I will be a return customer. How much do I owe you?”

“That will be forty dollars and forty-nine cents.”

“Really? Thanks so much. I look forward to visiting you again soon, Thelma.”

“Well, Marion, I’m happy to hear that. On your way out, look at the bulletin board, and you’ll see a list of all the local tradespeople and any activities that are taking place in the local area. Feel free to take a copy. See you soon.”

On her way out the door, Marion did grab one of the calendars. She looks forward to reading it over her next meal. Her spirits were lifted by her visit to the store and meeting Thelma. She hoped everyone in the area would be as cheerful and helpful.

She saw a gas station across the road and decided to stop and get her car filled up. She didn’t know how many gas stations were in the immediate area. When she pulled up to the gas pump. It wasn’t a self-serve, so she waited for someone to come outside and wait on her. In about two minutes, a young man with red hair came over and said, “Can I help you?”

“Yes, thank you. Could you fill it up and check the oil?”

“Sure, can, Mam.”

“Oh, I just moved to the area. I’m sure you’re going to see me often. So please call me Marion.”

“Sure, Mam, I will. I mean Marion.”

Marion laughs and says, “do you take credit or debit cards?”

“Yes, Mam, I mean Marion. We take both.”
“Here you go, by the way. What’s your name? Did you know you have the exact shade of red hair as the Thelma Rice across the street at the food store?”

“Yes, mam, I mean Marion. That’s because she’s my mother.”

He handed her the card back and said, “have a great day.”

“I’m sorry I forgot to ask your name.”

“Oh, my name is Frank. But most people call me Red.”

“Alright, Red, I’ll see you next time I need a fill-up. I hope you have a wonderful day.

As Marion made her way home, she couldn’t help but notice the beautiful scenery along the way home. It was unspoiled. There wasn’t any trash on the roadside, or anywhere she saw so far. It was just pristine. It looked like it had remained as it must have looked fifty years ago. Her heartfelt light, and there was a big smile on her face.

On the way home, she kept singing, today my goats are coming, today my goats are coming. As if it was a song. And then she looked at the clock on the dashboard and was immediately concerned that the goats might already have arrived and she was going to be late. Her heart started beating faster. It was only 9:45, and she had plenty of time. She needed to calm down.

She arrived at her street and turned left, and drove up to her driveway up to the garage. And jumped out of the car and started quickly bringing the groceries into the house. She had to remind herself again to slow down and calm down. She really couldn’t remember any time in the past when she got herself this wound up. She tried taking deep, cleansing breaths. That seemed to help until she kept doing it, and she started to feel light-headed. “Good grief, what is wrong with me?”

And then the phone rang. “Hello, is this Marion?”

“Yes, who’s calling, please?”

“This is Chester. I’m bringing six goats to you. We are about fifteen minutes from your house. We made good time. Will you be at home?”

“Yes, it so happens I will be. You weren’t supposed to arrive until after lunch.”

“I know, as I said, we made good time. See you in about fifteen minutes.” And then he hung up abruptly.

Marion began hyperventilating. She plopped down on the ground and slowed her breathing. In a few minutes, she regained control of herself. She decided to get a glass of cold water and sit on the porch until they arrived. By the time they arrived, she was more like her usual self, in control of her emotions. And then, the truck arrived and parked next to the fenced-in pasture. Marion got up and walked over to the pasture and up to the truck cab.

“Marion?”

“Yes, of course. And you must be Chester. So how do you go about getting six goats into the pasture without them running away?”

“We’ll get the goats into the fenced-in area. But I’ll tell you right now, and there ain’t no way you’ll get them to stay in there. If they want to get out, they will. As long as they have some decent food and fresh water, they’ll stay. But then again, you just never know. They might just jump over the fence or even get out under the fence. But ready or not, here they come.”

Chester and another lanky guy who looked about sixteen herded the goats inside the corral. There you go, mam, good luck. These are some nice goats. Take care of them. You know they are all pregnant, right?”

“Of course, I’m going to make goat cheese from their milk. As soon as the babies can be weaned. “

“Really? Did you ever do this before?”

“Well, no, but I’ve been studying and learning about it for a couple of years. I’m sure it will all work out fine.”

“If you say so, Mam, make sure they have plenty of fresh hay and grass otherwise, they’ll start eating the bark off of them trees over there. And give them plenty of fresh water. Hear? Take care, Mam, and good luck. As they were walking away, the two men were laughing.”

Marion stood next to the fence and watched as her goats ran all over the field for about fifteen or twenty minutes, had a drink of water, and then started eating. None of them looked her way. Marion knew this would all take time, but she was not a quitter. She stood and watch her goats. And they were just beautiful. In her head, she started naming them. Beatrice, Agnes, Cindy, Maddy, Josephine, and Marie after her mother.

The goats seemed content in the field, and it didn’t look like they had any plan to jump the fence and escape. So, Marion decided to go into the house and put some jeans and a tee shirt on. And then come outside and try to get acquainted with her goats. Ten minutes later, Marion came out, and she saw all six of her goats wandering down the long driveway outside the pasture towards the country road. And then is when Marion realized her new life as a goat herder was about to begin. She took a deep breath and tried to catch up with her lady goats.

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