Sierra Vista
Smoke had dissipated to a slight haze by our return, and with cooler temps the goats were much more inquisitive . . . their guardians welcomed us like old friends. One large goat with a luxuriant fleece and curls to rival Harpo Marx, was particularly friendly . . . pressing up against the fence for a nose scratch while peeking coyly through its locks with pale golden eyes. There was a baby, several medium-sized ones . . . two stand-offish ones who stared, side -by-side, from a safe distance (they turned out to be Navaho sheep, and resembled characters from Shaun the Sheep) There was also a magnificent two-tone male (Gus) with long hair and an impressive swirl of horns who hurrumphed in our direction. We arranged to meet with the rabbits in the morning.
Lovely temperature for sitting … tea in hand … watching the sun set over the mountains to the west. 4am . . . Rooster crow . . . very Disney-esque. Right … job done . . . back to bed. Nope. Every 10 minutes . . . then every 5. For Pete’s sake, dawn’s not for another couple of hours. Rammed the earplugs in more firmly. Saw the culprit in the morning . . . there’s just him and his lady friend. I can see a handy stew pot in his immediate future.
Jason gave an excellent tour of the rabbits – they have over 80 English, French and Satin Angoras with soft, soft, long wool, plus some beautifully patterned black and white Mini Rex with fur like velvet. Jason had been a marine and state trooper (where he and Julie met) then went on to work for the FDA inspecting imported produce before retiring into the private sector working for U-Haul.
This is a new business, but they are already well set up and have plans for paddocks, an onsite store and hope to introduce some of the distinctive cottonwoods onto their 4 acre site, for shade. Apparently Premium crackers are the treat of choice for both goats and sheep, they were climbing over each other (and the fence) in order to get their share. Even the dogs joined in – despite having finished off their own meaty treats.
Watching the winds again . . . there’s a red flag warning for the Tucson area Friday to Sunday – probably has something to do with a big cold front sliding south. Probably wise to hunker down in this area for a few days to let it blow over.
