You never know what you will find when you go to yard sales.  It’s true what they say…”one man’s trash is another’s treasure.”  Sometimes you come across some truly unusual finds.  My girlfriends and I usually go to yard sales on average about once a month during the summer and fall.

Last fall, we came across, and actually ACQUIRED the most unusual item to date… a live goat. Yep, I said it, a GOAT.  More specifically, a baby pygmy goat named Mason.  It seemed the woman having the yard sale had gotten him as a gift and her neighbors turned her in for having a farm animal in a residential area.  She had to find poor little Mason a new home.  Luckily one of my girlfriends happens to own a farm.  It was fate!

We went home and started building the new goat pen that day.  We also decided that Mason would be lonely in the pen by himself, since he was used to living in the house with Michelle (his previous mama), so we decided to get him a playmate.  After a brief online search, we found Matilda, another baby pygmy goat who was only 2 months younger than Mason.  Since Mason was already neutered, we knew they would be fine together.

The past few months have been highly entertaining for us.  The goats are funny as hell to watch play and we have been educating ourselves with ways to enrich their lives.  We are now in the process of building them a larger enclosure, complete with teeter totters, logs, wire spools to climb on, and possibly a tree house.

Mason’s other Mom comes to visit and brings him goodies.  He still remembers her.  🙂  She is happy he has a good home and that he is close enough for her to see whenever she wants.  There are a few children that visit the farm weekly and we talked to them about showing the goats in the local 4H club.  They are excited at the prospect.

Mason wasn’t by any means “trash”, but definetly qualifies as the strangest and most unusual find we have yet to acquire.  Best of all, he was free.  Of course, if you add up what we’ve spent in fencing, food, vet bills, ect., he may actually be the most expensive find yet.  Totally worth it!!!!  Makes me wonder what we will find this year…

Life with a Rat Terrier has its’ moments. My girlies have made me laugh, cry and cuss. On a good day, they are pure entertainment and love. On one of their evil days, they can try the patience of a Saint.

Today was a good day. The girlies played with each other and Abby “spoke” to me with her ball in her mouth, telling me in her own special way, she wanted to play catch. When I ignored her, she dropped the ball and chased her tail or hind leg, running in a circle until she was so dizzy she couldn’t stand. Bonnie just wanted to cuddle. She is my snuggle buddy. I must admit, it was kind of hard to set up the blog site with a pooch in my lap, but I got it done. It took a little longer, but I didn’t mind.

Last week, the girlies were heathens. Abby ate the shirt off Dad’s back (literally), and chewed my sheets. So far, she’s chewed 4 sets of sheets, 2 comforters, 3 blankets, ate holes in 2 pairs of jeans (while Dad was still in them, mind you), and 2 shirts of Dad’s. It wouldn’t be so bad, except everything she eats is new. She has expensive taste. Bonnie just ate the carpet… You may be wondering how on earth a dog can eat clothing while someone is still wearing them. I wondered that myself. It seems that Dad likes to nap on the floor and have the girls run up and down his back. It was his version of a mini-massage. Apparently, the girlies tired of this game and Abbey found a new one of her own making. Dad just slept right through it. I’m convinced she chews my bedding out of spite. She can be a little bitch.

I wouldn’t give up my girlies for the world. They keep me company, like now, and bring joy to my life. They also cost me a damn fortune! All in all, I guess it’s a fair trade…