Nobody saw this was coming… (Ha!)
We have a goat in the house, again. Beatrix says her broken heart is healed now.
I wanted to name him Inky, after a favorite goat I knew as a child, but was overruled. The mini-Nubian buckling we brought home over the weekend needed a name related to Robin Hood, according to my children. And I guess they were right. The obvious first choice was Friar Tuck, but then Seth suggested Ivanhoe, mentioning that Robin Hood is in the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott. The kids all preferred Ivanhoe to my lame suggestion, so our house goat has a fancy name.
Ivanhoe is learning to sleep in laps and play the piano; neither one being important goat skills. We’re hoping that he will make a good companion for Robin Hood as soon as he’s big enough to join him. In the meantime, I think all of our hearts are mending.
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Congratulations on acquiring Ivanhoe! He has such an interesting color scheme to him. It is great that you and Jonny were able to replace a pet so soon after your loss of Little John. No doubt Ivanhoe will diminish the painful thoughts of loosing a family pet. Beautiful photos again; thanks for blogging for us.
Richard in Charlotte, NC
Oh my gosh he is just adorable! xx
we had a chicken once who could ride on the handlebars of a bike with a favorite child, and swing and slide on the playset
my kids would think playing the piano a perfect skill for a goat if they had one.
love your animals antics Ginny
wow your photos are so crisp and beautiful. Please share what lens and camera you are using.
Thanks! I use a Nikon D600 and various lenses, but mostly a sigma 50 1.4.
Ivanhoe is a delight and I’m happy to read that the kids are healing. He will be inky in my mind….
Swoon!!!! What a sweetheart. And he plays the piano?! He’s golden! I actually like Friar Tuck for a goat name. Maybe next time, Ginny. xx
this is so darling! what a beautiful home and family you have!
Always it is so heartbreaking loosing a family pet but this sweet little guy will help them all mend soon.
Blessings to all Sandra
LOVE those ears! Happy for you and your family Ginny!
How wonderful!!! He is really going to be handsome goat. What do you mean by “mini nubian”? Are they bred with Nigerian Dwarfs or something? Anyway, I only wish my husband would be open to a goat in the house. What do you do about the pee and poop? Anyway, enjoy your new friend. My husband says no more goats or chickens or anything he has to help with. Very sad.
Yes, it takes quite a few generations from what I understand, but it starts with a Nubian crossed with a Nigerian dwarf. As far as pee and poop, it’s actually not to big a deal at this stage. We take him out frequently, but he seems to already know to pee in the straw in his crate. Goats are smart! He doesn’t poop much yet, because his diet is mostly liquid, but if he accidently goes on the floor (goats don’t have control of the pooping like they do the pee) it’s easy enough to sweep up the “raisins.” 🙂 It’s fun to have him indoors, but for his sake we have to start transitioning him to the outdoors very soon!
Ivanhoes ears look like the plant, lambs ears! He’s darling. Just what you needed to heal broken hearts and herald in spring! Congrats.
When will you, please, oh please, write a book?
I love the name! So creative and literary! 🙂
Surely all of your children will grow up to be wonderful parents. How lucky for them to be having so many opportunities to be loving nurturers of young creatures like your newest baby goat.
Ivanhoe is beautiful! I’m glad your hearts are on the mend. It’s so hard to lose a pet.
My heart leaps with joy. Such a beautiful healer of hearts is your new little on. Welcome Ivanhoe!
Ivanhoe is beautiful.
That has got to be the cutest goat EVER! (and you only have cute goats, so that is saying something) Happy for you guys! 🙂
His coloring is gorgeous!
Little Ivanhoe is some pretty cute medicine for broken hearts!
I am glad that you are looking positively at the situation with the farm. Quite some years ago, we had looked at another house as ours was bursting at the seams (and I don’t have that many children!) and it looked so surfacely attractive to move. We thought long and hard about it, and once the dust settled, I realized staying put was the right choice because I was just trying to leave, to run from that feeling of being crowded and things not being how I wanted them. But I realized that a move would be right when we were moving TOWARDS what felt right not AWAY from what was making me feel crowded and scattered. We decided to improve our existing home through an addition and it wasn’t fun to live through (new baby on the way at the time) and in hindsight, it’s been very good for us and I can see the other house would not have been the right location, the right home. Our house is FAR from perfect and still cluttered and not the perfect floorplan, but it’s our home, and we’ve reached the ages of our kids where one is poised at the threshold soon and the numbers will tilt to the diminishing side as they move onto their lives. It’s hard to imagine and I know you still have a houseful, but maybe staying put is where you are meant to be. I think there is a period in the winter season that NO ONE’s house is big enough or perfect enough to withstand the crowded in space of that season (especially with boys and winter clothes and boots and you name it) and we just have to wait it out until we can throw open the windows and the doors (and get those boys OUTSIDE) and our heart and mind thaws a little from the pressing closeness of winter. Good luck.
yes, throw open the windows and get those boys outside
perfect February wish right there
He is so cute! Those ears!
I am glad he is helping heal your family. No home is complete without a goat.
Oh Ginny ! Ivanhoe is so precious. I am jealous that you all get to have cuddles with such a beautiful baby goat. I’m glad to hear your hearts are mending after your recent loss. Hugs from across the pond x
So sweet, great name.
A baby goat has got to be one of the cutest animals in the world.
Oh, that’s great!!! I love Ivanhoe’s ears!!
Your new goat is beautiful. He is just so precious. I am glad all your hearts are healing!
Your new little goat has such interesting coloring especially his ears!
Thank you for the smile, Ginny. I’ve had a lousy day and came to your site for the second time today, hoping you might have posted–I’ve told you before how calming your posts are, no matter the subject. Thank you for obliging!
Do you have your land fenced in? If so what kind of fence and how much land do you have enclosed? Was it expensive to build? ….
That photo of Ivanhoe ‘helping’ to play the piano is priceless!
Great name! I’ve always wanted to read that book, but haven’t tackled it yet.
Yay!!! He is so cute. Welcome to the family, Ivanhoe!
He’s so adorable! His coloring reminds me of those miniature cows with the Oreo coloring. Glad he is helping to mend hearts.
Congratulations on your new addition. He is quite the handsome fellow. Both he and the kids (no pun intended) look happy together.
Oh, he’s adorable! Now you have the 2 extremes in the goat world, in terms of ears – Nubians and Lamanchas!
awwww, that is sweet. God bless this little animal and all of you who are loving him!