It got worse: RIP Willow

Hard Day part 2…

Today (Saturday) we woke up to yet another killing. The Mountain Lion took our most beloved goat: Willow. She was bottle fed as a baby and more friendly than any other goat I’ve met. She was a great milker (produced a quart a day). Everyone loved Willow. She even let my boys ride on her. She would run up to you and just love being in your presence. Willow will be severely missed.

not a great picture of a phenomenal goat

We had a special memorial service for her today. To tell you how much she was beloved, 17 people showed up with one hour notice to gather and give thanks for her life and grieve together. We read scriptures, listened to a poem, told stories, and prayed. It felt better to grieve together. The time together ended by eating the last bit of goat cheese that Mary Shang-Lou had made from Willow’s milk. It was delicious, as usual - further emphasizing our collective loss. Hopefully all of this grieving over goats doesn’t sound ridiculous to you. I think it’s been surprising to us how much we quickly grew to love the animals.

The murderous mountain lion is officially legal to be hunted and euthanized as of this afternoon when we were granted a second deprivation permit. The trapper will be out either tonight or tomorrow morning. I’m sure the mountain lion is a magnificent creature… but he/she is a danger not only to our livestock but to all the neighbors and their animals. We’ll leave the fate of this lion to the trapper.

On our end, Mike Lewis and I spent all afternoon constructing a new shelter for the goats. We didn’t want another night of bloodshed. The shelter is a modified dog kennel with a corrugated metal roof (with a tarp to provide shade / weather protection). It won’t win any aesthetics competitions, but it will provide safety through the night and shelter when needed. The remaining goats and Llama will spend each night from now on locked inside of this protective shelter.

Thanks to the many of you who have reached out with kind words, prayers, and encouragement. We’ve learned a lot over the past 48 hours. We’re grateful that our beloved llama and mini-mule haven’t been hurt. We also give thanks for the two little remaining goats. They will need some new friends. We’ll begin that process soon.

In hope…