There are 83 animals on our farm, including ewes, lambs, rams, goats, cats, and humans.
Of those 83, there is but one extrovert among us–Gastric the Goat.
While there are several of us that enjoy measured amounts of human interaction, Gastric is the only one never satisfied.
He will be the first to greet you when you approach the fence and the last to wail when you leave, earning him the nickname “The Woebe-G”, short for “The Woebegone Gastric.”
Now, you’re probably wondering what kind of name is Gastric?
Gastric and his sister, Rumenetta, were the first livestock on our farm, arriving about a month after we moved in Fall 2021.
Being the first, he got extra attention (maybe that’s why he’s so needy).
Spending so much time up close with him, we could hear the never-ending rumblings in his tummies–which is a sign of a healthy goat.
All that gastrointestinal activity prompted his name, Gastric.
If you say it enough times, it will start to sound as socially acceptable as any other name.
Last week, we hosted an event in which 175 bicyclists descended upon our farm.
Not wanting to deprive any creature of its full potential, we turned Gastric loose, allowing him to fulfill his life’s purpose as the farm’s greeter.
O to have counted the number of pets and pictures he received.
He couldn’t have been happier wandering from one pair of hands to another.
At one point, he even strutted down the driveway after one gentleman and apparently would have followed him back all the way to Texas–as if life wasn’t good enough for him here!
Ingrate.
Given his clingy nature and size (I’m 6′ tall and his back comes to my hips), the only threat he poses is stepping on one’s toes, which, believe me, is not pleasant.
And although he has the longest legs of the livestock, he is always the last to jump an irrigation ditch no matter how much greener it is on the other side.
The trauma of getting his hooves wet invariably results in me having to all but carry him across.
We all need something to motivate us to workout, right?
Gastric is truly the G.O.A.T of goats.
He is the tallest, friendliest, clingiest, pushiest, wimpiest, most dapper, most jealous, and most memorable animal we have.
We’d love to have you visit the farm, if for no other reason than to make Gastric’s day.
He may not be our most productive animal, but his absence would be the most noticeable.
I guess that qualifies him to be featured as our Employee-of-the-Month.
Keep thriving,
Ben