I retired today (for the third time). Everyone asks, "What are you going to do next?" I have a number of things in mind. Travel, write, get involved in ministries at church. But a recent development has presented itself that has me really excited.
Our new neighborhood has hired goats to clear out an area where the trees are not going to be cut down and where someone with a weed eater would have trouble. The first set of goats that were placed under the trees apparently were not hungry and lay under the shade of the trees most of each day. The second set of goats were hungry and cleared the area of underbrush in no time at all.
Just when we were thinking that the goats were a good idea, the goats rebelled, led by a small female Spartacus who pulled down the electric fence with her horns and led the goat herd toward Albemarle Road. Who knows what the plan was once they reached that busy road. Maybe they were going to catch the bus into downtown Charlotte or ride toward the greener pastures in the town of Albemarle. Or maybe they just needed a break and were headed to Stooges Pub and Grub down the road about a quarter of a mile.
At any rate, before they managed to get out of the neighborhood, neighbors saw them and ran after them. Being unfamiliar with the techniques of goat herding, a scene looking a lot like something out of an episode of the Little Rascals ensued before all the goats were rounded up and put back into their pen.
So, I have now appointed myself as the unofficial goat supervisor of the neighborhood. This should keep me busy for a while and is a worthy profession. Each morning I will walk past the goats and make sure they are hard at work and not lounging in the shade or plotting anarchy or pulling the fence down.
A working goat herd is a happy goat herd I always say.