Baby Goats and a Sweet Summer Evening!

Marc and baby Cassie

This has been a year in the making. I am now a MAINER, driver’s license and all. I moved up to Maine in October of 2023, eight months ago. I love it. It’s been an emotional and physical journey. That’s a normal thing moving and it’s has been the most difficult thing the myself and the Big Ragu have experienced to date. We are getting through it though!

I love my new state. My rambling Victorian farmhouse is incredible, just beautiful. 15 Gardiner St, the former Gardiner family home, has become a HOME in every sense of the world. I feel comfortable and relaxed here. Long days are ended by a cocktail on the long side porch with a nice cigar and a side of bug spray. LOL

I have had trials and tribulations during the first 8 months here. I’ve stepped on local toes (given apologies where warranted), bought bud lite (given looks and I’ve said I don’t give a fuck where it’s warranted), accidently insulted the French Acadians of Northern Maine (apologized at my acceptable colloquial gaffe), and have FLOUNDERED through many aspects of my job. Can we say “Imposter Syndrome”? I’m getting there though! ALWAYS a work in progress!

I miss the Big Ragu. We are working to amend that. He is job hunting and I’m trying to provide leads where I can. I’m not worried about getting him up here, the question is when. It’s tough but we are making it work.

I took a walk this evening through my yard, heading down to the Molonkus Creek behind the house. I needed a mental break. Social work as a career has been awesome but now I realize how burnout is so prevalent and common. It’s a tough job. 

You bear the burden of peoples' lives while trying to help them, the parents and kids. You invest in their lives but only from 8-5. But it stays with you. Many don’t realize how difficult it is to give that up at 5pm. It's tough as hell. It lingers. It drains you. I get it now.

I was walking around the back yard, surveying everything and came across a large groundhog enjoying my yard. He (or she!) stopped and looked up at me sniffing the mid-summer air. I stopped too and stood still, smelling the thick summer air as well. It was thick with the intoxicating scent of summer Maine wildflowers.

I couldn’t tell you which flower I smelled other than it was intoxicating and mesmerizing. It was a thick sweet heavy scent. I sat there with my furry friend, both of us sniffing for a while. It wasn’t the purple and pine lupines. They are on their way out. It wasn’t the Stinking Benjamins either. No matter, the scent was luscious and heavy.

Continuing my walk, I swatted away the familiar lazy mosquitoes looking for quick dinner. Birds chirped away their last evening songs before bedtime. Bats began their evening forays and flights for endless buggy meals! I stopped at my path into the woods towards the Molonkus. A red squirrel at the top of the trail, ran down and turned around, screeching his little squirrel bark as if to say, back off of my trail!

I didn’t continue down. The trail would be the red squirrel’s for tonight. I continued in the twilight through the yard as I’ve done a hundred times before but still enjoying it. There’s something about surveying your own property. Knowing that this is my domain. My responsibility. It’s quite satisfying.

I thought about my friend Londa and her daughter Ava, who I visited this evening on their farm, to say hi to her latest baby goat, Cassie. I held Cassie in my arms, barely 5 days old. So warm to the touch, smelling like a baby animal, trying the suckle my fingers. She made me smile. She is so precious. New life. 😊

As I left Londa’s this evening, one of her other Mama Goats was bleating something awful. Londa, a true famer’s daughter, was on it! She kept glancing over and I got it! I said “Mama is bleating really often, what’s up?” Londa, without a step, stated that Mama is ready to give and went into action. I excused myself letting the farm mama Londa take care of “baby goat business” and took off!

Two newest baby goats on Londa's farm! 

Londa later let me know Miss Mama Goat gave birth to two babies!!!! Even in our toughest hours, the miracle of life still goes on. The last pic is of Mama goat and her two babies. It has been an incredible night of baby goats. In my mind, a perfect end to my summer Saturday evening!

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 [HM1]