Billy Goats Gruff

Before I begin, let me just say that I am super-duper sorry about my absence from the scene. A week with no posts is unacceptable, and yet I implore you to accept my excuse...that being that I have in vain been trying to download a video to the blog...unsuccessfully three or four times now. So here goes with the alternative...enjoy.

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In North America, 40 might be the new 30 (or something to that effect) but over here...Stray goats are the new stray dog.

Now I’ve had the fortune to travel through parts of Southeast Asia and South America and I have seen my fair share of strays roaming the streets...lookin for trouble. I’ve been barked at more often than I care to remember by a stray mutt...but, it has always been a mutt (rhyme alert).

Here in The Gambia, however, I would venture to guess that stray goats outnumber stray dogs AT LEAST 5 to 1. There are goats everywhere...peeing and pooping on the street, baaa-ing at me and M.C. (rhyme alert #2)...and, of course, eatin garbage.

Now, it would actually be unfair for me to classify these goats as “strays” per say—I do it for pure amusement purposes. In fact, these goats leave from, and return to, their owners...their compounds...on a morning and nightly basis. They stroll the avenue (I kid you not, there are goats criss-crossing the busy Kairaba Avenue) and play gaily in the alleyways, all the while being left to their own devices by all passerby’s.

We have been informed that it is very rare that a goat will be “stolen” while away from its yard, and that all community members respect the fact that these goats represent a great deal of a person/family’s livelihood (in the way of goat milk and cheese).

...If only people had the same respect for un-supervised bicycles (We do not allow our bikes unattended without being locked up, in any circumstance).

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Nice little aside to this goat story; We have our own adopted “pet” goat in our compound. Oliver (as M.C. named him) or Sh*thead (as I, so endearingly, named him—because we wake up every morning to a driveway full of goat pellets) is owned by our neighbours. He, though, NEVER leaves the yard. I think he’s lonely...and my god, he’s a homely looking thing.

Sh*thea...I mean Oliver - Homeliness Personified (you can scarcely make out the pee stain and pellets in the background

Until next time...Don’t Stop Believin

Matty

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Cribbage Update: Matty stretched it out yesterday to a 19-11 lead...peggin strong.