The Similarities of Boys and Barnyard Animals
The goats are back.
The City of Pflugerville hired GoatScaping LLC again to release their herd of
goats in city parks and along city trails to munch away the poison ivy, weeds,
and other undesirable vegetation.
It’s a very clever
arrangement that appears to be a rare win/win situation. The city gets a cost
effective and non-chemical way to keep undergrowth in check, the GoatScaping
company gets a job, the goats get a meal, and I’m less likely to get poison
ivy. So I guess it’s a win/win/win/win.
The goats are let
loose in a wide area with a temporary fence set up like a pen around the perimeter.
I went to observe them while they were along Gilleland Creek in Pfluger Park. I
couldn’t help but jot down some similarities with my kids.
How my boys are
like the goats
They surprise
you. Did you know goats
can climb? Like into trees. Well they can and they do. My kids surprise me all
the time, although I expect to see them in trees.
There’s a
leader of the herd. One of
the goats will have a bell around its neck and is the leader. I’ve never seen
them load the goats back onto the trailer but I assume they guide the lead goat
onto the trailer and the others will follow it. There is always a lead goat
amongst the kids. I’ve seen a few power struggles with the kids when it comes
to who’s going to call the shots, but one of them always ends up wearing the
metaphorical bell. I wonder if the goats ever fight over who gets to wear it?
They want to
get as close to the water as they can.
It could be a freezing cold day, or the water could be stagnant and algae covered,
or the water could just be a mud pit but if my kids are playing anywhere near
it, they’re always more near it five minutes later. The goats don’t seem to
want to play in the water but they really seem to like to get the vegetation
right on the edge and toe the edge of the water like my kids.
They put things
in their mouth they shouldn’t.
Let’s be honest, you have no idea if I’m talking about toddlers or goats right
now.
They make a
mess. At least the mess
the goats make as they work their way through an area has a benefit. Although, if
you don’t like barnyard odors you may not want to be near them on a hot day. That
is also applicable to the boys. The mess the boys make as they work their way
through a room however is in no way beneficial.
Maybe having the
goats come through after them is something we should look in to…