Saturday, April 26, 2008

Where in The World Are Rock & Gem?

?


If it's Saturday morning, they're at the Ashland City Open Air Market at the corner of Highway 12 and Washington Street in Ashland City, of course!

Rock & Gem live at Mule Shoe Farm most days, but Saturday mornings they get in the back seat of Ms.Anne's car at about 8:15am and ride to market. By 9am, they are munching away on the grass graciously provided at the Open Air Market, waiting for their many fans to come and visit.


By Noon, Ms.Anne has finished delivering shares to shareholders, and Rock & Gem are ready to go back home to rejoin their friends and playmates: Anabelle, Rock Lee, & Java. Sometimes, they even get to hang out with the herd queen, Duchess.

Rock and Gem are LaMancha goats with the distinctive "elf" ears of that breed. They were bottle-fed as babies which means they enjoy human contact and are not at all afraid of children petting them. The twin brothers are almost 6 months old and when they are big enough Ms.Anne will train them to pull a cart and carry packs. Right now, they enjoy greeting the public and answering questions. Come find them every Saturday morning until the end of October at the Open Air Market in Ashland City.

5 comments:

JoeC said...

As a long time goat keeper (26 years) I've cared for several breeds of these wonderful animals, Saanens, Toggenburgs, French Alpine, Swiss Alpine, including La Mancha. Please remember that with their closed tiny 'elf' ears this particular breed requires regular ear 'attention' as their small ears can become impacted with dirt and wax causing severe hearing loss and possible ear infections. I always carefully removed debris and swabbed La Mancha ears with dry cotton tipped ear swabs (Q-tips). Good luck and have fun training the goats to pull and pack! Sincerely, Joe Carrot, British Columbia, CANADA.

Anonymous said...

wow! They are soooo beautiful. I am so glad to know they are with your farm. They have come a long way since their post-Christmas arrival! I al glad they are getting to enjoy the market and help educate the public.
Blessings,
Leslie

Ms. Anne said...

Welcome to Mule Shoe Farm, Joe! Thanks, for the ear tip. That is one point I usually make to children which is also a great reminder to them to make sure their ears are clean, too.

Thanks, Leslie. I am glad to have these two little guys. They are getting used to traveling on Saturdays and doing wonderfully with the people who visit the market.

Nancy said...

...and if you have never seen two beautiful goats riding in the back seat of a sedan, it's worth the trip to the market just to observe the unloading or loading--quite adorable, they are.

Nancy C.

Ms. Anne said...

Nancy - thanks. I should mention that Rock and Gem ride in the backseat of whichever vehicle goes to market.

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