Giving Thanks

Goat Morning, fam!

Today is Thanksgiving. I remember the historical context that was taught as a part of my childhood, in regards to this day. I remember watching classic Western films wide-eyed in front of 90s TV sets, where indigenous peoples were portrayed as barbarous brutes in contrast with the honorable cowboys. I remember the classic image of a bunch of colonizers and indians sitting around a big log table and sticking olives on the tips of their fingers, with wide and goofy cartoon grins. 

Now, capitalism has colonized us all, as the drone about black Friday infiltrates my ears from all angles. I want to take this opportunity to ask you all to NOT buy anything on black Friday just…. Don’t do it!!!!!!! And I’d also like to highlight the “buy nothing” movement — a national initiative to stop needless consumerism, to reuse what we have, and to gift what we don’t need ourselves. I recently received a brand new French press through my local “buy nothing” group on Facebook; I also gifted a bunch of nice pairs of my dad’s wool socks. It doesn’t sound fancy or glamorous, and that’s why it’s important. If we aren’t the actual 1%, then we need to stop trying to look like we are on instagram. Posturing is driving our own financial demise, I have been an example of this, and I am striving to mitigate these behaviors. 

In other news, my dinner will be taking place at my mom’s this year, as guests will be hosting their own dinner at The Little Goat House! I met my guests yesterday, and they are two wonderful people who run their own homeshare in a beautiful mountain lodge outside of Stowe, Vermont. After looking at photos of their home, I cannot wait to return the visit in the future! Check out their listing, the Adirondack Lodge, below: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3786636?s=67&shared_item_type=1&virality_entry_point=1&sharer_id=6212554

As of today, I also have 8 animals under my care:

• The Queen, Miss Petunia, whom I am caring for during my guests’ stay;
• Shop Kitty and the goat boys;
• Beau, the older yellow lab I am dog-sitting while his owner is out of town;
• And my neighbor Haley’s two cats Goober and Angel, as well as their dog Koda (Haley is one of two neighbors who take care of the goats when I travel, so it was time to return the favor!).

For those of you who don’t know, this is just a couple animals more than the usual number we had in my family when I was growing up. We always had at least one dog (Trooper, Brandy, Peppy), several cats (XO, Penelope, Bat Cat, Kitty Kitty Gumdrops, Sanchez), a bird (Birdie), and the occasional tadpoles or — once — some baby snapping turtles we raised for a while in a fish tank!!

We lived on a 7 acre property in a semi-rural part of Southern Massachusetts, had a pond, and our home was completely private, surrounded by tall trees and lush New England greenery. Raspberry bushes grew up along the side of our long, sloped driveway that led down from the quiet street to our little oasis. I always loved picking the berries, eating them right off the bush as I passed by in August! The Little Goat House has exceptional raspberry bushes, and it has been one of my favorite summer features of the home.

I miss that property in New England, the home that my parents designed and built themselves. As they divorced and experienced financial hardship, the home fell into disrepair. Eventually, my dad had to sell the house. The new owners cut down our beautiful trees, and built a second garage with a mother-in-law apartment on top of the soil above my old pets’ graves, in front of my childhood home. I sometimes wonder how incredible that place could have been, if only I’d had the resources to revive it.

Wishing everyone a warm and safe day of thanks,

Tanya, John, David, Petunia, shop Kitty — and all the others animals!