Meet Twister Veronica ........mother to Trixie and Gus, sister to Vanessa, girlfriend to Vincent and alpha goat as far as The Uncles are concerned. It is difficult to get a good picture of Twister, and as I haven't yet been able to make all the pictures I do have transferrable to this blog, this is the best I could right now. This picture, taken about three days before the babies were born, does show how pretty she is though. She is somewhat standoffish in nature, softening somewhat after Vanessa's tragic labor - enough to stand next to me and push against my leg for me to rub her neck. You are never in any doubt as to what kind of mood she is in or whether or not she wants you to touch her. She was bred with Vincent not long after we got her so I never really got a clear picture of her personality, but as her pregnancy went on, she became more reserved and as I mentioned before, standoffish. She cracks me up because when you try to rub her head or neck and she doesn't want to be bothered, she has this way of twisting her head around to give you the warning - DO NOT BUG ME. That said, she is an incredible mother. The way she takes care of her babies just fills me with respect, admiration - and love......... which initially took me completely by surprise. I mean - who knew?! I'd never seen so much as a kitten being born before she had her babies and watching her with Trixie and Gus has been both an education and a great source of joy. Watching her call to her them when it is time for them to nurse, or rest or just get closer to her is absolutely amazing. (If she was my mom, ain't no way I would pretend not to hear her!) When they're nursing, she's nuzzling and inspecting with the thoroughness that only a mom gets away with. When they're sleeping, she's got them nestled up next to her on one side or another with at least one ear and one eye at all times. Which sort of prompts me to digress, because it has suddenly occurred to me that some humans could take lessons from goats when it comes to parenting.
