HIndel Kidz 16: Carolyn's Twin
Hindel Kidz 16
Carolyn’s Twin
Ruby and Carolyn had both gone to the fair. Savannah was going to show Ruby and Elissa was going to show Carolyn. Like Bree, Savannah didn’t work with Ruby. Elissa never came down to walk Carolyn either.
“If Ruby or Carolyn win a prize it would be because Jack worked with them,” Grace said.
He had it to the point where Ruby would stop when he stopped and go when he went. He also had Carolyn on the leash by the time she was month old or maybe even before.
The goat show was the first day of the fair. Sven and Grace couldn’t go because he was working six days a week and she was selling sweet corn. Later that day when they went up to feed, Jack said, “Carolyn won first place in her class and Ruby won third place in her class.”
Since Ruby had won first place last year, Jack expected her to win first place again. He even said, “ I don’t know how she came in third when the judges even said she was the best looking goat in that class! She should have won first!” He was still talking about it a year later.
Another goat down there had a baby during the fair. The mother was brown, like Joy. The little baby was gray with a white stripe around the middle. They had put a sign up telling people not to pet the baby goat. Grace didn’t see any reason for that. She was holding and petting Carolyn when she wasn’t even a day old.
Jack often talks to the lady down at Rolling Hills where he got Elmer and Ruby. This lady’s name was Shelly. Shelly always says how she wishes she hadn’t sold Ruby. Last Christmas, she sent Jack a card and told him Ruby’s mother had just given them a set of triplets.
“If you ever decide to get out of the goat business, I’ll buy Ruby back,” Shelly said.
Jack sell his Little Angel? Get real. Shelly had told Jack she had a little girl goat that had somewhat of an overbite and asked if he would be interested in buying her. He said he would drive down and have a look. He didn’t know if he was going to get her or not. He had talked about getting another boy goat in the spring for breeding. Shelly also wanted him to bring Ruby with him because she had heard how Ruby rides in the front seat of the truck with him. She wanted to take of picture of Ruby sitting in the front seat and send it in to one of the goat magazines.
The next time Sven and Grace went up to feed, they saw Jack sitting in the back yard with a goat on his lap. At first, they thought it was Carolyn, but this goat was a lot smaller and had a leash on. As it turned out, this little one was only six days younger than Carolyn. She was born March 9th. And she almost looked exactly like Carolyn.
When Grace asked, “What this one’s name?” Jack laughed.
He said it was spelled L-a-i- n-i-e. They didn’t know if it was pronounced Lannie or Lonnie.
Grace was pretty sure Jack got her so one of the grandkids could show her at the fair next year. Ruby would turn two in January and would have to have a baby. Maybe Jack got Lainie just incase Ruby didn’t have a baby. He had also been offered to buy a withered boy, who turned out to be Lainie’s half brother, but he had turned it down.
When they got ready to feed, Lainie struggled a little bit and bumped her head against the building door. Carolyn tried to head butt her a few times. Jack said he wasn’t worried about Ruby, Carolyn or Pearl, but he was going to put Nibby and Joy over in another pen by themselves. They always got upset when there was a new animal in there. Since Lainie looked so much like Carolyn, Grace wondered whether Pearl would think Lainie was also hers.
“I thought I only had one,” Pearl was thinking,
A couple days later Jack said, “Pearl has kind of adopted her. They lay side by side every morning.”
Lainie seemed sweet and came right over and let Grace pet her. As soon as she poured molasses in the dish, Lainie started eating right away. Grace tried to feed her a piece of bread, but she didn’t take it. When they all left the building, she started to cry. Grace went back in and sat down on the wooden crate and she came over and as long as Grace would pet her under her chin she would stand next to her. She wasn’t scared of Lizzie at all. Lizzie leaned forward and tried to either smell Lainie or lick her.
Grace didn’t think it looked like Lainie had an overbite. She would lick her lips and curl her upper lip back. Since Sven and Grace’s puppy was black and gray, Jack said, “Lainie and Molly could be half sisters.”
Molly chased Lainie a couple of times around the yard. Molly is part Australian Shepherd and they are herding dogs. Lainie ran to the building twice, but only ran half way the third time. She was getting a little braver. She and Molly have been nose to nose. And Lainie was the first one to head butt her. They had figured it would have been Ruby.
Lainie had a runny nose and later on Jack noticed Ruby has one also. She was also wheezing. He called the veterinarian to come out and look at both Ruby and Lainie. As it turned out, Ruby had a fever. A normal temperature for a goat is 102 to 104 and Ruby’s was 105. That sounded awful high to Grace. The vet gave Jack four medicines for them. He gave Ruby and Lainie each a shot with a double dose of medicine. They wondered if Lainie didn’t bring some virus home with her from Rolling Hills.
“Are you happy now since you have another baby goat to play with?” Sven asked Grace and she just smiled.
Now Carolyn had a friend. The triplets always had each other, but Carolyn was an only goat.
Her name is pronounced Lay-nee. They say everyone has a twin somewhere in the world and the same is true for goats.
