Day 12 - Valentine the Goat

I spent the morning shoveling seven tons of compost (14,000 pounds) out of a big refrigerator truck. Jon and I had great conversations – I've made some awesome friendships here at Growing Power – it's going to be sad leaving this place. It's nice to know that I can come back next fall or winter (not summer since I have commitments through August) and do an entire 3 month internship, or volunteer and have friends in Milwaukee to stay with.

I also spent a lot of time with the goats today. This afternoon was a bit troubling: a man came inquiring about purchasing one of our goats, which meant slaughtering it for food. This doesn’t happen on-site, but apparently the same man came before insisting we do it for him in the barn. When we said no, he said he would do it himself in his car. I didn't know all this until after he left, but the goat that he did want today ended up being Valentine; the most friendly goat with the liveliest personality of the bunch. His fur is white with a brown spot on his back in the shape of a heart.

It was a terribly anxious scene: about 8 of us stood around the goat pen while this man stood inside tugging Valentine by the leg, then twisting the goat's ear. None of us would tie up Valentine because nobody wants that goat to go. The entire staff loves that goat and there are many who are extremely attached to Valentine. I observed the 7 Growing Power employees looking very tense and feeling extremely anxious. Everyone there was clearly being so protective… and in the end the man didn't end up buying Valentine. He argued with the staff about the goat's weight, age and didn't think he was worth $100. It was an eye-opening experience watching this scene unfold as it did. The rollercoaster of emotions that everyone felt – I could literally see it in the air.

This post was dedicated to Valentine, who will live at least one more day… though I think many of us were considering buying that goat ourselves and maybe housing it in the intern house for safe keeping! At least until that man disappears for awhile…

Peace,
Ryan