Our final goat of Christmas (this year) will be a twofer. I saved Apple and Lyra for last because as we approach the New Year, I'm looking forward to the future, and they're the future of the herd.
Apple and Lyra were both born in early spring this year, and as soon as they stood up, I knew each was a keeper.
Lyra was named by one of my best girlfriends, Calla, who was in town for the birth. She's almost entirely black but with one tiny pinprick of white in the middle of her back - like a star. Calla and I were lying on the couch, reviewing star names, which she can recite from memory. She said, "Lyra," and it stuck.
On the other hand, Apple was named by the then-two-year-old. It was one of about four words he knew.
The girls both come from powerhouse milking backgrounds. They are strong, beautiful, and sweet. Lyra (featured in the above video) gives the best goat hugs. I look at them and can see them outside, browsing, kidding (literally and figuratively), for years to come, and as my lifelong friends.
When you have baby goats annually, you realize that most animals won't be forever, and most kids born here must leave. The power of compounding applies both to finances and goats - but you don't have to feed money. But when a kid is born in whom you can see the future, they warrant investment.
This next year I'll be taking some big leaps. Hopefully, professionally, in my relationships and family, but also in my hobbies and passions.
My word for 2023 - is discernment.
In a world of excesses - information, objects, distractions, and for me - chickens and goats - it's time to focus on those that mean the most. Lyra and Apple are the goats I want for years to come.
They're the goats of Christmas future.
Cheers from all of the 12 Goats of Christmas (and a bonus one, too) - thanks for reading along with me. Merry Christmas from all of us, and thank you for subscribing.
I have some fun stuff planned for 2023, a year of better friendships and discernment.
The 12 Goats of Christmas - Lyra and Apple