Goats In Trees
May 16, 2016
Before I get to the topic of the title of this post, one of the things I have learned over the past couple of years is that I do not have to be “perfect” or give the appearance of “having it all together.” Not only is this impossible but it can (and has) led to bad decisions and unnecessary stress. Just be yourself. Either people love and respect you for who you are, or they don’t; and either way is fine. Easier said than done though and apparently I have not quite mastered this yet. After my last post, a few good friends let me know that there is no requirement that my posts contain some brilliant insight (or any insights at all). All they want to hear is my “voice” and how I am doing. Nice to have friends who give honest feedback! OK, keeping that in mind, here we go…..
Goats in trees! As usual, we were watching CBS Sunday Morning yesterday and one of the segments was on full grown goats in Morocco climbing trees in order to reach what clearly is a very enticing type of nut (or was it a fruit?). This nut contains a type of oil that is all the rage (and retails for $300/litre) and is used as food as well as high end skin care products. The nut has an extremely hard exterior and accessing the oil is quite difficult. This is where the goats come in. The exterior is softened considerably by the goat’s digestive system and the oil is easily accessed once the goats poop the nuts out. How great is that? First of all, I love goats (and sheep – don’t ask) especially when they do things that one would not think they normally would do (like climb trees). When I called Kenny Sunday night, I said, “I know what I want for Christmas when I get out!” And of course, he said, “goats in trees!” (he really did!). H&S: there may be a trip to Morocco in our future! 🙂
The other reason I had a great weekend is that I got to read Bill Bryson’s new book: The Road to Little Dribbing (thanks, Bart!). I had never heard of Mr. Bryson before I arrived here but now I think he is my favourite author. One of the first books I received after I arrived was his “In a Sunburned Country” which detailed his travels through Australia. I had no idea that so many things could kill you there! (Note to self: increase life insurance prior to Australia trip). I have since read about 10 of his books and all have been “laugh out loud” funny as well as very educational. His books focus on obscure tidbits as well as the ridiculous behavior of the many people he encounters. Here is a typical excerpt from “Dribbling”:
I like Norfolk*. I lived there for ten years until 2013 and have grown convinced that there is nothing wrong with it that a few hills and a little genetic variability wouldn’t fix. For the benefit of the foreign reader, I should perhaps explain that Norfolk has a long standing reputation for inbreeding. As my son Sam used to say: “Norfolk: too many people, not enough surnames.” I am not for a moment suggesting that the rumors are true, but I will say that when the police do DNA checks after crimes they sometimes have to arrest as many as 12,000 people.
All of them are good, but if you haven’t read any of them, I’d start with “In a Sunburned Country.”
No brilliant insights, but hopefully a laugh or two! Love and hugs to you all!
David
* UK, not Virginia, although……
