...Mississippi Goat Farming

"What do you do with your goats?" I asked my great-uncle Ben as we bumped around his pond in a Gator.

"I keep 'em." He responded slowly.

"Well, yes, but I mean, do you keep them for meat, or milk? You should make some goat cheese." I really do love goat cheese.

"I just keep them. Sometimes I sell a few to market when the herd gets big. I just like to have 'em around." With this he looked away into the field, as if indicating that that was that.

My Uncle Ben lives a great life. He and my Aunt Bess live in a house that is nicely tucked away on a hill. They have one dog and... who knows how many cats. All of the animals, however, live outside. Except Butterbean. He's the oldest of the cats and gets special treatment. Baron III, Ben's doberman, lives in the lower garage with Tom Cat. They live comfortably with heat in the winter and AC in the summer. Baron gets about three-thousand treats a day and has the waistline to show it. He also has the personality of a bunny rabbit. That is the sweetest scary-looking dog I think I have ever known.

Of course, even with all of these suburban comforts, Ben's greatest joy comes from his goats. My Aunt Bess is one of three Harris siblings. Bess, Hallie (my grandmother) and their brother Tommy. Many years back the Harris family land was split between the three children; Tommy got their mother's house in Laurel, MS, Hallie received a piece of lakefront land in Mississippi that is now a frequent vacationing spot (more on The Camp later), and Bess got the farm in Newton, MS. Now, Bess is not the type of woman to maintain a farm. She, at the time, was a school teacher, and much preferred a life of reading and being inside. Ben, on the other hand, has turned that farm into his home away from home.

Every afternoon since Ben retired he has driven 45 minutes from Meridian to Newton to see his babies. Every afternoon as he pulls his truck up to the gate close to 100 goats (and 4 donkeys) come running toward the fence. Situated on the farm are three structure: the farm house, the garage, and the barn. The farm house is just that - a rustic building that no one has slept in for well over three years. The only use it has gotten is from Ben storing meat and beer in the refrigerator. The beer, of course, is for the hardworking farmer's own refreshment.

The meat, on the other hand, is for the hardworking farm dog. No, I'm not talking about Baron. He's about as hardworking as a sloth. Sandy is a large Wheaton Terrier, but she'd never fit in at a show. She is dirty, smelly, and distant. Unlike Baron, she would never rub up against you for a pat. Her job is to protect the farm, and she does her job well. As a reward she receives ham, chicken, turkey, and a sausage. It pays to be a working dog.

The four donkeys I mentioned are named Mary, Joseph, Hannah, and Little Bit. All four of them come up to about mid-waist height, and Ben refers to them lovingly as "Jesus Donkeys." What he means, of course, is that they are all Nazarene Donkeys - the kind which Jesus was told to have ridden into Nazareth on. They are there to be loved on and fed, and they pretend that that is their sole purpose in life. However, they hide beneath their loving facades a vicious streak a mile wide. A Nazarene Donkey, if it smells or sees a fox, will not rest until that fox is miles away from the herd, or dead. Foxes like to eat baby goats. Donkeys like to stomp on foxes. Donkeys protect the goats. It's a wonderful cycle.

It was so nice to be out on the farm with Ben. The community there, while small, is one that I could see myself living in if I were willing to live a simpler life. All of the people we encountered at the local feed co-op were bright-eyed and friendly... and muscular. Very, very muscular. The Farm is situated on a land with two ponds - one for swimming and one for catfishing. Above the catfishing pond hovers a deer stand with a rickety, unsafe ladder leading into the branches of the tree. Of course, I had to climb up there. From the top of that tree you can see all of the land my family owns in that area, and it takes your breath away.

I've always wanted to live on a farm, and this farm is everything I ever imagined. Except that it is in the middle of Mississippi. The middle-of-nowhere Mississippi. I don't know if I could quite survive with that little human contact.

But Ben, he has the best of both worlds. He has his home with his wife. The hospital where he used to work is down the road one direction, and his son is down the road in the other. He has about a bajilion cats to pet, and one pushover of a big dog. Then, he has the farm. He has peace and quiet, animal comforts, a fishin' hole and a fridge of beer.

Honestly, Uncle Ben's got it made.

Until we meet again,
Love, love, goat-slobberin' love,
Amy Plunk!

Progress across this country of ours

A) Boulder, CO
B) Cheyenne Wells, CO
C) Lubbock, TX
D) Austin, TX
E) Baton Rouge, LA
F) New Orleans, LA
G) Vancleave, MS
H) Meridian, MS
Total mileage so far: 1,759