Lollipop and Nibbles

After finishing last week with plenty of “to-do’s” checked off our list (we had unheard of temps in the 60’s and the ground is nice and dry), yesterday we took the day off and went inland to Monmouth to visit the angora goats at Friend’s Folly Farm…and meet the two who are destined to be ours…

The white one is Lollipop. She’s 3 years old and sweet as candy! Her ringlets are snowy white and will grow about 8″ long before we cut them for yarn and Santa’s beards. The baby in arms is Nibbles…he’s cinnamon colored and already has attitude! These are fiber goats, raised for their beautiful mohair curls and friendly dispositions. Pogo and Marcia, the shepardesses at FFF tell us that Angora goats are so smart that they learn quicker than any dog and are willing to please. They’re great with children and are most content hanging around at home…they don’t wander off if they get loose. They only have bottom teeth, weigh at most 75 pounds and love to graze on vines, saplings and blackberry bushes…but Marcia warned that their favorite food above all others is broccoli…who would have figured?

Lollipop is going to move home to Searsport Shores next month with an old friend Neeshy until Nibbles is old enough to be weaned from his mother…so he’ll be coming home in mid-July and then Neeshy will head back to the farm and take his rightful place among his herd…he’s just taking a brief holiday at the coast to keep Lollipop company and help her to settle into her new surroundings. In the meantime, Steven’s cleaning out a new goat pen area and we’ll be fixing up their new goat house…and developing plans for their climbing station…Marcia says they love to play king of the mountain…this is going to be fun! Once they’re settled, children and parents will be welcome to take them for walks and feed them treats. During the summer they’ll live in a moveable pen and spend time in different parts of the park when the blackberry bushes need pruning.