Salerno vacation in Hawaii!

The beach house we rented in Puako for the week
Like father like daughter. Sitting in Puako Bay.
The backyard of our condo!
Silly Moki wearing my hat. I swear this dog poses for the camera!
How many Woodbillies can fit on a bed?

Seasons Goatings!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Part one on the top. Part two on the bottom.

Tonight was my school production "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The student were absolutely amazing! Sorry about the delayed intro. I didn't have time to edit the videos tonight. This is raw footage of my amazing students of Waimea Country School! I am one exhausted music teacher, so I will blog more about tonight's adventure soon.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!!

They call me Mellow Cello

This past weekend was the Waimea Chorus Christmas concert (like I previously blogged). The concerts went very well on Friday and Saturday and were only half filled by audience members. After the Saturday concert our only cellist announced he would not be able to make the Sunday concert. And he has a solo piece. I, being the overly self assertive and confident first violinist, nonchalantly wave my hands and say "Have no fear. The violinist is here. I can play the cello part. The cello is just like a big violin anyway. ANY violinist should be able to do this". I figured nobody would really come to a Sunday afternoon matinee show anyway. I practiced for several hours, and for the record, DID get the piece down (pretty good). I rehearsed that morning with the choir pianist and even impressed him (somewhat). Fast forward to the concert. To be fair (to myself), I didn't have a chance to play with the choir. I begin my piece just fine. But then I linger nervously on a dotted half note...for well over 3 beats. This measure is now followed by 3 measures of rest, only I don't know where I AM during this rest. I start playing and obviously it's not the right spot. I panic. I think my a$s is even starting to break a sweat. So I'm quickly faced with 2 possible solutions. Sit there in silence awkwardly for the next 6 (very long) minutes. Or do the next best thing. I'm not even going to POST the video of what I like to call "Che-llo what were you THINKING?" Even my musically barren husband, who couldn't carry a tune if you handed it to him in a basket, could tell something was amiss during my cello debut. In my moment of panic I decided rather than sitting in silence I would perform my newly revised piece "Let's improvise in the key of g minor".

You have no idea how relieved I was to lower my cello back to the ground and pick up my beautiful lighter than air violin and at least prove myself as a musician to the FULLY PACKED SOLD OUT CONCERT.

Holidaze

This picture of my dad wearing my sister's hair just cracks me up! Yes that is Kimi's head!
Me and my siblings on Thanksgiving
Man's best friend on a bike ride to Waipeo Valley

Pressure is on to blog, but I don't want to "blah-g" about nothing. The holidays are upon us. I'm putting on Charlie Brown Christmas shows next week. I volunteered to play violin for the Waimea Chorus, which entails nightly rehearsals till 9:30pm and concerts Friday-Sunday. But the Chorus concert is very clever. Someone arranged classical pieces like Bach Preludes and Debussy's Claire de Lune and arranged Christmas carol lyrics to match up with them.

My family is coming out for Christmas this year, and I am beyond excited. They will get to meet the new "grandkids" Buckley and Mabel, who are now very adjusted and quiet. Some days they are louder than others for whatever reason. I'll take a colicky screaming baby on an airplane over screaming goats any day. I don't know what it is about a screaming bleating goat, but it is the WORST sound in the world. Sometimes all it takes to quiet them down is a few scratches on their back and a Koa branch to munch on and they are quiet and calm again.

The weather is H-O-T and dry in Waimea. My friends told me it was 16 degrees in Seattle yesterday. And here I am in December still wearing a sun dress and bare feet!

I think we will up pot a Sugi tree and use him as our Christmas tree this year. You have to do SOMETHING to get in the holiday spirit here. It's just not Christmassy in 90 degree weather!

Alex's surprise

My early Christmas present from Alex

He has turned me into a piano dork all over again. I can't stop practicing on this gorgeous piano. It's rich buttery tone captivates all my free time. I told him "Now nothing will get done around the house!"

Here's the story. I landed on Sunday evening and was starving. So I suggested we eat down at the pier. We are taking our sweet old time eating at the Blue Dragon (a fun musiquarium). We come home. It's dark outside by this point. I let Moki open the suitcase full of presents I brought him (and video taped the event). My phone rings. It's a student wanting to reschedule. I say "I just walked in. Let me find my calendar and I'll call you back". So I go running into my dark music room and flip on the lights and see THIS in my room. I screamed and ran back OUT of the room. I stood in the living room wide eyed looking at Alex with my back to my music room and said "Did I seriously just see 2 pianos?" I'm shocked. Blown away. Totally surprised. The piano is a 1928 Baldwin Howard French Provincial Style.

Most students didn't know that grand pianos fit together like this, hence their unique shape. I have been printing 4 handed piano duets (click HERE to see free printable sheet music for piano duets) and plan to do many student duet recitals in the near future.

I'm breaking out the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 and plan to memorize all 3 movements. I would like to audition with the symphony sometime next year!

Vince Mira

Vince Mira (17 years old!) is a young singer/songwriter from Seattle who specializes in country and rock and roll music. His deep bass-baritone voice has drawn comparisons to Johnny cash. His repertoire consists of several Johnny Cash and Hank Williams songs, as well as his own originals. Hi career began playing Spanish songs at Pike Place Market where he was discovered by producer Chris Snell. His similarity to Johnny Cash caught the ear of Cash's son John Carter

Cash and led to John producing Mira's first album!

Eine Klein Nachtmuzik (A little night music)

Seattle Public Library

Mountain Road Cycles

Tami, Hilke, me, and Fabie!

My girl friends

I'm revamping this blog entry. I just arrived in Seattle tonight at 11:15pm. Hawaiian airlines has proven to be an incredible airline. They offer a complimentary dinner (I had spinich and cheese manicotti!) and a movie. Dinner and a movie! Tonghts feature was "Julie and Julia" which I haven't seen. It portrays a blogger dedicating to learning how to cook by working her way through Julia Childs cookbook and then blogging about her adventures. A great film! But she made a good point. Blogs can be self centered. Me me me. Well, my blog has been goats, goats, goats lately and before that Moki, Moki Moki the wonderdog. But this particular entry the other night WASN'T about me and a group of girl friends. It was about a huge accomplishment for some very dear friends and their wonderful new bike shop. A great addition to our little ranch town full of bikers, runners, and athletes. I bought a Santa Cruz Juliana bicycle from Matt's shop this month. The bike deserves a lot more than I can offer her. I'm taking baby steps with the whole bike thing. The saying "It's like riding a bike" means nothing to me. Friends pat my back and say "Just think of the saying as "It's like playing the piano" and you'll understand. For now, while I'm learning, I don't ride fast enough to fall and hurt myself. I think that's smart, right?

This was taken tonight at Fabie and Matt's grand opening at their bike shop Mountain Road Cycles! As you can see, it's winter time in Hawaii. I bet it was in the 50's tonight. That's chilly for us! Winter time is officially here. Yesterday morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow on Mauna Kea!

Happy Birthday Alex!

Portable Electric Fast Fence

Alex and I put this fence up in 10 minutes! It's awesome! The goats have SO much more room to graze now in a pen FULL of yummy weeds. No need to weed eat or mow this week!
We moved their kennel and climbing palettes to the new pen. It rained HARD last night and I could just imagine them huddled together.
They have formed a super close bond. They graze side by side all day together.
Just look at all this vegetation for them to eat in their new pen!
The unit that makes the fence electric. Normally a goat could just chew right through this kind of fence. Or slip right underneath it. But because it is electric they don't get anywhere NEAR it. There is an easy off switch on the black solar battery so I can open the pen and play with them. They are so happy. I think they were crying out in hunger before. They would scream and squeal when they saw me walking down the street like "FOOD LADY!" Now they just contently and quietly watch me walk to and from them without an issue!

Does this make you smile?

Moki can herd a wheelbarrow like no other. Moki can herd us on our bikes like a pro. Moki will even herd my truck like a champ when I'm slowly backing it into parking spot. And he herds his people like a well trained herding animal.

But Moki has NO herding instincts when it comes to livestock. He is a useless goat herder!

Yesterday Alex had to do a building inspection so I took the solo opportunity to up pot some new baby trees. I thought it would be nice to let my goats out to free graze around me while I worked in the dirt. But today the goats were SPOOKED. And BOY can they run fast. ZOOM like the wind they went down the street. I go screaming and flailing after them with a stick. This only spooks them more. So ZOOM they fly into other people's yards spooked out of their minds. I'm screaming back and forth, down and back, up and down the street. I must have looked crazy chasing after my spooked goats. I'm screaming at Moki to help me! Herd them! Don't let them slip past you! So then I realized that I'm only freaking them out more by screaming and chasing them. So I stop. I kneel to the ground and hold out a yummy leaf. I speak softly and sweetly to them. They trot over to me to inspect the leaf. And SNATCH! I grab Buckley by his horn and wrangle him into my arms. Thank God I have dwarf goats. They are so easy to pick up and carry back to the pen. Mabel follows me as I carry Buckley in my arms just like I planned. Moki is just SITTING there the whole time like "Wow mom. Those goats aren't good boys like ME. Look at how well I'm just sitting here!"

Once I got them into their pen they were calm and fine. Mabel LOVES being petted. She gets this glazed look in her blue eyes when you sit there and scratch her back. Today we are going to put up an electrical netting portable fence so they have some new terrain to graze on.

Should I take this personally?

As a teacher, it is not uncommon for my darling students to bring me treats. Fresh eggs from their chickens. A bag of lychee from the farmers market when it is Lychee season. Over the years students have brought me tea, fresh baked cookies, tomatos from their garden, an apple for the teacher, and other wonderful goodies.

But this past week I had a student bring me a bag of mystery peppers. To be fair, I didn't ask what they were. I just assumed they were sweet peppers from the farmers market. They did have a funny deformed shape to them. But that can happen with organic gardening.

Fast forward to last night. I wanted to make pasta and add these fine peppers from my student. So I chop them on a cutting board. I have bad allergies and I wiped my nose. Again, to be fair, I should know better than touch my nose while I am cooking. That is just not sanitary. Moments after touching my nose is when the most incredible burn sets in. I grab an ice cube and stuff it up my nose. I wash my hands. A few minutes later I must have rubbed my eye. BURNING EYE! I grab another ice cube and shove it in my eye socket. It is around this point when Alex walks into the kitchen and sees me cooking with ice cubes up my nose and in my eye. I cry "WHAT kind of pepper is THAT?!!?" He says "I think that is a Scotch Bonnet". We do a google search. It is THE HOTTEST PEPPER IN THE WORLD. Nice. What kind of student brings their innocent music teacher THE HOTTEST PEPPER IN THE WORLD? Especially Jessie. I think TOOTHPASTE is spicy. Everyone knows I have no tolerance for hot and spicy food.

Direct quote from encyclopedia:

Most scotch bonnets have a heat rating of 350,000 Scoville Units. For comparison, the jalapeno peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 on the Scoville scale.

I cried to Alex "I think my student must hate me! Why else would someone do this?" as my flaming nose drips in burning pain. I made Alex pick out all the peppers from my pasta. I will hang a note on my music door entrance "Please do not feed the Music Teacher" from now on!

All Saints Day

OK that Halloween picture is very scary! Sorry about that!

Alex and I actually went to bed at 9pm on Halloween. No parties for us! We are the oldest young people you'll meet.

Today was a difficult day. On All Saints day I attended Swan's funeral. There are just no words. There were lots of tears. She was such a beautiful girl. I think the entire town was there today. That is how many lives she has touched.

And finally, to end this day with a smile, my dad is the king of e-mail jokes, but he only sends me the good stuff!! Click HERE to watch yet another great clip he sent me.

Happy Halloween

And tonight I broke down

(click on the image to enlarge)
I have debated blogging about a tragedy taking place in our small charming community. But after tonight's breakdown during my last lesson, I've decided that I need my blog to be my outlet. It can't always be about rainbows and goats in Hawaii.

On Friday, my 16 year old piano student Swan, who I have taught for the past 5-6 years, went home from school with a headache. Apparently she had a quiet evening at home and went to bed early. Only she didn't wake up on Saturday. She passed away quietly in her sleep. She was an only child and her father was our doctor. This tragedy has effected all of my students and families. Even the elementary school aged children are aware of what has happened. It is just not fair. It is NOT fair.

This past year Swan slowly stopped taking piano lessons weekly. She was very busy with high school life and this is a normal pattern with my high school students. But nevertheless I have watched Swan grow up in front of my eyes for the past 5-6 years. She performed at all my recitals. On Saturday night after receiving the horrible news, I sat in my music room on the very piano bench she sat on in silence. Shocked. Deeply saddened.

Tonight, 4 days later, I was teaching one of my middle school students a song by "The Fray". And suddenly everything came flooding back to me. I bought this VERY book I was photocopying from tonight specifically for Swan. The Fray was her favorite band. I suddenly vividly remembered the lesson she told me she went to see The Fray during a summer visit to Michigan and how it was "the best day of her life". As I tried to control myself during this lesson, I had the world's largest lump in my throat. The kind that hurts so much it feels like you swallowed a piece of jagged charcoal and can't talk.

I am so sorry that all of my students dealing with this have to grow up so much faster than they should have too. I watch my students grow up so quickly in front of my eyes. Time, and life, is fleeting. And so very, very precious.

The (planned) Great Escape

Mabel balances on a lifted log
Moki keeping his herd in place
10 minutes before this picture Buckley cornered Moki and told him who's boss with his horns. As you can see, Moki is now scared of Buckley, just a little bit.

Who knew this blog would turn into a diary of my animal world. They bring me so much joy! Today we let the goats out of the pen to munch on different pasture grass and weeds. They followed me around the lot. I kept a rattle of sweet meal on me at all times to keep them close by. There is still plenty of grass in their pen. The grass is just always greener on the other side and they acted starving as they devoured the unreachable grasses on the lot.

Dervish

"Dervish concert performances are a myriad of tones and moods ranging from high energy tunes, played with fluidity and intuitiveness, to beautifully measured songs, from charming lyrics of life and love, to inspiring melodies that life audiences from their seats."

Click HERE to listen to some sample songs!

Last night I was treated by my fiddle student Susan to be her date to an Irish performance by the band "Dervish". It's very sad that Alex and I hardly take advantage of the great little theatre just down the street from our house. Missing out with groups like Pink Martini, The Eroica Trio, and Mikhail Baryshnikov practically performing in our backyard.

I tend to only identify with my Italian heritage for whatever reason. I feel very Italian! I eat very Italian! But when I listen to Irish music, I can feel the other 40% of my genetic heritage come to life. Passed down to me through my black Irish Great Grandmother Isobel Greene. My favorite song last night was "Take your hands off Red Haired Mary!"

Billy Boy Cartoon

My parents e-mailed a very cute and funny youtube video they thought was made just for me! Click HERE to watch!

Just Kidding around

Each day Mabel improves more and more. Today we have absolute silence! What a loud stressful week! Nothing worse than a goat screaming I tell you! Alex jokes that our lot looks like a poor man's nativity scene. Hay in the makeshift manger. With a detached dog kennel garage. Complete with an inflatable beach ball.

But other tid bits of information other than goat news shall we? Last night Alex and I went to watch 4 of my middle school students perform in the musical "Bugsy Malone". What a great show!

I have decided for my school's winter show we will perform "A Charlie Brown Christmas". I can't wait to see an entire kindergarten class dress up as Snoopy and dance around to the Linus and Lucy theme song! I've ordered all the material and it should be arriving this week. December will be here before we know it folks! October is almost over!

And finally, today is the Earthquake anniversary! The 6.9 of 2006!

Goat tell it on the mountain

Day 8: Silence!! Happy happy goaties. Things were looking BLEAT there for a moment, I mean Bleak. Will I ever run out of goat pun on words? Yes they bleat for me when they see me walking down the street and cry for a few minutes when I leave them. But now they are playing together (albeit Buckley has an advantage of having horns but Mabel compensates by prancing with her hooves) Today she stuck her head out to eat alfalfa and I was able to scratch her head.

Goat to Bed

This weekend was "Operation take back the lot". Pre Seattle visit, we used to have nicely manicured tiers you could stroll down whilst sipping a glass of chilled white wine. Post summer vacation spent away from the lot, you have to hack your way with a machete through 5 foot tall ginger. Weeds, grass, and ginger have completely taken over the tiers. The land has returned to its wild native landscape.

Goat update: Day 5: 3 escapes and 5 days of crying later, we are starting to make progress. The two goats are bonding and Mabel seems to finally be settling in. Buckley was a bully for awhile, but when Mabel escaped he cried out for her! He never knew what he was missing before. Yesterday Buckley was sleeping next to the fence with Moki sleeping snug up against him on the other side of the fence. Their feet were touching. I wish I had my camera! I have a funny flock here in Hawaii. I have been hacking my way through the lot, carrying armfuls of yummy goodies that I toss into their pen. We thought they'd want to be let out to graze yesterday, but they didn't want to leave their pen!

Pot Roast is in the crock pot. The dogs (we are puppy sitting a black lab named Aja this week) are bathed and flea medicated. Now back to the lot I go!

Seeing double!

I had to do a double take when I first saw Tapa taking a walk with her owners. Now I teach both children of Tapa's owner so Tapa comes over for a weekly play whilst the kids have lessons. When Moki is shaved, he looks JUST like her. His twin sister!

Meet Mabel

If you double click, you can see her blue eyes!
Buckley is sticking his tongue out! They are still getting to know each other.
The Three Amigos. Mabel discovered Buckley's favorite super high stump! The two have been playing King of the Stump for about an hour. One jumps up, the other jumps down, one jumps up, the other jumps down. At one point I looked out the window and saw them BOTH standing together. I guess they formed a peace pact.

Alex named her Moussaka. I like the name Mabel. We'll roll with the two. Goats will never learn their name anyway. Buckley has been nicknamed Buckwheat, Buckingham, Buck Wild, Buck eye, you get the drift.

Already the crying has stopped. Buckley will cry a little when I walk away but quickly gets distracted by Mabel. He no longer tries to escape and doesn't panic either. Buckley is 5 months old and Mabel is 6 months old. But she is smaller than him. Buckley is weathered (fixed) but Mabel could one day have kids. Mabel has had a long day and is doing great considering. Today she was trapped, put in a kennel, taken away from her family, drove in the back of a truck for 3 hours from South Point, has a new brother who's sort of being a bully (That's MY food, that's MY stump, that's MY mother). I've been sending students out to feed them treats all day to calm them both down when my students are done with music lessons. Salerno Strings/petting zoo.

Weekend in Photos

Parker School had their annual 5K George Hennigan fun run. (a fundraiser run to help support the athletics department). I came in 2nd place in my age group and got a medal! It helps having a 75 pound tornado dog pull you along! Next year I will no longer be getting medals because I head into the next age group category. The 30-39 age division is VERY competitive with hard core running women! I was motivated to get up at 6am to earn one last medal this year!
Why do people wonder why I got a goat when my students arrive to piano lessons via tractor? I live in the COUNTRY now!

I was going to get goat food when my father in law took this video of the completed goat pen. My dear friends Matt and Fabie helped me build a goat fence today since Alex is in Washington D.C. this week. Buckley is so happy now. (It only took 2 hours to build the fence...my friends are funny jokers!) He has three tree stumps to climb and jump. I put a wood palate leaning against his dog house for him to climb. He has lots of grass, sweet potato, ivy, leaves, and woody plants to nibble on. I can see him from our house too. He has been crying and screaming at me all week, bringing me to tears in fact twice this week. A leash is no life for a goat. He (and I) are MUCH happier. When I'm working on the lot I'll let him out since he is my new shadow and follows me wherever I go!

Steel Drum Fun

When I first moved to Hawaii seven "school years" ago, I had to make a decision. It became very clear that I could go in one of two directions. Full time performer or Full time teacher. My greatest joy (and college training!) is in teaching. Two piano teachers happened to move to the mainland the exact summer I moved to Hawaii and BAM! Within a few weeks I was up to sixty private students. I put my steel drum on the back burner for quite awhile. (Well, sort of. The Steel Drum has been a huge hit at my schools) I've kept my steel drum playing a secret. A hidden talent if you will. Partly because I have a musical dog who sings at the top of his howling lungs when I play. So I can never practice new repertoire. And partly because I do not have the time with my teaching schedule for steel drum gigs.

But something happened this month. A Steel Drum awareness awakening. I live in the most tropical US state. And the Steel drum is the most tropical instrument a person could play. What have I been thinking these last 7 years? Enter the month of September. Three steel drum gigs in one month. The first being Parker School's annual BBQ 2 Friday's ago. I was THE only band the entire evening. A one man band, which I am used to being. I teach dozens of private students who attend Parker School. And they came up to me afterwards, wondering WHERE I learned to play the steel drum. Even most of my students do not know about my steel drum ability. Today's gig was a baby's first birthday luau. A Lion King themed party with hundreds of guests. I learned Hakuna Matata and Can you Feel the Love tonight on my steel drum this week in honor of the birthday boy (as well as a few other Disney hits). And in 4 days (Thursday) I will be playing my steel drum for a wedding. I have been kicking Moki out of my music room this past week so I could practice in peace. Alex walked in today and said "You've really offended your vocalist". And Moki sulked into the room and pouted on the floor. I sympathetically asked him "Poor boy, did you want to SING?" and he instantly started howling (without me playing the drum).

I promise, I'm not some crazy dog/goat lady. I just have funny, funny animals. Moki just reminds me that I don't always have to be a one man band....

I Heart Buckley

Day 2: Finally emerged from his kennel but quickly hid behind the chimnea for the rest of the day.
Day 3: Gains some courage to explore his new yard. We are taming him up before bringing him to the pastured lot. But I have a feeling this little socialized guy will want to teach with me during the day and graze early in the AM and in the evening.
Day 4: Wants to keep an eye on us, but still doesn't trust us. Still weary. Let's kids pet him for a minute. Runs and hides when people approach him but then he comes out baaing as if to say "you didn't really go did you??"
Day 4: Totally a different goat. He loves my students and stays put when people approach him. I took him for a walk to the lot today on his long leash. He trotted right behind me and along side his new buddy Moki. He LOVED the pasture, but cried at the top of his lungs when he thought I was leaving him. We'll have to hang out there more so he knows the lot is also our safe place and home.

Sorry Jenny (a dear friend and avid reader of my blog). But your maiden name completely fits my little goat. If it helps, we named Moki after our friend here in Hawaii long before ever moving here.

I promise this blog won't just become all about my little goat. But this little guy is amazing. Every day he is changing. His personality is blossoming. He's coming into his own. Tonight after dinner Alex, myself, and the dog sat by Buckley and we scratched his head. He was in sheer goaty heaven. Today I had a 45 minute lunch break and I played frisbee with Moki to wear him out. And then I sat in my lawn chair with my worn out happy dog to my left, and my little goat curled up to my right. I read my US magazine and scratched both boys behind the ear.

With 74 private students coming and going every half hour, this little goat has no choice but to learn to love humans. The vet told me when he does something naughty, like buck or BUTT (I'm learning the proper farm terminology! But I don't want to change my goats name to Butthead, Buttface, or Buttwheat) I should reprimand him like a dog. I scolded Moki in front of Buckley today for eating goat "raisins" and Buckley looked at me alarmed from hearing my "mean mommy" voice and then looked at Moki and snorted at him!

Our kid is "spirited"

Our kid came with the name Bandit, and we sometimes call him Bandy. But now he is starting to earn the name Buck. Short for Buckwheat. Buckly if you will. Seeing that the only thing he likes to do is Buck you with his tiny horns.

Things would be easier had we adopted him at say 9 weeks instead of 15. He has some issues. And a bit of an attitude. But each day we are making progress. Today he finally emerged from his hidey hole kennel. He loves that thing. He is going to be moved up to the green pasture on the lot as soon as he is a bit more tame. He is a pretty wild young thing. But as you can see from my polaroid picture, he sat contently on the rock wall with me. Only snorting occasionally. And bucking me with his tiny horns a little less often today. In 10 minutes the students start arriving every half hour. Enter Woodbury petting zoo/music studio....

We adopted a kid!

Meet our kid Bandit
Moki meeting his new brother
Bandit is in the middle of his triplet sisters. A teenage goat is behind them.
Bandit's father Decker
Decker looking at the camera mid drink

Cute baby lambs!

So Friday night I was done teaching and I was hanging out in the kitchen with Alex. He said "I almost came home with a baby goat today!" and I said "Awww!! You shouldn't have said anything because now I want one! Would it be hard to take care of a goat?" and he said "Actually, not at all. We've stopped mowing our grass on the acre lot and we could tether him around the lot and he'd be just fine and happy". So the next day, with Alex's permission, I set out to find that truck full of baby goats for sale. But they were gone. There was a sign for a Farm Fair the following day and people standing by the sign told me they would be selling baby goats there from 9-2. So I wake up today full of excitement and zoom out to the farm fair and, sure enough, NO BABY GOATS. So I walk up to the goat cheese stand and ask him about baby goats. He says he has a friend on Waiki'i Ranch with goats (about 10 minutes away from our house). I should call her. So I call, and she said "Yes! I have baby goats for sale". I have always wanted a Nigerian Dwarf goat, but I didn't want to sound too picky and I asked "How big do your goats get?" and she said "I have a sweet 15 week old Nigerian Dwarf goat baby boy named Bandit that I would love to sell to you for $100. He's been fixed and weened from his mother too". So I call Alex and he said "Go get that goat!"

The ride home was bumpy and rough, so right now Bandit (I think we'll keep his name, but our family and friends think we should name him Billie and Goatee. I've always wanted a goat named Scape (scape goat!) is resting in his kennel in our garage. Moki is so excited and hasn't left the front of the kennel yet. Goats are naturally scared to death of dogs, but Moki is a very special boy and I think he and Bandit will make great friends!

Stay tuned for more pictures!