Goats in Seattle

Going home from work I saw a large crowd gathering around a bridge and looking down at something, of course, my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to go over and see what was going on...just hoping that it wasn't a homeless couple having sex or something horribly disgusting. To my surprise it was a HUGE herd of goats on the hill side eating grass and weeds. It was just so much fun seeing all of these goats happily eating and playing and not paying attention to all the horrible traffic around them or the gawkers. I have to tell you that after a stressful day at work, seeing about 50 or 60 goats on a hillside was definately a great pick me up. It was nice to see so many people smiling and laughing and just watching.

From the Seattle Weekly

King Conservation District (KCD) envisions a time when goats coexist with the clippers and the lawn mower in every garden shed. (Note to PETA: We don't mean that literally.) The agency is currently seeking urban property owners willing to take on a pair of goats for a two-week trial in August. Last year, KCD successfully deployed 120 weed-eating goats to rural areas south of Seattle. This season's goats will come from two natural vegetation-management firms: the Eastern Washington–based Healing Hooves and a Seattle enterprise called Goat Busters. Goats eat a wide variety of weeds—including blackberries, knotweed, morning glory, and English ivy. Organizers will do their part to help prevent the goats from bingeing on nonweeds by setting up temporary electric fences in the designated areas. If you're interested in hosting goats this summer, call KCD at 206-764-3410, ext. 103, or e-mail district@kingcd.org

Aaaaaah, here comes the rain!!!

Okay, living in Seattle you would think people would know how to drive in the rain because, quite frankly, it rains quite a bit here.

I started off this morning by running some errands. After my busy Saturday I needed to get some things done on this nice, relaxing Sunday. It was a little unpleasantly hot and with my air conditioning in my ancient car not working, I was starting to get a tad irritated. So needless to say when I saw the clouds roll in I was starting to feel cooler and more happy and relaxed. That was UNTIL THE RAIN STARTED. No, this wasn't acid rain that would slowly eat your tires and cause chaos and distruction, this was normal (almost fall-like) rain. So, like I said, traffic was moving extremely well before but as soon as the rain started there was a friggin accident everywhere. What happened??? There was no ice or sleet, it was just rain. This happens all the time when it rains, I don't understand it. My friends tell me that it's because of all the California people who have moved up here and don't know how to deal with rain. That could be...all I know is that I was stuck on a bridge for almost 2 hours because some idiot was driving too fast and the rain made it a teeny bit slick, just slick enough for his car to flip over and block most of the highway on the bridge. All I can say is THANK GOD it was nice and cool or I don't know what I would have done. Does anyone understand the concept of slowing down a bit in the rain?

Ah well, I did happen to finally get home and now I am sitting here in bed with the windows wide open just watching and listening to the rain. It's kind of nice, actually.

My Sweet 16 - I mean My Horribly Spoiled 16 year old

No, it's really not my sweet 16, that happened just a few years ago...it's a television show on one of the music chanels where extremely wealthy, spoiled, horrible children have these birthday parties that costs 100s of thousands of dollars. It's one of those shows I'm not able to really just sit there and watch because it makes me so angry. No, I'm not really angry at these monstrous, horrible children that throw fits when their mommy or daddy won't pay $100,000 for a new diamond necklace for them, or when they get mad at their parents when they gawk at the price of a car that is roughly the price of a nice house in Kansas City, Missouri, that their little darling wants...I am angry at those parents. I can understand why a lot of parents who grew up extremely poor would want their children to have EVERYTHING they didn't have. I can understand that. BUT at what expense. These children have no compassion, they have no sense of decency, they only have material possessions, nothing else. If they lost all their money, there would probably be a whole host of suicides or insanity.

These kids throw tantrums and tirades until everything they want is handed to them on a silver platter. I know if this was out when I was a child, I would have felt extreme sadness because I grew up pretty poor. I had to work for everything I got but I really didn't want that much. I was thankful for everything my mom and dad gave me. When I got a new stereo (although it wasn't a top brand), I thought it was the best gift in the world. I remember buying one of my first 8 tracks by The Knack and listening to My Sherona over and over, it was the best feeling that I had bought it with money I earned mowing lawns (yes a girl mowing lawns back then) or babysitting. These kids in this kind of show will never understand that. OR the day I paid off my old Chevrolet Impala. I remember being so excited that I had paid it off and told one of my wealthy friends who said, oh really? I pay cash for all my cars...HA, I said - you mean your DADDY pays cash for all your cars. ugh. Anyway, I just felt so relieved and happy...

BUT I hear now they have a show called EXILED. These are some of the most spoiled (if you can imagine) of the Sweet 16 shows that the parents probably got so much criticism that they have decided to send their son or daughter to an IMPOVRISHED country and make them work. I personally think it's a great idea. They can see others who have nothing and that they are able to live and be happy. But what is so funny is NOW the parents are trying to show some discipline. Well, I hope it works. I hope one of these children have some spark of love or compassion for their fellow human beings. I guess we can just see...