Cuzco? Spoiled?! Never!!

He earns his keep… A little bit… Sometimes. 
We had nearly a foot of snow last night and it was still coming down hard most of today, so we decided to walk the two miles to the store instead of drive on the treacherous unplowed roads. Cuzco got to carry the milk home–one gallon on each side. He did very well considering the snow was up over his knees, and he didn’t even complain once.

Cuzco loves it when Phil plays his fiddle or mandolin. He drops whatever he is doing and stands near Phil to listen.

From Sopris Unlimited. It’s a llama halter, but it fits Cuzco nicely. I wish they still made these!

This is me and Phil’s all-time favorite photo, hands down.

Every so often, Phil and I go out of town and my friend Wendy keeps Cuzco with her horses and goats. Cuzco met Wendy’s five pygmy goats for the first time in July 2007. They cornered him and he was terrified.

After sparring for a while, Cuzco decided that the little goats were dangerous, and when Phil and I tried to leave him, he leaped over Wendy’s fence, which is easily six feet high, and chased our truck down the road. We had to tie him to a tree so we could get out of there.

Cuzco eventually got used to the little goats and he and the feisty gray named Dilly became boyfriend and girlfriend. By the end of “goat camp” (as Phil calls Cuzco’s stays at Wendy’s), Cuzco had settled himself firmly in the middle of the pecking order. I guess Cuzco can’t take the humiliation of getting bossed about by pygmy goats, though, because after staying at Wendy’s a couple of times, he left the goat pen for good and stays with her horses. They boss him around too, but at least they’re bigger so it’s not as embarrassing for him.

Funny story behind this photo. This was October 2002 and Cuzco’s first experience with snow. As we all know, goats generally hate to get wet, so while the horses were outside playing in the fresh powder, Cuzco was huddled alone and miserable in the barn. Phil had been so excited to see how his goat would react to snow that he was bitterly disappointed when Cuzco refused to have anything to do with it. Phil held out hope that perhaps Cuzco was just inexperienced with snow, and that if forced to confront it, he would grow to love it. So Phil “threw him in at the deep end” so to speak. He shooed Cuzco out of the barn and wouldn’t let him come back in. The poor goat tried a few times to get in the door, but when Phil wouldn’t let him, he stood peeking hopefully in at the window until Phil felt sorry for him and relented. Phil never forced Cuzco out to “play” in the snow again. But it wasn’t very long before Cuzco learned on his own that being with friends in the snow is better than being alone, even in a cozy barn.

… than having pleasant conversation with a goat. 

… is always the sweetest.