Tag: tennessee

It’s A ….. Goat!?

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Well, hello there little goat!

Sunday morning was a weird one here on the countryside. I was getting ready to go scuba diving, put my gear together and heard Sophie barking outside. She doesn’t usually bark so I went to see what was going on. There is my dog her eyes size of saucers, and I am sure I had an unbelievable look on my face too. A small goat was standing on my back porch.

This is countryside so it’s not unheard of to have animal visitors occasionally but I didn’t know any of my neighbors having goats. There are a couple of cow farms nearby and sometimes the cows have come to see the horses but that’s pretty much the extent of farm animal excitement here. I texted my barn keeper’s mom as they are locals and know everybody, asking if she knows goat owners in the area. A nearby pumpkin farm has a petting zoo and goats so I reached out to them and asked if their goat has taken a hike. No luck.

So I was happily drinking my Sunday morning coffee outside, kept company by Sophie, barn cat Katy Purry, and the goat. I was able to line up a few people who could have come and pick up the tiny, unfriendly goat later on Sunday. Unfriendly, as she of course rammed poor Sophie when she tried to make friends with her. As I had diving to do, I couldn’t stay and solve the goat challenge on the spot – while I was gone, the goat had taken off and went to another neighbor’s yard. Hopefully the little one found her home… But my farm is still goat free!

Breakfast company

Hiding goat

When Dogs Go Running

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Way too early on Saturday morning I headed out to Nashville. With the dog. Ready to put a bib on, and run a race. Mutt Strut is a 5k running (and walking) event organized by Nashville Humane Society, a fundraiser to help the animals they take care of. So a great cause to head out with Sophie.

Running a 5k when surrounded by a gazillion dogs, some behaving better than the others, can be pretty chaotic. So no serious time goal on this run. Although thanks to the fast legs, we managed to run/jog the first two mile-long laps in around 10 minutes. After that my furry puppy got tired. Being an Australian shepherd with nice, warm undercoat, it sure is not easy to run in Tennessee weather when temperature is in mid-80’s (close to 30C) and humidity around 70%. It was sweaty for me as well. On the last mile we jogged slowly, and even walked some as I had to drag the dog behind – I kinda fell like an animal abuser but we made it without heat exhaustion!

Making new friends

Chilling after the run

It was a warm day but we did it!

Such a fun day, and great way to be social with other dogs. After the initial excitement Sophie couldn’t care less about other dogs: sniffing was overrated and playing seemed to be the dummiest idea ever. Instead, after resting a bit after the race, Sophie and I headed to Three Dog Bakery for Sophie to get some delicious snacks. Like who would say no to doggy-friendly, artisan cupcakes?!? Not my dog.

Looks so delicious!

Cupcakes!

We finished the day by taking a quick dip in a nearby creek. There is not a better way to cool down after a warm day, right?! Sophie at least had a blast – as always. If I had a pool, it probably would be taken over by the dog …. she is a true water lover.

Water fun!

Hurricane Irma

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This weekend the southeastern corner of the United States is holding its breath for approaching Hurricane Irma.  One of the strongest hurricanes ever has forced millions of Floridans to leave their homes and travel north, or at least once again pull out the metal shields for doors and windows, secure anything that could fly away in 150 mph (65 m/s) wind, and hope for the best.

I was supposed to be cave diving in Florida next week but obviously Irma changed those plans too. Nobody knows how catastrophic the winds will eventually be, and I sure do not want to be on the road when weather gets seriously bad. Hopefully the cave diving happens sooner than later though.

However, it looks like even Tennessee is going to get its share of Irma’s fierce love. According to the latest hurricane tracker, we will see winds and rain here on Wednesday/Thursday. Probably time to tie down the yard furniture once again although winds are not going to exceed 30 mph (~15 m/s). While there are no hurricanes in the inland, tornadoes do pose a real risk occasionally as a consequence of a hurricane, or they can spawn on their own when the warm and cold fronts converge.

So far the weather is gorgeous here on the rolling hills of Tennessee. Horses are enjoying the green pastures, gentle wind is bringing a nice, welcoming breeze, and sun is shining. I am going to enjoy my day by heading out for a run, and taking care of grocery shopping – I thought I would be in Florida next week, so edible items in the refrigerator are kinda decreasing as time goes by. But regardless, my thoughts are with people who have already being hit by Irma, and the ones who still bracing for the impact.

Stay safe – wherever you are!

Hurricane tracker information from CNN.