There’s no question, at almost eight months old, that Lotus and Minnie are all grown up. They’re definitely not baby goats any more, and their personalities couldn’t be more distinct. We just can’t believe how fast they’ve grown.
“Can you believe we’re almost eight months old?”
Of the two, Minnie is the most sensitive to her surroundings, and isn’t particularly fond of change. It also takes her a little longer to get used to new people when they come to the farm for a visit.
“Wait, do I know you!?”
By her very nature she is definitely the more timid of the two.
“I’m just a little shy, that’s all”
Despite being shy, most of the time Minnie likes to think she’s in charge, and keeps a very close, and somewhat suspicious, eye on anyone that’s new in HER barn.
‘The Eye of Minerva’
When it’s just us though, the girls are much more relaxed, and more than happy to ham it up for the camera.
“Do my ears look big from this angle?”
“Not as much as this angle makes MY ears look big!”
Of course, Lotus still has a tendency to get too close to the camera sometimes.
“Still too close?”
“Heehee…I’ll get this camera thing figured out…eventually”
“How about now? Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese”
Recently I was in the barn with the girls, and decided we needed a couple of extra photos for our annual farm calendar. Minnie’s coloring makes it challenging to get good pictures of her sometimes, but I think I liked this one the best.
“Oh, a calendar? Will we be famous?”
But this one of Lotus is definitely my favorite overall. She looks like quite the glamour goat in this shot.
“I think I should be on the cover, don’t you?”
Of course, we couldn’t just put one of them on the cover, that wouldn’t be fair.
“Wait, I’m the oldest, I should get the cover!”
Sorry Minnie, you’ll have to share with Lotus. No arguments, or we’ll put J.J. on the cover instead!
“A TURKEY!?! You can’t put a turkey on the cover!”
I thought that might convince you.
The cover for the 2013 calendar
In addition to the calendar cover, the girls are also slated to appear in the months of March, and October.
“Wait, that’s only two months. Next year we should get all 12 months, don’t you think?”
We’re just waiting on the final proofs, and hopefully “A Year at Curbstone Valley Farm – 2013” will ready for publication by the end of next week, in plenty of time for the holidays. We’ll post more soon, along with a full preview, after the proofs arrive!
Awww, they’re real cute. Interesting how they have distinct personalities–but it doesn’t surprise me. Perfect cover models for your calendar!
Their personalities really are every bit as unique as dogs, or children. It’s one of the things I love about them, and it makes them a lot of fun to have around the farm 🙂
How adorable. But it’s good that they learn t share the spotlight ( and calendar) with the other animals. And even plants!
I don’t think Minnie likes to share much. That’s ok though, she’d much rather share with Lotus, than a turkey! 😛
Oh, the cover is adorable! They have definitely been the stars this year, and I’m so glad they made the front cover!
Goaties on the cover of this year’s calendar was a must. The farm has changed a lot this year because of them!
Love the cover shot you chose. You get a nice clear look at both those sweet faces. How could anyone chose between the two?
It’s one of the very few photographs I’ve managed to take of both of them together, both facing forward! It’s tricky enough snapping a shot of one goat, but two of them, cooperating for the camera, simultaneously, is very rare! 😛
Your goats are just the most adorable creatures. I love the Cheeeese! photo that Lotus is doing! So cute!
I even made my husband watch the video of your goats being spoiled as an argument for possibly getting goats at some much later point. (Gotta start slow and get him used to the idea that goats are not always the stereotypical ornery butting goats you see in the cartoons!)
Even though it’s a bit fuzzy, I love that muzzle shot too…besides, it’s the very last thing a blackberry leaf sees around here. A big, fuzzy, goatie grin 😀
I think cartoons have done goats a very big disservice. They don’t eat tin cans, or laundry, and are actually quite picky about what they put in their mouths. A well behaved goat also won’t butt you. Maybe its goat friends, but it shouldn’t butt you. Quite honestly, I think they’re better behaved, and easier to train, than either of our dogs!
Looking forward to the calendar Clare. Great to see their personalities maturing along with them…an introvert and an extrovert…I find that introverts do like to quietly be in charge and make good leaders…ell we think we are at least 🙂
Minnie, despite her small and shy stature, definitely likes to think she’s large and in charge. Lotus just reminds her once in a while that she’s not the boss though 😉
Why do the goat’s iris have the horizontal orientation instead of round like humans?
Actually, in dim light, goat’s pupils are more rounded. Cats are similar, with round pupils in low light, but slit-like in bright light. It’s my understanding that their eye shape is an adaptation that’s actually quite useful for prey species. Other prey species, including horses and sheep, also have similarly shaped pupils. Apparently the shape contributes both to an increased angle of vision (giving them more of a panoramic field of view). This gives them less ‘blind spots’ in their visual field. The horizontal orientation of the pupil also narrows the field of view, enhancing the accuracy of depth perception. Accurate depth perception is important for prey species survival, and likely also advantageous for species that live in rugged terrain.
Amazing how all animals have their own personalities, just as people do. I love your cover shot! I hope your goats don’t get the big head when they become internationally known cover girls!
Well, so far, they can still get their heads inside the barn door 😉 I do love just how different they are though!
Even though your goats are grown up, they are still adorable. I don’t think I am going to make a calendar this year. It was fun but so much work.
I agree, the calendar is a ridiculous amount of work. This year I organized my images throughout the year with the calendar in mind, which helped, but it’s still a challenge to sit down and actually put it together!
They are beautiful – and are taking to glamour modelling like pros. I found your info about their eyes very interesting. I had often wondered why their pupils were slitted horizontally.Now I know 🙂
I often find it interesting that people notice the shape of the goat’s eyes, but don’t often notice that horses and sheep are the same. I don’t know why that is, but if you look closely, goats aren’t alone with those rectangular pupils!
They are so cute! I love hearing about their personalities. So much like people!
Minnie would agree with you. She is a people, and expects to be treated accordingly 😉
Lotus and Minnie are so gorgeous. Love your photos and captions. I also am intrigued by their eyes, but my husband finds their eyes unsettling. Goats are definitely on our “someday” list. Chickens first, though.
You should probably warn your husband…it all starts with chickens 😛 For us, we started with six tiny chicks…and then look what happened! 😀