it must be something in the water

Babies, babies and more babies.... I couldn't help chuckle when our operations manager / riding instructor at the Ranch, Mark, burst out: "how can there all of a sudden be two new goats? We knew one was pregnant, but Minnie too???" Minnie is only 1.5 year old and she has been a baaaaad goat! I reminded Mark that we might have missed a billy goat in the castration process...he was so certain we got them all. Well apparently either Minnie got out, roamed miles through the desert to coppulate, or we missed a billy!

Thursday, Caramel (a very mature, flaming red - long haired mama goat) had the most beautiful little kid, all beige and dark grey and soft with long ears. Hard to see on the picture, but the baby is laying inside a V-shaped log. Then yesterday, Minnie was found walking around with after-birth (sorry for the gore) hanging all over her behind, and sure enough, a little black and tan boy kid was stumbling around looking for milk. Minnie has been hand reared herself and she is not fit to be a mom - she's still a kid herself-- I tell you, teenage moms are just such a problem in the desert!! So, Mark and I grabbed her today, held her gently while we put the kid to the tit. Man did he drink! 10 minutes later he laid down in a corner, full belly and very satisfied. Minnie just walked away, no concern for him. We may have to milk her and bottle feed him, because we can't be there 24 hours to make sure he gets to Minnie.

George the camel baby meanwhile is doing great. He is getting out and around more and is sure on his legs. If it sounds like I'm in heaven when I'm at the ranch, it's because it is my sanctuary. Free from all the stress and issues we face at work. Cisco just announced major re-org a week ago and immediately our Emerging Markets theatre has been scrapped. The in-country people are safe but the overlays are not. Then today, it was ll over page 3 in the business section of Gulf News: "Cisco braces for its biggest bout of layoffs in fight for revival"... 4000 people have to go. Many in the US and Canada will be offered early retirement, while the rest of the world will look forward to redundancy packages.

I decided to pre-empt all that and file a case against several people, (to remain un-named like Voldemort). So, Monday I have a chat with Employee Relations about 'he who cannot be named' and we will see where that leads. Headed for the perfect storm, I intend to go down fighting hard! If they cannot find me a meaningful role, maybe they can provide me a meaningful satisfaction! It's not like I have a lot to lose since I will probably be in the jobless line with 3999 other Cisco people soon.

Aidan is coming home on Tuesday - we are all so excited to see him and he will spend the entire summer here before going to Arizona August 1. Since I am now occupying his room with my home office and shoes, I am busy making space in the guest room for our first born.