Ebony's MoonSpot July 2016

 

Today Ebony had her kid.  We thought she would have twins, but instead she had only one and it lived just a short few minutes.  Ebony was crying in discomfort on Saturday morning.  We readied the kidding stall with fresh hay and checked on her through-out the day.  We were all nervous
and excited.  It would be our first born kid on our farm! 

Ebony in labor.

That afternoon, I could tell it was time.  My oldest daughter (just 6 years old), was determined to witness the birth and waited by the stall for a couple of hours reporting on Ebony's progress, coming to get me when time was near.  It was a hard labor, with slow progress.  But finally, a single male was born.  He was black with white spots, but only the size of a squirrel. 

  Over the excited claims of my daughter at seeing the live kid kick and struggle for breath, my heart fell.  I just knew it would not, could not live.  It was much too small. 

"I'm sorry honey," I told my daughter, "but he is not going to live.  He is too small." 

Sure enough, the little kid never got a good breath in.  It struggles for just a minute and fell unconscious, its little heart beating rapidly, visible through its smooth black skin.  Then it lay still, quiet and lifeless in my lap.

"It's gone."  I said. 

A small voice answered,  "Already?  But Mom, that was too soon." 

Looking over at my daughter, a small tear rolled down a young, innocent face. 

Life on a farm, even just a hobby farm, sure has a way of teaching children how fragile life is.

My daughter insisted on burying the little kid and giving him a name:  MoonSpot.

Little MoonSpot.  He only lived a couple of minutes, but that was enough to burn him into the memory of a little 6 year old girl and small homestead that eagerly awaited him.  Sleep well.