Only five to six weeks in country (I lose count) and I've now held every baby animal that I've encountered. Baby goats, baby sheep, baby kittens, baby puppies . . . and I'm still trying to capture baby chicks. We asked our neighbor the word for the baby chicks. Took forever merely to convey our question. Finally we got across the point – merely asked how does one say in French, small chickens? And he looked at us, with that classic francophone incredulous look and replied, in French "small chickens." For this answer we spent ten minutes trying to convey our question? For this I searched for words and gestured with hands and arms imitating a baby chick?! We are confident that there is another word, in French, for a chick. But the look on his face, trying to explain to two agriculturally-challenged American women, was absolutely priceless. Little chickens, you idiots.

 

Speaking of smarts: goats are smart. Truly. Goats are smart enough to find the smallest scrap of shade at midday when the blinding sun is directly overhead. Sheep don't do this. Goats will stand in the sliver of shade by a wall. They'll also work in teams. Goat packs? I think not. However, they will use teamwork to get to a morsel of food. I said to a PCT who [wink-wink] shall remain nameless, "Goats are intelligent" to which Chris replied, "And cute, to boot."

Donkeys aren't as smart. A tied-up burrow will rub raw its fetlock just to get to a new area of turf . . . all that when there's a fine patch of green grass well within reach. Not so smart . . . and sad with its little raw ankle. Alas the adage . . . the grass is always greener.

 

Who has done a thesis on goat intelligence? Who would want to? Baby kittens and baby puppies . . . it's redundant, I realize, but it's fun to say. . . and admit it: you want to say it too, right? So who out there knows the word for a baby chick? Anyone? We can only speculate.