October 30, 2008

From our bedroom window...............

You won't believe what we witnessed from our bedroom window. The other day Amelia went off to the bedroom to watch .....you guessed it "REBA" and all of sudden she comes running out to the kitchen yelling, "mom, come quick I think the neighbors are doing something to that huge bird they have."

From our bedroom window, we can see the house next door. The have quite a bit of land and they raise goats and ......these huge looking birds. We thought they were geese but our landlords say it is a turkey.....doesn't look like any turkey I have seen? Regardless, this huge strange bird is kept in this coup and we have been spying on it for a while.

As Amelia and I return to the bedroom, these two women are helping the bird across the lawn. One women has her hand around the birds neck and the other women has the body, but they are still allowing the bird to do the bulk of the work by letting its feet walk on the ground to the middle of the lawn. It was a really strange sight to see.

Once they got to middle of the lawn, the women holding the body, pulled the feet out from under the bird and laid it down and then grabbed this wooden box and placed it over the bird. There was a open end that the head could lay outside of. So at this point the birds body is under the wooden box and its head and neck are outside of it. I know full well what is going to happen. Amelia (who is a vegetarian and will be forever more!) turns so her back is to the window and hugs me and I can not pull myself away. I know, I am 37 and have known for a long time that somehow chickens, cows, pigs, turkeys.......are killed, so that we can enjoy their meat but I never actually had given it any thought. Now here before me was this beautiful creature we had been studying and watching, about to die. It felt really odd.

Unfortunately, the ladies must not have had an axe because much to my horror, they got out a serrated knife and this is how they removed the head. It is at this point that the two women and their son, choose to look up to our bedroom window. There we were, looking on in horror. It didn't seem to phase them though and they continued. We couldn't take it anymore and we left the bedroom but Millie couldn't stay gone for long. I got a play by play for the rest of the tasks they had to complete and Millie got an education.

Last night Amelia, saw the neighbors move their goat from the pasture to the front lawn. She started screaming, "They are going to kill the goat. They're going to kill the goat." Graham, Alex and Amelia tear off to the bedroom with the video camera in hand.......so far, the goat is still alive but it is very strange that they have it tied close to the house in the short grass.....we will let you know what happens.

I think I might be closing the curtains for the rest of the week!

5 comments:

  1. When I was younger than Amelia,maybe 5 or 6,I went out to Wilmots chicken farm with Grandpa Paquin to get eggs & a couple of chickens.If I would have known what was about to happen,I never would have gone.There was a block of wood in the farmyard and the poor chickens were carried out ,hog-tied and their necks placed on the block.Then the Farmer used an axe.I bawled my head off all the way home,much to Grandpa's annoyance,and would not ever go back there with him again.He did feel bad about it afterwards and both him & Nanny explained to me all about why this had to happen,but the worse part was the cleaning of the chickens and the feather removal after seeing the execution ! Facts of Life I guess,but cruel ones. The poor Goat..........I just don't even want to think of it.I would likely go over & try to buy it from them :)Wouldn't you like a nice goat on your boat ? Free milk and cheese.....Gail

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  2. Surely to god they arent going to eat the goat. I didnt think people ate goats meat. They are probably using it for the milk and thats why they moved it closer to the house. But then again they put that lizard in the soup didnt they :))Hahah
    All kidding aside that was a horrible thing to witness. Millie all meat is not killed that way and you need to eat some!! Maybe wait till you get back to Canada though. I think if I lived there I to would be a vegitarian.
    I remember when Laura went to the Dominican republic and they had gorgous ducks and they fed them every day and they wandered around the tourists. Then all of a sudden the ducks were gone and they were on the menu that night for supper. she never ate meat the rest of her trip.
    Trese

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  3. So Julie - the big question - are you now Vegan!!
    Different countries, different perceptions - great example

    Grampa Griff and Nana Cheryl

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  4. Theresa...You didn't think people ate goat!?! I had goat for lunch today at a nice indian restaurant!

    I think I would be a vegetarian if I had to kill my meat though!!

    On a side note, I think I use too many exclamation points in my emails and responses but I am unsure of a better way to portray my sense of shock and urgency. I guess I am also afraid that my liberal use of the character will in the end dimminish it's effectivness. Maybe I will try mixing it up with CAPITALIZATION now and then. Watch for it.

    -Rdub

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