What is the natural state of things? Who decides and when? There’s nothing natural about taking photographs and pretending the world is in black and white, but then, to me natural isn’t always better.
It’s not natural to see movement in blurs, but I like the way it documents the passing of time. In a car things blur by, but cars aren’t natural. Is riding a horse natural?
Foraging is enjoyable now and again, but in general I like to pretend that lettuce grown in rows is cleaner and better than just any old acorn in the woods. When the acorns begin to fall our dogs think someone is mad at them and bark at the sky or run indoors while the squirrels laugh in the trees.
Goats have problems, too–even those with access to nature. They hate bugs–especially gnats and horse flies. They prefer it when you spray them with chemicals or concoctions of witch hazel and expensive oils that don’t work as well but smell like lavender. What is witch hazel, anyway?
Oak leaves are either poisonous to goats or just not very tasty (I can’t remember), but the goats sometimes eat them anyway. You would think they’d know better. Getting back to nature is supposed to make us better or smarter, right? I will say it makes me happier until I get restless and suddenly need a walk in a crowded city full of ideas and bustle.
Does she have a new idea? A brilliant insight into the suffering of man and beast? Would she prefer some cracked corn in the barn? Who knows. We live in an unnatural (or supernatural), ever-changing and perplexing world and even the goats have no idea what’s going to happen next.
