"Why does your goat have green lipstick?"
The amused question came over a decade ago from the fresh-from-the-city husband. We had our first three chickens, our first three raised vegetable beds and - yup you guessed it - our first three goats.
"Weeell ...." I was hesitant to commit to an answer I didn't have; "Goats do eat green food".
My concern sent me rushing through the orchard, recently pruned by my naughty pet Saanens. Innocently ruminating in the sun were my goats. Sure enough Emma had a bright green face. To say lipstick was an understatement. She looked like a cabbage had exploded in her face. She greeted me cheerfully with her usual expectant face.
"What treats are you bringing me today?"
"You girls trashed my sunflowers yesterday, I should still be mad"
They answered with a goatie chortle of amusement. Emma looked more comical than usual with her avo green facial. She stood patiently while I poked and prodded her from horn to tail. Whatever was making her throw up it hadn't affected her cheerful goatie disposition. She nuzzled me. I nearly gagged. That distinctive regurgitated odor was all over her green face. Being (back then) quite green to all things goat I decided to stick my fingers in her mouth .... I don't know what I was thinking ... it was probably one of the most idiotic things I have ever done. Back in my goat ignorant early days, it made perfect sense. While my fingers were feeling around in her mouth, she bit me, chortling an apology around her mouthful.
The pain and shock of having my goat clamping her powerful teeth around my fingers took my breath away. While goats have sharp bottom teeth the top is a dental plate. Instead of fact checking, I assumed that meant they have no back teeth. Was I wrong! We have snakes and scorpions and baboons and hyenas to contend with on our African homestead. Never did I imagine that my beloved goat would bite me. I extracted my bleeding hand from Emma's mouth and myself from her company. I nursed my hurt feelings and wounded hand with camomille and aloe vera.
That nasty surprise taught me never to conduct dental procedures on my goats; unless a stronger hand assists. Despite her frequent forages into my herb gardens, Emma was responsible for many of my special homestead memories. Although I prefer not to remember her snacking on my fingers. I'm sure the creative 
