chuckography: Lawnmower not working?

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Lawnmower not working?

When I first came back to Charleston, I rented a small house on one of the barrier islands, not far from the beach.

Each spring, for the four years I was there, my landlord would release two or three goats into a fenced storage area and shed next to my rented 800-sf brick home at the end of a winding dirt road.

Within a month, all the tall grass would be chewed down.

Then he'd move them to a much larger fenced area up near the main road.

They would begin to munch, producing the same "mowed" results.

The downside, of course, was that goats will climb anything to get up higher and many mornings I awoke to the sound of hooves prancing on the metal shed.

I can see why someone would "leap from their bed to see what's the matter" (say, on Christmas Eve).

This gentle man invited me to join him and his wife at a gospel tent revival, and I went.

He was very prominent in the church group so we were seated on white folding chairs in front row center. I got a close-up look at the purpose of a "spit jar" for a preacher in an outdoor setting.

If a bug entered his mouth mid-sentence, he would grab the glass, take a swig and spit out the offending critter. Or, cast it forth.

These grass-eating goats, along with some sheep, would be part of a living display each Easter at the church's outdoor "Road To Resurrection". The faithful would drive by the three crosses and celebrate "He Is Risen" in a bucolic setting, complete with grass-munching livestock.

One year, in preparation, he rounded up his "herd" in the large fenced field by my house, and a large roving pack of feral dogs attacked the animals and, in a frenzy, killed all of them.

So, that year, fellow church members helped him dig deep holes and bury the slaughtered goats and sheep and the annual church event was canceled.

(Click on the photos for more details)

I drove out to James Island a few years later to see the small house I had rented and enjoyed.

The landlord had died and the house fell into disrepair.

That's a shame.