Advent, Advent a little light burns
The 1st Advent in the Goat House
Unrest in the goat pen
At Gut Aiderbichl, the Advent and Christmas season should be quieter again this year. The gates are closed and no visitors can visit the animals. Inside the gates, there is nevertheless some interesting whispering and hustle and bustle. The animals have decided to celebrate Advent and every week until Christmas they will tell an Advent story from a selected stable on the estate.
"Don't complain all the time, please hang up the fir garland. It's already the fifth one. Stefan and Simone, I hope you don't eat up this new garland again. Look Betty, don't lose your horns, I'll help you. Come on, I'm much bigger than you!". Doolittle, an already older goat, tries to encourage Betty.
Years ago, a large herd of goats at home in Bavaria was confiscated by the official veterinarian. The animals were not in good condition and were also completely exhausted. Doolittle is one of them. He eats a lot, but he doesn't get a real big belly. Doolittle is a wise, almost omniscient goat, and is always on the spot when nervousness breaks out in the goat pen. Like right now, in the Advent season.
"Doolittle, can you ask Tati to help me? She's on the prowl again instead of stringing the red balls here. Tati really is as stubborn as a mule. And Herbert-Elvis, he could also help me and not always box the pretty nurses. If they all stand around lazily in the sun, the Christmas decorations in the goat pen won't be ready by the 1st Advent in a hundred years!" - Betty says in despair. As the organizer of the Advent celebration in the Goat House, she is close to despair today. Doolittle brings her Moritz, who has become a dear adopted son after the death of her two sons Milow and Woody.
Moritz, a black dwarf goat, has found a very good friend in Betty. "Moritz, I'm glad you're here. Look, can you please jump on this bale of straw and I'll hand you up the garland with my horns. Is that all right?". Moritz makes a leap and is on the bale of straw. Now he is the biggest. Betty hands him the garland with her horns, he takes it over with his horns and poof - there it hangs. "That's fine, Betty. Should it hang down further or is that okay? Ah, Simone is looking so mischievous again. I'd rather hang it a little higher". In no time at all the garland is hanging.
"Betty, I think the red balls should be hung by Doolittle, he's taller than me!". "Brunhilde has written. You know, the one who used to be here at the farm and then came to Gut Aiderbichl Hungary.", Tati grumbles excitedly. "Yes, what does she write, Brunhilde?" asks Patrick calmly. "She's going to try to come to Henndorf with an Aiderbichl animal transporter, because she really wants to take part in the Advent celebration. I wouldn't put it past her, Brunnhilde!" Patrick says thoughtfully.
Tati and Patrick are goat mother and goat son. Tati, like all goats, is highly intelligent and nothing escapes her. Patrick is a friend of the horses and we always know immediately when a horse is a bit sick: Then Patrick is in the horse stall.
"So, Betty. Here's a big candle we can light on the 1st Sunday of Advent. Our animal keepers will hold the candle. So we would have everything together. Well look, the Herbert-Elvis also has time to drop by". "Is there anything else to do? I was a little delayed, but now I would have time to help! ".
"My dear, now you don't need to come either, because now the work is done. So am I, by the way. But it's all right, Herbert-Elvis. It's Christmas time. Your job now is to make sure that nothing happens to the beautiful fir branch garland during the night. You know what I mean". Herbert-Elvis knew what Betty meant and lay down comfortably in the straw bed.
On the morning of the 1st Advent, Betty was even more excited than the days before. Suddenly a goat tapped her on the left shoulder "Hello Betty, everything is perfect!". "Brunnhilde, you really came from Hungary. Is that beautiful!". Betty couldn't stop grumbling out of sheer joy.
It was a very contemplative Advent celebration in the goat pen. Herbert-Elvis snuggled up to the pretty animal keepers and beamed with the candle.
