My parents believed in living off the land, growing gardens and fruit trees, building their own homes and having lots of animals. I have always been surrounded by animals. My parents especially loved goats! I was raised on fresh goat milk. My mother milked goats twice a day. When I was a teenager, she told me that my first baby words were ‘pretty goatie.’ People who know me well know that I love goats. A well known artist in Santa Fe painted a painting of me when I was in my early 30s. I am standing in my bellydancing outfit in front of an Adobe gate next to a white goat. I am holding a staff with my ballet slippers dangling at the end of the staff. The painting is called ‘Tanya of Tesuque.’ I bought a young hornless goat in Taos a couple years ago. This is my billy goat named Pan. I rescued a white pygmy goat last year. This is Somana. My goats love to butt heads and dance together! They climb up things and leap off of them. I take them on goats walks with my pet sheep. They all follow me around like dogs. They are constant entertainment!
