House of Beth: That time Talia was put in a boxing ring with animals

Spider vs Talia

Talia was milking in the parlour when the Chief and Space Master of Goats Meredith spotted a GIGANTIC SPIDER THE SIZE OF MY FACE on the wall. Meredith has the strength of Atlas both inside and out but spiders are still not really her thing. It was time for Talia (world renown spider hater who once nearly missed dinner (nothing separates her from food) because she couldn’t come down from her bunk bed because there was a little spider on the floor) to step to the center of the ring. She grabbed the broom and took a strong, clean sweep at the MONSTER SPIDER. She didn’t freak out when it was on the end of her broom but she calmly put the broom outside and let the spider crawl to freedom.

Everyone wins!

Big Baby Snow goat vs Talia

Background: I was picking up the biggest of Ruach Mama goat’s twins to let him nurse as Ruach’s udders had been worrying us and we were letting the twins nurse instead of collecting her milk.

Big baby snow (which is the name in my head for him) was in Talia’s arms like a cat with two hooves over her shoulder. Talia looked like she had a tight grip against BBS’s struggling until… wait! Talia has been head-butted in the eye by the rock hard skull of BBS and she is staggering around murmuring! She is confused but knows if she lets go the goat could run off into the wild! Meredith saves her just before she goes down and puts BBS back into the yard.

One might say the goat gave the winning strike but it was Talia’s tight grip that never faltered in the face of -not-quite-concussion!

Bee vs Talia

Talia leans down to put a charger in the socket when BOOM – a searing pain stabs her in the arm. She looks everywhere for the mysterious cause and sees a bee stumbling around on the cables.

“Mother F*********** Shechiyanu! I have never been stung by a bee!”. Talia surprises Jeremy with her loud and semi-religious exclamation.

Bee dies so Talia wins by default but though she kind of feels some revenge-satisfaction for her pain, she is sad she killed a really important animal which is becoming part of a steadily declining species.

Mini animal interactions:

I held two earthworms in my hand

I killed a (different) spider but I was just trying to put it outside

I squished a cucumber-eating beetle with a (nearly) bare hand

Winning with love – Me and Zola the goat played Peek-a-boo in the milking parlor

p.s. spiders still gross me out but I think they might eat mosquitos