Billy-Bob, the less!

Jeanette Berry

My husband and I returned home to find our daughter, Dianne, staring under the front deck. "What are you doing?" I asked. "There's a goat here under the deck," she answered. My response: "Did you say a goat, under the deck?" Sure enough, there was a goat under our deck. Where it came from or how it got there, we have no clue. The neighborhood dogs began to chase it so it ran under the deck and hunkered down scared to death. I felt so sorry for the poor animal. Dianne contacted a friend who owned goats for something to feed it and some advice as to what we should do with it. We have no fence, so it would be fair game for the dogs again.

The friend came over wondering if perhaps it was one of his goats (and how much damage it had done to our yard), but one look said it was not his. It appeared to be a pigmy goat that he would guess to be about 3 years old. It had a normal goat body, but little short stubby legs. In spite of his fear, we found that he had a rather friendly disposition. Perhaps someone purchased it as a cute little baby, but when it matured, being a male, he stunk (he definitely did that) and they just abandoned him.  I tried to resist this, but I must add this joke I once heard.  A man told his wife he had brought home a goat and he wanted to keep it in the kitchen near the stove.  Quite appalled, she asked, "But what about the smell?"  The man replied, "Well, the goat will have to get used to it!"

As we feared, Billy Bob (Dianne's name for him) eventually left the security beneath the deck and the dogs got after him again. He ran onto our front deck and butted against our front glass door. I used bicycles to pen him in and block the entryway so the dogs could not get to him. What happened next would make America's Funniest Videos show. Dianne decided to lasso him, put him in her truck and take him to her friend's farm. With a rope in hand, she tried to get close to him, but he ran. She yelled at me to help her (remember this goat had horns! --BIG horns!). She chased the goat. The goat ran towards me. I ran! Finally, she caught him and put the rope around his neck, but he would not move. She literally picked him up and put him in the truck, asking me to drive (a stick shift).  She held the goat, who wanted to leap out, and we leaped and lurched until we arrived at her friend's farm. 

Billy Bob was one happy goat. There were about 25 other goats to chase and play with and we were thrilled he was safe. However, Dianne and her truck stunk! 

On the way to church the following Sunday as we were passing Billy Bob, Dianne asked her dad about the James' in the New Testament. One was the stepbrother of Jesus and the other was James, the Less. Her question was, why was "the less" added to his name. Tom said that perhaps it was because he was short. She laughed and said, "In that case, we will call Billy Bob, the Less.

Now every time we pass the goat farm we eagerly look for Billy Bob, the Less and we usually see him still running or grazing with all the other goats. He is so easy to spot .He is the one with the little short legs.

I smile as I pondered this story of how Billy Bob, the Less, got his name, I am grateful that at our house, the Bible is read and discussed in great detail as if the people are family or friends. It is a living book that is treasured and obeyed. It is kind of nice too, that my husband is such a authority on the Bible. We call him our walking concordance. I must admit though. I wonder if James, the Less is really short. 

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