Loose Ends

Goats, my goats at least, suffer from OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).  The girls will fixate on something and worry it until it's gone.  In particular, they do not like loose ends.  Guests who wear designer clothing with those fancy little label tags find themselves being plucked like a bass violin as the goats try to remove the tags.  I really need a few days of sunshine soon because I've got to go get a sheet of plywood to replace the bottom half of the Dutch door to the milking room.  Steve made a tactical error when he used OSB (oriented strand board) to make that door.  We were both new to goats back then and didn't realize why this would be a mistake.  OSB is made of compressed wood chips and, over time, moisture will cause bits of chips to raise and stick out.  That happened to the door and the goats got to work, pulling off those pesky tags.  They can't help it; the urge is great and beyond their control.  A few small holes appeared in the door as the girls tugged at the softer bits.  Okay, no big deal.  But, as the holes at the bottom got larger, the obsession also grew.  Esther, especially, found that she could break off pieces from the edges.  I hear her gnawing away like a beaver as I'm milking and yelling, "Quit!"  Like that does any good.  Holes started as the size of a mouse, then a squirrel, and what with the latest rain and the soft wood, the hole at the bottom now would allow entry to a baby bear.  Yesterday she was breaking off pieces the size of saucers.  If I don't get that panel replaced soon, there won't be any door at all and the girls will come and go into the milking room at will.  Trust me, that would not be fun (for me).  And that doesn't address the cold wind and/or rain that comes whistling in.  Some chores on the To-Do list can wait.  I must tie up this loose end...with finished plywood.