General Electric is dredging the Hudson River.  This is a One Billion Dollar project designed to remove gunk GE dumped in the river during the 50′s and 60′s. Our house is on the river, and since the dredging got underway, there is lots of boat traffic on the river, and more cars going past the house.

My neighbor, Clem, works on the dredging project as a boat “captain”, ferrying the workers to their stations on the river, and inspectors and GE bigwigs to inspect, and I guess, bigwig. Clem owns a 5 acre pasture across the road from us, and he lets us turn-out Mr. Peabody, Leroy, and Jerry the goat, and ride on his property. Clem stops by from time to time, to chat, and update me on the GE going-ons.

Early one morning, last summer, Clem stopped as I was cleaning the stalls, he laughed and told me he needed an update on Jerry. I’m not sure what update he needed, because I never “dated” him. Clem told me, the day before, at the GE morning meeting, 3 people asked him, what happened to Jerry,  will he be OK, what did the vet say (vet???).

A few days earlier, while enjoying a day of pasture on Clem’s land, while Jerry was laying down eating Mr. P and Leroy decided they needed a run.  Jerry does not like to be disturbed from his eating fest, but he stood to watch. As they ran toward him, he zigged when he should have zagged, and Mr. Peabody barreled right over him. Jerry did a 360, struggled to his feet, and limped way. He was not seriously hurt, but had a limp for several weeks.

Clem told me he was piloting a Bigwig past the house that same day, and being a good tour guide, pointed out our house, as  the boat putted past. Bigwig asked, “is that the house where Jerry lives? Is he OK?”.

It’s really is a small world.