unexpected gifts.

Our neighbors really love to bring us gifts. Sometimes they are food dishes–noodles or raw pork or coconut dessert. Sometimes they are little flowers taken off trees and bushes in the neighborhood; sometimes they are beautiful bouquets of roses. Sometimes they are drawings of us as superheroes and princesses; sometimes they are odd toys–a little doll with one leg; a Hello Kitty face; a paper house with a fat person out front that is declared to be us.

And sometimes, it’s a goat skull with antlers.

When they handed me the skull this morning, it was everything I could do to not drop the hairy, bony skull. I actually preferred the bloody pork in a bag. I smiled as they told it was from a goat and explained that we should hang it on our wall.

I have so many questions.

Why did they choose this as the perfect gift for us?  What exactly are we communicating?

How many vegetarians hang animal skulls on their walls? I feel like it can’t be many.

Will it attract ants? The dog skulls we find outside–a regular occurrence; I try not to think to hard about that one–are always infested with ants. Somehow an ant-infested goat antler would be worse.

What do we do?

I asked Stephen this question. His first solution was to put the skull in a Ziploc bag until we can sort out how to preserve it and prevent ants. We’re not taxidermy specialists, so if you have suggestions, we’re open to them.

Second, he said this, “And then, I guess we just hang it up in the community space and say it’s a part of living in community.”

I really love my neighbors. I’m not sure about their gifts, though–because as soon as I learn some form of taxidermy this week, I will have a goat skull staring at me all hours of the day.