About

I love creating. I am inspired by the natural world around me here in my home state of North Carolina. I am a mother, musician, writer, and crafty creator of things by hand. Currently, I love working with beads and exploring patterns and stitches that draw from nature, while bringing in modern elements and original designs.

I started Flying Goat Studios at the beginning of 2021, as an antidote to the pandemic, and to focus my creative energy. Halfway through the year, I brought my father (David Roberts) onto the team, so that we could showcase some of his original hand-turned wood pieces. My Dad has always instilled in me the deep appreciation for the trees, the birds, the sounds of the water, and the blooms in the garden. We both are influenced by these elements in how and what we create.

Thank you for visiting! Follow me on Instagram for updates on new items in the making.

-Sarah

The Old Goat
(a short story)

“Drink your tea! DRINK YOUR TEA!” the Towhee exclaimed with great urgency.

Brown-Headed Nuthatch didn’t bother responding to her from his upside-down perch on the loblolly pine, and instead just kept hopping down, pecking the bark every few inches to remember where he’d previously buried seeds.

But Gray Squirrel perked up his ears to the news, and hastily buried his acorn into the dirt patch by the milkweeds, and dashed closer to the dogwood branch where Towhee perched.

“Where is the tea? I’ll take some!” Squirrel shrieked with excitement, his tongue now parched from a morning spent scampering from ground to treetops.

Towhee pointed her beak diagonally towards the base of the great Red Oak and softly repeated, “Drink your tea” happy to share this bit of good fortune with a friend.

Squirrel caught sight of three freshly fallen honeysuckle blooms laying just between the two biggest roots reaching out from the Oak, and could feel his mouth water in anticipation of the nectar tea awaiting. But just to the other side of the trunk, where the clover grew in shag-carpeted swirls, Old Goat was making her way down and around, chomping and chewing all in her path, and inching closer to the honeysuckle blooms Squirrel had his sights on.

Most friends in this forest tended to make assumptions about Old Goat.

“Oh, she’s so old, and stuck in her ways, no use trying to change her mind…I just let her eat the extra ferns by our burrow, and don’t cause a fuss” Rabbit had said one to Opossum and Squirrel when they were all helping Beaver remove some of the thorny bramble that had wound its way into her dam.

“Yes” Opossum had agreed. “Better to live and let live. I just move over when I see her heading my way, and accept that she probably needs those dandelions more than I do.”

Opossum and Rabbit had both chuckled and nodded, and then carried on carefully pulling out bramble vines with their teeth.

It seemed to Squirrel that most friends thought this way about Old Goat. That they’d been in the habit of just moving aside, or chuckling amongst themselves about Old Goat’s ways, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone actually talking to her.

Squirrel decided to change that. He watched as Old Goat was weaving her way between the outer roots of the Oak and coming closer to his side. He cleared his throat and slowly approached Goat at the edge of the violet patch next to the clover.

“Um…Old…I mean…excuse me…Ms. Goat?” Squirrel said in a voice shaky and uncertain.

Old Goat, chewing intently on her mixture of clover and violet slowly lifted her head and eyes, but kept silent.

Squirrel continued, unsure if she might be annoyed with him or simply waiting on what he’d say next. He decided to assume the latter.

“Ms. Goat…I know…we don’t…or I don’t talk to you that often…or actually ever come to think of it…and for that I’m truly sorry, really. I’m not sure why that is” he started to trail off “but I guess I just…I just never wanted to bother you…I mean, you’ve lived in these woods longer than any of us and I guess…well, I just thought that…well, we shouldn’t bother you with any of our mundane affairs…it’s just…you’ve earned your place, you know? Not to be bothered?” Squirrel could feel the beads of uncomfortable sweat forming.

Old Goat swallowed her cud and then spoke, saving Squirrel from having to ramble on any further.

“Squirrel…do you know that I have watched you grow since you were just a baby kit? When you blind, eyes closed and were just about the cutest little kit I’d ever seen?” Goat then smiled, her eyes twinkling as if she was lost in the memory of Squirrel as a little babe.

Squirrel’s fur tinged with rosy embarrassment and joy as Goat continued.

“Don’t you ever think you’d be a bother to me. Ever. Oh, how I love you and every one of our dear friends here in these woods. And while I might be twice or thrice or four times as old as some of you younglings, it doesn’t mean I’m any wiser or more anything than the rest of you. We are equals here, and I’m all ears, anytime you need.”

Squirrel’s mouth hung agape, partially at the shock of hearing Old Goat speak, and partly because of how lovely and open and surprising Old Goat sounded when compared to the assumptions he’d built up in his imagination.

He stuttered, not knowing exactly how to proceed, but then remembered the honeysuckles. “Oh...the...the…well…Ms. Goat…thank you…and yes…we are all friends in this forest…and thank you for being so kind and…well…” Squirrel took a breath, trying to slow his voice so that it had a moment to catch up with his thoughts and gain focus. “Here, over here” he pointed to the honeysuckle blossoms on the ground. “Earlier, Towhee made me aware of these…these honeysuckles just fallen and full of sweet nectar tea and I was so excited. See, I was parched from my morning activities and wanted so badly to have a sip of the sweet tea, and so I came bouncing over, but then discovered you were making your way towards these same roots. I thought maybe you had your eye on the tea before Towhee had even discovered it and so…well…I just wanted to ask if maybe…I mean…to see if I might have your permission to drink one of your three tea blossoms…I mean…if you don’t mind.”

Squirrel could feel the sweat rolling down his fur now and wished he could just disappear with the click of his teeth, and be back, safe, in the cozy blanket of his leaf nest high in the Cedar, chatting away with Wolf Spider about their plans for the next day. He really wished this as he saw Old Goat’s twinkle in her eye turn to a serious non-twinkle, and he then held his breath, waiting to be told to leave.

Old Goat squinted as if bringing Squirrel more into focus before she spoke slowly. “Well…actually…I do mind Squirrel. I mind quite a bit in fact. I don’t think you should have one of my honeysuckle blossoms. No I don’t. In fact, I think…” she paused for more effect, “I think you should have all three.”

There was a beat of silence between them as Squirrel’s mind caught up to the words Goat had spoken.

“What?” Squirrel asked. “Wait…did you say…”

Goat interrupted. “All three?” she laughed, amused. “Yes, yes I did! In fact, I have another offer for you…how about this…you enjoy those three honeysuckle teas and then…you and I can take a special trip.”

Squirrel, with eyes wide with curiosity spoke up. “Trip? What kind of trip? I mean, where?”

“Well” Goat continued slowly moving closer to Squirrel. “See over there?” she pointed her horns up and just behind the Oak tree and past where the Cedar grove began.

Squirrel squinted to try and see, but Goat answered before he’d finished forming the question.

“It’s where the honeysuckles grow. Vines and vines, but they reach quite high. And the stems are too flimsy I’m afraid for you to climb upon. But I can take you there. To the blossoms! You just have to trust me.”

And with that Squirrel watched as the Old Goat stretched out and tall. He watched as a small tuft of her hair behind her shoulder blades began move, ruffle into a roll and into larger wings that slowly started to unfurl and reach and flap at her side.

Old Goat giggled with delight. High pitched and showing full teeth. “Well little kit, climb aboard! It’s time to fly!”

End