When you wake in the morning, dawn breaks, all the world looks white with frost, the pond is glazed with frost and you know that it is going to be one of those mornings that chill you to the bone, it is hard to take MJ's ( Fox 13 weather guru) predictions seriously. MJ said that we needed to carry our sunglasses, MJ said it was going to be warm and sunny and I, dressed in ten layers of winter woollies questioned her sanity…but MJ ( who incidentally was also having a bad morning (she spilt her coffee on set !) was right. The sun came out, the frost melted away, the robins came out of hiding, Tiger the tabby barn cat stretched out on the hood of the farm truck absorbing the warm rays and I was suddenly and thankfully very overdressed.
Gertie the goose with an identity crisis has become inseparable from Charm the golden palomino despite the ardent and jealous advances of Valentine her feathered goose suitor. Walking Charm out to the pasture you can be confident that there will suddenly be a flurry of wings and loud and incessant honking as Gertie, hotly pursued by a clearly resentful Valentine barely clear the fence line in her hurry to greet her equine beau. Sadly Charm has yet to recognise (a) that he is the object of Gertie’s obsession and (b) how a besotted goose expects to be treated by the object of her obsession. Charm has become more tolerant it has to be said, there was a time in the not too dim and distant past when sharing his pasture with a goose was apparently intolerable. Charm found his perverse entertainment by constantly herding poor inoffensive Gertie just because there was little else to do ! When his hay supply was exhausted, Charm’s boredom light went on and Gertie the goose was the undeserving object of his diversion and equine attitude. Gertie would be resting close by Charms hooves, feathers fluffed and head tucked snugly under her wing and Charm would decide “game on and goose out!!”. Charm would trot,neck extended, nose to the ground, Gertie would have to trot faster, Charms lips worked, nibbling at reachable tail feathers, Gertie would honk and Charm would trot faster,Gertie never flew…horses don’t fly do they ? Poor Gertie the confused, I guess it never occurred to her that her equine friend could be entertaining himself at her expense. Geese mate for life…this could be an extended one sided relationship.We wish Valentine would hurry up and get his act together, it's time Gertie reclaimed the nest on the pond.
Whilst on the subject of geese, last years family have returned to the pond where they started life…ALL OF THEM ! Mom and Pop managed to raise 5 goslings and currently the pond and our horse pasture is looking like a nature reserve. At the weekend we watched in horror as more than 45 geese passing over on their migration path apparently seriously considered our ranch a viable and quite desirable patch of real estate on which to settle. We watched in mounting horror as the huge flock circled the barns and circled again ..and again…and then thankfully continued on. Now, as for the 7 geese currently residing rent free on the pond….?
Our thanks go out to big brother John. John has famously stated that he is prepared to undertake any chore on the ranch…but he doesn’t do poo !! Over the past couple of days, we thought we may have to have our hearing checked when we heard JP volunteer to work a shovel and wheelbarrow. He did a great job …. Family and friends are going to struggle to believe... so we made sure there was a commemorative photo ! Away from the manure pile, brother John has also completed an item from my extended wish list, a brand new rack of shelves has appeared in the barn and I love it.
So, it’s all good here at the ranch, Camille our young French WOOFER is due to arrive today after a slight travel malfunction which left her alone and stranded in Montanna Our thanks go to Barbara the Alaskan Airlines ticket desk lady who took her home and arranged her flight for today. It is nice to know that human kindness is still alive and well, thank you Barbara ! We hope all goes well for Camille todayand look forward to her visit. Since my French isn’t wonderful and Greg’s French is restricted to “merci beaucoup” we have an English/French dictionary which I’m sure is going to be WELL used !! Got to go and look up some French words that may be useful....wonder what "poo" is in French ?
Take care, keep safe, M
Gertie the goose with an identity crisis has become inseparable from Charm the golden palomino despite the ardent and jealous advances of Valentine her feathered goose suitor. Walking Charm out to the pasture you can be confident that there will suddenly be a flurry of wings and loud and incessant honking as Gertie, hotly pursued by a clearly resentful Valentine barely clear the fence line in her hurry to greet her equine beau. Sadly Charm has yet to recognise (a) that he is the object of Gertie’s obsession and (b) how a besotted goose expects to be treated by the object of her obsession. Charm has become more tolerant it has to be said, there was a time in the not too dim and distant past when sharing his pasture with a goose was apparently intolerable. Charm found his perverse entertainment by constantly herding poor inoffensive Gertie just because there was little else to do ! When his hay supply was exhausted, Charm’s boredom light went on and Gertie the goose was the undeserving object of his diversion and equine attitude. Gertie would be resting close by Charms hooves, feathers fluffed and head tucked snugly under her wing and Charm would decide “game on and goose out!!”. Charm would trot,neck extended, nose to the ground, Gertie would have to trot faster, Charms lips worked, nibbling at reachable tail feathers, Gertie would honk and Charm would trot faster,Gertie never flew…horses don’t fly do they ? Poor Gertie the confused, I guess it never occurred to her that her equine friend could be entertaining himself at her expense. Geese mate for life…this could be an extended one sided relationship.We wish Valentine would hurry up and get his act together, it's time Gertie reclaimed the nest on the pond.
Whilst on the subject of geese, last years family have returned to the pond where they started life…ALL OF THEM ! Mom and Pop managed to raise 5 goslings and currently the pond and our horse pasture is looking like a nature reserve. At the weekend we watched in horror as more than 45 geese passing over on their migration path apparently seriously considered our ranch a viable and quite desirable patch of real estate on which to settle. We watched in mounting horror as the huge flock circled the barns and circled again ..and again…and then thankfully continued on. Now, as for the 7 geese currently residing rent free on the pond….?
Our thanks go out to big brother John. John has famously stated that he is prepared to undertake any chore on the ranch…but he doesn’t do poo !! Over the past couple of days, we thought we may have to have our hearing checked when we heard JP volunteer to work a shovel and wheelbarrow. He did a great job …. Family and friends are going to struggle to believe... so we made sure there was a commemorative photo ! Away from the manure pile, brother John has also completed an item from my extended wish list, a brand new rack of shelves has appeared in the barn and I love it.
So, it’s all good here at the ranch, Camille our young French WOOFER is due to arrive today after a slight travel malfunction which left her alone and stranded in Montanna Our thanks go to Barbara the Alaskan Airlines ticket desk lady who took her home and arranged her flight for today. It is nice to know that human kindness is still alive and well, thank you Barbara ! We hope all goes well for Camille todayand look forward to her visit. Since my French isn’t wonderful and Greg’s French is restricted to “merci beaucoup” we have an English/French dictionary which I’m sure is going to be WELL used !! Got to go and look up some French words that may be useful....wonder what "poo" is in French ?
Take care, keep safe, M
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