I'm going to try not to complain, I grumbled when we "suffered" 80 days of relentless sun and searing temperatures, I mumbled (loudly) when we had a week of deep freeze earlier this month....I'm leaving it to the cows, sheep, horses and dog to complain for me, and clearly they did ! There was clearly a look of despondency on Daisy Mae's face as I stood under the dripping gutter ( why does she always wait there ?) to fasten her head collar. It was patently obvious that Daisy and Misty did NOT want to go out to play in the pasture. Misty Moo headed back to the warm dry barn to hide in the corner and Daisy just planted her hooves and her obese (and hopefully pregnant body) stubbornly refusing to move. You are cows...cows go out to play in the rain....unless you live here I guess. Daisy and Molly were urged out of the barn, pulled through the offending wind and rain and pushed through the Cow Lane gate. Misty wasn't consoled by her homemade oat/molasses/ grain/sugar etc cow cookie and Daisy shrugged off her butt scratch with disdain. It wasn't long before the two miserable cows, dripping wet and complaining loudly parked themselves back in front of the gate demanding reprieve from the punishment we had cruelly inflicted on them. And they continued to bawl and bellow until Greg relented. The flock of sheep, having spent the entire night huddled in the sheep barn, watching the rain puddling in the barn yard were equally reluctant to brave the elements and it wasn't long before the sodden group followed Rodney the ram back to the barn to merrily munch in comfort. Bran the Border Collie has perfected the art of subterfuge. When the winds blow, the rain falls or the air freezes Bran prefers to position his black and white body over the heating vents and there he stays. At bed time, Mr. Bran is fully aware that he is required to um.....empty his bladder. With the instruction to "go out and pee" a reluctant Bran, ears flat back and tail firmly tucked between his legs slinks out the door into the garage and around the end of the parked old gray Ford. Moments later, rather than leave the warm dry house, the way too smart canine circles the vehicle, ...still suspiciously dry as a bone. Thankfully I consider myself marginally smarter than our canny dog and, drying paws that clearly hadn't crossed the threshold remind him to go and do his duty. That dog knows when he has been caught out and reluctantly ( tail even further between his legs !!) goes out into the weather. Don't you just hate it when the dog thinks he is smarter than you ?
Well, I guess there is more of the same today...time to get out the water wings, snorkels and rubber boots. We'll keep smiling...even if no one else around here does.
Take care, keep safe, M