It's READY..... STEADY....NEARLY !!! down on the ranch. In the sheep barn, the heavily expectant ewes jostle and barge their bulky bodies around the feed mangers. Dangling udders are enlarging daily and as the hours tick over, the "ladies" are moving more slowly as Mother Nature puts the finishing touch on their unborn lambs. Mr. Barney the ram doesn't know it yet, but his man cave is ready and he will soon be resuming his celibate existence on the other side of the barnyard, far from his woolly harem and lusty temptation until next Autumn when the leaves are changing from green to red to gold and the cold winds blow through naked branches. I hope we never lose the warm fuzzy emotion that we feel when witnessing the miracle of birth.....I love being a farmer, we struggle on through the wind and rain and snow, we parch under the blazing Summer sun, we paddle through muddy puddles, we drive fence posts into the thirsty earth and we witness the wonders of Nature on a daily basis. Life is good.
What is currently not quite as good is my poor little toe. Currently the color (colour for my British Friends) of an over ripe aubergine, my little toe is red and purple and blue....it's shiny and swollen and broken. I swear the cedar boards jumped out in the dark, there were no cedar boards when I walked into the dark garage..but there sure was when I walked out of it ! For the record...I didn't swear out loud but I plead the Fifth Amendment as to whether every curse word ever uttered didn't go through my head at the moment of impact !
Chickens are in all honesty NOT my favorite (favourite Brit speak) farmyard resident. Twice daily I enter the chicken house with my little wicker basket and twice daily I am berated by possessive incensed hens daring me to steal their eggs. Those little feathered demons are waiting for me as I enter the coop, squawking and clucking in disapproval and warning they fold their wings and roll their eggs under their breast feathers as my hand searches beneath their little bodies. Today, Henrietta the grey Barred Rock hen clearly decided that revenge was called for and after a nasty aggressive peck the irate chicken promptly pooped on my hand. Soup came to mind !
Another day on the ranch draws to a close, the barn lights are closed down, stall doors checked and double checked, the Beautiful Bella and little Sirloin, the cows are bedded down, contentedly chewing their cud and gazing into the darkness. The sheep, have settled for the night and the rowdy chickens are lined up on their roosts in the hen house. Tiger and Shy the barn cats slunk off looking for an unwary mouse or a roaming rat and the horses have their heads buried in their hay mangers. Time to go...take care, keep safe, M
What is currently not quite as good is my poor little toe. Currently the color (colour for my British Friends) of an over ripe aubergine, my little toe is red and purple and blue....it's shiny and swollen and broken. I swear the cedar boards jumped out in the dark, there were no cedar boards when I walked into the dark garage..but there sure was when I walked out of it ! For the record...I didn't swear out loud but I plead the Fifth Amendment as to whether every curse word ever uttered didn't go through my head at the moment of impact !
Chickens are in all honesty NOT my favorite (favourite Brit speak) farmyard resident. Twice daily I enter the chicken house with my little wicker basket and twice daily I am berated by possessive incensed hens daring me to steal their eggs. Those little feathered demons are waiting for me as I enter the coop, squawking and clucking in disapproval and warning they fold their wings and roll their eggs under their breast feathers as my hand searches beneath their little bodies. Today, Henrietta the grey Barred Rock hen clearly decided that revenge was called for and after a nasty aggressive peck the irate chicken promptly pooped on my hand. Soup came to mind !
Another day on the ranch draws to a close, the barn lights are closed down, stall doors checked and double checked, the Beautiful Bella and little Sirloin, the cows are bedded down, contentedly chewing their cud and gazing into the darkness. The sheep, have settled for the night and the rowdy chickens are lined up on their roosts in the hen house. Tiger and Shy the barn cats slunk off looking for an unwary mouse or a roaming rat and the horses have their heads buried in their hay mangers. Time to go...take care, keep safe, M
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