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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I Have Officially Lost Control...

...and the inmates are running the asylum!



never mind the cradle waiting to be put back in storage, or the firewood I tossed in so that I could hopefully light a fire later, what else do you see?

Something a little more out of the ordinary?

Yes that high stepping lady is "Turkey Lurkey" and she is being followed by one of the "Spice Girls", Ginger I believe it is. (That Ginger is SUCH a follower in everything!)

As you know, "Turkey Lurkey" has no problem trying to enter the house at any opportunity that arises.

Here she is walking in the front door last year, chattering all the way (she loves to talk and always waits expectantly for your answer with her head cocked to one side) in and back out.


"Turkey Lurkey's" obvious penchant for house visiting had a greater purpose today however. It involved this,


 Yes, you are seeing right. This is a an excellent blurry photo of a bucket of peanuts. We grew lots of peanuts this summer and this particular bucket was set aside to mail to some loved ones who live in the frozen north where they dont grow peanuts. Briefly they were set down on the deck which is where "Turky Lurkey" discovered them and realized that she liked to eat them very much!

When they were brought inside she stood for a long time outside the glass door, with her head cocked and one beady gold eye trained on that bucket that she could no longer get too...

But she is a busy girl with many things to tend to in a day, such as chasing the goose away from her water and leading her follower around...

So the next day dawned cold with a threat of rain, prompting me to grab firewood and toss it in the door and then pick up baby calf Mia and haul her in my arms OUT the door which leaves no hands free to SHUT the door. Once outside you cannot set Mia down and walk away to shut the door because Mia thinks that once her dainty little hooves touch the ground a bottle is supposed to instantly appear in her mouth because that is how the world works.

If for any reason the world DID NOT work this way, like suppose I decided to try to step back up on the deck to shut the door after setting Mia down on the grass, Mia would charge UP the steps while falling. Yes that's right, Mia can fall UP the steps. Most people fall down but Mia can fall UP. A fact that I learned one morning when I tried to set her down and walk up the steps and shut the door.

Here she came with a great crashing and clattering of legs and hooves and her on her stomach wild eyed, bleating for her bottle in great anxiety. So ever since that day when she almost broke all four legs, I either have someone shut the door or I leave it open while Mia convinces her stomach that her throat was not cut during the night somehow and that she can gulp her milk within 5 seconds of her feet hitting the ground.

Whats the worst that can happen? A fly might get in? I can kill a fly no problem, what I cant do is make a full body cast for for Mia.

No fly came by............however, I forgot about the chickens. Ever the opportunist with the good memory, "Turkey Lurkey" remembered those delish peanuts disappearing in to the house the day before.  

So in she marches AND brings a lunch guest following right behind her.....

and straight to the peanuts she heads



She then had a most awesome time taking peanuts out one by one and sharing with her friend where they proceded to peck them apart on the wood floor and eat the peanut and leave the shells.

I could only watch helplessly while Mia downed her bottle and the chickens turned my den floor into the Texas Roadhouse, a look I dont even like when I GO to Texas Roadhouse.

I walk in Texas Roadhouse and I immediately feel I should grab a broom and start sweeping. Use the bowl on the table people! That is my thought.

So after Mia inhaled her bottle I DID get to shoo out the chickens AND sweep up the peanut hull party remains. All this and I hadnt even started the real days work at the barn where there are babies to feed and care for. 70 babies just in January alone.

 Its all getting a bit dizzy fying (is that a word?) around here.

So everyone got cared for and I never did get that nice fire lit in the fireplace.

  The cradles has still not made it back in to storage either.

Thats ok. It will get cold again another day.

The cradle is so pretty to look at and once it goes in to storage it may be there a very long time.

In the meanwhile there are other things to be enjoyed.

Sometimes its the small things, ya know?




Monday, February 4, 2013

Here We Go Again....

I miss Aurora.

That is, when I have TIME to miss anything!

January is our peak calving month, 70 babies so far and counting...

A week or so ago just before dark, the herdsman drove up with what looked like a small fawn tucked in the crook of his arm.

Another tiny bébé, if anything a little smaller than Aurora was when she started out. About 20 pounds maybe?


So now she lives with me..........


shades of Aurora....she has inherited Auroras playpen also...

at least at night. It is too cold for her to be outside at night. I just dont have the heart for it. 
She has to get some body fat first!

The days are mild enough that she can be outside in a little pen to protect her from wandering off.
She loves that. 


Mia is one fortunate little cookie because "the fairy godmother" is going to take her to live happily ever after too!

Just as soon as she is  little bigger

Then she will get to meet the famous Aurora and live with her.

Great things in store for little Ms Mia.