From Donna: Yesterday my goal was to put away Gracie, Maggie and Sugar. Dressed in my fanciest over sized muck boots, sweatshirt and rain jacket. No hat. Didn't want anything to get in my way when the great round-up started. Took Gracie's fancy teeny tiny halter and lead rope, plus another bucket of grain, and out I went ready for a chase. Well, Gracie said "What's in the bucket? And how about if we go in the barn?" Too easy. Then came Maggie. It's been at least 6 years since we had a halter on her. Took the bucket, set it next to the other bucket, put a rope around her neck and put the halter on. Whoa!! Wait a minute! This is far too easy. Sugar didn't like the fact that her friends were leaving her so she trotted behind Maggie and into the barn. Less than 15 minutes and they were snuggly and warm with lots of extra food. Maggie even let me pet her. What have I been missing?
I was sweaty and hot, coughing like a fool, but the round-up was over. Maggie is very, very thin, but she gets a week of extra special attention before Dr Darling comes for an evaluation.
A cold front is moving in with low snow levels expected, and bolstered by my mini round-up today I am going to put some of the other oldies in the barn to weather out the storm.
Jim says my mind is random abstract ( actually he says random abscess) so here I go. Weather reminded me of wethers. Do you know why a leading event is called a bell-wether event? Neutered male goats are wethers and in days of old a bell was put around the neck of the goat who lead the herd. A bell wether. Oh well.
Jim says he is going to put a snorkel on the tractor because the mud is so deep that soon he will be driving underneath it. No complaints here. I still like mud better than flies. That was yesterday's leading debate. Which is worst- mud or flies. Flies, I say, flies. Even if last night when we made a quick visit to the lower barn and my boot failed to follow, resulting in one gooey, muddy sock.
Had tea with friend Margaret yesterday. Why is a cup of tea with an English lady so much tastier? We watched the birds enjoy (make that destroy) her emerging garden. She has so many lovely plants and the birds eat every one of them. We just live across the highway from one another, but our bird populations are different. The turkeys don't visit often here. I guess the dogs keep them at bay. But I do have the ravens and she doesn't. She has doves. We don't. And the little birds who eat her emerging sunflowers-stripping the leaves before they can grow- don't visit us until the sunflowers already have their seed heads. Very strange.
We are loving the rain. The wells have been replenished. The lake is filling and there might even be some snow in the mountains. The winter was dry and was cause for concern, but I think we will be OK for summer if we manage our water carefully. How we keep Sweetie Pie, Quincy and Jake out of the big stock tank while they play Splash the World, I don't know. Those three go though more water than15 thirsty horses.
Overnight it seems like all the frogs have returned. It was so loud last night when I opened the door we could not hear ourselves talk. Love it.
Thank you again to our wonderful friends and supporters. We count on you.
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