I believe I have been remiss in introducing you to our current next door neighbors.
Longtime readers will know feelings on each side of the fence are not always amicable. Mutually. So although I was screamed at by one of the humans next door (a year ago?) for giving carrots to the animal crew who was there at the time, I picked up the oh-so-damning habit again about a month ago. The sheep run like crazy to get the treats while Whitey (my name for the cow) likes to sashay over. She comes pressing up to the woebegone fence and takes the carrot pieces like a dog. Although today I got some of the slimy sandpaper tongue.
Well a couple of weeks ago I realized I hadn't seen the sheep in several days. I immediately concluded they had been sent to slaughter (yes, they have advertised fresh meat on our little community's FB page). I comforted myself by saying I had given them attention and treats before their demise. Then, just a couple of days ago as I was calling Whitey, I heard the sheep bleating from the barn (lordy I should show you a picture of the barn). I concluded they had been locked up from the severe and biting wind we had about 10 days ago. With ill thoughts, I assumed the humans were remiss in not letting them out with the warmer temps. Then, today the real answer presented itself. A wee little baby lamb pressed against mom standing in the small pen attached to the barn.
I have been a student of yoga for over 25 years. We study yoga tenets are well as physical poses (asanas). Including the five yoga kleshas (pronounced kleeshas) or sources of trouble. Boy oh boy did the story above smack me in the face. One of the kleshas is "wrong information". We form assumptions/opinions/judgements all the time based on wrong information. And this was a perfect example. I find sometimes the universe has to smack me in the head to remind me. Message received.
Weather wise in the past 10 days we've gone from snow and those biting winds
with blankets a must, and yes, they were fed inside. Followed by a warm-up with a bit of ice, and now a complete melt with balmy temps in the low 40's.
Yesterday morning during chores the rain transformed into a mini-blizzard in the wink of an eye. And was done in another blink.
The chickens are loving wandering in the snow-less pens. But holy cow did Gigi give me a fright.
This is the sight I came across
I watched before panicking and said she's just taking a dust bath. Of course, it's just a dust bath. But to be sure walked over and picked her up. She stood there unfazed and went right back to bathing (although I have a dust bath in the coop).
Never a dull moment...