Surprise Surprise

Either Miss Patty is trying to break the record for oldest egg layer-

and I thought her last egg a few years ago was amazing-

Or Naomi has laid her first- 

and as she is only 4, that would be much more reasonable-

but I was surprised with a very interestingly shaped egg when I went in at bedtime.

Merry Christmas

Family visits with Family dogs.

I told Teeny Tiny to sit pretty and smile. No kidding- she runs over, plops down, and bat-ears me. 

I spent such a long time searching the internet for the right dog for Mima and Papa,

and whatever Teeny is, she is perfect for them. And pretty funny.

Like that footstool from Beauty and the Beast. Or an undiscovered Dr. Seuss character. 

Or maybe just a flying pillow, as George says.

Gwen, in her super fierce Christmas necklace. African Queen inspired, you might say.

Poor Fritha, she had to stay home and guard the chickies and goats.

But Gwen enjoyed the visit- she likes Teeny Tiny, who cannot jump her.

Definite plus, in Gwen's book. She has had to take to running under Fritha at times.

Hope she sees fairly often and mostly ignores except when cold and she wants a sleeping companion.

Hope with Mima.

She never did find the cat.

Can you find the dog?

Huh huh?

Gwen finds all the excitement tiring. 

And she is 14, so I can't blame her.

Happy Winter Solstice

I recommend lying down in a big mess of dead leaves in the woods,

and laughing your head off in the company of baby pines.

This, by the way, ensures you are certifiably clinically insane, and free to enjoy life.

 Having a cat almost suffocate you by walking on your throat and face

while you try to enjoy the day is entirely optional.

However, if you ask nicely, Rionach will likely be willing to help you out.

She is very obliging that way.

Obligatory "Arf Arf!!"

Sunshine, oh Happy Day

12.20.14

I should probably be doing something useful right now. Like making sure that crash a second ago does not mean Brighid just broke something overly important.

So much for the predicted snow..... just lovely and crisp outside. And yes Dad, Fritha does say hi to you, too. She is absolutely thrilled you might be visiting for Christmas. Or she is just generally thrilled about life. But I'll go with former.

Chickies

And there is this.....

Day

Sunrise

 Good Morning Goats!

Chrysanthemum is rather a loner- but that actually seems by choice.

She was the only kid and bottle fed, not a good deal-

she can't seem to decide whether she really is as much a goat as her mother.

Watch the day pass....

I was playing fetch with Fritha in the field

-so she has to work to find the stick in the mounds of grass and dead wildflowers-

but she looked so funny coming out covered in stickers!

Unfortunately most had been rubbed off with a good roll before I got the camera.

Evening

Bits of Bird Moments

I love how comfortable the wild birds here are with me. Whatever I am doing they just go about their way so I can walk right among them, which is wonderful. While getting pretty close is easy, still, sometimes a little moment stands out. Like today, walking to the mail box, when a Carolina Wren stayed on her branch as I walked up, and just watched me as I came within a couple feet, and there we stood. Then after a bit, she turned, and hopped away to another perch. Simply very still.

Moments that stand out aren't all like that. I came upon a Junco in the driveway that seemed ill- acting like a fledgling that couldn't quite fly. Slowly he did take off, and in a very low arc flew around me and straight into the basement window- not at a great speed, but Rionach was sitting on the sill right beneath and so grabbed him when he fell. I have never seen her, even with much watching, hunt birds- she much prefers rabbits, which given her small size I find amazing- but this one fell into her lap, so I can't blame her. I did try to get him back in case he was still alive- often they are- but I think this one died hitting the window or pavement, his neck was already broken. To see one so close, holding the cat as she choked him down... was striking. And oddly peaceful.

Also- it perhaps is standard feline diet to eat with hardly any chewing the whole bird with all those feathers, but it seemed to me like rather a lot of keratin. But then, what do I know?

Ciao Cows

In the cold rain of today, a faction of my neighboring cows has come all the way up to harbor beneath the pines right in front of my house- the front goat pasture has a joint fence line with them.