Wet Ducks

The ducks had an absolute field day! With almost 4 inches of rain in two days, there were small ponds even on the higher end of the pastures. I would see what looked like fountains shooting out of the grass only to realize it was a duck flapping its wings and glorying in the latest puddle it had found. We had no water damage and only one tree fell but it is obvious we'll be needing our mucking boots for the next few days.

Still alive & kicking

Tip is our old goat who tried so hard to die a few weeks ago. She had apparently been battered by a buck in the night and we found her unable to move one morning. She could barely draw a full breath. After lots of tender care she managed to recover and is up to her usual tricks which include being one of the first goats to try to shove her way into my pockets in case I have a treat.

Fuzzy Photos

The photos look fuzzy because they are! It is carded wool carefully teased out to the consistency of spiderwebs and layered to be wet felted into a scarf.

Two old ladies napping...

Mollie is our German Shorthair Pointer who we acquired a good twelve or so years ago. She was not a pup but a gun-shy young lady who'd been overlooked in her litter. Although she's never hunted, she's quite the bird dog & a threat to our chickens. When they come into Mollie's large yard, she will "worry" them until I come along to rescue them or it dawns on them to fly over the fence. I've even seen her crouch and crawl up behind the pine trees in her yard to sneak up on a bird. Luckily, Mollie has a soft mouth so usually the result is a few ruffled feathers and lots of squawking.

Little girl is at least thirteen years old and is a Manx cat that resembles a Siamese in the face. She comes in the house each evening and heads right for the back bathroom where she can eat with the door shut and no competition. Although she loves to be in the house, she is seizure-prone and has rolled down the stairs before so can only be inside under supervision. She has several cozy places where she loves to nap outside. We go looking for her when she isn't at the door for dinner but she's a headstrong old lady who is usually right on schedule.

Little Girl was napping on the couch when I let Mollie in to visit. Mollie wanted on that couch so badly but could not figure out what to do about the cat. She finally crept up onto the couch and curled tightly into one corner. Little Girl instinctively snuggled up against her and they both napped the afternoon away.

Wet Hen

Yes, this is a chicken. And she hopped into a water pan intentionally. I had started putting a shallow pan out for the smaller birds after Pavl tried to drown himself in the pond. Ever since, this little Frizzled Cochin has been the first to enjoy the water when I refill the pan. Her whole body is not wet - her feathers look all disheveled like that because of her peculiar breed. But she will hop out each day with a wet tummy.

Families

I've found it quite interesting through the years to observe how the animals interact with each other. It is especially intriguing that family groups love to snuggle up and rest together. The big black buck on the right is Kermit, the father of that little guy curled up with his mother.

Amy, one of our Anatolian Shepherds, is content to snuggle up with any of the sheep or goats. In fact, they are so much a part of her family that it is next to impossible to get her out of their pasture. She is one of them - obviously the dominant one - and is anxious if we do need to move her.

Pavl

This feathered little fellow is Pavl, the White Crested Black Polish chicken who tried so hard to drown himself several weeks ago. He has become a special pet in the chicken yard, even getting first choice of the scraps from the Hyatt's kitchen. These last few days have been rainy so Pavl's lovely white crest is mostly soggy and hanging down over his eyes. I guess God really does have a sense of humor.