wet ass

what is your message?

The moth came back tonight. I got to snap a few pictures, then once again, it vanished. At least I got a photo of the moth who strummed the guitar. He is about 2.5 inches in length, but his wing span is much bigger than I thought, perhaps 4 to 5 inches in width. A photo of one big moth, and some soulful music is what I have for you tonight.

Resurrection Fern, by Iron and Wine. Live Performance.

new residents

Four little pekin duckling hatched here. Plus, one Indian silver runner and a mixed pekin/runner (the black one) were delivered to our farm. Today I let them go in the big pen, but they pretty much just ate, drank, and stayed like this. It is a big world.

Also delivered, were four trout colored Indian runner ducks, and three silver Indian runners.

And, three white Indian runner ducks, along with two special needs ducks, (don't feel sorry for these two, they run the show) along with four gorgeous Sebastopol geese.

Crick and Squint are the names of the special needs ducks, aka the special Olympians. As you probably can tell their names are that of their afflictions. Now you can just call me wrinkles. The names of the white runners are Smurf, Hula and Happy. Cute huh? My friend named them all. I can't take credit.

The geese have names too. Moon, Inka, Juno and Leap.

As you probably can notice, in all of my geese photos, they are walking away from me. They definitely know who their human Mum is. Although we are somewhat similar in appearance, they know I am not their Mum. At least not yet. I am working on it.

So, I have been doing lots of outside time with them. Just sitting near them. Otherwise, it looks like chasing if I get too close. I try to make friends by throwing food pellets to them, they think I am throwing at them. So, I stopped that. My flocks come running when they see me throwing food. At night in the barn, I can pick them up and touch them, but outside is a whole big new world for them. They have not lived with a donkey, an Izzy, or those fast little piglets. Plus there is an existing flock of ducks, add a whole bunch of chickens, some tumbling goats, and it is just down right frightening!

They are the most beautiful birds though. The geese remind me of Las Vegas showgirls. I just found out today that Sebastopol geese are on the American Livestock Conservancy list. Which is fabulous news. I am trying to specialize in rare and uncommon livestock breeds in America. Hopefully, I have three females and one male, as breeding time will start probably around the first of the year. I suppose I need to go ahead and vent sex them to find out for sure. Don't worry, that just means looking down below to see if you can see a male part. I don't love them that much!

Heads or tails?
Also, we got a new piglet. She is the sister to the brown piglet. I still haven't named them. I know I probably shouldn't, but they do have an identity. They matter. I think they are simply adorable. Even if they will be dinner someday. I still am fond of the feeling of a pig snout nudging my wellies, (a pig's way of saying "hi, do you have food?") I try to answer yes, as much as possible.

They are growing fast on goats milk, pig chow, and any and all food items that come their way. Tonight, it was sunflower seeds, right from the flowers. I was popping seeds out of their disks for the chickens, ducks and geese, and the two little piggies were at my feet eating what spilled. Pigs are happy little creatures.

We are not too scary. Right? Do you have any food?

Now, there is a part two to this story, but I cannot tell it until a few weeks from now. But for now, I am grateful. There are the most kindest, wonderful people in the world. I get to meet them all the time. How do I happen to meet them? All you have to do is put out that same energy, and stay open enough, so that it may find it's way back to you. Give without expecting a return, because the giving, is the best part. Give a smile, give a moment of your time to acknowledge a fellow person, give quietly, and give often.

It is as simple as that. To be continued...

Meanwhile, I need to get that interview done, make a how-to-read-tea-leaves post, and thank somebody for a random act of kindness. Tonight it is: Linda, a fellow blogger, who I met by chance, sent me a packet of perennial flower seeds and a sweet card to go with it. How wonderful was that? Thank you very much Linda. It came on the day the ducks and geese came.

I kept thinking... does it get any better than this?

~crow

winged music

I had just sat down at the computer to check my email. Suddenly, I heard the guitar strum. Nobody was home but me. I turned around to see if it had slipped or if it was a cat. What I saw was a moth. A giant gray moth.

My first thought: Was I being visited by a loved one who has passed? Perhaps it was Boom-pa stopping by to play the guitar and say hello. He was quite the guitar player.

I watched the giant moth fly into the dining room. I got up to follow it in, with the intent to catch it and set it free... but it was gone.

I have searched everywhere.

i'm expecting

...a couple of visitors here tomorrow. We are all so very excited. I get to meet a wonderful friend that I have gotten to know only online. This amazing lady is driving up with her friend and neighbor to deliver her 14 ducks and 4 geese to me. I am honored that she has trusted me to care for her flock.

There should be plenty of action going on tomorrow! I am visualizing 3 brunette grown women playing duck, duck, goose! Oh, my neighbor Shirl will have a great show tomorrow. I never really let him down.

I am cooking meatballs in homegrown sauce, over pasta, fresh artisan bread, and some roasted red pepper and herb goat's milk cheese for my weary travelers (the humans, not the flocks.) Peas will be served to the flocks. We have a temporary pen for those who might have adjustment issues. But I am thinking positively. We will all get along just fine.

I will be blogging about their visit and all about those new ducks and geese. I hope they make friends with my gang. They have never seen piglets or a donkey or an Izzy before!

Safe travels my friend, see you for lunch on the green door.

~crow

dark

I used to be afraid of the dark. Really afraid.

Of course when I was little I was a scared-y cat. That is part of growing up. A baby goes from being oblivious to monsters under the bed, until their brain grows and they learn that there are scary things in the world. I am sure I was no different. However, during some time during later childhood development, you learn that there are no glowing green two headed monsters with smoke coming out of it's ears in your closet. You become more knowledgeable of what is real, and what is not.

But there are still scary things in life. If you let the fear creep in again.

All through my twenties, I was still scared of the dark. Even with all the doors and windows locked, and a gun by my side. I was still frightened. I remember sometimes I would wake up in the dark, and be totally frozen in fear. When I say frozen, I mean it. I could barely breathe. I suppose it was panic. I am not sure. But even if an intruder came in, I am pretty sure I would be unable to grasp a gun and point it, never mind pull a trigger. I would lay there for hours frozen in my fear.

I was thinking about that tonight as I was out securing the animals, and doing my late night checks on everybody. All the people are in bed, except for me.

I had to get some hay. First though, I had to take one of the electric fence wires off to get out and over to the old empty Victorian next door. We keep the bales of hay there on the porch. It is pitch black. I maneuver the steps up to the porch by feel, and by memory. Odin my dog is usually there wagging his tail with a thump, thump, thump on the wood floor when he senses me. But Odin is gone, and there was no wagging, no happy tails. I feel my heart ache a little as I reach until I can touch the bales. Then searching with my hand to find the bale that has the twine cut, and grab a big pat of hay. I go back down the steps and back over to the electric fence. By the gleam from a light inside of my house bounching slightly on the electric wire, I jump over the remaining hot strands. With one arm balancing the hay like a waitress holds a tray (I used to be one) I pick up the plastic latch, and connect the fence wire tight back to the post. I am suddenly the farm security officer.

As I walked to the barn to deliver the hay, I think to myself about how good I am at using my other senses in the dark when I cannot see. I think about how I am first to jump up and go outside when one of my dogs is barking at darkness. I am not frozen, I am in my element. Trusting myself and not letting the fear sneak in. But tonight, I do suddenly feel sorry for the scared, younger me. I mean, I was well into my thirties before I got over that frozen fear stuff. I wonder why it took me so long to become fearless?

There are probably many good reasons that I was so scared, as well as some unfounded fears that were a complication of the justified fear. I was unsafe for awhile, but then when I was safe, I just couldn't get it.

My therapist gave me this written on a scrap piece of paper when I was in my early thirties.

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

It took me awhile until I bought into that.






I remained outside for awhile listening to the wind, and a tree creaking, looking into the darkness, and feeling grateful that I do not live in fear anymore.

happy hour

As Rusty arrived home from work tonight, and she spotted him.


I was saying welcome home, now smile!

Rusty said, "I brought some nice dark rum home for you... Go get a glass and a RC Cola and join me for a drink." So I did. I also grabbed a bottle opener too, for the beer.


Because she loves beer.


She love, love, loves it.

Deer loves beer.

But she also loves...


the cardboard.


Now if she only liked to eat glass, she would be a complete recycling center.

Our pet goat does not drink and drive and is of a legal drinking age,.