Lots of favorite things caught my eye this morning while doing chores at the barn. As I peeled back a layer of hay from the shrinking round bale and rolled it tight to fit in the horses' hay net, I thought about grass. So simple, so ordinary, we take it for granted. Tender and green in the spring, all it asks from the summer is enough sun and rain to give us two cuttings of hay. Through the cool days of fall, it continues to feed the animals. And finally, in winter's freezing weather, we unroll the hay in the barn, dry and dead-looking, yet fragrant and full of life-giving nutrition. While out in the fields, the grass is resting, waiting to burst forth again with succulent green in the spring. Although I knew (if I thought about it) that the animal fertilizes the grass naturally, recently I learned that the very act of grazing helps the grass to grow back more nutritiously. What a manifestation of God's providence that I can muse on as I scoop up an armful of hay to carry to a hungry animal!
Despite the freezing cold this morning, I took a minute to sit down on a concrete block in the chickens' pen to watch them devour a bit of diced leftover quesadilla. How fun they are--each one with her own colored eggs, her personality quirks, and her unique plumage! Victoria's eggs are large and blue. She's rather adventurous, but doesn't like to be touched. And her feathers are more intricately patterned than a designer gown, glowing with a bit of irridescence in the sunlight. I never get tired of watching my chickens!
After 45 minutes outside feeding animals and walking down to get the paper, I came into the warm house. Only a few more mouths to feed --the dogs and the ferrets--before I could get my coffee. As I opened the cage door to feed the ferrets, I heard a noise above my head. There almost six feet above the floor was Peekaboo inside their play tunnel on top of their cage!
I had left him sleeping behind the washing machine last night. When I let Hero out of the laundry room this morning to go with me to the barn, Peekaboo obviously came out and climbed up the outside of the cage, into the tunnel, up through the tunnel on top of the cage--and there he could not figure out how to get down without falling! Who knows how long he had been sitting in there, scared to slide down head-first? Of course I rescued him--after I grabbed my camera! Ferrets never cease to amaze and amuse me! If, as Benjamin Franklin said, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, I think that ferrets are proof that God has a sense of humor and wants us to laugh! :)
Lots of favorite things caught my eye this morning while doing chores at the barn. As I peeled back a layer of hay from the shrinking round bale and rolled it tight to fit in the horses' hay net, I thought about grass. So simple, so ordinary, we take it for granted. Tender and green in the spring, all it asks from the summer is enough sun and rain to give us two cuttings of hay. Through the cool days of fall, it continues to feed the animals. And finally, in winter's freezing weather, we unroll the hay in the barn, dry and dead-looking, yet fragrant and full of life-giving nutrition. While out in the fields, the grass is resting, waiting to burst forth again with succulent green in the spring. Although I knew (if I thought about it) that the animal fertilizes the grass naturally, recently I learned that the very act of grazing helps the grass to grow back more nutritiously. What a manifestation of God's providence that I can muse on as I scoop up an armful of hay to carry to a hungry animal!
Despite the freezing cold this morning, I took a minute to sit down on a concrete block in the chickens' pen to watch them devour a bit of diced leftover quesadilla. How fun they are--each one with her own colored eggs, her personality quirks, and her unique plumage! Victoria's eggs are large and blue. She's rather adventurous, but doesn't like to be touched. And her feathers are more intricately patterned than a designer gown, glowing with a bit of irridescence in the sunlight. I never get tired of watching my chickens!
After 45 minutes outside feeding animals and walking down to get the paper, I came into the warm house. Only a few more mouths to feed --the dogs and the ferrets--before I could get my coffee. As I opened the cage door to feed the ferrets, I heard a noise above my head. There almost six feet above the floor was Peekaboo inside their play tunnel on top of their cage! I had left him sleeping behind the washing machine last night. When I let Hero out of the laundry room this morning to go with me to the barn, Peekaboo obviously came out and climbed up the outside of the cage, into the tunnel, up through the tunnel on top of the cage--and there he could not figure out how to get down without falling! Who knows how long he had been sitting in there, scared to slide down head-first? Of course I rescued him--after I grabbed my camera! Ferrets never cease to amaze and amuse me! If, as Benjamin Franklin said, beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy, I think that ferrets are proof that God has a sense of humor and wants us to laugh! :)
