Deep snow, friends. Deeper than usual. Not as cold as elsewhere but…somehow the geese don’t mind. When I am doing critter chores I free the geese and turkeys to follow me around. Such flapping and squawking! Such freedom, flying out of their pen. And then they land in the snow, erp. Er, a little help here? Please?
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Got something to say? Email me at fastweedpuller at gmail dot com.Wisdom from the sage
Wendell Berry:
"We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it."
--from an essay in "The Long-Legged House""The word agriculture, after all, does not mean "agriscience," much less "agribusiness." It means "cultivation of land." And cultivation is at the root of the sense both of culture and of cult. The ideas of tillage and worship are thus joined in culture. And these words all come from an Indo-European root meaning both "to revolve" and "to dwell." To live, to survive on the earth, to care for the soil, and to worship, all are bound at the root to the idea of a cycle. It is only by understanding the cultural complexity and largeness of the concept of agriculture that we can see the threatening diminishments implied by the term "agribusiness."
"Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating."
--both the above are from essays in "The Art of the Commonplace: Agrarian Essays"Is this so hard to believe?
"An atheist is just somebody who feels about Yahweh the way any decent Christian feels about Thor, or Ba'al, or The Golden Calf. As has been said before, we are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further," Richard Dawkins, 2002.
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fast grow the weeds 
Do they get themselves back into their pen then? Mine don’t venture out much in the snow. They huddle right outside the door when the thug squirrels come in to steal their food. We have an overabundance of squirrels this year and no rabbits. I literally have not seen one rabbit either here or at the shop. One neighbor is relieved, but I find it alarming.
El, This comment is in regard to your comment in the previous post about bringing your sick creature in to your basement. Make certain that your basement isn’t even slightly musty. I also bring mine in when they are sick, and I start the babies in the house, but I totally overlooked the mold danger once. I still can’t believe I did that. This isn’t to suggest that you would make such a foolish error.
The geese look so personable! I think I’m in love!
You are the Audubon of DSLR photography.
Oh my gosh how beautiful are they!!
Those geese are beautiful! I haven’t let the chickens out yet, but I am waiting for the day…they are waiting for the day..
Although, they do have a plastic covered run, with sunny areas to bath in…it just isn’t the same as OUT DOORS!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/
What a great pic! Animals have such expressions and personalities.
Pamela, yuck, squirrels. We don’t have any which I find (relievingly) odd. “Squirrel” was a magic word to our old dog and it was sad for him not to be able to hunt many of the furry rodents. I think we saw 5 in the whole 2 years he was here at the farm. Bunnies, though, check. Thanks for the head’s up about moldy basements. Ours is really quite dry because I am a bit of a nut about mold and run a fan down there if it gets damp. But I do have to figure out what to do with my chicken. She’s got some kind of blockage or tumor and I need to see if it’s actually in her egg parts, so I need to bring her in and bathe her. But normally our chicks are raised outside, with first having a night or two on the back porch…they are just too dusty/messy otherwise.
Emily, the geese ARE personable. They’re kind of shy if you’re standing up but if you squat down to their level you become part of the family. They come over and groom you then and make quite a fuss. It’s really quite cute.
CC, too much credit! One it’s only a point-and-shoot and two you should see the pics my husband takes of them; puts my fuzzy photos to shame. Ah well. Professionalism: can’t be good at everything.
Thanks, Susan! They’re a lot of fun. I need to get a better pic of when they spread their wings out; the color gradation of their wings is really wonderful.
Linda, we’re ALL waiting for the day. Our coop is getting mighty stinky!
Thanks, MC. They’re quite funny. You should see them when they’re mad.