Sunday, November 16, 2014

before sunup


 These snaps are all a bit dim in tone,
but welcome to morning chores!
Yes, it would be nice if the temp would rise above 22F (-5C), but
aren't we glad the snow has stopped?
This is the lengthy interlude between a very grey dawn
and the moment when welcome rays of sunlight
come a-dazzling through the trees.


We hope.


Since this was the babies' Very First Snowfall,
I brought a pocketful of celebratory carrots.
Carrots are a welcome treat, anytime, night or day.
Every one of my goats thinks carrot pennies are the best treat ever.

 "I loooove carrots!"


"As Herd Matriarch, I should have the Most Carrots.
Obviously!"


"Did someone mention carrots?"



We got a couple-or-three inches of light, fluffy snow,
but under even the leafless trees there was less.


  Under the hemlocks, there was almost no snow at all.
I didn't take a picture of that absent snow, but here's a tip for you:
next time you are caught in the woods during a snowstorm,
find a hemlock.
Hemlocks are our Friends.
~~~


 Dara:"Look at this great pile of hay, Vinca!
Vinca:"Yum! Let's share it, 50-50, okay?"


Vinca:"New plan! Let's eat it up as fast as we can,
before Mama gets here and maybe knocks us sideways!
~~~

Fingers crossed it will warm up enough this week
that I can move some of these intrepid survivors to a safer place,
before the Return of the Snowplow.


Gardening has really been back-burnered since the porch project began.
But if I see one chance for transplanting this week,
I will gladly make it a priority.
~~~

Meanwhile...about those carrots...
Tsuga knows exactly which pocket to check.


Mostly because last year she very gradually, day by day,
quietly managed to chew a big hole in the other pocket.
Now anything I absent-mindedly stuff into that pocket just falls right through.
Which may be why I now have three single work gloves.
Or maybe not.
I do tend to leave gloves all over the place.

Tsuga is the one doe I hope to breed this year.
I have two potential bucks in mind, but there are tactical issues with both.
Stay tuned.


Oh Tsuga, little hemlock girl.
I am so looking forward to seeing your first kid.
 ~~~~~

8 comments:

  1. Snow already, it's very pretty, I'm guessing there will be a lot more before the winter is out. I'm intrigued about the tactical issues with the goats, but I'm not sure I dare ask about the details, it might be more information than I bargained for!

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  2. Tsuga is a beauty queen! I can't wait to see her kids either. I love the goat dialogs, since their facial expressions are just. so. right.

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  3. Well, I'm a bit slow today. There's Tsuga standing under her eponymous tree and I was thinking about snow instead of about the tree's name...

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  4. Nice photos. Do the goats wear fleece jackets in the winter like horse blankets or would them eat them?

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  5. fabulous goats, such fascinating characters - lovely pics

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  6. I am so looking forward to Tsuga's first kid too!

    I cannot imagine how hard your chores are when it's so cold. I sometimes take care of my friends' horses, and I end up in tears because my fingers hurt so much after handling pails and other metal stuff in the cold. (It's much harder than biking in cold weather!).

    I think you might have lots of fun with a trail cam. I started exactly the way that you are thinking - just wondering what was going on around my house while I slept (and sometimes while I was awake).

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  7. Lovely, lovely fluffy creatures - they're all adorable! But I'm full of admiration for your being so cheerful about going out in the snow. Not sure I would be :-)

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  8. Tsuga is beautiful - they all are, but she's exceptionally beautiful! ;-) I have a dog that loves carrots!

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