Hard Times

This is a difficult season for the wild things.  Nothing is growing, very little is green.  There's not much for them to eat.  In the early afternoon, a doe was in amongst the turkeys, lapping up birdseed.  From the deck, I could see her ribs were showing.  The deer are eating leaves from the lilac bushes from the ground to as high as they can reach.  I call it pruning.  Turkeys, not sated with the seed under the oak, are getting in with the chickens to share their breakfast.  As soon as the rains come, the earth will green again, but in the meantime, these are hard times.

I took TG down to meet Camille, who also needs some help with the trees on her place and a few renovations to her house.  While they talked business, I stepped outside to play with Honey and Shadow.  The dog didn't lick me and the donkey did.  I don't know why that cracks me up so, but it surely does.

This going to be a busy day.  Tim is bringing another apprentice over for goat milking and cheese making.  Ula is a young woman who has come over from Germany to learn the goat trade.  I guess Tim, who raises meat animals, feels a day with dairy goats would complete the experience for his trainees.  I've started a pot of soup for our lunch, but I'd better flick the dust cloth around a bit before they get here.