Send In the Clowns

Some days have a natural theme song and yesterday it was definitely "Send In the Clowns."  Oh, wait.  That was me.  Flappity whappity, what the heck?!  The sole on one of my new (okay, almost new) shoes had come loose almost back to the heel.  Ka-whap, ka-whap; all that was needed was the sound of a calliope in the background for my clown act.

Looking out while milking, I saw two deer walking on the driveway just outside the goat pen.  The goats lifted their heads and the deer stopped.  For a long minute, the does of two similar species stood and looked at each other as if looking in a mirror, and then the deer moved on.

When the deck was in afternoon shade,  I took Bessie Anne out and began giving her a puppy cut with the clippers, shearing off a big pile of fur.  She seems so much more comfortable.  Bess needs a little more touch-up work before I'll take her close-up photo, but she's so darned cute.

Putting the girls to bed last evening, I heard a very different sound, a kind of chittering, coming from the walkway by Ruthie's stall.  Tucking all the goats in, I went in the near dark to investigate and found this tiny squirrel, smaller than a sparrow and smaller than the palm of my hand.  It wasn't moving much, but was certainly vocal.  Even little squirrels can bite, so I gently picked it up by the tail and moved it out where the light was better to get a good look.  I don't know why this baby was out on its own all alone.  Perhaps the mama was moving it to new quarters and got scared off when the goats came in.  In hopes that this was the case and that she would come for it, I carefully put it back close to where I'd found it, but by a bag of wool so it would stay warm.  I know that sometimes a wild mother will recognize some deformity in her young and oust it.  I hope it's not there when I go down to the barn this morning.  I'd like to think it is back in the company of its family.

Between my silly shoe and the animal acts, I'm not sure if I'm running a farm or a circus.