All Creatures, Great and Small

I am used to my tiny companions in the milking room.  When the baby mice come for breakfast, they are no bigger than a good-sized almond in the shell, and then there are those the size of a walnut.  The teenagers might be an inch-and-a-half; the adults are about two inches or a little bigger.  The ubiquitous ground squirrels are out of hibernation and have started showing up while I'm milking, looking for a handout.  As small and quick as they are, next to the mice the squirrels seem like lumbering brontosauruses.  A year or so ago, Cheeky and Nuts would come daily and hang out, watching me milk, sometimes laying flat out and sometimes getting themselves a snack, like popcorn at the movies.  While living alone, I certainly don't lack for company.

My small victory with the bathroom sink gave me confidence to tackle the dishwasher that had quit draining well.  Who invented hex screws anyhow?  Getting down to crawl into the cave of the machine wasn't the problem for me; it was the getting back up.  Let's just say I had a good excuse for getting to the goats late yesterday.  The dishwasher is working good again.

My friend in Mt. Aukum goes for animals in a big way.  Let me rephrase that, he goes for big animals.  His "dog" is a purebred wolf; his horse is a Belgian Blond draft horse.  He has a flock of Dutch Giant chickens; huge birds, reaching almost twenty pounds.  I saw enough of those chickens to know I'll stick with my little layers.  Those Giants are frighteningly aggressive, hens and roosters alike. 

The temperature jumped twenty degrees in a day and it's difficult to make the transition to eighty with no chance to acclimate.  Larry is coming back today to work on the barn.  While he's here, I'd like to get the burn pile started before it gets too hot and dry and the fire department closes down burn days.  The burn pile intimidates me and it would be nice to have his backup.