Kids

This was a very difficult topic for me.  See, my kid is twenty, so I doubt he qualifies as a kid any more.  I don’t know any kids right now, so I decided to cheat a little bit.  This has been a very tough summer.  I’ve lost four loved ones from my herd in the last month, the latest from a stupid accident on Saturday night.  Here is my memorial to them.

Lindy was only with us four 4 1/2 days, but I had already pegged her as a keeper.  She was so sweet honey would leave a bitter taste in your mouth after kissing her sweet face.

Oh, but she did have a bit of attitude.  She died from a stupid accident.

Misty faded away.  I think she may have had a genetic defect.  I knew her for two months, and she was so very sweet.  She was the third triplet of Scarlet.

Mabel was not a kid.  Goodness knows she had given birth to enough kids.  She had five sets of triplets in five years.  I wanted to breed her one more time because she and Goliath had the neatest little kids.  Feisty and funny and smart.  This time, Mabel only had two babies and a mummy baby.  It was so hard on her that I was afraid she wouldn’t make it until they arrived, and everything I did to help her recover did no good.  She died when her babies, Flower and Bud, were two months old.

Here she is with two of her kids from her second set of triplets, Bert and Ernie.

Last night my little Spice died from a freak accident.  She was big.  She was beautiful.  She was sweet.  She was a keeper.  Here she is as a new baby.

Here she is at three months old, lying beside her mom.

She was 5 1/2 months old.  By that time, I don’t usually have to worry about them.

I’m sure you can see a lot more human kids and not so much sad at Perceptive Perspective.

Haiku Heights #5: Festival

perfect fruity blend

swirling, sipping swallowing

orgy of flavor

Foul

I walked into the house and was struck by a foul odor.  Putting my hands over my nose, I looked around to see what could be making that stench.  I followed my nose into the kitchen and sniffed around.  It wasn’t hard to tell which cupboard it was.  I opened the cupboard and screamed–dead rat!

This was written for Friday Flash 55.  Tell a tale in exactly 55 words and let G-Man know!

Outside

Our weather has finally turned better.  I believe this is the longest dry stretch we’ve had since April, and it’s only been a week.  Wonderful dry weather.  It’s perfect for going outside and getting some work done.  We are finally making hay.

This should fill my barn and keep the animals in food for the winter.  I just love the smell of freshly mown hay.

Minnie was keeping an eye on the kids for me.  I just love her long curvy horns!

If this dry weather keeps up, I might not have a swamp to drive through to get to where my orchard used to be.  The goats ate it.  I’m hoping Mother Nature will take care of the poor plants and let them come back.

The wild flowers are blooming in the pasture.

It looks like it will be a bumper crop of walnuts this year.

These are some of the things going on outside at my place.  You can go to I Should Be Folding Laundry to see more outside pictures for this week’s You Capture challenge.

Magpie Tales #29

Toad houses nestled among the herbs

Bird houses and feeders adorn the yard

Red geraniums in the windowbox

Sheltered from pesky neighbors’ eyes by the trees

The odor of fresh baked bread from the kitchen

A black cat lounging in the back yard

Waiting for dusk to light a dancing fire

No ramshackle little hut, but a cozy cottage

This is the modern witch’s home

This was written for Willow’s Magpie Tales.  Be sure to visit.

Blue Sky

We’ve had so much rain this summer that I had forgotten what a beautiful summer day was.  This last week things have finally started to dry off.  Now I remember just how much I love the beautiful blue summer sky.

This is a part of Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday Rainbow Summer School.  Make sure you follow the rainbow to read other blue posts.

Flood

It’s time for One Stop Wednesday.

Raging swirling river

storming over its banks

Raindrops crashing down

weapons of mass destruction

Devastation of crops and lives

Trees and animals torn apart

in her furious path.

Metal

Perceptive Perspective’s theme this week is metal.  I’m sure this brings to mind shiny, sleek cars and chrome and stuff, but I like the old metal.

When we were tearing down an old house, we found some old metal dishes.

I was only a teenager at the time, but I liked their detailed engraving so much, I brought them home.

Years later, I still love these metal dishes.

They still have a charming shine despite the scratches, dents and dings.

I don’t have an entire set, but they still adorn the bookcase in my dining room.

Rush to the Hospital

I rushed down the hospital corridor.  I couldn’t believe it was happening now.  It wasn’t possible.  I wasn’t ready for this.  My life would be changed forever, and I didn’t know if I could handle it.  My heart was racing and I couldn’t catch my breath.  Then it hit me.  I am a dad now!

My nephew told me that my blog was way too morbid, so I hope this is better.

This is a part of Friday Flash 55.  Visit Mr. KnowItAll to read more of these short tales.

Perceptive Perspective: Nature

I had these on my farm blog, but I just discovered a linky that I thought they would work well for.

2babycakes is hosting a linkup for nature pictures for this week’s Perceptive Perspective.  Hop over and check them out.

This was such a bizarre, yellow sunset that turned brown as the sun sank down.  It made for dramatic pictures out in the pasture.