Day 583 Spring is in the Air

 

Oh, how I love having daylight in the evening hours so much more than driving home to darkness! The extended light in the afternoon allows for a walk without flashlights! Each night when I walk at sunset, I admire a heard of goats, grazing and enjoying the overgrown banks. As my friend, Carol and I walked by I knew she'd be as thrilled to see the goats as I always am, a little eye candy during our stroll. There's a billy goat that is protective of his heard and will become aggressive if you get too close. I clued my friend in on the need to give them their space, respecting their boundaries is important if you don't want a horn in your butt. I would love to bring a couple of these goats home to clear my riverbank, I may need to chat with their owner this spring, just don't bring over the main Billy Goat! After our walk, Carol met my new chicks, holding one in the palm of her hand as it chirped loudly, making us both laugh. The little chicks continue to delight us, although someone suggested one may look like a rooster!? I specifically bought sexed chicks to avoid any roosters, let's hope they are wrong. Either way, we wouldn't know for at least six months, those darn roosters blend right and stay quiet until they are much older. I'll keep an eye on the leghorn with the pointed feathers and long wings... no boys allowed in my coop. I'd love a couple goats, if I didn't have to work, I'd get a couple pigmy goats, incredibly cute and delightfully entertaining! Time is working against me on that one, not enough time to spend with them during the day and the fact that they live for ten to fifteen years! The older I get the more I need to take that into consideration, my kids don't want to take over my farm animals when I die! When I was little my all time favorite pet was a goat named Charlie, he was the best! He loved riding in the car and would sneak into the backdoor anytime we tried to leave. He came swimming, played in the yard with us, running and jumping around. At times, neighborhood dogs would come into our yard and try to attack Charlie, but we'd bring him right into the house to be safe. We had lots of animals to take care of, chickens, ducks, cats, goats, a pony and a cow named cheeseburger, three guesses what its fate was!? Tim grew up in the city, polar opposite of my childhood, hard to believe it was the same state! He would have enjoyed all the animals but not so much the work involved in caring for them. That's one more reason I appreciate my evening goats along the bike path, no work involved and I still get to enjoy them each night! My chickens may seem like a lot of work but they don't care if I'm gone all day or even for a weekend as long as they have food and water. The extended daylight is fantastic for egg production, already seeing an increase. Spring is in the air and I just love it!