Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A child's perspective


I love to look at life from a child's perspective.

Charlie's granddaughter did this picture.


A young friend of mine did this one.

It is hard to draw sheep and llamas and I am truly appreciative. I have not attempted to draw or paint the flock yet. I shall start to observe them from an artistic point of view.

We went to a movie last night and it was dark when we returned. I went down to close the chickens in after the potential dinner time for skunk, opossums, and raccoons. They were all there but then this morning, when I went up to the barn, Beau smelled like a skunk. Was the skunk after the chickens and Beau stepped in or did Beau just frighten a skunk somewhere else in the pasture?

The chickens don't like to come in until just before dark but I am not always here then. It is hard to talk them in to going in much before 7:00. When I want to go somewhere before they go in I am really taking a chance on their well being.

I could buy an automatic chicken door closer online for around $200. but I find it hard to rationalize that expense when I am not selling chickens or even eggs.

Beau and the sheep like to graze the pasture at night so Beau isn't always near the coop. The chickens are farm animals, not pets, so I feel like I should just do the best I can and not worry too much-- but that is hard. Maybe it just takes more time.

What would the child's perspective be? I remember one incident a few years ago when I was working with 3rd and 4th graders in a garden club at school. We had a courtyard garden and a few students had gone out to start working in the garden while I was detained by something or someone. Later I found out a few of the students had been unkind to one or two others. When I asked them what a good solution would be to knowing what is going on in the courtyard they thought we should install hidden cameras to monitor the courtyard. Would that be the suggested intervention for this issue? Should Beau have a split screen monitor? Maybe a booby trap for unwanted guests. Any other ideas out there? Ask your young friends and report back.

2 comments:

  1. Your chickens are not pets? HA! I'm not sure I believe that. Here's your solution. You need more chickens so you can't tell which one is which and it won't bother you so much if one disappears. If you have 30 chickens and one disappears you'll say, "ah well, they're just farm animals".

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  2. I think they're entitled to their privacy. How would you like a camera staring into your bedroom?

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