Tuesday, July 13, 2010

in BETTER rythm

3 inches + later you can almost hear the sighs and giggles as the earth's inhabitants in Rockbridge County recover . Four rains we have had now since the long long dry spell and all of them gentle to start and steady.

Today was digging day. The rains had come again into the barn on the west side but not as bad as before. Time to dig a trench and Adam set to it with new energy-- maybe gained from a 4 day music concert in WV. The perfect day for digging a trench and Adam made it look easy. I am afraid I wasn't much help as I was keeping track of my two little friends from across the cornfield. They had shovels as well, but not the attention span needed to be of much help with the digging. The part they liked best was emptying buckets of water in the trough to make sure Adam's trench would drain correctly. Beau kept an eye on the boys for awhile but seemed to conclude they would not be a threat to the sheep or chickens and maybe a help in the big picture. This was the first time the boys spent any real time on the inside of the fence.

The youngest found worms and offered them to the chickens who would take them and then drop them on the ground when they realized what they were or weren't --they were not bugs. The boys are a bit afraid of the sheep and Beau (a size thing) so they stay clear, which seems to work for all.

The sheep look clean again and their fleece has regained its shine. Beau really needs to be brushed and let me brush him a few strokes today but when we had our talk about going outside the gate if he would let me put his harness on he walked off not willing to agree to the restraint. That is the only way I can really brush him.

I know there are different thoughts on how to gain dominance in the barnyard and I am now standing up and putting my head up like Beau does to let him know he is not the BIG BOSS. I have a lot of respect for him and how he takes care of the sheep and chickens and I appreciate the things he has made me aware of and now we need to make some shifts.

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