All this morning, I spent reminiscing on a little farm.

May 21, 2012.


Hi, I was out on a farm all morning, into the afternoon, sitting in a beach chair, watching some cows in their little fields and pastures. I was also watching a few horses of different breeds ~ a very young foal and his mother, a larger shetland horse, and the larger still chestnut horses. The young foal would stay close to his mother. That was especially sweet to see. 

I was studying some old old scattered piles of weatherbeaten lumber, and a few pieces of rusty metal, but they weren't active at all, so my glance switched to some real live chickens of various breeds, a few "you tell 'em, Sam!" roosters strutting around with deep red combs atop their head, crowing to hear their own musical voices.

There were many chicken hens of various colors and patterns of feathers, in two small chicken-wire enclosures, in which they all had enough space to stretch and flap their wings as they scratched the grassy earth looking for tidbits. There were at least fifteen in each of those pens, all very busy pecking here and there, looking for little insects. There were also about a dozen chickens who were loose, they went wherever they wanted to. One rooster suddenly ran as fast as possible from his strolling around near the pen, out toward the several maturing young heifers, quite a distance, and when he stopped running, he began scratching for some insects in that grass. It had looked like a very important job he had to do. 

Back by the wired pens, there was a small weather-beaten shed/building/shelter in which were the laying hens, probably only several. When a chicken laid an egg, she made a sound of 'success, at last!' and the rooster crowed his congratulations. Come to think of it, those cocky roosters did quite a bit of crowing their best.

There were many goats, probably at least ten, possibly more that I didn't see. Some had horns, some had none, many colors of goats, some a little bigger than most. They were eating grass and delectable other plants or weeds, among some pieces of very old farm equipment. I know that the goats seem to have the run of the small farm, because there was 'evidence' everywhere. That evidence was an abundance of smooth, black, oval pellets scattered wherever they walked, frolicked, pranced, and meandered during their day. Those ovoid pellets are what is left of the food they've eaten through the day.                     

There was a young calf, perhaps several weeks or a couple of months old, still 'on the bottle' for his meals. The mother was in another enclosed space, sometimes watching me watch her, and sometimes looking at her sweet baby in his little pen. She was also waiting for her master to come and 'milk' her to ease the mild pain of a full udder. Some of that milk was then poured into a very large square bottle with a three-inch long, 3/4-inch-in-diameter nipple. And the growing calf was so delighted to drink his meal from that nipple. That in itself was a most beautiful episode to watch. 

The cows and maturing calves leave behind some nine-inch wide circular, more than one-inch-deep patties out on the grass or paths, of the food that they have eaten throughout their day. These patties eventually dry up and can be used as fertilizer for one's gardens. 

All of these sights and sounds of today took me back immediately to my young age. When I was only one or two years old, my parents would visit my maternal grandparents, but no doubt I cannot remember that far back. What I do remember is being a child of four to nine years old, going to these grandparents' farm, and seeing the chickens and roosters having free range of that little area near the house and barn. They would scratch the soil, and find some tiny insects they could eat. That little activity kept them busy for a very long time. And when it was time for feeding chickens each day, I would enjoy so much seeing the 'poultry-club-members' running from wherever they had been, to the place where the cracked corn would be thrown. They were so eager to be present at that most delectable feast. 

This morning, those same feelings came rushing back to me as I heard and saw these activities. I feel blessed to have spent most of today enjoying this exposure to the 'little-farm' life again. 

I'll see you at the Corner Post...