Yesterday morning, January 1, dawned beautifully here on the farm. The sunrise was breathtaking, so I rushed in to get the camera and photograph it. I was out doing the feeding but had to make them wait a few more minutes for hay so that I could share the colours of the sky with my blogosphere! The camera never does justice to sunrise, but you can get the idea. I hope your New Year's Day dawned beautifully for you too.Today it is sunny again, but still cold, at 2 °C or 23 F. I still enjoy my morning time with the animals, no matter what the temperature. The worst thing right now in the farmyard is the ice. We had freezing rain here while we were away, and this has coated some areas quite thickly with ice. It is very difficult to walk on. Kelly put some sawdust down on it from the wood shop because we don't want to put salt on it (it's on the grass and besides, I don't want the chickens eating rock salt). That helps a little. The chickens, on the other hand, had me in stitches this morning. When I put out their scratch feed, the mad dash to where I had scattered it led to the "Hens on Ice" show. While trying to run towards the scratch feed, they all lost their footing on the icy surface and kept tumbling around in a chaotic heap of feathers and feet, some of them on their bottoms, some on their sides, and some scrambling across others to get to their morning treats. What a crew. Nobody was hurt of course. It was just so funny to watch them sliding every which way!
The angora goats that we rescued a while back (the ones that we washed) are doing very well. They have not returned to their former grubby selves, and continue to be mostly white. They are hesitant to approach me, but when I have a bucket of goat chow, the temptation is too much. Here, the adult female feigns a lack of interest.
"What on earth do you mean when you say 'Here's trouble'? We are completely innocent!"
"I'm sorry Mum, I got a bit muddy on the side of my face. Please don't put me in that big white water vat again."
So here's the thing - they haven't got names yet. All four angoras are girls and very soft and cuddly. They need soft cuddly names. Any ideas?
13 comments:
Going back to their Greek heritage-
Anatolia
Athena
Agatha
Alice
Oooh! Aren't they pretty! Say, I'm soft and cuddly and my name is Isobelle... you could name prettiest one after me!
Hi~just out blog hopping and found my way to your blog. I had a fun time reading through your blog! Stop in and visit sometime. As far as names...hmmmm I would have to think on that. Happy New Year!
Oh those girls are just gorgeous! I wish i could reach out and feel their soft coats....
I think one should definitely be Muffin - that's the first word that came to my mind. They are absolutely beautiful, and will probably want to become "house goats" before too long!
Nancy
I think I saw that same sunrise!
And thanks for the cig encouragement- not doing so well. I have not heard of the free nicorette thing and can't find it anywhere??
I know I have to quit before I can visit the farm!
I LOVE LOVE the Angoras!
And I'm trying to think of names.
Charmin is soft.
Types of clouds?
Stratus and Cirrus.
Floccus means 'looking like a tuft of wool'.
'Scud' is a type of cloud! there are lots of 'em with funny names.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_types
That's all I have for now.
The sunrise was incredible! Thanks for sharing that with everyone.
Hens on Ice...OMG, that had to be a complete hoot! Be careful on that ice though. Last October-2007 I slipped and fell on a small patch of ice while filling water tanks for the animals. Of course, what does one do when falling? Why, we try to somehow catch ourselves with an outstretched hand/arm! With the hose kinked in my left hand, that left me to "catch myself" with my right hand/arm. I hit sooo hard my ears were ringing for the longest time and I thought to myself, wow, that's going to hurt for awhile. Well, two months later I still couldn't lift my right arm but refused to go to the doctor since it was almost the end of 2007 and I hadn't met my deductible for the year so figured I'd wait until January to go get it checked out. Well, slipped and fell again on the ice in early January but caught myself on the deck railing with my left hand/arm and my right arm went flying up and over my head and behind me with a huge snap/crack! I thought I'd buggered it up good for sure but an hour later I could raise my arm for the first time in almost three months! Yep, it was dislocated that entire time (I finally did go to the chiropractor for help getting everything back where it belonged). It has been over a year now and that shoulder still hurts some days, especially if I overuse it.
Okay, now for goat names: Marshmallow, Cream Puff, Angelina and Cool Whip. (I must be hungry because white fluffy desserts kept coming to mind!)
I love the names above -- Cream Puff, Cool Whip, Marshmallow!! Maybe Meringue (Meri for short) or Smooshy (non-food -- sorry). The faces on your sheep are sooooo cute!!
I love the names above -- Cream Puff, Cool Whip, Marshmallow!! Maybe Meringue (Meri for short) or Smooshy (non-food -- sorry). The faces on your sheep are sooooo cute!!
You all have grand suggestions! We are having trouble choosing, but I think we've got it now.
The four will be....
Anatolia (Ana for short)
Isobelle
Cirrus
Meringue (Meri for short)
It was a close call between Marshmallow and Meringue, but we liked the Meri version for short.
We like Muffin, but we like it so much we already have a goat named Muffin, and that would be just too confusing!
Thanks all for your creativity!
Split Rock - I went out to close the chicken coop tonight with your words in mind. Good thing because it was raining and the ice was like a huge sheet of oiled glass. I nearly went down a few times. Good thing I wore my yak trax! I don't think I want a repeat of what happened to your arm - sounds awful. :-( Must have impeded your spinning.
Because they are all white:
Lily
Luna
Snow
Cotton
I would have loved seeing Hens on Ice. What a fun show! All those fluffy butts landed flat onto the ice. lol. Poor things. :D
~Lisa
New Mexico
Oh No Lisa! You were seconds too late! I just adore the name Luna. It is a very good one. We have a llama named Lilly. Kelly says he doesn't want one named Snow because he hates snow. I don't mind it, but you know how men are! So I like Luna and Cotton. I'm saving Luna for our first born goat or sheep kid, whichever comes first (and whichever is female, because Luna doesn't sound like a boy's name). I might save Cotton for an Icelandic ram lamb.
Ahhh...tooo cute! The sunset is stunning!
I have to say I'm a bit jealous of your menagerie. I met a herd of Icelandic sheep last year and fell in love. If I hadn't started raising goats I think I would have started a flock.
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