Happy New Year! We’ve started our year with my son’s really cool science fair project, and while I can’t tell you anything about it yet — it’s a SECRET — I can tell you that it has prompted us to visit a couple of farms. So we drove out yesterday to visit my aunt’s farm and had great fun visiting with her, my uncle, and all their very spoiled pets — I mean, farm animals.
The chickens have the run of the farm, but they also have a very nice chicken coop my cousin built, and it gives them a place to roost, nest, and stay protected from predators.
I’m very jealous because neither my cousin nor my husband has built me a chicken coop yet. What is up with that?!!
Well, perhaps some day, at least — I’m newly inspired again. Anyone want a husky? (Just kidding — It’s sort of an ongoing joke that we need to find our very high-maintenance monster dog a new home, and the subject comes up again whenever we talk about dogs and chickens).
Mostly, though, the hens seem to delight in pecking, scratching, and taking dust baths all day long — and figuring out what other exciting places they can lay eggs in around the farm, giving my aunt and uncle a sort of Easter Egg hunt all year long.
That’s my Aunt Marilyn there — absolutely one of my most favorite people in the world. Kind, sweet, thoughtful, and inspiring — she’s just amazing. And she’s about the only person I know who can rival us in numbers of pets — she’s cheating, though, because she has livestock. But I have FISH.
The boys enjoyed feeding the donkeys and goats. Marty is the donkey that looks like it tried to eat out of a white paint bucket, and Judy is the mostly gray one.
The goats, Fudgy and Elmer, are the cutest, fattest goats I’ve ever seen. The brown one, Fudgy, looks at you with these big puppy-dog eyes, and your heart just melts.
We were so caught up in all the animals that I completely forgot to ask my aunt and uncle how their garden is doing. We’ll have to go visit again in the season of greenness, just a couple of months away.
I so want chickens! We’ll be getting them some time in the near future- a few things need to be rearranged first! Hope you’re having a good New Year so far.
Happy gardening,
Tessa
The first chicken is a real beauty. I have not seen one this color before.
The goats and donkey are really cute. My heart has already melted.
Love your blog! It took me a while, but my husband finally give in and built me a coop..I hope your secret involves chickens 🙂
Thought for a minute that you added chickens to your garden. Looks like you all had a fun day. My son is getting ready to work on his science fair project as well…bridges. Happy New Year, Meredith!
Adourable pets….. lucky to have space for them..
Hey Meredith .. that was fun seeing all of Marilyn’s petting zoo participants. I remember feeding all of them for a couple of weeks while she was in S. Africa. Great photography! You’d have a blast with your camera here in Guatemala. All sorts of critters here.
Roy! How’s life in Guatemala? You bet that I’d love to be there taking pictures — maybe someday! So glad to hear from you, and glad you got a chuckle out of seeing Marilyn’s farm and all her animals. Take care!