sun sends goodnight wish
illuminating hearts of
plethora at rest
goodnight wish by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: goodnight wish
Tag Archives: pasture life
Haiku Moment: blow for wishes
bumper crop awaits
choose, imagine, inhale, wish
pucker up and blow
blow for wishes by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: bun-bun
wild baby bunny
nibbles grass, carrots tempting-
now pet baby bun
mama fixes cage
nana bunny-sits, cuddles;
new home for bun-bun
wild baby by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: poofs
leading trail of poofs
struggle to escape mealtime
final resting place
poofs by Angie Quantrell
life (and death) in the pasture, Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: face forward
flames claim the night sky
face forward, time to wake up
gold fades to day blue
face forward by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Thwarting the Invaders (Garden Tails)
Just look at all of that corn, beans, and radishes!
Oh. Wait. You can’t see anything but a few stems and missing row of radishes. That’s because we have invaders. Of the rabbit-y sort. The ones who LOVE almost everything in my garden: corn, radishes, green beans, parsley, kale (they really adore kale), and another leafy green similar to chard. All gone.
Plus. Holes. They love excavating as well. I think they can smell the new corn kernel seeds I planted, because several holes line up exactly where I replanted (and replanted).
Ignore the weeds. I gave up in frustration.
We have bunnies (formerly known as pets). People have dumped them. So now between the neighbors and us, we have a colony. A fluffle. We are happy that most of them live beneath the neighbor’s outbuildings (while 4 live at Taylor and Jamie’s as actual pets). But the green pasture is alluring. And the used-to-be growing garden a delight.
Two black bunnies edge nearer to the the pot of gold at the end of the garden rainbow. Grrrrr.
So today. Take that. And that. And THAT!
We installed a bunny barrier. It’s not tall, but we only need to deter Peter Rabbit, Cottontail, Flopsy, Mopsy, Benjamin, and their buds from free ranging the garden beds. We hope.
The question is, besides onions, garlic, basil, several chocolate cherry sunflowers, a few green beans, and a marigold or two, what is there time to replant (time number 4 for some items) that will mature before the frost?
Sigh. It was looking so good! Grumble grumble. Back to the drawing board.
Haiku Moment: distraction
mom feathers afluff
dad’s piercing cry, distracting
leads astray, away
distraction by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, a pasture somewhere in the Yakima Valley
This scene took place yesterday after 2 killdeer parents escorted their 3 remaining offspring (they usually lay 4 eggs at a time) right to the RV. I heard loud piercing cries, looked out the side window and there they were, tiny stick-legged babies. Perfectly placed for capture by our magnificent hunter cat, Monet. EEK. Good thing for them, Monet was inside napping. Also, good thing for them, I went racing out to try and shoo them away.
Which was not as easy as one would expect! What with the babies racing in opposite directions (from me and each other) and the parents doing the same, attempting to distract me from the babies. 30 minutes. It took that long to figure out how to get them all close to the horse pasture next to us and hopefully far enough from monster cat to survive.
But along the way, such cuteness and fierce protection from the parents! One parent actually took a dive at me, though my best intentions were to save them. The giant person was threatening.
#lifeinthepasture
It’s a bit blurry (they move fast), but can you spot 3 babies?
Will You Be My Girlfriend?
I said yes.
On this date, April 23, 1979, at my dad’s birthday party, this guy popped the girlfriend question. And the rest, they say, is his (and her) story. Our story. What an adventure it’s been! 43 years ago.
The attempted photo recreation…
The journey continues, my honey and me, best friends.
Sunday Inspiration
Yakima Valley
Book Review: The Chickens Are Coming! by Barbara Samuels
The Chickens Are Coming!
Written and illustrated by Barbara Samuels
Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, 2019
I was sitting in my she shed the other day and heard a nearby rooster crowing. Very nearby. Just a note: we do not have chickens OR roosters.
Though our neighbors do. So we often have feathered guests running around the pasture. But I’ve never heard the crowing this close.
I carefully tip-toed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, there was a handsome fellow and his girls right outside the door! They happily pecked and picked, enjoying free range exploration and snacking.
They make me laugh, those chickens. Seeing them made me remember a picture book I had just read to my grandson, The Chickens Are Coming!.
This is such a fun picture book. A brother and sister who live in a large city see a sign about chickens needing a new home. Pretty soon they are the owners of a delightful group of hens, each with a name and personality. The story continues as the siblings hope for eggs, but no eggs are found.
Why I Like This Book:
~ the chickens have personalities
~ the story line is fun: discover chickens need a home, adopt the chickens, learn about chickens, try to help the chickens get ready to lay eggs, try to find eggs, try to find chickens
~ plenty of detailed and engaging illustrations – my first grader was captivated by all of the things he could see on the pages
~ chickens in the city!
~ chicken dance
~ free range eggs (a personal favorite of mine)
Feeling like a good chicken story or adopting a hen or three? The Chickens Are Coming! will give you plenty of good reading and/or help you learn what you need to do when your chickens arrive.
Love, Laughter, and Life 