I always adored James Herriot’s stories when I was younger.
I was given one of his books and treasured it. Animals were something I loved easily – in fact, I have many tales from my childhood that involved an animal … sneaking in little toads to play in my dollhouse and then discovering they all hopped away during dinner time … my young mind kept wondering where they went and who would discover them first … or the time I let a stray cat into my room and lied about it, therefore paying the consequences (it was easy for my parents to find out I lied – as there were muddy cat footprints everywhere) … or sitting silently in the field behind my house, writing poetry in the calm around me, only to look up and see a beautiful gentle deer standing just a few feet away …
Yes, I suppose that is why we have so many animals all around us. We are not only raising some for meat and for life – but also for love.
I looked outside to the small barnyard today to see Lacey surrounded by her goat, Marigold, her mini horse, Spirit and her turkey, who yes, was spared from slaughter (although he is now as tall as the horse and the goat!). It was a funny sight to behold. This giant, gangly turkey amongst the pretty ladies of the farm …
But yes, I do believe Lacey may be taking after her mother’s love for animals.
Yesterday was a special day. It was the day a local veterinarian came to our home to do an ultrasound to see if Spirit, the family mini horse, might be pregnant. She was bred in the summer to a lovely, fiery stallion and since then, we have only hoped and guessed if she was pregnant or not.
It was quite an adventure to have the ultrasound as it was internal. Poor Spirit! But with help from Lacey and myself, pushing her against a sturdy wall, the vet was able to show us a scan …
Indeed, Spirit is pregnant! {Yippeeee!!}
What a fun summer the girls will have next year!
by Gigi
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