Bodie!

Bodie! Because some people just need to spell their name with an exclamation mark. 

• Beloved and loving family companion, running buddy, and alarm clock. 

• Omnipresent co-pilot. Any conveyance will do. 

• Chief commanding officer and law enforcer of cattle, especially recalcitrant bulls. Horses are off limits. Especially if Robin is looking. 

• Nemesis of rabbits, deer, voles, foxes, and "trespassing" visitors. 

• Guardian of cats, goats, and sofas. Seriously. Just ask Grammie or the others who dared to sit on his couch. 

• Thespian and racketeer. He's bamboozled countless saps into feeding him more treats, bones, hotdogs, and cheeseburgers than ten good cowdogs deserve. 

 

"In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different." ~Coco Chanel

Miss Sky's Beauty Shop

Every morning after breakfast, Miss Sky's Beauty Shop opens for business beneath the cottonwood. 

Miss Sky's customers, the yearling heifers, wait their turn for a wash and style. 

She's known for her careful attention to detail and retro-inspired styles. 

Miss Sky likes 1950's updos, 1960's flips, and 1970's wings, but has been known to mix it up with spikes. 

"Style comes in all shapes and sizes. Therefore, the bigger you are, the more style you have." ~Miss Piggy

Carpe Diem. Later.

Ikey is the only one on this entire outfit (domestic population: 47, counting cows, horses, goats, cats, people, and dog) who isn't an early bird. Most mornings, Ikey's the 47th person to rise and shine. 

"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning...." ~Lamentations 3:22-23 HCSB

Pretty as a Picture

This pretty mare (from one of the McCullough Peaks wild horse herds) made it from Hubby's phone camera, to my Hayseed Files Facebook blog, to my sister's easel--in 18 days. I wonder where she'll be next week. 

"The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to find the place where all the beauty comes from." ~C.S. Lewis 

Diner Finery

This farm is no ritzy establishment. We only rate 1 star (missing a point, even). Even so, the breakfast patrons showed up sporting their finest glitz yesterday. 

"People who love to eat are always the best people." ~Julia Child

The Cupcake Co.

We have several mama-daughter-sister sets in our little herd, but none so closely resemble each other as Cupcake and her heifers. 

In addition to physical features, Cupcake has also passed along her particular mix of sensibility and high-spirits. 

"Chocolate is an antidepressant, which is especially useful as you start to gain weight." ~Jason Love 

Now and Then

Now. 

Then. 

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness." ~Bishop Desmond Tutu

Sunniness

The sun finally mustered up some warmth today, so Sugar's best little friend was able to come for a visit. I'm not sure who was happier to see whom. 

"When you can be the sunshine in someone's life, or the warm spring rain, why would you be the cold north wind?" ~Robert Brault 

Retail Therapy

Winter gives Blueberry the blues. The colder it is, the more dispirited she gets. 

Extra attention and treats did little to cheer Blueberry. A vacation in Cancun was out of the question. I shopped for a sweater to warm her a bit but didn't know if she'd even tolerate it. 

The sweater is a hit. Blueberry's appetite and spunk have returned, and she prances around, showing off her new outfit to anyone who will take notice. 

"Restore the sparkle to my eyes...." ~Psalm 13:3 TLB 

Prosperity Cookies

I didn't get enough of my mom's mouthwatering sand tarts at Christmas, so I baked some yesterday. 

"These are good but really rich," Hubby said. 

SAND TARTS 

    •1 cup butter, softened 

    •6 tbsp powdered sugar (my grandmother wrote "more" here, so I used heaping tablespoons)

    •1 cup pecans, chopped 

    •2 cups flour 

    •1 tsp vanilla extract

    •1 tsp almond extract 

     •Pinch of salt (if butter is unsalted)

Roll into balls. Bake at 350*. While still slightly warm, roll in powdered sugar. 

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"Cookies are made of butter and love." ~Norwegian proverb 

Little Big Cats

It's cold around here (on the underside of 0 many nights), but Smokey, aka the Terrible Tiger, still ventures out into his jungle on sunny afternoons. 

In contrast, Mercy has given up the panther business for the season. Hubby called her a houseplant. Have you ever heard of a Siberian panther? she snapped. 

I'm not surprised, Smokey said. Everyone knows that tigers are tougher than panthers.

"Winter tames man, woman, and beast." ~William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

Earrings and Tattoos

Because cattle can catch brucellosis from the infected bison and elk in the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, every Wyoming heifer under the age of 12 months has to be vaccinated. Each gets a tattoo and a numbered ear tag that tells when and where they were immunized. 

Which is why the heifers went to town today. 

It was their first ride in a trailer and first encounter with a veterinarian. 

Once the heifers came home, I thought they'd relish their freedom and familiar surroundings. 

Instead, they followed the trailer all the way out of the pasture. 

I guess there were no hard feelings. 

"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be." ~Maya Angelou 

It's a Wonderful World

A band of mustangs, about 20 in all, came right up to our vehicle yesterday! They didn't even mind when I got out to take photos with my phone. My cheeks hurt from grinning so much. 

"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." ~John 1:16 NASB

The Tale of Buster the Burglar

I'm delighted to share this story from our friends, Dan and Linda Close. 

How Smart Are Goats? (The Tale of Buster the Burglar)

A couple of years ago, in the middle of a sub-zero winter, Dan came home from work to be greeted by goats peeking out of an open house door. Our doors are fitted with handles instead of knobs, and Buster the goat had figured out how to work the handle. They had spent the entire day playing in our house – a major clean-up effort followed! 

Since then we've tried the following strategies:

1.       Electrifying the handle with a fence energizer. RESULT: The brass handle doesn’t adequately carry a charge, plus no good way to ground the goat trying to open the handle.

2.       Replace the handle with a knob. RESULT: The manufacturer does not make a knob for the door.

3.       Reposition the outside handle to a less-convenient position. RESULT: Buster figured it out.

4.       Build a box around the handle. RESULT: Could not design something that would either attach or work.

5.       Cut down and reposition the handle. RESULT: This fix worked the longest; however, Buster finally figured it out.

6.       Spray the handle with a chemical deterrent. RESULT: This stuff is made to keep horses from “cribbing”; however, Buster just wrinkled-up and ignored the stuff.

7.       Construct a spiked mace-like snap-on extension to discourage the goat. RESULT: Buster figured out how to pull down the handle by grabbing one of the screw ends with his teeth and lips. Also, Gus (one of our other goats) would use the spikes to scratch an itch on the top of his head.

8.       Retrofit the door hardware to accept an antique knob. RESULT: The exterior frame does not provide necessary clearance for a knob.

9.       Cut the handle down to a size almost resembling a knob. RESULT: This is our latest attempt. The verdict is still out on this one. Running out of options here.

A prudent person would either keep the goats locked up, or just get rid of the miscreants, as goats:

• can control weeds, but only if you have lots of them

• will eat your trees, shrubs, and flowers

• require lots of fencing to protect your trees, shrubs, and flowers 

• will sneak off to eat your neighbor's trees, shrubs, and flowers 

• will poop all over your deck

• will chew the paint off your license plates 

• will peek into your windows 

• will climb up onto your horse 

• will get in the middle of any outdoor project you have going on.

So why do we have goats and why do we let them roam?

Because they're so darn cute...

...and they're great companions!