Sunday, March 28, 2010
Look Who's Hungry?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Signs of Spring
I am not inclined to rant; there's simply no percentage in it and nothing to gain beyond venting. But here goes the big vent, one that has been escalating for years. What is it about
All of which leads me to speculate about what's wrong with America. True we have trillions of dollars of national debt, likely beyond repayment. Taxes escalate; gas prices rise; national health care looms in our near future at the expense of robbing Medicare. Eisenhower balanced the budget by depleting Social Security, setting a trend for presidents to follow. Yet what roils me most is the common man's disregard for property rights of others. Why is it that city folk long for the country and then, when finding it. litter it with abandon. Amen. End of rant.
Labels:
Economic,
Government debt,
Health care,
Medicare,
Politics,
Social Security
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Abiding Winter In This Mountain
Abiding winter in this mountain has been difficult, especially these past two weeks. You could see it in the faces of the girls, the longing for snow-free pastures, the restlessness of self-imposed confinement, the shifting of herd alliances. In my small foursome, two of my llamas were born cria mates, so when I made my first purchase, I kept them together. Why separate best friends (Rev and Tess, l. to r.) . At that time, they traveled with a loaner llama, an older aunt who would teach them etiquette since they were young learning llamas. When I added a fourth, I selected a reserved sophisticated lady whom I love, like the three, to over-the-moon heights. But winter on this mountain has made some changes, or perhaps it was pregnancy, or both.
Two of my girls, Rev and Miss Ciera (to the left), are pregnant. Tess, the cria mate to Rev, did not take on two separate attempts. Et Cetera is the baby of the group, a yearling. Miss Ciara, the reigning queen of the paddock, is a guard llama, not exactly anti-social, but always wary, of everyone and everything. She never relaxes. Rev is her buddy, because both are quiet in their pregnancies. That made Tess and Et Cetera best friends, not to the exclusion of Rev, but in forays in the chute to the beckoning snow-laden pastures and mindless antics, these two cause sharp intakes of breath.
Today, after several consecutive fifty-degree days, the girls headed to the mountain. There they remain, on the highest plateau, munching all day, and I suspect, bedding down for their first winter night outdoors. They belabored the decision; you could almost see them thinking...to go or not to go.... Much could be learned from llamas; they never, unless frightened, precipitously rush lemming-like into the future. Rather, they seem deliberately rooted in the eternal now, living in the moment, with only a pea-sized eye toward the future. They ask little and give much joy in their own happiness. Feed them, love them, care for them, spend time with them. Aha, but life is very good indeed--winter reflections and vernal equinox longing.
And just in case you did not notice in my conflated title, I am again reading Jan Karon's In This Mountain, moving closer to Shepherds Abiding. Thank you, Jan, for the presence of Mitford in our lives.
The Farm
Jan Karon
In This Mountain
Shepherds Abiding
LlamasWinter
And just in case you did not notice in my conflated title, I am again reading Jan Karon's In This Mountain, moving closer to Shepherds Abiding. Thank you, Jan, for the presence of Mitford in our lives.
The Farm
Jan Karon
In This Mountain
Shepherds Abiding
LlamasWinter
Labels:
In This Mountain,
Jan Karon,
Llama,
Pregnancy
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