Ducklings on the Move

At ten days old, the ducklings can't wait to get out and play in the field in the morning.

The mama ducks are never far away, escorting them from place to place and then standing guard when the little ones get tired and need a nap.

Escape Artists!

Apparently, very young ducklings can squeeze through the 2" mesh of the duck nursery! What they don't seem to understand is that on the outside lurk eagles, raccoons, exuberant puppies, fanged and clawed cats, ravens, and who knows what other threats to duckling lives... The duck pen has been reinforced and, so far, the bill count remains at fifteen little peeplets.

Ducklings Aren't the Only Cute Creatures Around Here

I know I've been flooding the blog recently with photos of the ducklings, but in fact there is lots of competition around here for cute animal moments. Here's Iago at work charming our pony, Ringo. Ringo is the one who adopted the wild rabbit in his paddock and taught it the pleasures of massage by horse lips. Iago has trained Ringo to perform this service on command. She shows up whenever we tie the horses to the trailer to get them ready to go riding. When she is in position at Ringo's muzzle he goes into a trance state, his eyes soft, and lips ever-so-gently rubbing Iago all over. Iago, meanwhile, dissolves into some kind of cat ecstasy. She purrs and kneads and contorts herself so Ringo can massage her head, shoulder, back, and tummy... One wonders what went wrong with this predator-prey relationship! I guess Iago doesn't look too much like a sabre tooth tiger and Ringo must be a size or two too big for her to consider him as a menu item.

Bathtime!

Fear not - the duckling photos will stop soon... but oh my, they are keeping me entertained! We seem to have fifteen in all...

Cutest Puppy in the World!

Is it possible to overdose on cuteness? Because it's getting pretty close to overload on the OMG, how adorable front around here! Between Pippi, the ultra-lovely-best-puppy-in-the-world, and the ducklings... I am in perpetual danger of hyperventilating due to the regular sharp intakes of breath and way too much sighing!

Awwww!

Let's just all say it together, shall we? Awwww....

Duckling Alert!

Is this not the cutest little face ever? This was the first duckling spotted yesterday... There are at least four nestled under the three nesting mothers (who are sharing nest space in a very civilized manner...) There are still quite a few eggs under there, too - and the moms are not leaving the nests for anything, so more siblings may yet emerge over the next day or two...

Stay tuned!

Such a Handsome Boy!

King - one of the Kashmir goat twins... It's always so strange to see him in the spring with his two-toned look. The undercoat (so soft!) is light grey and after it sheds out he returns to his usual jet black self (and looks about 20 lbs lighter!)

Up a Tree!

The lateral arc of the summer sun has taken it far enough to the north that a whole strip of beds along the north side of the vegetable garden are now in full shade for most of the morning. The problem is the row of large trees along the north property line - their large branches stick out (pointing south) far enough to get in the way of that precious morning sun.

What do do? Why, scramble up into the trees and start sawing, of course!

I've always loved climbing trees...



...though you'd never know it from the next photo!

Things Seen at the Poker Ride

A couple of weeks ago we took Diego and Bonny to the Merle Rimmer Poker Ride at the Elk/Beaver Lake Park. The day was glorious, the turnout excellent, and the horses (mostly) well-behaved. After the ride we all had some lunch, which is where we saw our neighbour sharing her potato chips with her mustang-turned-dream-horse.

From the Dark Creek Archives.

Sometimes I forget just how much fun we have around here... I can't believe Dad is looking so relaxed - does he not realize what kind of lunatic is waving a sledge hammer up there?

Puppy Alert!

What is it about puppies? So, so, so [trying to avoid words like 'adorable' or 'cute' or 'irresistible'] adoristable? Meet Pippi [as in Longstocking] - a woodle (or pippet) depending on how you look at it... A whippet/standard poodle cross... So far she has been nuzzled by Ringo (who, though gentle, out-weighs Pippi by about eight hundred pounds), chewed on Iago's ear (the cat was less than impressed with this offer of friendship), and engaged in a standoff with Joe Louis, heavy-weight duck.

She survived all her adventures in good spirits, helped me get a load of hay, puked in the truck, then had a good nap.

Poppy the Goat

I'm writing this post from Winlaw, BC (in the Kootenays... dig out your maps!) where I'm staying for a couple of days after having spent a week working with students in New Denver and before heading back to the coast. I was fiddling around, downloading photos of the Slocan Valley, several fabulous local gardens, etc., when I discovered this photo on my laptop hard drive. This is Poppy, the visiting Saanen cross, responsible for goat milk, goat cheese, and goat zen. So generous is she, in fact, we have become milk-goat converts - stay tuned to hear about the newest resident at Dark Creek Farm!