The Weekly Bleat
This is what I love about Green Hill Farm: It’s 5:30–late afternoon; the sun is streaming across the field, all of the sheep are grazing in the paddock on the hill, and the chickens are venturing out of the aviary to free range. The chickens like this time of day, too. The sun is starting to lay lower in the sky, and the temperature is dropping slightly.
I have a Buff Orpington hen; she’s a golden color, and a little on the small side—maybe a bantam. Anyway, she’s the cutest, little thing. And, I also have a curious sheep, Violet, who loves watching the chickens. Whenever Violet is grazing at the fence, my sweet, Buff Orpington hen runs over and starts scratching near her for bugs. Sometimes, I’ll see Violet just lying in the grass, watching the little Buff scratching away, right in front of her. The chickens are so fun to watch. They really crack me up with all of their chasing bugs and scratching furiously at the dirt. Apparently, the sheep agree! 🙂
Categories: Reflections on Farm Life
fourth generation farmgirl 
And everyone lives happily ever after….and they get along…:) what a very interesting, crazy but rewarding life you must live…:)
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That about sums it up! Thanks, George. 🙂
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You know, your blog is like a real-life Charlotte’s Web story…the way you have picked up on the animals’ personalities and imbued them with human traits at times….you really ought to consider writing stories/books out of all this fodder!
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I love your description of FGF. What a wonderful thing to say! There is quite a bit of “fodder” here for sure. 😉 Actually, my cat, Clementine, was the spark for my book, Clementine: The Communi-CAT. 🙂
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See there? It’s true…you really do learn something new everyday! Had no idea you had a book….and on such an important subject too! Congrats on that. You are one all-around accomplished girl!
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Thanks so much, Torrie. I really appreciate your generous comment. 😊 I participated in an interview with Judy (Edwina’s Episodes) last week (I think). Anyway, there’s a section where she asks about the book–if you’d like to know more about it. 🙂
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Ah, perhaps I wasn’t quite caught up on all my reading…..thanks, Tonya.
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🙂
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I feel like hugging them and carrying them around like a personal blanket – except that I am not strong enough (and neither am I physically there). But as the temperature drops, they look so cozy!! 🙂
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These sheep are so spoiled that they’d probably enjoy being carried around! They’ve gotten very woolly lately. We were supposed to shear them a while ago, but we’ve had a lot of rain. We’re hoping to do it in a week or two. Luckily, it only takes them 24 hours to acclimate to temperature after shearing. 🙂
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They look funny after shearing, don’t they?? 🙂
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Our sheep look like goats after shearing. 🙂
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They are so cute Tonya! Animals do have personalities and you capture them so well!!
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Thank you so much, Ritu. I wholeheartedly agree with you that animals are sentient and have personalities–even farm animals. I love observing their behaviors and catching them doing the unexpected! Thanks for your kind compliment. 🙂
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Lovely photographs! 🙂 I do not know very much about farming. My knowledge is derived from books, photographs, and movies. Sad, I know. HOWEVER, I did have a border collie blue heeler dog for 10 years, and we researched a lot about her breed after rescuing her. She was amazing and would have done so well on a farm with training. 🙂 Happy to read and learn from you.
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Thank you, Rachel Ann. The sheep, chickens, and landscape get all of the credit for the photos; I just point and click. 😉 Thanks for your interest in Green Hill Farm!
Border collies and blue heelers are such smart dogs. We adopted a border collie/ English Pointer mix last October, and he is so intelligent and athletic–really sweet, too. He hasn’t been trained. So, no sheep herding for him, yet. 🙂
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Awww sweet dog! 🙂
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Thanks! 🙂
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https://startwithsparkles.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/the-versatile-blogger-award-rachels-take/
Have a great day! :0)
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Thank you so much, Rachel! 🙂
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Great post. Such a wonderful atmosphere to live and grow up around.
Shine On
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Thank you, JR. I do love it here. Keeping up with everything can be somewhat chaotic (and I can wind myself up, too). I have to stop sometimes, take a deep breath, and remember how fortunate I am to live in such a place. 🙂
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Violet sounds like a very intelligent lady! maybe she’s doing research for a thesis on chickens …
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Haha! I think you’re right, Catterel! Violet is definitely an observant girl. She used to watch our last group of chickens, too (before fox attack last fall).
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Your hen is beautiful! Does she lay colored eggs? I discovered that some chickens lay baby blue eggs. Love your photos!
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Thanks very much, Rob. The Buff (yellow) hen lays light brown eggs, but I have two Araucana hens that lay light green eggs. I had a light blue egg layer before the fox last fall. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
I hope your hens are healthy and well. I remember you were having some trouble with a weasel this summer.
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And……now I want sheep!
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You would love them! 🙂
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Almost seems as if they connect…
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I think you’re right. 🙂
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Tonya love reading your posts… 🙂
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That’s very kind! Thank you. 🙂
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