> jumping into life.

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3.06.2008 

The calves are the size of collie dogs. They stumble up from their knobby knees to greet me when I hop the split-rail and hay-bale fence. Their tongues are lapping and their throats working before we even have the bottles ready, their sideways eyes rolling in excitement. After they've drained the bottles dry - and after we've finished tossing hay to the yearlings, feeding and watering the chickens, fighting off the rooster, mucking, and breaking up ice with a sledge - I climb back into their pen. With a coarse brush I sweep down their spines, across their ribs, along their cheeks and necks. I run my hand down each leg, squeezing gently. I scratch under their chins - the little one likes that the best - behind their ears, on their soft foreheads. While I'm working on the little one, his brother tongues my sweatshirt, head-butts my hip, chews gently on my elbow. When I do him, the little one curls up under the heat lamp and watches us intently.

Outside, the yearlings are lowing at the spring-feeling rain, chasing each other around piles of hay and softening slush.


[Plus! Check out J's new blog!]

I could read a lot more like this! Keep it coming (please).

yay thanks for the link to j's blog!!!! it really helped explain what you two are doing and how this is leading to your future. BEST OF LUCK!! (again i am jealous!! although i do have beehives on my back porch and it is not all it is cracked up to be LOL).

Yeah, J is much more practically-minded, so he'll tell you exactly what we're doing, whereas all I'll tell you is how I feel about it. :)

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