7/30/16

Summertime

 Summertime, and the livin' is
Dawn mists hover over the intensely green meadows
and then the salad bar is open for the day.
The goats stay busy mowing the lawn
and trimming trees.
Barb cut a swath through the south meadow to make travel easier.
Other critters are thriving on the lush greenery, too,
including a Mosaic plague's worth of Franklin's ground squirrels
The livin' is also
We've "enjoyed" some unusually toasty days up north.
To beat the heat the gentleboys retreat to the shade
or, even better, to the Gentlemen's Club.
It's way too oppressive for winter coats
especially Amigo's woolly mammoth outfit
so Barb lures the gentlemen in with Nilla Wafers
and then treats them to a buzz cut
leaving behind lots of nesting material for the birds.
The girls get their summer heinies, too.
The livin' is 
Especially on hot, humid days
the goats don't exert much unnecessary energy.
Dustin surveys his domain
and then gets down to a long nap in his favorite window bed.
And sometimes the livin' is
A succession of thunderstorms blew through our area;
violent winds on the night of July 21 caused extensive damage
especially in Duluth, where people were without power for days.
Our former neighborhood was hit hard.
Flooding ripped away a section of the Munger Trail north of Moose Lake
but we lost only a few trees -- including the ancient cherry that had blossomed so colorfully in the spring.
Most of all, the summertime livin' is
(at least for us rural yokels, who remain iglooed-in all winter).
friend Diane's family visited the goats
and were gawked at in return.
Spring Fever Days in Barnum included a marching band
visiting royalty
the Wurst Bus from TJ's Country Corner
and friend Bill of Berube Auto behind some hot wheels.
No local celebration would be complete without a treat from Grandma Laura's Cookies.
Graduations and migrations continued; Keeper and her boys Guardian and Steward
set sail for their new homes.
The three remaining doelings hopped aboard the Goatmobile
for a trip to the Mora Goat Show
where Channa did well and her barnmates Kuiper and Ahnyx did -- not so well.
Linear Appraisal took place at the end of July, with friend Brian generously volunteering to handle fellow big guy Mojo.
Some expert ghost whispering gets Mojo ready for his moment in the spotlight.
He shared with Eclipse a respectable high herd score of 88.

Next up for Big Events in the boondocks: the Free Range Film Festival.
Why go to a conventional multiplex when you can enjoy cutting edge films in a barn?!?