For all the serious browsing that goes on at MeadowWild
one might imagine it's an emerald isle
where the denizens perpetually munch their way
through high clover over their heads.
But not this year.
Historically, June is our wettest month, averaging 4.37" of rain.
This year we’ve gotten only 0.94" (according to The Weather Channel; our Acurite Weather Station has recorded a meager 0.64"). We're experiencing the driest June ever.
Forecasters regularly hype approaching storms – that never arrive. The rains go north and south of us.
The sandy soil so attractive to egg-laying visitors dries out quickly
and the pastures grow browner and sparser every day.
We may have to exchange the goat herd for some camels.
On a more cheerful note, congratulations to the graduating Class of 2020!
It seems like only yesterday Cheeky’s kids Skyr and Viili were pooping up our bathtub
and keeping Barb busy with bottle feedings.
They grew into rowdy teenagers and now handsome young bucks ready to make their way in the world.
On May 21 they took the Goatmobile to Phillips, WI
where they caught connecting flights to their wonderful new homes:
Skyr at a farm in lower Michigan
and Viili at Summer Solstice Farm (Deputy, IN).
Kuiper's kids
Arrokoth
and Ceres also developed into fine buckly specimens.
On June 5th Arrokoth boarded the Goatmobile
for the trip to his new home in Cokato, MN.
Ceres was slated for Harvard, IL, but that trip has been postponed until July -- giving him more time to pester his mom.
Back at MeadowWild, super handyman friend Ben (who did heroic emergency work last winter when snow threatened to collapse the barn overhang)
generously took care of several improvement projects
including a roof extension
that eliminates our perennial problem with ice and water backing up into the barn.
Momma continues to share her Meow Mix (reluctantly)
with Yellow
an army of ground squirrels
parties of blue jays
and Pepé Le Pew.
Even on hot days Dustin adheres to his schedule of snoozing in the study window behind the curtains until he’s well baked
or bored
and then hopping up on the computer stand to obscure the monitor.
He has toys designed to keep him active during his senior years
but he soon collapses next to them from exhaustion.
Of all the disappointments emerging from the current Plague, one of the worst has to be cancellation of the State Fair.
Barb will miss getting together with friends
and catching up with MeadowWild alumnae.
Steve will miss insulating himself for winter
with way too much fair food and drink.
Even more disturbing news out of St. Paul:
someone has been lacing soap bars with meth.
Uh, oh -- has Barb been
She insists that all her soaps are guaranteed to be completely meth-free.
