Soggy May, Copious Growth

This year's May brought three times the average rainfall.

The seasonal stream on the east property line became a river

and turned the back pond

into a lake.

Wurst Day in Mahtowa -- a highlight of spring locally -- was wet, cold and windy.

 Even the Wurst Band seemed a bit under the weather.

But the abundant rain (coming after a mild winter and early warm-up)

produced spectacular apple blossoms

and prompted hopes for a healthy apple crop this fall.

Even the Sweet Sixteen blossomed for the first time since it was planted in 2006.

Ferns are shooting up in the back woods

making for difficult strolls.

Soon the neighbor's meadow car will be greened over.

Maybe it's the rain (or all the hay, grain and mother's milk they consume), but this spring's babies have been growing apace, too.  Ping

Big Mac

and Arabica are all teenagers now and will probably soon be headed off to college.

They still like to hang out with their mama.

Lassi's girls, Raita

and Cheeky, sport green ears from the tattooing required for their registration.

Alba's kids (the Mexicans: Cajeta, Burrito and Taco) take command of the truck topper

while Juju's kids, Momo and ChouChou, are looking for trouble, as usual.

The entire herd loves to get out into the large meadow

eat grass

and especially to nibble on trees.

Juju offers to show Cheeky how it should be done

You just tip the tree over, then run over and munch on the needles.

Damn!  It sounded so good in theory.

All right, Mr. De Mille, we're ready for our close-ups.

Mr. T surveys his realm from the lofty heights of the stump pile.

Soon Ping, Big Mac, Taco and Burrito will be joining T and Niblet in the Gentlemen's Club meadow, which should make for some interesting social dynamics.

In non-caprine news, the feral cat continues her war on rodents, with regular visits to the barn for fresh goats' milk.

The geese on the front pond had six goslings

but then they all vanished two days after making their first appearance in the open.

An apparently demonic fox explored the compost piles

and an oriole spent a couple of days tapping at the study window -- either fighting with his own reflection or trying to get in out of the rain.

Taco looks forward to a drier June.