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?!?