Out to Pasture: Those lazy-hazy-crazy-goaty days of summer

It’s back – the death adder, that is (or maybe its lookalike, the redbellied snake), which snuck into the basement recently either to use the elliptical machine or to escape the August heat.

Is that another snake slithering behind the curtain of the study window?

Nope – it’s Dustin, who loves to bask in the heat of his sunny nook (viewed here from the back yard). When he has baked to a medium-rare 130°F

he moves to the front window, surveying his kingdom

naps on top of the cat tower

catches up on some reading

then returns to the study window for another snooze.

He's either using the camera for a pillow

or trying to take a selfie in his sleep.

A recent Guardian article raises the question of whether pets genuinely love their “owners” or just stick around for the food and pampering.

“One small-scale study suggests that cats do receive an oxytocin boost upon being petted by their owners, so there may be love there, but it reflects one-fifth of the amount seen in dogs. If anything sums up cats, it’s this.”

When we put the question to him, Dustin replied, “Where are my Temptations Catnip Fever treats?”

August was full of those lazy-hazy-crazy days Nat King Cole sang about. Most of the month was considerably warmer than usual.

The other MeadowWild feline, Momma Kitty, shelters from the hot sun underneath the Goatmobile.

Momma deer and their teenagers check out the compost pile every day for goodies.

Spider webs proliferate.

Barb's flowers are gorgeous.

Hazy days, indeed

made for walks around the neighborhood

Munger Trail bike rides over the new bridge

to the Carlton town trail

with its roadside lilies

and for the annual bike pilgrimage to the "Big Dog's" marker in Willow River

and for a hike in Jay Cooke State Park

with Barb's cousin Steve and Kris.

August saw the last of the big changes in the goat barn as Bhindi and her two girls

Haldi and Jeera

enjoyed their last outing with the herd

and then boarded the Goatmobile for the ride to their new home in New Auburn, WI

where they were met by a large welcoming party

and settled in to hobnob with the other MeadowWild alumnae.

In an adjacent pen Kuiper and Chill's buck Ice was looking sassy and content.

The home herd now consists of grande dames Cheeky

and Kuiper (whose Ancestry.com testing revealed some anteater DNA in her family tree).

That’s the smallest barn census since Barb first started goating in 2007 with the arrival of Dreamy and Cookie, who at first refused to come out of their carrier

but who soon felt right at home, took over the farm, and paved the way for many more goats since then.

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So far Barb hasn't needed to locate a 12-step program for caprine addiction

but Amazon's rent-a-goat program might prove irresistible

and they had better check her bag when she leaves the goat show at the State Fair.

As usual, Barb will remain in the goat barn visiting with friends, watching the show

and cheering on Team McCann

which includes MeadowWild alumna Planet Nine

and the Hunt Farm, which includes MeadowWild alumna Tzilla

while Steve eats himself silly and tries to determine what pairs best with the Halo Cone

[which Rick Nelson describes as "Hilarious, the Hello Kitty of State Fair foods. Cotton candy-flavored soft serve (w/a decided bubble gum taste) on cotton candy. It will singlehandedly create lifetime employment for Minnesota dentists."]