Friday, January 07, 2011

We're not the smartest ones on the ranch

Boots are lifesavers, especially if they're barn boots. It's wonderful being able to walk everywhere and do almost anything around the barn and not worry about something getting inside my shoe.

I'm a city girl and it is taking me a looooong time to turn in my shoes. Walking around the house barefoot, wiggling my toes is at will is all I've ever known. Guess that's why the corporate world and I collided. Yes, it was the shoe requirement, as well as other things that bind.

I digress... .

When we moved to the country we began with chickens in the front yard, excuse me, front pasture. Did you know that chickens fly out of their pen? Hadn't counted on that. The banties and the guineas cheat by flying out of their personally decorated chicken abodes. Thank goodness the Orphingtons stay in. Ha, they're too heavy to fly too high. Although we did have a hen who escaped by flying from one rock to a post to a horizontal post then down to a bird bath, then to the ground. Cleaver lady, that one. As she got older, she learned to crawl under a gate. Zeeze, it's hard keeping up with all these critters. They are so much smarter.

Yup, the little chicken dudes go straight for the front porch in the summer. Guess it's because they enjoy the warmth of the concrete porch. or maybe it's the soft mulch, or maybe because more bugs live near the front door than in the chicken coop area. But these little winged angels leave behind gifts of all colors and fragrances. Stepping in chicken poop is worse than stepping on chewing gum. Neither are preferrable but the chicken poop is poop. Then again, gum came from someone's mouth ... never mind. I'll take the poop.

At least it's usefulness can be expanded to the compost. Which, by the way, I have a new respect for. We compost almost everything out here. Mostly coffee grinds, and tea bags, though. The chickens are our little composters. They get our left-too-long-left-overs, egg shells, and too old bread. They'll also eat the broccoli whereas not everyone in the family will. Sometime I wish we did feed the dogs table food. I hate seeing broccoli being wasted. That's why it nice having chickens.

Even though the goats are picky eaters, most of the time they'll eat anything from the table. IF I would feed it to them. Not MY goats. They have to have clean, fresh food. However, I have learned that the more you paid for a plant/landscaping, the faster the goats will eat that plant. Then they'll eat the grass. They are so much smarter.

Walking around outside barefooted was never an option. I'm too tender footed; but, inside is my palace. I should be able to walk on anything I want. Right? I thought so. That is until the first day I absentmindedly  entered the house in my barn worn shoes. Have you ever yelled at yourself? It isn't pleasant.

From that day forth, we have outside boots and inside shoes. Yup, boots are lifesavers.. Washable boots are pretty good on saving carpets, too. Some types of compost absolutely must stay outside.

Does this help you understand a bit more about why I love handmade goat milk soap. Soap is my farmland miracle in so many ways. More later ...

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