Have any of you spent time on a farm lately? Or a sort of a farm?

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

WARNING: THIS MIGHT POSSIBLY BE THE MOST BORING THING YOU HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME!

I have (thus the chigger bites). My daugter takes horseback riding lessons twice a week at this "sort of" farm. Really it's a lot of pastures with a barn and stables. There are horses, goats, a donkey, potbellied pigs, a family of dogs, two cats, ducks, and a rooster.

So I'm watching the animals and this is what they do:

Potbellied pigs apparently think they are dogs and try to play with the dog family (momma, daddy and pup). Dogs seem to know pigs aren't dogs and growl and snap and chase them off. Stupid pigs come back, tails wagging, trying to play again. Adult dog nips at pig, who goes screaming and running. After some thought, his two friends decide to leave the dogs alone, too.

Pigs go try to play with goat. Goat is WAY more tolerant. One pig decides to use his head and go under the goat's belly and push UP. This results in the goat's back legs coming off the ground, as she's walking along. Doesn't seem to mind. This goes on and on. Then pig decides to try to nurse on goat. Goat butts pig. Pig looks shocked. Pig RAMS goat with his head. Goat walks away from pig, totally unbothered.

The two cats and the goat love me. One cat will just flat out lick my face, like a dog. The goat likes to nap up on a picnic table and the cat comes up there to see if I will scratch him. Goat apparently hates cat and head butts it off the table repeatedly. Cat is unbothered.

How the goat came to like me I have no idea. It won't let anyone walk up to it. But I came up behind it one day and started petting its huge belly and now it follows me and gently butts me until I pet it again.

The horses don't like the pigs in their field and chase them off. I've decided the pigs are at the bottom of the totem pole.

The rooster crows every hour.

All these animals are totally unpenned. They just wander.

The dogs randomly decide to do it. The pig tried to get in on the action, form a threesome, I guess, and he got nipped pretty badly that time.

Was that totally boring or what? I love watching animals.

[rfranklin]

1. Maggie's farm...

and I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

3. You read that that fast???

[Beaverhausen]

2. sounds like heaven to me

all those animals sound great!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

5. Except for the 47 chigger bites I get every time I am there

and the dreadful horrible heat. And the fact that this farm is very close to DFW airport and so every five minutes you can't hear yourself.

Oh and it's on a major trucking road, so semis go barrelling down the road all the time.

It's weird. But I do love the aminals!

[Beaverhausen]

6. oh well NOW you mention that other stuff!

Ok...a nice farm out on the prairie would be nicer I guess.

[EstimatedProphet]

4. Let's go, let's go, lets goletsgo

Take me down to Junior's farm!

[kodi]

7. nice stuff beamie: having 6 dogs, i'm a cultural anthropologist of canines

i can sit for hours outside watching and learning about social societies simply from seeing the interactions of my dogs. each one has a special greeting for each and every other dog in the pack, and some rules of doggie social etiquette apply only in certain places in the yard or the house.

you are right about farms. they have their own rhythm and its not man-made....i live out in the country with horse pastures on two sides of my property, another is woods and the front is a windy driveway 1/2 mile off a dirty road....this weekend i feed the neighbor's 5 horses, 6 cats, 3 rabbits, dog, and 2 guinea pigs, and when i'm away, they feed my doggies.

green acres is the place to be,
where you can go outside and pee,
no neighbors if you sunbath nude,
forget the city the folks are just too rude.

[MuseRider]

8. I love my farm.

I can't wait until we get our house built out there so I can increase the animal population. Right now I have 5 horses and 3 cats out there. 2 of the horses will lick the cats until they are dripping wet while the cats rub all over their noses. I love to sit out there and watch the animals, whatever happens to be out. Often I will see coyotes who will come within 20 feet of me. Occasional Bob Cat, turkey, turkey vultures well...you got the picture. I am with you, I could watch animals forever. It is fun to watch different species interact.

[Chovexani]

9. I'm a city girl

Which is kinda ironic, being Pagan you'd figure I'd be all about The Land and stuff. I'm such a city slicker though...me on a farm just borders on pathetic. I barely survived summer camp as a kid. :P