Critters

Animals add so much to my life.  We have owned a greeat many, oxen, horses, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and even dogs and cats.  Somehow we have kept most of them gentle.  It is hard not to have your heart touched by a yearling horse that has to come up for a butt scratching first thing in the morning or seeing the pig come running to greet her special firend the Shar Pei dog.  We feed birds.  There is a Nuthatch here that has us all figured out.  He uses me to give him room and peace to eat.  The bigger, more agressive birds like the Cardinals, Jays and Towhees stay away from me and he (or she) gets a free shot at the seed.  He is often inches from me and yesterday he actually touched me.  Bright little critter.  The oxen are wonderful friends.  We moved bales again yesterday.  While I was getting the sledge and chains ready, all four collected.  There is a requisite head and jaw scratching, but they are ready to work and seem to enjoy it.  I think we must deliberately collect animals with a sense of humor.  Charlie knows wrecking fences gets me mad.  He will push a fence post over and stand there to watch my reaction.  The pig, now named Isabella, throws her food dish at the dog.  One horse we had for years pulled a glove off me and went running around the pasture with it in his mouth flapping it from side to side.  (Of course he also ate french fries and stole soft drinks which Butch taught him to drink out of the bottle).  They are a delight.  The picture is of Yang grooming (licking) the side of Isabella's face.