hay, it's what's for dinner (can i get a doggie bag, please?)!

it's officially winter. the ground is frozen which means time for hay. three round bales arrived over the weekend. which makes for some happy animals. the donkeys/horse/llama got one bale. the goats and sheep got another. and for some reason, the dogs claimed the third. who knew? hay, it's not just for breakfast anymore.

this just in... donkeys love hay!

the long and lean queen of the castle

"i got short legs, so this square bale's mine"

gratuitous pic of tito von peenerhaus

feeding the GLOPs.

i am dedicating this post to the spectacle that is "feeding the puppies." it seems crazy to still call them puppies. they are big girls now. but i can't quite call them dogs. doesn't seem right. they aren't full grown. and they haven't even had their 1st birthday party yet. they prefer to be called "the gorgeous ladies of pyrenees" or GLOPs. so, GLOPs it is.

the GLOPs, unlike all other barn animals here, do NOT graze on pasture. they try it every so often to see what all the fuss is about. but they prefer diamond dog food. it helps them grow "fat and sleek." however, even though the pups don't like grass, goats LOVE dog food. they love any food, really, if it makes noise and comes out of a bag or a scoop or a dish. ditto the pigs. and the cows. and the donkey. and the llama. they hear the food hit the pan and things get crazy. so, to keep the chaos under control, the dogs get to eat behind closed gates. chaos still ensues, but it is controlled chaos.

who want's some GLOP food?

we do!

freedom.

today was a milestone at the rook farm. with the cross fence finished and electrified, all animals safely stepped foot on green open pasture. some, for the first time in their whole little lives. goats ate grass. pigs dug in the dirt. chickens did whatever chickens do. and the sun shined for the first time in days, if only for a few hours. it's back to rain now. thunderous rain. and muddy puppies.

daisy

bianka & bernadette

cocoa

chickens

muddy puppy feet

giant steps for baby snakes.

somebody likes baby goats. likes them so much she entered the barn for the very first time. you've come a long way, baby!

friday, muddy friday.

not much new to report here. it rained again. as it did yesterday, and the day before and will probably do again tomorrow. the ground is good and soaked. ponds are full. creeks are up. grass is green. shoes are dirty. puppys are filthy. and i'm tired.

trying to figure out voice over program for my video editing software. the new goats are demanding their big screen debut. but i like i said, i'm tired. and i hate computers. might have to have their first film be silent. after all, they are naturally black & white. check out "violet & daisy" on you tube.

farm of fools.

happy april fools day from washington county, MO!!!! can't believe it's april already. i have officially been a farm girl for 6 months. my how time flies when you are knee deep in mud. so... what did i do on this fine day, you ask?

i was entertained by our new twin acrobats, violet and daisy (named after the famous sideshow twins) while their giant puppy sisters watched in awe...

listened to dagmar & cocoa declare, "mud, what mud?"...

and told baby snakes the old joke about 3 cows and a bucket of feed which she found hillarious. all in all, a pretty good day.