Fresh images and lapgucks

Greta is a lapguck. I know that because she sat on my lap yesterday and chewed on my diamond. I could have easily brought Greta home with me, but I knew she had a loving owner who would never part with her.

Greta came to the dressage show at Spokane Sport Horse arena, and whenever her owner had to ride, young Greta (just 2.5 weeks old) stayed in her pen in the back of a horse trailer. On other occasions, she happily waddled along behind her owner sweetly "cheep, cheep, cheeping" to anyone who would listen.

According to her friendly teen-age owner, Greta is part duck and part goose. When she told me that, I wondered out loud if she was a "doose," but the owner said "guck," which made sense too. Whatever breed of bird she is, Greta is a charmer with her egg-yolk yellow fuzz and her outgoing, magnetic charm.

Well, speaking of birds, a rising black cloud of crows scared the bejeebers out of Lefty when I took him to pasture this morning. I'd say they numbered in the hundreds, and they were having a great time pecking away at the ground in the newly mowed hayfield. Apparently, the clanging gate broke their concentration, and they all launched in unison.

Their exit left the field temporarily devoid of birds except for what I thought looked like a lone turkey over near the woods when I had first walked outside. Every time I looked that direction, the black object with the light top still looked like a turkey but never moved. So, briefly I thought it may be an illusion, but I still had to satisfy my curiosity.

I left Lefty grazing on grass and walked quietly between the big wind rows of lush green hay. Still looked like a turkey but still not moving. When I rounded the bend in the wind-row collection, though, the big bird's head and neck went into extra slow motion while its body crouched into the grass. I think it was hoping I hadn't seen it and that maybe I would go away.

I moved a little closer and said hello with a human gobble or two. The turkey pointed its head toward the woods and slowly walked through the fence and out of sight. Bill told me later he had seen a mama turkey and three babies yesterday near the loafing shed, which sits on a hill above the hayfield.

While walking back to get the other two horses, I admired our hay field, which is now waiting to dry out and for Doug to come with his baler. He figures Tuesday and that some of it may need to be turned because the wind rows are so thick.

It's a good feeling to know that we can feed the animals and the humans from what we grow on this place. And, it's an even better feeling to relish all the side benefits and images that go along with it.

Now, if I could just go down to the Co-Op and see if I could get me a lapguck like Greta, life would be complete.