News from Neighborhoods

It's weaning time in Selle.  It's noisy out there.  Cows are sad.  Calves are sad. I guess you'd call it sad cow disease or something like that. 

Anyway, it happens every year, and the whimpering bellers go on pretty much 24-7 until tight udders start loosening up or babies band together and realize they're on their own. 

With separation happening over the weekend, usually by Wednesday or so, things quiet down.  

This morning's air waves were still alive with a lessening but still definite sound of broken-hearted mommies and desperate babies hoping someone would come to their rescue. 

In last night's case, that potential someone just came along, took pictures and walked on. So, the bellering began anew. 

When I did move on from the Taylor sad cow herd at the old Lockwood place, I found a rather bold thief devouring some of Meserve's apples.  

Dan Wood told me the other day the deer had not bothered his garden.  I told him that they have the Garden of Eden at Meserve's place, which is between his and our farm.  

By the time they've eaten all my flowers and stolen some more apples from Meserve's orchard, their bellies are temporarily full, rendering Dan and Terry a break as the pesky critters make their way through the countryside. 

This thief simply stood there, looked at me, grabbed a bite and proceeded to chew 25 times so as not to choke on stolen fruit. 

This Finney-bred Percheron stole a bite from over the fence as I was driving by on Selle Road Sunday night.  

No guilt here, just a little curiosity about the woman in the car, pointing that strange object its way. 

Why did the fawn cross the road?  Answer:  to catch up with its mother who bolted when she saw me park my car, pull out my camera and start taking photos on Samuels Road Sunday night. 

I took a short drive after the rain stopped and was amazed at the deer population along Selkirk and Samuels Roads.  It seems almost bigger than what we see down here in Selle. 

Anyone who doesn't collect a few deer pictures for their 2015 photo albums has no excuse. They're out there, watching us, and we hardly have to move to watch them. 

 Meanwhile, in a neighborhood far, far away, it's raining in Kyoto, Japan. That did not stop Annie from taking in as much as she could after arriving there by high-speed train from Tokyo. 

She said Tokyo and Kyoto are 285 miles apart.  The train trip took 2.5 hours.  Later, she was apparently watching TV and wishing the subtitles were in English.  

It looks as if her vacation is going along nicely.  She'll spend two days in Kyoto before returning to Tokyo. 

Back on the home front, I'm happy to report some enjoyable lawn mowing yesterday.  I love mowing lawn, but there's been no joy associated with it through most of the summer.

The experience, though, was pleasantly different yesterday as I did not feel the need to take a bath to wash all the grit from swirling clouds of dust that have accompanied each previous mowing. 

The green hasn't exactly come back to all the grass, but at least the lawns look reasonably clean and neat.  For me, that's great joy. 

Life goes on nicely after the rain.  Happy Tuesday.