Selle Critter Sights and Horsin' in a Round Pen

These are not chickens that crossed the road. 

These are not chickens who like a coop. 

Moreover, these are not range chickens.

These ARE Grange chickens. 

The Selle Grange is no longer officially a grange. 

Since its grange days, the place and its grounds near the railroad track in downtown Selle has functioned as a lovely events center (complete with chandeliers).

For a time, when passing by we'd see a few cars in the parking lot belonging to church goers. 

The church people occupied the building for a couple of years and then the congregation went elsewhere. 

Soon, we learned that an individual had purchased the former grange to have as her home. 

She's a nice lady named Karen who's also a florist. 

Since Karen moved in and converted the building into her full-fledged residence, four dogs and four cats have kept her company. 

Karen told me yesterday that these are not her chickens, but she has named one and does feed them. 

I'm pretty sure that the chickens do not have to cross the road for their handouts.  

I believe they live at the farm next door. Someone can correct me if that assumption is in error.

The main thing for me is that yesterday is the very first time ever that I have seen chickens foraging for food at the grange entrance. 

So, it was worth a shot.

Plus, it led to a nice visit with the nice owner of the old Selle Grange, who sez this is the best move she's ever made.  

Chickens and all! 

Like my former student and friend Darlene Sawyer, I suffer from a springtime addiction:  the need to keep going to a nursery to buy colorful flowers. 

So, my purpose in driving past the old Selle Grange yesterday was to go to the Flower Farm at the end of Selle Road and grab a good supply of African daisies along with a few pansies (to feed my spring-color floral addiction). 

Darlene was there, admitting to the same problem.  We enjoyed a nice visit.  

Darlene, with her box filled with nice supply of primroses and pansies started toward her car, telling me she'd better not even walk into those other greenhouses or she'd spend a lot more money. 

I compared it to my weakness when seeing Border Collie puppies.  I have to stay away from them, or I'll spend a lot more money. 

Guess it's truly a junkie situation but pretty harmless and happily colorful in both cases. 

Anyway, on my way home, I drove around the Forest Siding roads, and just as I came to turn on  to South Center Valley Road, a group of Hereford calves was convening at the fence line. 

Moms were there too.  It was a colorful scene which was pretty enough, even without pansies or primroses.  

I'll have to say once more that Jack and Colleen have the most uniform, best looking bunch of calves I can ever remember seeing in their pasture. 

Once I pulled into our driveway, I could see some wild action out in the round pen. 

It definitely needed some camera attention, so I grabbed the camera and headed that direction.

To say the horses were feeling their oats AND their freedom from hoof-sucking mud would be an understatement.

They were just plain wild AND crazy horses, and it was fun to watch them feeling so good and putting on such dramatic acts of equine flamboyance.  

Iz there such a thing? 

Fun times in the neighborhood as the daffodils are about to burst open and the grass is turning deeper shades of green.