Guilt

 Anyone with animals will agree with me... animals have a unique way of making us feel guilty.  I am sure that they do it on purpose as well!  After all... animals are much smarter than many believe.

For instance:  because all of my equines are a bit too chubby at the end of this winter, I have placed them on a diet.  I am not starving them, but their liberal winter portions have been reduced a bit.  With colder weather moving out and spring around the corner, they do not need the extra fuel for their furnaces.  They have retained their wooly winter coats and their generous layers of fat will keep them toasty through spring.  They get their meals, as always... but no in between snacks and grazing time is only generous in the almost-bare front pasture.  Time in the grassy upper pastures is more limited.

It's for their own good... truly.

Moonbeam would have you believe that he is starving out of his mind.  How does he get his point across?  Why, by eating his own poop, of course.  I am convinced he does this to make me feel guilty.  He would have me believe that he is wasting away.  A photo is evidence enough that he is not wasting away... quite the opposite!

Lately, the sheep - who get liberal helpings of hay twice daily - have begun eating snow when their hay feeder is empty.

I asked my wooly chubbins if they thought this behavior might get them more hay.  I assured them... it won't work.  I love them that much!

If these sheepy girls get any chubbier, they will roll down the hill into the front pasture this spring.   Besides, when the hay feeder is empty... it's a good time to chew the cud!  

Actually, I am sure they are just getting a good frosty drink this way... even though their bucket of clean water is just a stone's throw away!

Yesterday, as I was working around the farm, I passed the old log cabin and noticed that a portion of chinking is missing from the second floor wall.  You can see right through to the interior!

It looks like re-chinking the old cabin will be top on the spring To-Do list.  It's a fairly easy task, but one that must be done to maintain the integrity of our historic building.  And besides, we don't want a lot of little critters as squatters... cracking their nuts and leaving all the shells around the inside of the house!

The spring chore list is growing.  This week is supposed to be a warm one... so perhaps I can get a jump start on the work.  Beginning with this....