Moo
October 24, 2009 Posted by: ERIN
We had a rare daytime sighting of the feral cows yesterday. Tom and I were taking Zipper and Poncho (we're dogsitting again) on a post-lunch walk in the catchment basin. The dogs had run ahead and Tom was still behind me on the trail when I came the edge of the catchment and saw the dogs tearing up the hill. They were going much faster than they normally would to chase birds, so I looked up to scan the ridgeline of the catchment, and low and behold there were our bovine friends.
I called to Tom just as the cows caught sight of the dogs and began stampeding toward the bush. As they ran, we could see there were three black adults, one brown adult, and one black baby. All those adults had large, pointy horns.
I got a little nervous when we lost sight of them and the dogs. All I could hear was pounding hooves and one very loudly and angrily braying cow. I was afraid of the pups getting trampled, or even worse, gored! But as we ran up the hill calling to them, Zipper and Poncho emerged from the bush unscathed. Although both were on high-cow-alert for the rest of the walk.
Zipper has never chased the cows on the few occasions when we happen upon them at night in the yard. But I think this time, initially seeing them at such a great distance, he didn't quite realize how large they were when he took off after them. Either that or he knew this time Poncho had his back.
How does your garden grow?
October 19, 2009 Posted by: ERIN
I promise this won't turn into a garden blog, but for right now that's kind of what's consuming me...
I'm finding that I have a little trouble inspiring myself during these initial prepping and seedling phases of the garden. Everything is just so fragile and delicate (will the seeds sprout? what will survive? which pests will attack this year?), and I'm just so impatient!
I'm much more invigorated by the garden once the plants are more stable and robust. It doesn't even have to be the harvesting stage, which is, of course, the most rewarding and fufilling. Just so long as I can see things established and thriving, that's all the encouragement I need. Then I can relax and enjoy myself. But right now there is just too much uncertainty for my liking. Yes, that is exactly it, the uncertainty. What will do well? What will fail in glorious fashion?
My goal is healthy, tasty vegetables, herbs, and the occasional fruit. Yet at this stage in the season, that still seems so far off. No choice but to embrace the uncertainty, I suppose. Who knows what surprises this year's garden will hold? Just keep on digging and keep on planting. Whatever will grow, will grow.
The garden is growing
October 6, 2009 Posted by: ERIN
Does anyone else think I've gone a little overboard with the seeds this year?
