I Of The Storm
Aah. Now this is more like it.
The snow came down. A lot. The first real, big snow of the year. What a perfect day to have the day off.
It was actually storming so much that I almost didn’t feel like going out. I stood in the kitchen and looked at the trees swaying in the wind. Imagined myself being swept off my feet and blown to god knows where. But alas, neither wind nor snow shall keep me away from the goats.
When I got outside it wasn’t actually too bad. I love this kind of weather. Snow and snow and snow. Coming down and covering the world. The air full of movement. It was very cold of course, but nothing that couldn’t be helped with a warm sweater and a scarf and gloves and a ski mask and whatever else I could get my hand on. The more wool, the better.
Speaking of wool. When Mads uses his horns to scratch his back he always gets some wool hanging on like that. Fun.
Nice to sit inside with the goats and sheep. It’s not exactly warm in there, but at least not cold.
With the snow covering everything.
But the geese didn’t seem to mind.
Magnethe even jumped out for a bit. Although I think that was because Mads chased her out. She stayed close to the hatch and came back inside fairly quickly.
Ah yes. Goody goody. My back is going to be sore tomorrow from shoveling snow but I shan’t complain.
This kind of weather makes me smile.
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:52
Sad news Plume and Debster. I found the remains of Moominlizard’s tail. I was on the side of the house this morning sweeping leaves away from the drains. There is another big storm coming, though it won’t be as pretty as your recent snow storm, and I had to clear the drains or the backyard will be flooded.
I discovered a brown tail that looked just like Momminlizard’s. There was still fresh blood on the break. I was terribly saddened. I have not seen him today. I hope he’s ok. I tried to look for his body, but nothing. So maybe that’s a good thing.
I put some fresh fruits out afterwards. Maybe that might help a little bit. I did go online to seek more information and discovered that iguanas often break their tails to escape from preditors. And since Momminlizard lives outdoors, maybe it was escaping from the cats in the neighborhoods. We also have dogs, too, that love to sleep out in the streets and sidewalks But they’re mainly little dogs. Up the street we have a lot of retired folks with their pet dogs and sometimes their tiny dogs roam the streets. They’re sweet but maybe one of the tried to attack Moominlizard and he got away.
I’m going to take a look again tomorrow before the big rain storm comes. But I have so many trees and bushes that he could be anywhere. I just hope he’s hiding someplace in there.
I didn’t see a lot of blood on the lawn or anywhere in the yard or out in the street so he must still be alive.
I’ll keep you guys informed… :(
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:09
LUIS LEMMINGS: Oh no! Poor Moominlizard. How awful that must have been for you to find his tail. You’re right about lizards sometimes losing their tail. Hopefully the predator was preoccupied with it and Moominlizard scurried away. I hope you see him again . . . let us know if you do, okay? Feral cats and pet dogs do take their toll on wildlife.
PLUME: Can a goat (Magnethe) look coy? She looks like she’s been up to something. I’m happy you finally got some snow. Ours has been melting with only the large drifts remaining. (No sightings of snow sharks.)
Did some combing and hoof trimming on the goats today. I now have enough goat hair to make a “third” goat if I wanted to. John-Boy was so good about letting me trim his front hooves. He has never done that before. We had to lay Billy down and hold him to get his back hooves. He was okay as long as my husband kept the peanuts coming!
February 22nd, 2007 at 8:21
Luis Lemmings – Oh no! I’m really sorry to hear that. I hope Moominlizard is okay. I hope he is sitting somewhere safely and already growing a new tail, even more handsome than the old. Nature can be a cruel mistress. We’ll all keep our fingers crossed.
Debster – If any goat can look coy I’d say Magnethe is the one. You never know with her.
I’m going to have to watch out for snow sharks, I think they have optimal conditions today.