Thursday, August 28, 2014

Red Poll Cattle Photos

The girls have been looking good this summer and lots of the neighbors have commented on their beauty:

When the pastures began getting low on grass, I threw out a bale of hay - and because the apples were falling early, I poured some of them atop the hay:

Was my hay/apple mix a hit? You bet it was!:

Scarlett even brought little Rosella over to the feast:

Little Rosella was still on a milk diet, but she scampered and played while the big cows ate:

Everything is new, exciting and fun for a little calf:

She sometimes tries to nibble at grass, but in the end she always returns to her mother's milk:

Instead of feeding hay in the middle of summer, I opened up a section of field for the cows to graze in. That made them very happy:

Jasmine got bigger and wider, passing the end of the normal cow gestation period but her udder hadn't even filled up yet. I was perplexed:

I always took lots of photos of Rosella, my first calf:

One day, Scarlett brought her daughter into the barn to play while she ate a bit of grain. It became a daily routine after that:

And Rosella delighted in playing with those feathered creatures she found in the field. They clucked and ran in such a fun way when she chased them:

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Clear Pond, In The White Hill Wild Forest - Part 3

We were almost back to our parked car when I stopped to let the dogs again play at the edge of Clear Pond. A couple of Purple Loosetrife bloomed there and once again I was glad to note that it no longer seems to be an invasive problem:

Pink Steeplebush was also in bloom along the water's edge:

And Clover and Daphne, with their limitless energy and enthusiasm, explored every hill and every hole in the ground:

Clover climbed out onto a rock to survey the lake. Perhaps she was looking for the Loon who was making so much noise:

We continued along the shore toward our parked car:

And I marveled at the wild beauty of the scenery:

Seamus got wet again, though it was too rocky for him to go in very deeply:

Pickerelweed bloomed all along the shore:

And the dogs continued to run, play and explore:

When we were almost back to the parking area, I called the dogs and put them on leashes:

There was only one other car in the forest, a family who was camping near the water's edge. A little girl asked if she could pet the dogs and I agreed. When she asked to pick up Clover, I allowed it, but insisted she learn to do it with plenty of support. So the dogs and I had a grand day at a lovely, wild lake, and a little girl learned the right way to pick up a dog: