All Creatures Great and Small

I was blessed, growing up, to be allowed to have pets, and to take part in caring for the varied livestock we had while I was growing up. I got to have, as a horse-mad young girl, not only a pony, but a mustang, and a foal, and one of my riding teachers had been a real live cowboy. We always had cats, dogs, and sometimes more exotic animals - I'm thinking of the year my parents decided they were going to farm Silver Fox, and we girls wound up with a big cage full of mice in our room.

Wanna-be Lions, or Fuzzy Jellybeans?

I wrote about animals and the future today over at Mad Genius Club, talking about which ones would make the cut when the very expensive trip to the stars begins. I mentioned livestock guardian dogs in that essay, but after it was published it dawned on me: can you imagine a Border Collie on a Spaceship? Oh my word... I started giggling my head off and our lazy pooch lifted her head and looked at me funny before returning to her nap.

Mom's Chickens!

One of the series of books I devoured was James Herriot's classic series about being a vet. I was surprised and delighted today to realize that it is on Kindle Unlimited. I'd given my paper copies of it to my children ages ago, and they have disappeared. But I think I will use the promise of a chapter or two as a carrot to keep me working through the math homework I have on tap for today.

Cows are big, yes, and produce lots of meat and milk, but are not the most efficient use of space.

Our current dog, Tricksy

Tricksy Upside-Down

Mules are a hybrid of a horse and a donkey, very hardy, but have a strong personality!