Goat Haiku

Oy-So.

Please, Sir. I Want Some More.

Hello. Is anyone in there???

Please. I want someone to give me something to eat.

Mom, please? Can I have some more? Please?

So near and yet so far. I don't get it. Won't somebody please feed me??? What is the fascination with this red thing anyway???

Hmmm ... perhaps the answer lies under here.

Oy. As if it weren't bad enough, now it's starting to rain and NOBODY will FEED ME!

I'm mad as heck and I'm not gonna' take it any more!!! Hmmpff.

'Come, Oliver! Wipe your eyes with the cuffs of your jacket, and don't cry into your gruel; that's a very foolish action, Oliver.' - Mr. Bumble, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens.

An Invitation To Dine

You know how it is. It all starts innocently enough - a quiet evening dining alone. When suddenly a neighbor drops by ... and another. Pretty soon the whole darned neighborhood drops in and it's 'Paaar-tay!' Everyone's having such a good time ...



... until that guy from down the street - that one nobody can figure - shows up, and suddenly things have changed. Aaaawk -ward!



"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." - Brian Tracy.

Bird Brains. Oy.

Just Ducky

Imagine the goatmother's surprise last night when she came out to feed us and happened upon this in the pond - and she didn't even have to ooze. Who knew?


There appear to be seven. Not enough for a ball team this year, but that's okay. Maybe they'll take up golf instead. Ducky Woods? Arnold Pecker? Hey, it could happen.

In the meatime, we here at the barn have a lot of quacking to put up with. No matter. We'll encourage them to keep on swimming toward whatever their goals. Besides, we might learn a thing or two ourselves in the process.


"Always behave like a duck - keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath." - Jacob Braude.

Male Duminance

It must be the year for birds, because these showed up at our feeder yesterday. It was raining (no surprise there), but it didn't seem to deter them any.

So what are these, you ask? Well, these are called Evening Grosbeaks. Formerly we've only encountered them in the winter and in very large flocks. However, since no one can say we really had a winter this year, I suppose they are a bit confused. Just what we need. More confused bodies around here. Oy.

Anyway, what you see below are a male and a female. Bet you can guess which one is the male. Now why is this? I mean aren't the girls supposed to be the attractive ones? Look at goats for example. It is obvious, after all, that I am far better looking than say, Watson. So I really don't understand the whole 'guys-get-the-glamour' thing that birds seem to have going on ... like with those dumb wood ducks. Who got all the make-up and eye-shadow in that pair? I ask you, is this even fair?

Now the male Evening Grosbeak has a huge bright yellow 'V' on his forehead. Could that be a 'V' for vainglorius, do you suppose??? Here is a better view of that - not to mention the very smug look of one who thinks he's all that and a bag of Peanuts. Oy.

Now that I really get a good look, though, it kind of looks more like a 'W'. Hmmm ... Must be 'W' for egotistical, vainglorius Windbag.

Well, all I can think of to explain this pompous plumage syndrome is that perhaps the frumpy female birds are so extremely picky, or so extremely bird-brained, that such dazzling raiment becomes necessary to get their attention. Come to think of it, I bet it is kind of like those guys you see standing on the street corner dancing and waving a big pointing finger that says 'Great deal! This way! Hurry!' I've often wondered how many Peanuts they have to pay to get someone to take that job. But I digress ...

No matter the reasons, in my humble opinion, birds would be better served by a stupefying set of horns or a bodacious beard. Or both. But what do I know?

At any rate, with things as they are, we're stuck putting up with more preening 'primo uomos'. (Ha! Put that one in your Google and graze it!)

"I'm too sexy for my beak, too sexy for my beak, so sexy and so sleek ... "

Oy.