We had so much fun documenting quiet moments on the farm for our last post, we thought we’d add a few more today. The weather is cloudy, and a bit windy, which is nice for drying out the soggy ground, though the ducks really appreciate having puddles to play in every few feet. We take a look at them, at our ponderous steers and at Howie, our gentle giant Pyrranees, as he tries to hide a bone from us.

Our Howie is generally the most docile and friendly of creatures here on the farm, never tiring of attention. But look how he treats me when he thinks I want his macabre toy…

Howie is enjoying this bone. However, when he realizes I’m watching, and for too long, he surreptitiously turns away from me, and moves the bone. Then he won’t look at me when I call his name! Howie, really, the last thing I want is that old deer leg. Knock yourself out.

I almost lost my wedding band playing with the steers today. They can’t resist licking a human hand and this one almost sucked away my ring. They actually like to mouth things in general and will lick old pieces of machinery until they slurp pieces off, which can mess up their stomachs. This malady is called hardware disease! Their tongues are crazy rough, but tickle-y at the same time. And their breath is wonderful!

What do you call the sounds ducks make when they eat off the bottom of a puddle? Dibbling? Dabbling? Scrabbling? I don’t know what it is, but I really like it. It’s a friendly sound. This white runner is sort of the ugly duckling among our black cayugas, and you can see here that he’s decided to just get his own puddle.