Manger Heads

 

These are the manger keyholes that Splendora squeezed herself through the day she discovered cookies.

Can you imagine that?

Of course, i might just squeeze myself through one of those to get to a handful of cookies, too!

Okay, maybe not for cookies, but CERTAINLY for one of Breezy's cheesecakes.

 I love talking to the girlies when they have their heads in the manger.

One of my favorite farm things is watching them munch hay from the diary side.

You can love on them and talk to them, pull their ears and give them treats, but they can't step on your toes.

Or untie your shoes.

Or your shorts.

Chickory thinks it is cute to pull dangley strings.

Be sure to wear a belt if you walk into the doe yard.

Velcro tennies are a good idea as well.

She hasn't figured out Velcro, yet.

I love the manger.

It was custom built by Jed, just for me.

It holds an entire square bale of hay.

Lots of mangers only hold a partial bale, or a few flakes.

This means you get hay stickies and nasties all over you when you fill it.

Then you have to take a shower or you itch all day.

BUT....when you are the proud owner of a Custom Built Manger, you can usually brush off the stickies and nasties.  Or most of them, anyway.

(A couple of years ago i wore my favorite cool and comfy shirt to bring in the hay from the field after baling. A year later i was still picking tiny pokies out of the weave of the fabric, and it was a shirt that went through the wash every week.  Hay is some insidious stuff, y'all.) 

The only problem with the manger is that the chickens like to sit eggs in there.

They find it much preferable to the zillion dollar nesting boxes in the specially constructed Pullet Palace.

Whatever.

Speaking of chickens, Earl is fine, thanks for asking.

Am about to decide she thinks she is a dog. 

She believes she should come in the house like Jewels and Maka.

She insists on being fed with the Boyz.

She is hanging out at the back door like the freeloaders.

She follows me around the homestead and chatters while i do chores.

And when i drove up to house yesterday, she was a part of the melee that greeted me at the car door.

It has gotten to where i go out the front door and walk around the house, just to avoid the stupid chicken.

My life is ruled by animals.