Background Switcher (Hidden)

The Dog, the Cow and the Nest

Thursday, November 20, 2008



Now that Chet Baker comprehends English, I have great fun with our one-way conversations.

Chet Baker. Do you know what's going to happen today?
Whut?
Later on, Shila's (ears prick, big smile) coming over and we're going to take a WALK!
Frisk, frisk, boing, boing, whee!
Nobody loves a walk more than Chet Baker, unless it's me and Shila.

Chet's getting much better in responding to voice commands, unless there is a cat, a squirrel, a coon or a cow around. So the lead comes out when there are cattle around. In the fall, our neighbor puts his breeding herd of beeves on the pasture near our mailbox, which we must cross in order to visit the beaver pond.

You had better have that little heathen on a leash, Missy.(Rising to her feet) You know that we have a new calf here, right?Yes, Mrs. Cow. He will be on the lead for the foreseeable future. Sorry to disturb.

We happen to think that your animal is ill-mannered, and we disapprove...

Yes, Mrs. Cow. We're leaving now. Please resume your cud-chewing.

The wind brought a field sparrow nest out into the path in our meadow. Only the field sparrow builds this angular structure of blonde stems, perfectly uniform and distinctive in its simplicity.
This nest has rather more base structure than one usually sees in a field sparrow nest; I think it may have been on the ground, as I look at it. It had caught a bright sumac leaflet in lieu of an egg.

More faux eggs--a sturdy brown thrasher nest lodged in a multiflora rosebush had a mouse's stash within--hickory nuts that will never hatch.
The multiflora hips, highlighted against a barn. What is that color? Oxblood? It's so far beyond barn red, well into alizarin crimson, so beautiful. Nobody's painting barns that color any more.

12 comments:

Whut? Tee-hee. Love that dog and you do great cow-speak, too :o)

Lovely W-A-L-K (I have to spell it around here) and I am with Mary - Not only do you comprehend canine, you also understand bovine. Sweet!

Shall we call you Dr. Doolittle?

~K

Another wonderful thing about winter walks...the bird nests that are blown from the trees. Lovely post.

amazing how that cow talks, too! lovely pics, as always, with all that delicious barn red and those lovely nests. love this time of year when the leaves are gone and all the nests are revealed.

I agree with Mary (and Kathi)--I noticed immediately that not only does Chet B speak English, but so do the cows.
However, she is wrong in her opinion of Chet Baker.

(you will NOT believe my word verification--puppe!)

My dog understands a few select English words too and we get pretty much the same reaction as Chet's for "walk."

no picture of the new baby calf??

word verification: cowaye
(swear to God!)

Growing up, I had a very smart poodle, and we used to have to spell W-A-L-K, C-A-R, C-H-E-E-S-E, and (my personal favorite) N-A-N-N-Y. He loved my grandmother ... perhaps you will have to start spelling S-H-I-L-A.

If the cows have issues with the Bacon man, imagine what the pigs must think!

I was over at Tile lady and I saw the name Zickefoose and I went to high school with a girl name Brenda.
You don't see that name very often.

Your first picture of chet is very expressive.

Coffee is on.

This post reminds me of the those happy cow commercials for cheese. I love them and love this post.

Sandy

Wow, you are good at finding those nests!

Lovely walk, Julie. And don't mess with Mrs. Cow--she looks a little unstable!

[Back to Top]