Category: Life on the Farmlet

Polly Wanna What?

24 Comments

One day my goose Polly honked at me through the back door.  She climbed right up the stairs to the mudroom door and honked loudly until I finally went to see her.    Then she hopped down and began to walk away!   She did this many times.

On this particular day I was cold and I looked out the window to see what was up…

She must have heard my footfalls on the wooden planks as I walked over to the window because when I looked out this is what I saw.

She looked at me as if to say:  “Well, I’m waiting, com’on out will ya, I got something to say!”

Well, when she put it that way, I donned my Crazy Chicken Lady attire and went out to see what she wanted.

Seeing me she quickly turned and waddled to the gate by the barn and began to rub herself back and forth along the gate.

She reminded me of the prisoners who rattle their cups along the bars in the old movies.  This was a signal I immediately recognized, and so I opened the gate for her.

Quickly she continued on

Waddling as fast as those little flappy feet would take her.

They are quite fast this morning because she is a goose on a mission!

Polly wants to lay an egg!

~*~

Looking about in the sleeping nest she moves a bit of straw around and then honks at me again:  “Meh!  I can’t lay an egg in here.  It’s filthy!”  Which is putting it politely…
Geese are not the cleanest of bed mates I am afraid.
I see her moving the straw again, and know what she wants.  She wants a clean nest! She begins rubbing herself on the back of the kennel fence this time.  (I use this fence to keep them out of the rest of the barn at night, because geese just LOVE to chew and dibble and will ruin even the toughest of items if you let them.)

I open the kennel fence and she goes over to the bales of straw.  Clipping the twine allows a flake to fall to the floor and she immediately begins to tear it apart moving it and arranging it to her liking.   While she works I put up a blockade to keep her out of the other side of the barn where she might get herself into trouble.

When I am done I leave and pull the kennel fence shut so the cats and other animals can’t get in to disturb her.

In about a half an hour I return to let her out, but whoopsie!  She’s not done…

Laying an egg is strenuous work. She looks at me as if to say, “Hey, a little privacy here!  Come back later!”

And a bit later…

There it is!

~*~

An interesting factoid for you:  One goose egg is equal to three chicken’s eggs.

One goose egg will make any cake you bake the best you have ever eaten!  Now don’t feel too bad that I am taking Polly’s eggs to make cake… You see, her eggs are not fertile this year, because I have no ganders.  I thought I had a gander when I got the three baby Hueys, but it turns out they were all girls!  (You can read all about the arrival of the Hueys HERE)

Oh, but never fear.   I have new baby Pilgrim ganders arriving on April 30th, and next spring it will be as it should be!

~*~

Now, because she is done, and ready to go join her friends, I open the kennel fence and we walk back to the side of the yard where the rest of the geese are eating and swimming.  They honk greetings all around and then continue their grazing.

Polly has been telling me when she needs to lay an egg for about a month now.  Last week was the first time she came calling at the back door for me.

Strange, smart, amazing goose!

~*~

ADDENDUM:   Because so many of you have remarked on Polly’s intelligence,  I  have added a link to a 2007 article from the Boston Globe entitled,

Eggheads:  How bird brains are shaking up science  <— Click

This article is on the intelligence of the avian species!  They really are quite remarkable in their thinking and reasoning abilities.  Far more than we have ever given them credit for. 

So, from now on when someone calls you a “birdbrain” you may just take it as a compliment!

Photo Friday: the world according to my little dog

28 Comments

Here on the Farmlet there are a few words and phrases that are never said out loud unless we really mean it.

In order of importance to the Little Dog they are:

  1. “Ball”  (ALWAYS spelled when we are talking to each other.)
  2. “Kong” (Same as above)
  3. “Who want’s breakfast/dinner?”  (abbreviated, when we are wondering if the other has already fed them their “B” or “D”)
  4. “Is daddy home yet?”
  5. “Clean-up on isle nine!”  (This one is handy whenever you have spilled something on the kitchen floor, or when it is time to go to bed and they are frolicking and barking with total abandon in the dark …  and yes, we do reward for an appropriate response at bedtime!)

This morning However . . .

Not even the number one word could get a rise out of the Little Dog!

 

 

When the north wind blows,

and a chill is in the air,

sometimes all that is needed

is a soft bed…

and a warm nose.

~*~

Stay warm, and enjoy your weekend my friends!

~*~

We have been betrayed part two: a death blow to organic farmers

19 Comments

Some of my readers may have known that in New York a trial was held to uphold the rights of organic farmers to grow their crops without the fear of being sued for patent infringement by Monsanto.

We lost.

What do I mean by we?  I mean we in the sense that Monsanto can now freely grow their crops and the bees and the wind can bring the pollen in to contaminate your organic produce.

Further, Judge Buchwald, in her ruling said that the corporate thugs at Monsanto have given us their “promise” not to bring litigation and “that should be a source of comfort.”

A source of comfort for who?  Certainly not we as consumers!  I do not relish the thought of eating hidden GMOs.  If whole countries in other parts of the world can ban GMOs why aren’t we?

I want clean food, and at the very minimum I want proper labeling.  I want the choice when I shop with my food dollars of knowing that my food does not contain GMOs.

Now, thanks to a judge in New York and the USDA I get neither.

~!!!~

Please read the source article regarding the trial and it’s outcome here: The Chicago Tribune

Should you like to voice your opinion of her decision… Judge Buchwald can be found here:  United States District Court – Southern District of New York

The case against Monsanto, and Judge Buchwald’s judgement, can be read here: Case 1:11-cv-02163-NRB Document 53 Filed 02/24/12


~!!!~

NOTE:  In my last post about this I complained that I felt like a “Gnat screaming in a wind tunnel.”  Well, as a good friend pointed out, many gnats can be a force to be reckoned with.  Use the links above to get informed and to contact those who are in charge.  Let them know we are not just random and isolated nut-jobs out here.

Spread the word and Let your voices be heard

Thank you!

We have been betrayed…

38 Comments

I don’t get political here. Never have, thought I never would.  But this makes me cry.  I will never shop or knowingly purchase foods affiliated with these companies again.

Et tu?  Whole Foods?  Really?

Please read the article at the Organic Consumers Association‘s site:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22449.cfm

So glad I grow my own.

My little bit of earth.

“Please Sir, may I have a little bit of earth?”

Mary,  The secret Garden

~*~

PLEASE:  If you have heard anything different since this article was published please enlighten us in the comments! 

Thank you.