TIME MANAGEMENT
TIck. Tock. Tick. Tock. Another day comes to an end with so much not done - including #steem time.My brother @craigcryptoking recently pointed out how time seems to fly. It wasn't like that when we were young(er) Was it?! Even my camera is neglected. I take the photos but they pile up and by the time they are downloaded there are so many I don't know which to post. As you can see I have some magnificent subjects for photography!
Mid day on our Karoo homestead is either blistering heat in summer or bliss in winter. It is now winter. My little boy and I can usually be found free ranging with the animals at mid day. Like my dad (gramps) @quailbreeder we both love animals. There is no doubt my son has inherited his mama and his grandfather's love of all creatures great and small.It is really special watching his interaction with them. He gets really excited when he can come away covered in goo, feathers, fur, dribble and even droppings, if he's faster than his mama!
At the moment it is not just our goats, sheep and calves enjoying the weather but the pretty Cape Wagtail. Until the drought hit the fields were waist deep in winter grazing - oats, barley, rye and a dash of lucerne (alfalfa). Now our limited water can only (barely) keep two fields going on severely reduced numbers of livestock. As you can see although it is quite green it is only a few centimetres tall not waist deep! The upside to the drought (and there is ALWAYS an upside) is that we are now able to appreciate the tiny creatures that we inadvertently sustain. There are plenty of tiny wagging Cape Wagtails. They tripple on their tiny legs between the cows hooves with reckless abandon. There must be some understanding between these creatures great and small because none get trampled. Alaska and Bella, my two naughty goatie girls broke into the cow area today. There was a terrible clashing of horns against cow heads, and yet the Wagtails continued totally unperturbed!
The slowly grazing calves must disturb little critters which the waiting Wagtails then feed on. Their diet consists largely of invertrebrates. Although there are probably a couple dozen Wagtails in the cows field the Cape Wagtails are territorial and monogamous. It is currently breeding season and pairs could remain together for a number of years.
While I may not have time for much else; time with my little boy on our beautiful homestead is special. I can neglect many things but childhood is so fleeting I would far rather be out there with him than behind a cooking pot, laptop or pile of laundry. These sweet photos will be entered into the Combination #contest held by @papa-pepper . But for now I'll say goodnight #steemit I've given you enough of my sleeping time....
howdy today @buckaroo! magnificent photos and you are so right..what great subjects to work with! simply beautiful. I hope rains get there soon.
Do the goats and cattle get along but they just kinda like "play fight?"
Morning @janton. Thank you. My goats are very playful. They actually graze in the same field as other animals (sheep or cattle) but they definitely don't mix. In fact they are real food snobs! They will rather go hungry that eat something that another animal has sniffed over. They get these naughty moments that you see flashing horns and frolicking white bodies and usually the other animals will scatter. But on occasion, this happens....
![IMG_0675.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfXtWMVtNvFM3yAkPFLUMtAfakh9FZ2J7fEt4ULMaUVFS/IMG_0675.JPG)
That is a great pic!
Thanks @andre-ager I was trying to make a video. It's really cute and amusing to watch these animal antics
lol! I agree with @andre-ager, that is a great photo!
do they ever play with you or playfully butt you or anything like that?
No way! I am the matriach and the matriach never gets challenged! But they do come for cuddles and will chase each other away from me. They also try to head butt potential competition or those they sense aren't animal lovers
lol! how interesting, I didn't know that but it's very cool. thanks @buckaroo!
Thanks for sharing another aspect of your world!
Thank you for your support @simms50
You need to post proof of pic sister in this contest. I know my nephew but no one else does and I doubt he took those pics :P
Done! On @papa-pepper
Time! It’s hard to slow down and savor the moment it seems. In western South Dakota we are coming out of a long drought. We have been getting amazing amount of rains. Our hayfields were beaten down by hail last week. So we are now looking to buy hay but the fields will be the healthier next year from the extra organic matter.
What a relief for you to receive rain! Although I'm sure mixed feelings when the hail hit
Yes the hail was not all bad though. It kind of pushed the grass into the soil and we need to build out organic matter. So long term it will help us.