Such a silly thing really

Once upon a time (yesterday morning), I went into the chicken run to give the chickens fresh water. A small stump that I had (ridiculously) positioned next to the coop a few weeks ago...:

tipped over after I went into the run...:

and blocked the door. It wedged itself in such a way that I couldn't open the door far enough to fit my hand through to move the stump. It was an uncomfortably helpless feeling to realize that I was completely stuck:

Though it did leave me with a bit of quality time to spend with my girls:

and Roopert:

Fortunately, I had my cell phone (and my camera). And it was the weekend, so when I made my call, someone was there to answer:

All (chicken) eyes turned at the sound of the footsteps:

of my sweet husband coming to my rescue:

He kindly moved that stump so I could get out. It only looks in the picture below like he's wedging it tighter. And he really only laughed at me for a little bit about getting stuck in the first place:

And now that stump is no longer next to the chicken run door.

The end.

Roxy and Chester

Roxy, my farm pup, is a great big dog personality in a little tiny, prissy white dog body:

Chester, my donkey, is a pushy, alpha male donkey personality in a smaller, compact, feisty donkey body:

Roxy is a smart girl and is extremely wary of the big animals. It's interesting to watch her around them because she always 1) maintains her distance and 2) uses classic non-threatening body language (averting her eyes, turning her body away) when she is in close proximity to them, even when certain bigger, pushier animals are trying to get her attention:

"Hey, you...little DOG!":

No matter what amount of noise or snuffling Chester makes, Roxy will NOT look:

Chester tries to get closer, but Roxy is suddenly fascinated with the ground: "Hmmm....now this is an interesting dirt smell...":

Nope, not gonna look:

Chester can't quite figure out why she won't interact with him:

So the big boy tries a new technique:

This is his classic "scratch my butt" maneuver, used to win over the most die-hard donkey-resistant folks. Still not working, though:

Chester looks to me for help. "Does she really not know I'm here?":

So now they both pretend not to care:

On the other side of the fence, things appear pretty much the same:

Clearly, we're at a bit of an impasse:

Beau, my gray donkey, can't take this ridiculous situation any longer and comes up to talk some sense into Chester:

Apparently it works, because they both suddenly decide they'll benefit more from some cute carrot-begging:

I mean, who can resist faces like these?:

I know I can't:

Roxy, however...

...continues to feign complete disinterest:

I could watch these guys for hours - can you tell that I sometimes do?

Without batting an eye

I love it when my mom comes out to the farm.

When I tell her I need some help "doing a couple things", she doesn't hesitate to jump right in:

Even if it means having 60 pound goats sit on her lap while I squirt de-wormer down their throats and trim their hooves:

The goats love it, too, when she comes over. Her lap is an incredibly cozy place to nap:

This is a relaxed goat:

Kai llama loves my mom's visits because she *always* remembers to bring a HUGE bag of carrot coins:

Kai's joy tends to be short-lived, though, once the goat boys show up:

Pushy goats - they think everything's ALL about them:

Shades of Beau

Do you have a muse?:

...A certain subject that your camera is drawn to:

...someone or something that you not only like to photograph:

but one that never seems to mind the intrusion a camera can bring?

Someone who is always is your willing accomplice:

...who doesn't mind occasionally being posed:

Or zoomed in on:

Or have their physical characteristics examined:

...in minute detail:

Someone who stands perfectly still at all the right times:

but can surprise you with the speed at which they will suddenly appear behind you:

Somebody who will often just go about their day like you're not even there:

Allowing you to experiment with your camera in whatever way you are inspired:

I do. I've got one of those. His name's Beau: