This morning was cold. Beautiful, yes, but definitely colder than the deliciously warm days we’ve enjoyed all month. The pond wore a thin skin of ice even where the sun could reach. The grass was crunchy with frost. And all the animals were heaving out plumes of steamy breath as they patrolled the farm. One of my jobs this morning was to make sure everyone could find fresh water to drink throughout the day.
I did that and some other things and was quietly distributing piles of hay for the four-leggeds and tearing off bits of stale bread for the birds when I heard it. A loud, crushing sound and then a splash behind me. Chunk-hi had hammered his great, square chin and then his massive horns against the ice in his trough, releasing the loose water beneath it.
“Oh I’m sorry, little buddy, I totally forgot about your trough!”
“That’s okay, Mom. I got this.” His long beard was dripping with water, his horns shiny and steaming. Long black eyelashes blinking calmly at me.
He can’t really talk, you guys. He’s a buffalo. But we understand each other just fine.
I would have loved to see that!
You mean among your other talents, buffalo talking isn’t one of them?
P.S. Thanks for the nice note on FB. You make my day a little brighter – so glad I found you!!
Love this Marie! So sweet 🙂
Love this Marie! So sweet 🙂
We’re honing in on an area for our move to the sticks. I can’t wait!!!
I’ve so enjoyed getting to know you a bit by lingering here on your blog. You have a gift with words!
Wow, than you Sonya!! Much appreciated. And you certainly have a talent with fabric combinations! I have been watching your creations for a long time. And in fact you may have inspired our new kitchen window treatment for springtime. : )
Is having a buffalo as a domestic animal a common thing over there? Forgive my ignorance, my excuse is I’m from a different continent 🙂
This is a delightful stone!
Hello Inger! This *might* be the first time I’ve managed to reply to a comment. Yay! : ) Maybe I should tell this story sometime, so thank you for asking.
No, it’s not unheard of to keep bison as pets here, but it much more usual to see them bred for their meat, like any other bovine. A lot of Native American culture and folklore surrounds this animal, which is in large part the reason we started this adventure. : )
As with any animal that becomes a pet, we could not imagine butchering Chunk-hi, though we are perfectly carnivorous people. LOL
that is so lovely! And I am pleased to hear that he is a pet, not cattle.
You have a marvelous life…