Bullshaming

I dont have a dog

Ken, that pic sure gave me a chuckle. But I know from experience it's not all that fun to come out and find the cows in the garden. But it happens and that's life. So I just go with the flow and laugh when I see that I'm not the only one it happens to.

I've been training some new gardeners lately who have that nasty non-farmer habit of thinking everything should go perfectly and go into dramatics when insects or disease interfere with their anticipated harvests. And heaven forbid if every veggie doesn't come out looking like what they see on supermarket shelves. Cracked tomatoes, misshapen peppers, undeveloped beets just ruin their day. Oh my, what would happen if they arrived to find a neighbor's cow in the garden! I don't think that they'd see any humor in it.

But this is a good eyeopener for other newbies. Lesson 1- Things happen. Don't expect nature to go smoothly. Lesson 2- Livestock, especially cattle, are hard to confine behind ANY fence. Lesson 3- Good fences do indeed make good neighbors. Lesson 4- If you want to have a happy life, learn to roll with the punches.

More shaming....it's cute until you have nothing to stir fry!

I've been watching my friends manage cattle goats and pigs and sheep and donkeys for years now and one conclusion I've come to is that my life is complicated enough at the moment without any livestock beyond my chickens and two cats holy cow. Someday I want a dog or two and some pigs and ducks and peacocks and maybe sheep, but for now I've got enough work! I know permaculture exhorts us to have many and various animals but my children are many and various enough at the moment...