Crazy for Crocus

Well, if you must know, I have been quite leery of taking Fred and Bessie to the barn to meet the “real” cows, mostly because of the relatively small stature and fragile build of our guest cows. The “real” Holsteins will seem like Goliaths to them! Do you think Fred and Bessie have the psychological fortitude to handle such an encounter? Its a worry, that’s for sure.

This morning, F & B were allowed to meander close to the barn, but not inside. They managed to get lost in the crocus patch near the barn door…..can you imagine that! With great amusement I watched as they circled and sniffed amongst the shoots and closed-up blooms, searching for the way out of the grove of crocuses.

Finally, I convinced Fred and Bessie to follow me into the calf building, where to my great shock they proceeded to frighten poor Miss Muffin so badly that she hid in terror behind the fence. Wow…..its becoming apparent that Fred and Bessie are surprisingly brazen and intimidating despite their miniature size. Muffin confided to me later that she’d never been so scared in her whole month of life. I guess there's no need to worry about Fred and Bessie being cowed by the full-size cows in the barn. Obviously, F & B can hold their own. Previous hosts taught them well!

I decided to try and appease F & B with some calf feed, but they continued to glare menacingly at Muffin the calf.

Finally, Muffin summoned the courage to show her whole face. I was so proud of her! She gave Fred and Bessie the eye until they reluctantly turned their attention to the feed mixture in front of them.

Crunch, crunch, crunch…..oats, corn, molasses. Fred and Bessie said the grainy-sweet dish was “ok”, though not quite on par with what Laura served them in Georgia. They said my cooking will do in a pinch. Humphft!

By afternoon, Fred and Bessie were napping and the crocuses had opened their petals wide to bask in the bright sunshine. FINALLY, we had a WARM day!

Two young friends happened to be spending a few hours here at the farm while their mom ran errands. By delightful chance, the girls were dressed in colors which perfectly matched the crocuses, so we had to take some pictures to commemorate the occasion!

Oh, I like these darker purple blooms! Am I crazy for crocuses right now? You betcha! Last year, this same crocus patch didn’t amount to a hill o’ beans, so I am thrilled at how vigorous and lovely they are this spring. Of course, the blossoms won’t last much longer, so we’d better make the most of them now. The only way to do that is LOOK at them often and take lots of pictures.

The younger girl is almost three years old; she kept telling me she wanted to go see “the cabins”. The “cabins”? I finally figured out that she was talking about the “calves”. In the past, she and her sister have been scared out of their wits by our two enthusiastic dogs who simply want to be friendly with the little girls. Can’t you just hear Buster excitedly pleading, “I’m really nice……please pet me……let’s be pals.”

Ok….somehow I will force myself to not post anymore crocus photos, but I may keep running out to the barn to gaze down at the beautiful colors as the petals move through their various closed and open poses throughout the daylight hours.

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Have a wonderful day!

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