Another harvest year has started

Summer broke its hold...finally

Summer arrived on December 14th about the time that family from the northern hemisphere were gathering for Mini-Female Handler's (mFH) final show in Buenos Aires. Sweltering heat and humidity, breaking records not only here in Uruguay, but also in Brazil, Argentina and Chile (Paraguay's always hot...). 35+ deg C but usually with a cool down in the evenings.

Any rainfall was hardly measurable until Thursday night.

A storm started moving across the river after milking time.

 

Before noon the next day, the rain gauge measured 12cm of water. The almond trees are happy. The goats are happy. THAT dog is always happy. And I am happy for the cool down.

A toast to the memories of 2013

Good things happened, and unexpected and sad things happened...the Handlers toasted to the memories and experiences of 2013.

Mini-Female Handler promptly went to bed after this toast, and the other three Handlers and I, the goats, and THAT dog took in a midnight show of distant fireworks from our hilltop vantage point.

A what?

The mini-handlers are on the farm for the holidays. I always love when they come. Extra hands to stroke me.

But in fact with this heat wave we're having, I don't want to be stroked. So they go do their thing and I do mine...which is usually lay on Female Handlers desk making sure she doesn't go off again for long periods of time.

What everyone failed to discuss with me was the arrival of a miniature deer brought over from Buenos Aires by mini-Female Handler. Ok, it's not a deer, it's a dog. A dog that I can pretty much put to shame with one hiss and a swipe of my razor sharp claws...but never-the-less a dog that can command attention away from me. The family took the dog to the beach yesterday.

Hello, did anyone ask me if I wanted to go?!?

Christmas Dinner

Asado goat or as they say in other parts of the world, goats on the barbie

Ice coffee for dessert

I did get a week's worth of bones out of this dinner so I can't complain!

In loving memory...

November 28, 1938 - November 1, 2013

An explosion

We had an explosion...

We're dealing with it pretty well...but it has required the Handlers to seriously get a move on.

The explosion is called growth, and the reason is because spring has finally arrived.

Gone are their lazy weekends and evenings. Now it seems that every walking hour is spent trying to stay one step ahead of the growth such that it doesn't overtake them. They have already failed miserably at this.

For me personally, it means having to remind them that the food dish needs to be refilled because they are easily distracted. My preference is ... every hour...but even I understand this may be excessive. I have been known to do a freak out when I see too much emptiness in the dish. So it's a matter of reminding the Handlers of their priorities. Attention to my food dish SHOULD be their highest priority.

A sampling of the growth...