Camp has begun, so young boys are everywhere on the farm, at all hours of the day and evening. This morning we started a three-day activity block focused on the cows and our dairy production. Tomorrow we’ll make fromage blanc and churn farm ice cream, but today we spent much of our time together setting the stage, naming as many mammals as we could think of and getting up close and personal with our dairy and beef herds. Out on pasture, we paused in our cow petting to closely observe a favorite dairy lady and write an acrostic in her honor. Here’s a smattering of words from the young men (and one ode to Greta from me):
Holding the trophy of cows
Awesome cow
Low key
Observant of her surroundings
Great big patties
Ever hungry
Round belly
Ridged back
Yummy cud
Golly, gee whiz, you foolish cow.
Remember when you were a baby? I do.
Every time I milk you, I am amazed by the tininess of your teats and the hugeness of your personality.
Thank you for milky goodness.
Always, I will take care of you, despite your temperamental nature.
Hungry
Always cute
Zebras aren’t even as amazing as Hazel
Environmentally friendly
Less amazing than Sal . . . obviously
And one more about Hazel, who is a bit of a celebrity amongst the campers. One young man must have asked me at least 15 times when we would visit Hazel between the start of the activity block and our walk out to pasture. She was a calf last time many of these boys saw her in the summer of 2016, and now she has grown up to be almost breeding age; next summer, some of these boys will likely watch her calve during camp. It’s a funny thing to watch them watch her grow, while at the same time being startled each summer in witnessing their own growth since they left camp last year. It’s good to be back in the company of old friends – bovine and human – these days.
How did such a small animal grow so fast
And how did it stay so cute
Zealous, fun, and entertaining.
Every day,
Lovely as always.
