Silkies and llamas and goats, oh my!

A little cotton ball. A dandelion gone to seed. That's what these little chickens remind me of.

Over the past 15 months, I've done some things that I never thought I would do. Starting a farm is one of them. I even entered an essay contest to win a flock of Angora goats.

I know that it is unlikely that I will win them. But writing that essay did prompt me to exam exactly what my animals meant to me and what my goals were long-term.

That really sounds too much like my work! But honestly, it was fun and a lark to pick up these animals. And it does provide for much entertainment. But really, what do my goats, horses, llama, and chickens mean to me? For me?

I think for the first year, my animals (farm animals, that is) acted like knickknacks. They were a novelty and they are definitely cute. But now that we've gotten to know each other, it is clear to me that our relationship is far greater than that. As I wrote in my essay, my animals ask nothing from me other than the basics. Regardless of what type of day I had, or that they've had, they are always welcoming. Always running up to me to see what I'm doing. That's not quite the case with the humans in my life. Often times I feel that I'm just a piece of furniture albeit a piece of furniture that can cook.

My animals also trust me. They know that when they see me they can expect to be fed, or hugged, or talked to.

They also are fairly straight forward. Dolly llama for instance will spit at me if she is ticked off at me--usually for something like trying to brush her too hard. The animals either like you or they don't. They don't pretend.

The essay got me thinking about supporting myself after retirement or whenever I really get sick of the rat race. I grow lovely herbs. I could shear Dolly and use her hair for yarn. I would need to learn some things. To point that I could sense the right way of doing things.

So I guess the whole point of this posting is that I've learned so much just by simply writing the essay. I've learned not only what my farm animals mean to me, but what my human friends mean to me as well. I can't believe how many people were willing to vote for me. And the comments they made . . . nearly made me cry.

I may not have written the winning essay to get the flock of goats, but through everything else I've gained from this experience,

I think I won.