The Alternative Name for a Donkey.

I am pleased to inform you that George Marion made a full recovery, and was able to join his peers once again in the big cow pen.

He is alive and well.

When we decided to move him from the hay barn to the pen, David started gathering supplies for a small rodeo. HD and I were like, nay,we will be fine. I do believe HD and I fancied that George would just peaceably walk from the barn to the pen with us at a leisurely stroll.

Unfortunately, it did turn into a small rodeo.

But it was fine. David, the boys, and I just got in a quick, robust aerobic exercise while we guided the new and improved George to his muddy home.

But, hey! Did you pay attention to a key detail in this minor story?!

He lived. He lives. He is living-even right now at this very moment. Weeks and weeks after we moved him.

We did it. We saved one.

Finally.

***

Every now and again, I hear a poor, lost soul express to me how lucky I am to live on a “farm” and how said person would love to have a bit of land and some animals all to themselves.

So. Every now and again, I like to hit you all with a dose of my blessed reality.

I looked out the window the other day and saw this scene unfolding:

Naturally, I assumed that a few not-so-good hens had taken down two of their fellow mates, plucked them clean, and were feasting on them.

You might say, “Taylor! There is no way hens would be vicious and attack one another!” And I would smile and nod and let you live in your little fantasy world of peace and harmony.

I thought for a moment, and remembered that David had just butchered a steer recently, as he is wont to do. And now, reader, without further ado, here is the textversation that took place:

So, yes. Please be envious of this life.

***

I love the dogs. It is true. I do. I love them with all the fibers of my being. The kids have decided that Charlie has put on too much weight, and reader-you better sit down for this-they make fun of her.

I know. I was aghast myself.

So I have been limited her food portions and she and I (plus the puppy brothers, of course) take several walks and play ball. I tell Charlie that together we shall “walk away the pounds.”

The dogs love our walks. I take them to the back forty and throw a ball around and they run and run and it is delightful. Norman is psycho and he is always in stealth mode. Can you see him in this picture?

I love him.

Anyways, Hadley came home this weekend and was commenting on how Charlie had not lost any weight. I thought she and I were doing a swell job of watching waistlines, but it has gone unnoticed. Later, she and Kate were texting me and having a grand time suggesting I hang up motivational quotes for Charlie to help her on her journey. Quote such as-

“Don’t WISH for a good body, WORK for it.”

“I release the need for food to protect me.”

So Charlie and I are feeling fussy with those two.

***

David and I recently hopped on a plane and went to visit Kate and Caleb in their land of being far away from us. It was a lovely visit, however, the entire time, Kate made fun of me for how old I seem now. Because one day, we took a walk and it was frigid and I was chilled to the bone and told her I fancied a steamy mug of hot water with lemon. And then I said I would like a 20 minute lie down before we went back out again. So I am now a senior in her eyes.

We joined them for church, and I had a grand time when the peoples told Kate that I did not look like her mom, but we looked like sisters.

HA.

We went to Caleb’s baseball game with Nokona the puppy, and had a lovely visit.

Kate graduates with her bachelor’s in May, and then is hoping to get into med school.

***

Just because I like hot water with lemon does not mean I am old.

***

Calves! The babies have started coming, my friends, and they are so cute. We have had three born in the last week.

Baby 1-

Baby 2-

We have three mama cows with super fun faces-Matilda is one of them.

All I want for this calving season is for ONE of those gals to have a baby with a matchy-matchy fun face.

The one lying down calved last night-

Still cute though.

***

And now, let us discuss life in the first grade. The next two stories are going to push the boundaries of family friendly content, and I do apologize in advance.

Story the first: Sally.

Sally and I are still having intense fellowships daily, trying to get her reading. The other day, I wrote the word “blink” on the board, and she raised her hand to decode it.

AND SHE DID.

Reader! That is a beginning blend with a glued vowel sound at the end. I mean. Come ON.

That very same day, it was time for her to read her decodable book to me.

And the word she was stuck on?

“It.”

Yes. That’s right. IT. And this is how our conversation went.

Again. We are leaving the familiar waters of family friendly content. Consider yourselves warned.

Sally: I don’t know that word.

Me: Yes, you do. Sound it out.

Sally: I (eye)-t . . . ITE.

Me: No, try again.

Sally: ITE

Me: I cannot say its name in this word. There is nothing making it do that. What does “i” say?

Sally: I DON’T REMEMBER.

Me: Yes, you do.

Sally looks at me almost as if I am ruining all of her fun and I am.

Sally: I (she says short i) t . . . i-t . . . t-i. Ti!

Me: You put them together backwards. Try again.

Sally: i-t . . . t-i . . . tit! It is TIT!

Me: That is not the word.

Sally: Mrs. M it is! IT IS TIT!

And so on. It truly made me feel like I have made an impact.

Story the Second: The other name for donkeys.

There is a portion of my day where I assign the kids independent work while I pull kids for interventions. You know. Like when Sally is arguing with me that i-t spells tit? Those kind of interventions-and they are clearly making a difference. But, I digress.

We use this website called EPIC! and it is great. I assigned the kids a book on a certain habitat. They can either read it themselves, or have the computer read it to them. I did a poor job previewing the book in its entirety and did not pick up on the fact that EPIC has decided to tell the kids that one of the animals is a jacka**. Which is a bad word, yet also an alternative name for a donkey.

Fun!

So, the kids are doing their thing and hands are going up telling me the book is saying a bad word, and I have to explain myself to a group of six year olds who are wondering why I am exposing them to such filth.

Life goes on.

Over the next few days, something strange starts to happen during this intervention block of time. Now, I love this time, mostly because the room is QUIET and I get to work one on one with kiddos. So I am doing my thing, and over the next couple of days, out of nowhere, a computer voice pierces through the silence and says one word:

Jacka**.

And I feel like I am losing my mind, trying to figure out who is doing it and what is happening.

This goes on for about three days.

Finally, I figure out what is happening. One of my boys is going back to that book, replaying it, and unplugging his headphones at the exact moment the computer reads the word-

Jacka**.

And when I confronted the little lad on the situation, he burst into tears and told me “the computer made me do it.”

So. That was a fun few days.

Alright. Happy Monday!