Fionna Goosefeathers II reports,,,

Greetings and a hearty honk, honk, dear reader!.

Tis I, Fionna Goosefeathers II,
 standing in today for the intrepid gossip columnist,Mavis Mudd . Mavis is indisposed and has taken a leave of absence in order to raise her 2 new baby chickpeas.

Of course, what Mavis does not know, is that those 2 chickpea eggs were slyly slipped into her nest by the Mistress of the Manor, whilst her ACTUAL eggs were snatched and turned into french toast batter! The Mistress confided in me that she didn't need any more little "mutt" chicks running about the place. So she sneakily replaced the mutt eggs with  big pink Buff eggs and  big brown Rhode Island Red eggs and Mavis took the bait! The odd thing is not so much that only 2 eggs hatched out of 20, but that Mavis Mudd did not even notice the "slight of hand"....(and she thinks she is sooo smart!)

  (Oh my, I am really beginning to get the hang of this gossip writing!)

Maybe we should call her Mavis MUTT!!! Ha, ha... I think I do have a real knack for this.

Well , at least Mavis has had a chance to raise yet ANOTHER family. While I, alas, seem destined to remain a spinster... and I am almost 1 year old!

My dreamboat Hamish has been stringing me along with all his talk of running away together to "live happily ever after" in the cattails.

The fact is. he is a wanderer,

and would much rather hang with his buddies, swill a few jugs of aged creekwater and gamble on crawdad races. And when he does accompany me on a swim  UP  and DOWN Wee Minnow Brook, his buddies insist on coming along!

How can a poor little goose girl have romance when her dearly beloved is one of the 3 Musketeers?

Not only that, I don't like the way they all ogle those Canadian Geese Ladies as they fly overhead....it is simply indecent!  

  Oh why, oh why, do I love him so??!!

 It must be that magnificent profile.....

.

It is a good thing I have these teen aged orphaned ducks to look after...

they really need a stern hand....er.. foot. They are such little hooligans, it is all I can do to keep them from running a muck... the Mistress calls them the "wattle and a quack, quack gang".

 It seems that love is in the air, the bluebirds have been checking out all the available real estate for nest building...

 There are plenty of houses available

.And plenty of bird folk flying high above to fill those houses...

I wonder what it is like to fly, My wings will only take me 2 feet off the ground and cover a distance of 6 feet.  It is like hopscotch in the air... Oh, I do wish I could fly.

 The Mistress potting shed has turned into a nursery for sitting hens.... she is quite perturbed, I can tell you.

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"There are 4 nesting boxes up in that big beautiful barn and  you girls choose to sit in my pine needle mulch!"

"That's right, cackled Plain Jane Black, beneath her breath," We know a cozy spot when we see it."

Say, didn't Jane just raise 4 youngsters less than 3 months back.... what gives??

  
And now for the sad news,

Poor little Jangles has lost his sweetheart MIA

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They were mates for two years and one night she mysteriously disappeared.. Just like Winston did one week earlier! Oh dear... it makes me worry that someday I may just disappear.... in the dead of night.... and never be heard of again.... and then, AND THEN, what will become of the "wattle and a quack, quack gang"??!! It sends shivers up and down my back feathers.

  Jangles is so terribly distraught WITH HIS LOSS, that the Mistress is purchasing for him 3 new wives!!!

But they will never take the place of our dear MIA. 

While the Peabody boys have just realized that they have no one to woo.. but chicken ladies...

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 Hans has a better plan.

He is sending away for a mail order bride via the Sears and Robuck catalog,. Not exactly where I would shop for a mate... but what do  I know,  I am just a little spinster goose in love with a cad. 

 Well, that just about covers the important gossip this week. This is Fionna Goosefeathers II, keeping my ears and eyes open till we meet again.

Animals Christmas

"The animals gave Him a Manger bed,

 Gathering near as Christ was born;

And as he smiled and blessed their love, 

The animals spoke on Christmas morn.

 And now, on every Christmas Eve,

 a wondrous miracle takes place, 

 And the animals speak amongst themselves,

 Of the love that shone from Jesus face."

old folk song

  This is artwork I did several years ago. It is a painted papercutting otherwise known as scherenschnitte. I painted this in a very folksy style, which was my forte for many years. I have always liked the stylized angels and the Star of Bethlehem.

 But of course, for me, it is the animals that are most fun to create. Little did I know when I designed this piece, that  most of the animals featured in the picture, would become my little friends in my real life.

The donkey, goats, sheep ,cats, red dog and chickens all currently reside in our big green barn on the hill.

I am quite sure they will gather on Christmas eve amid the scent of fresh straw and cedar boughs, and tell a miraculous tale of a long ago night in a faraway land.

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    This Christmas eve, when all is still and the stars glimmer in a clear wintry sky, I plan on silently hiding in a cozy corner of the green barn. I long to hear my animals speak in hushed voices, telling the story of an Animals Christmas.

 

Blond Bombshells and handsome young dandys....

    I have been waiting for these lovely ladies for a few months, blond bombshells every one of em! 

Or maybe they are redheads.... well, no matter.

  These lovely little buffs are the ones you always see running through the farmyard or the village in any Masterpiece Theater Period Movie.
And no wonder! They are divine actresses, loaded with personality, and oh so lovely with  their little rosy faces and pretty pink legs.

    Mine are only 3 months old but when they are full grown, they will be ever so fluffy and fat and feminine. Except of course the rooster. He will be  grandiose and manly. They will lay lots of huge eggs! I can't tell them apart yet, but they have names anyway: Demelza, Prudi, Verity, Elizabeth and Connie. OH , and of course, the rooster is POLDARK .In case you don't recognize any of those names, they are characters from a  series of historical novels by Winston Graham called "Poldark" and a1975 BBC television series based on the books. I just loved those stories.

  And these are our new dandys.... Only 1 year old and not sprouting tail feathers as yet. If they turn out half as wonderful as their daddy, they will be beautiful grownups.

This is the DADDY

    They certainly haven't exhibited much personality yet. They just sort of sit up on their big log perch and look down upon we mere mortals. 

 But Look at the GREAT OUTFITs these youngsters are wearing:

Little white pantaloons, stripy black and white stockings, a green irridescent turtleneck, a multi-colored coat and tails and a splotchy, polka dotty sorta- like vest. And a sporty little headpiece! Such Dandys!

   I am guessing they just aren't used to their new home. They have been living in a pen only 5'x10' for a year. Now, they have acres to roam and a huge barn to enjoy. I am so happy to give them a good home. We named them Gus and Woodrow ( Lonesome Dove). I know these aren't elegant names like Shakespeare or Alexander or Lord Byron , names  worthy of a Peacock. But they are named in remembrance of a pair of TURKEYS I once had.

   Those turkeys ran away.... into the woods.... lookin for love..... with the wild turkey ladies!  I am pretty sure they lived happily ever after, since I saw about 11 young turkeys in our meadow a few month later.... they looked quite domestic.  But I do miss their gobbley little voices.

 But.... this guy is pretty special too.

The Handsome one......

     Hello, My name is Winston.... actually, I prefer Sir Winston.

 I admit, I am a rather handsome fellow...

From all angles...

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The masculine pompadour atop my noggin is quite stylish.

  The ladies just love it.

The brunettes and the blondes....

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They just can't get enough of my debonair and sophisticated presence.

 That cute little platinum blond is quite a dish, but that pesky little Jangles has her wrapped around his little webbed tooties.

  He has a pompadour too.

But it's not as nice as mine 

 

Yeah, I'm the big dog around this pond.....

 WEll, maybe not THE big dog....

But, HE doesn't have a pompadour.

 And we don't call him Sir..

Saying goodbye to friends.

      It is unfortunately inevitable, that when so many creatures dwell in one place, disaster can sometimes strike. Perhaps intruders enter our world bringing chaos, which racks the peace of our happy little Hollow. Such was the case this last week when we lost two members of our farm family to wandering marauders. I have lost many little animal buddies in my  life as a friend to all creatures great and small, and each loss brings a sadness that can only be relieved by remembering the good times.  Even what some would think of as the slightest of lives, are still, lives to be lived to the fullest. When I lost several ducks last year due to a "road accident", my son asked, " Why are you so sad mom? They were JUST ducks."  But those little ducks were the busiest, happiest little creatures I ever had the pleasure to meet. They marched along with such purpose and delight , snapping up bugs as they trekked along with a waddle and a quack-quack through my gardens. They were always at the ready when I grabbed my shovel to plot out a new flower bed, just waiting for the next fat tasty grub. I loved those little ducks!  I grieved for them, I cried for them having had, such short lives.... but then I realized what happy little lives they had been, their days filled to the brim doing all the splishy, splashy, ducky things

                                  

    So many cats, birds, goats, sheep and dogs I have known and loved. Many have been inspirations for my art and stories. Sometimes they had but a brief stay on this earth. But it gives me some consolation to know that I tried to give them a loving home and  the freedom to live their lives according to their animal natures. I know fellow animal lovers understand this, for I am sure you too, have lost a dear little friend at one time or another.

                                    
 So, on a lighter note, here's to you, Pearl and Naomi, It was such a pleasure to know you my dear, Ornery goat gals!

Naomi, you used to make me so mad. There was not a fence made, that could keep you in. If the fence was too tall to jump, no problem, just give it the full body slam till it bends to your will, then walk on over. Fence too strong to bend? No problem, just get down on all fours and go underneath, it's a breeze! Naomi invented the quote, " The grass is always greener on the other side, fruit trees taste like heaven, (even the bark!), pink roses are ambrosia with a slightly piquant flavor, and ornamental Mulberry trees make a tasty dessert."  But that's okay, Naomi, even though I  chased you around the yard with a broomstick, I still loved you and  you always got a hand full of crackers at the end of the day, along with all the other goat-gals.

 Pearl, you came to live with me when you were only 4 weeks old! I bottle fed you and your twin and you had a voracious appetite.

 What a clever goat you grew up to be. Why, you were ever so helpful when we built the barn. You measured for the walls

and you swung your hammer with the best of em...
 You can read about Pearls excellent carpentry skills in post dated 10/28/09
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What a lovely little face you had...

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Pearl and Opal

Good bye Naomi and Pearl, I am so glad we knew you, I will miss you my little goat gals.