Spot of Passion

~~~ "Passion :An eager outreaching of mind toward some special object ; intense affection ; fervid devotion ; " Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary~~~

~~~John and Deanne surely do exhibit passion for the animals they bring to this barn 'ANIMALS OF THE WORLD'. Every year they haul in a zebra, a zedonk, yak,watusi cattle, and a reindeer. They care for their animals and are excited to share them with people but also very protective of them. ~~~John and Deanne and her father, Stormy are also very supportive of the other people in the barn and their excitement and passion over their animals is infectious. How can you not love a baby Watusi steer, or the pretty yak getting walked by John or Deanne, or the cute little reindeer, Sugar...who needs John and Deanne to place a fan in front of her stall because even our cool fall weather is a bit too warm for a reindeer.

~~~This is one of John, Deanne and Stormy's zebras.~~~

~~~Here is Deanne with the grandchildren of another exhibitor, look, they are baby zebras ! Anyway, the other exhibitors here in this particular barn are passionate about the animals they bring to the fair. You can see it in their eyes and hear the excitement in their voices when they talk about the particular animal they love. ~~~Here is Jean Bates of Hemlock Highlands ,with two of her grandchildren. Look at her beaming over her grandchildren, and yes, she beams like that over her cattle. She has been here year after year for a few years now. Always happy to talk about her cattle, AND her grandchildren !

~~~A Highland calf. What a pretty calf, the shaggy hair and big eyes are heart warming.~~~

~~~Another of the Hemlock Highland calves.~~~ "One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested." E.M. Forster

~~~This is Kayla Nicholson with her miniature Brahma bull. Yes, a MINIATURE Brahma bull. His name is Gus and his breed is called a Zebu which is the African - Indian name for the Brahma. Gus was quite the attraction. He was friendly and cute. Kayla would cuddle him and you just know she and Gus are crazy about each other. Kayla is talking about getting Gus a female companion of the Brahma type. Kayla's eyes sparkle when she talks about her Gus and why she likes the breed. ~~~This is Stefani Millman. She and her husband Chris have the Dexter cattle. Dexters are called miniature cattle, but they are really small cattle. If I could have a cow I would like a Dexter. Just the right size and temperament and dairy output for a small holding. Just ask Stefani about her cattle. You can see her passion for the cattle. Her husband has started making cheese from the milk of their Dexter cow. Stefani brought in some fresh milk to the barn one morning and my oh my ! Tasting the milk from a Dexter makes me realize the milk from the supermarket is a poor substitute. The cream was richer and better than the super rich whipping cream I buy to add to my coffee. ~~~Tom and his wife Penny bring their fainting goats and Katahdin hair sheep every year. Penny also superintends the barn with 2 others. Their animals are well cared for and both Penny and Tom have very strong and passionate opinions about their breed, and the politics and culture trends in livestock. I appreciate a discussion from people who can express their passion about something and the pros and cons, and at the same time they will be beaming about their animals.

~~~Two of Tom's' Katahdin sheep.~~~

~~~Yeah, yeah, Goth. We know what you're passionate about ! ~~~

~~~"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." Ferdinand Foch ~~~" Is not life a hundred times too short to bore ourselves ? " F. Nietzsche

~~~When I talk to people I usually try to figure out just what motivates them to get out of bed in the morning ( or afternoon) and live ! Not just pass time or get by, but what makes them want to be part of life. Each of us needs a passion for something, or many things. Each of us needs to have passion for someone. Each of us needs to have passion for something we hope will endure and make some little difference in the world. Something that should MATTER. What is your passion ? Is your passion worthy of your time, thoughts, sacrifice ?

~~~May you find your passion leading you on the road to what really matters, and that is where you have the wonder, excitement, and joy of deciding just what that may be !~~~

Maybe Not Epic, But FUN !

~~~This is Sugar, the cute little reindeer my ram Goth likes to do the ram version of flirting with. Goth can see Sugar from his pen....she pays no attention at all to him. Poor Goth. He gets no respect from some of us. However he does impress much of the public and encourage a lot of remarks about all things 'rammy'. Isn't Sugar cute ? If we had enough property I would keep a reindeer or two around !~~~Here is a long view of part of my exhibit. You can see the ewes here and the back of our area. We do enjoy our time here and every year we visit with people who keep coming back to see us. What fun. And do you know, there are an awful lot of very interesting people out there in the world and some of them come through our barn and stop in to entertain us with their wit, knowledge, wonder, and smiles ! ~~~Here is Goth's pen at the fair. Poor Goth . We loaded him into a trailer this morning while it was still dark, tied him to the interior, and then put him in a small pen. Believe me, it is for his and our good he is in a small pen. I will talk about that in another post...but don't feel too sorry for Goth. And hey, he still flirts with Sugar the reindeer. ~~~Next to Goth's pen are the very tiny and very cute miniature donkeys. I want one...and I almost made a deal for one a few years ago, but Hubby said "NO" the way he does when he absolutely, positively, 100 % means NO ! So I get my fill of tiny donkeys while at the fair. ~~~This is Deanne and her Watusi, Alero. Alero has a calf that is sooo cute. Deanne also owns Sugar and a few other very popular animals here in the 'Animals of the World' barn. You would love Deanne and her crew.The human and the animal crew ! ~~~Stanley ! What can I say about Stanley ? Well, he is a camel with real personality, who loves people and pays attention to the crowds and is entertaining. I love to just stand and watch Stanley. He also draws big crowds. Stanley is a wonderful addition to our barn. Stanley is a pretty blue gray and the owner said he would give me some of Stanley's wool to spin. I am going to take him up on his offer. I wonder if I am allergic to camel . 2 years ago Deanne gave me some Yak to spin and my throat swelled up and I couldn't breathe .I am allergic to Yak. How would the average person know they are allergic to Yak ? Try putting THAT down on a medical form! ~~~This is one of our dear friends Pam's miniature horses. Pam and her husband Gregg usually have a huge crowd around their cute horses. Pam has a lot of tiny horses, and Pam has a lot of fun ! ~~~I get to feed Jewell, a Grant's Zebra. Jewell was pretty excited about the apple. I am allowed to go inside and pet these animals, and tomorrow they just might let me walk the Yak ! I got to walk the Yak around the barns a few times in previous years. What a thrill.I think the Yak is an animal I would like to have around our place even though I am allergic to Yak. They are pretty, calm, and somehow it makes me just feel good to be around them.

~~~Isn't Jewell pretty ? ~~~

~~~Well, I am off to bed. I have to get up early to be in the barn before 7:30 a.m. to clean my pens out and be ready for the public. Maybe I will see you at the fair tomorrow ! ~~~