New Rules

We are going to need some new rules around this farm. 
Rule #1:  Always have a camera ready.
Rule #2:  Always have a leash for each dog.
Rule #3:  Don't assume that everything under the apricot tree is a squirrel.

This morning when I let the dogs out, Jasmine bypassed her usual routine of making me pet her furiously and was off sniffing the pasture with serious determination.  That should have been my first clue.  I fed and watered the goats and headed out for the paper like any other morning.  By now, Jasmine was sniffing between the big bales of hay stacked in the yard, but she followed me down the lane.  We always walk past the apricot tree to get down the road and my dogs have spent the summer chasing squirrels while I walk a ways and then they catch up to me.  So, this morning when they took off at full speed, I thought, "Hmmm, I didn't hear the squirrel chirp".   I thought that there was actually something in the trap (which I had checked earlier and saw was empty) or they had found a cat.  Neither option would have been good, but it was something all together different.  Turkeys!!!  A LOT of them !!!  Wings flapping, squawking, flying frantically into the tree from what had been a good breakfast, I bet.   It was a sight!  Jasmine chased a hen and some smaller chicks right towards me.  It was 5 seconds of absolute chaos and then it was all calm.  Birds in trees and dogs contained at my side.  I called Boyd and calmly and clearly asked him to bring me the camera and two leashes.   I can talk normal when a cat isn't being shredded by my dogs.  I tried to get a good picture of the turkeys hanging out on various limbs of the tree, but they wouldn't have it and all flew off.   As awkward as those birds might look, they are fast and agile!

Rule #4:  Boyd, to avoid further embarrassing situations,  should just get dressed before I go out to do my chores :)