We were over at the Young's Farm the other day and someone offered our kids a pony. A free pony! Now, it's true we do have a barn, and could probably move the bikes currently parked in the two stalls. It's also true that Gavin has repeatedly invited "his" cows to come visit him at his house, and the Youngs have made it clear that we're welcome to take a steer calf home any time we want. But a pony? Fortunately, Austin managed to gracefully decline before Lucy started getting any fantasies about sparkly tail gel and pony hoof-toenail polish (thanks a lot, Aunt Christina!). We really enjoy having the Youngs up the road, with cows and horses and chickens and dogs and (pretty soon) pigs for our kids to love. But the best part is that we don't have to take care of the animals ourselves!
Gavin and Lucy feeding the "Mama Cows" in their barn coats and Wellie boots.
I thought about starting Charlotte's Web again . . . Lucy loved it the first time . . . but with the piglets arriving in a few weeks that may not be such a good idea. For one thing, I'm not about to let Lucy bring home a runt to dress up and wheel around in a baby carriage, like Fern did with baby Wilbur. For another thing, the Young's pigs are going to end up as bacon, no matter how talented the local farm spiders may be. The kids haven't quite grasped that when we go McDonald's then go to visit the baby calves at the farm, they are witnessing the beginning and end of a food cycle. Maybe we should let them stay in the dark a bit longer.
