Aullwood farm baby

 Saturday, March 14 2011.  A bit rainy last Saturday at the Farm Babies Festival at Aullwood Farm, but if you were wearing sensible shoes and proper rain gear, then you would have got along just fine.

Wish I were one of those kind of people.

But no matter. In the end I didn’t actually sprain my ankle and with enough hairspray in the coif, I was able to repel the rain as if I were wearing a motorcycle helmet. My excuse for forsaking all my scout leader training (Be prepared!)?  Well, this was the day after Micron’s turn-in at CCI and my humble brain was still processing things. Yeah, I’m going with that. It sounds more robust than just another over-40 moment, I think.

Looks like Bullet’s down for a nap. The energizer puppy, however, is still going strong.

Aullwood stationed our CCI booth in a great spot, under the shelter of a hack berry tree and deliciously downwind of the kettle corn guy.  Yaxley and his fellow fuzzy friends, Bullet, Julee and Bonnie, spent the day giving out free puppy hugs to all who stopped by. 

This was Yaxley’s first big public outing. When we showed up to help out at the CCI info table, I said we would only stay as long as the pup could handle things. At the first sign of the puppy equivalent of a meltdown, I would take the little feller home. The little delicate flower that he is and all.

You’re kinda missing the belly, kid, but this’ll work too

So it seems the first to give out were my poor hapless feet in those idiotic sandals. But the puppy? Still happily building his new fan base.  Then I start to worry about how bad my hair actually looked. A hand drill wouldn’t even break through that hairspray force field now.  So, Yax my love, ready to go?  No. No he’s not. Things to smell, kids to lick, grass to eat.

We lasted right through to late afternoon, that little stinker. We only left when we did, because I was getting nervous about having to walk the half mile back to the car in those flippin’ shoes.  Gettin’ out while the gettin’ is good, you know.

Bring ’em on!  Is that all ya got for me?

Before we left Aullwood, we did take a quick tour of the barn so Yaxley could enjoy a full sensory 3-D experience in odor-rama.  A little horse road apple here, some sheep stuff there. Again, I know this fragile little guy isn’t ready yet for the big time. We’re just shopping for smells, not rubbing noses with anybody here.

Except the pig actually. OK, so we’re rubbing noses with the pig. I didn’t see that fella until he stuck his juicy, quivering snout from the fence slats. Alrighty then, checking Kissed a Pig off the new experience list. 

Apparently, I’ve underestimated the confidence level of this little yeller feller. Yaxley has walked into every situation with tail held high and nose in the air. 

He’s up and ready for the next adventure. Food Lady, he says, I’m so bored. Let’s go do something!

Comparing who smells more delightful when wet. Dog or alpaca? I say either is an acquired taste, so to speak.

Bullet poses in the herb garden at Aullwood

I kinda like the smell of wet dog in the morning

The lovely Julee takes a much needed break

Oh yeah, at the Farm Babies Festival? There were for real farm babies there too. A pair of adorable eight-week-old kids that we though were badly bred poodles at first glance.

Trying to get a serious portrait type shot of Bullet. Realized later that he’s resting his dog bum on that rock.