Pumpkin Patch Part One: The Animals
The best part of visiting a pumpkin patch is the farm animals! Everyone needs more farm animals in their life. They are peaceful and beautiful creatures.
I recently visited a delightful pumpkin patch in Kent, Washington. One of the pumpkin patch animals I encountered wasn't your traditional farm animal. He was a tortoise!
There is a lot to admire about a tortoise:
I was excited to see the goats at the pumpkin patch farm. I'm a sucker for goats! Why?
I always feel bad for birds that lost their ability to truly soar through the open air. What and amazing thing to be able to do and how sad to know your ancestors could do it but you could only dream about it. Luckily, chickens don't seem too mentally downtrodden about their lack of ability to take flight high in the air like an eagle or a hawk.
Out of all the animals that I encountered at the pumpkin patch farm, rabbits are the ones I am most familiar with. This is because at the rescue I work at, we have rabbits for adoption. I'll tell you a secret about rabbits. They look like sweet, gentle and docile little floppy moppets. But they are feisty! All of them! Some of course are more feisty than others. At the rescue, all the dogs get to play with other dogs. Most of the cats get to play with other cats. But the rabbits! They get into fights when they play! Fur everywhere! We had one rabbit at the rescue that was down right (but charmingly) mean! If you put her hand near her and she had no interest in you, she would punch your hand away. I don't know if this is true because I never encountered it myself, but according to rumor, she even growled! I can't help to admire a little, vulnerable prey animal with the will of a lion.
Pigs (or rather a pig) is another animal I encountered through working at the rescue. We had a pig for about two weeks before he went to live on an actual farm. He was so cool! When he was happy, he would wag his tail, just like a dog. He was really friendly and affectionate like a dog too. He would jump up on my legs to get attention. But unlike most dogs, his hard little hoofs pressing into my flesh really hurt! I had tons of bruises all up and down my legs. But, it was worth it. He also did this really cute thing where he would nuzzle his muzzle into you in a sweet and loving manner.
The pigs at the farm were equally full of character. The little black pig liked to stick his head through the fence and then wiggle his head around.
Donkeys are one of my favorite of all animals! What's to love about a donkey? Well, lots:
I recently visited a delightful pumpkin patch in Kent, Washington. One of the pumpkin patch animals I encountered wasn't your traditional farm animal. He was a tortoise!
There is a lot to admire about a tortoise:
- Resourcefulness. Not everyone has the gumption to cart around a house on their back
- Patience. Lumbering so slow in life teaches the turtle to the importance of patience.
- Resilience. Turtles always have such resolute little expressions on their face. They are ready to overcome all challenges and turn defeat into an opportunity to rise above!
- A lust for the little joys of life. Walking so slow means you have the chance to notice all that's lovely in the world. A cloud shaped in a delightful way may go missed by someone zooming through life. A pretty little butterfly fluttering through the air will just blend into the background if you are speedy. Turtles get the chance to see the world around them.
I was excited to see the goats at the pumpkin patch farm. I'm a sucker for goats! Why?
- Their spirited personalities! I think goats are one of the jolliest of creatures. They so fully embrace play and mischief. I love it!
- Their fun loving outlook on life! They see possibilities everywhere!
- Their bravado...or BAAAvado.
Cows are such gentle eyed and beautiful creatures. This cow definitely had a sweet curiosity to her personality. I was pretty charmed by her fluffy ears and round eye spot (like a dog in an old movie.) She peeked her head out of the barn area first to say 'hello' but behind her lay her lazy family. The dad cow had a bit of a grimace to his face. They are an interesting duo: Sweet natured lady, slightly grumpy dude. Who will their baby take after? It is just to early to tell.
The sheep were enjoying munching on all the hay. They sure know how to make a bunch of dry straw look delicious. Sheep are often admired for their wool and their ability to help sooth people into sleep when imagined jumping repetitively over fences, have so much more to them to be admired:
- Sweet but blunt. Sheep can be so sweet and loving. But I'll never forget the time a sheep head butted my dog! Luckily, my loving dog was okay, but the sheep just needed to communicate as clearly as possible that he was not interested in hanging out.
- Merry singers! They don't necessarily have beautiful singing voices, but they belt it out with jovial enthusiasm! They aren't self conscious that their voices don't sound like the voices of angels, because they know the joy of singing goes beyond sounding nice.
I always feel bad for birds that lost their ability to truly soar through the open air. What and amazing thing to be able to do and how sad to know your ancestors could do it but you could only dream about it. Luckily, chickens don't seem too mentally downtrodden about their lack of ability to take flight high in the air like an eagle or a hawk.
Out of all the animals that I encountered at the pumpkin patch farm, rabbits are the ones I am most familiar with. This is because at the rescue I work at, we have rabbits for adoption. I'll tell you a secret about rabbits. They look like sweet, gentle and docile little floppy moppets. But they are feisty! All of them! Some of course are more feisty than others. At the rescue, all the dogs get to play with other dogs. Most of the cats get to play with other cats. But the rabbits! They get into fights when they play! Fur everywhere! We had one rabbit at the rescue that was down right (but charmingly) mean! If you put her hand near her and she had no interest in you, she would punch your hand away. I don't know if this is true because I never encountered it myself, but according to rumor, she even growled! I can't help to admire a little, vulnerable prey animal with the will of a lion.
Pigs (or rather a pig) is another animal I encountered through working at the rescue. We had a pig for about two weeks before he went to live on an actual farm. He was so cool! When he was happy, he would wag his tail, just like a dog. He was really friendly and affectionate like a dog too. He would jump up on my legs to get attention. But unlike most dogs, his hard little hoofs pressing into my flesh really hurt! I had tons of bruises all up and down my legs. But, it was worth it. He also did this really cute thing where he would nuzzle his muzzle into you in a sweet and loving manner.
The pigs at the farm were equally full of character. The little black pig liked to stick his head through the fence and then wiggle his head around.
Donkeys are one of my favorite of all animals! What's to love about a donkey? Well, lots:
- Their oversized ears and spiky mohawk hair hide a very wise soul. Just look at donkey's eyes! They are deep thinkers. They are philosophizers! They are introspective seekers of truth!
- Kind yet sassy. It is one of my all time favorite combos in both humans and animals. Donkeys are kind and gentle creatures, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to sand up for themselves.
- A keen sense of their own individuality. Donkeys are thought of stubborn because they know their own hearts.
The animals at the pumpkin patch farm all had their unique charm. I have to say, they really all are so patient to put up with us humans, not just for coming to stare at them but for all the antics we constantly inflict. We are lucky to live in a world full of patient, wise-souled animals.