A Well Beaten Path

To say I have learned a lot from having animals as part of my family would be a complete understatement. I really don't know how to convey to you what they have taught me, explained to me, evoked in me, and showed me. As of late, the farmer and I have been most entertained by the cliches, sayings, phrases, etc that are so common to us all and yet, really not fully understood until you see where so many of them originated- in farm animals. I'm not sure if 'well beaten path' came from the farm, but I wanted to show it to you all, in its most primitive form. We have a 5 acre pasture for the jersey heifer, the 3 goats and the 2 remaining chickens. Everyone but the chickens have literally worn a path that goes along the fence line through the pasture. This is the path they take every morning as they journey down to the woods, and every afternoon as they make their way home for dinner. Sure, they wander out into the grassy area to graze and rest, but when they are walking, by golly they are on the path. Talk about 'creatures of habit'! Our Native American Brown Dog, Mallory, also has a pathway that she takes out the back door. You can't see it as well because she weighs a mere 42 lbs compared to the animals in the pasture who probably totaled together are about 750 lbs. Take a look at the well beaten path :)






This is Mallory the dog's path




I just had to put the stinker in there, she hardly would let me take these pictures!