farm animals

a quick visit at the donkey's stable...
every time i see the kids interacting with animals i'm wonderfully taken back into my own childhood.
having grown up on a farm, life with farm animals was just a given. the cycle of life is what i know, baby animals of course were a big spectacle for me. there were piglets, calf's, puppies, kitties, chickens, rabbits....
feeding. petting, loving and playing with them, as well as saying good by when the time comes.
i remember vividly when my rabbits, which i loved and cared for were scheduled to be put down and prepared for meals. i knew that they will be on our dinner table soon and that was ok for me. my sister in contrast was struggling and did not eat any of that delicious stew.
that's the cycle of life and it was hard sometimes to let go of an old cow which we led to the pasture for years and years but was just too old and frail now. or the piglets who were so sweet and funny to watch for hours, but some of them just didn't make it. now i know how much i learned, how much i was given in growing up so close to the the soil. thank you to my farmer parents!