Hello, 4o South News-ers!
Dorene here, hope this tale will give you some warm fuzzies on this brutally cold day!
I belong to a chat list for people who own and raise rare Heritage turkeys. These are birds that exist in very small numbers which are all that remain of the Pilgrim’s birds. It is, naturally, a rather small list, but we are a very close knit group and I have been on it for three years now and have forged many strong friendships with many of the members.
My friends Nancy and David, who raise Narragansett turkeys, live in Boston, which just hit a record 100 inches of snow this morning. See, it could be worse!
Another member also lives in MA and raises Llamas along with her turkeys. I named her the PolyTech Pajama Llama Momma as she just had a little Cria (baby Llama) born on her farm. She dried it off and dressed it in Polartec Pajamas (I think that is a trade marked item) to keep it warm.
My dear friend Denise, however, is sweltering with her two Bourbon Red turkeys in the midst of a wretched South African summer. Hopefully that image should at least warm some of you up. This news did not help friend Willow in Montana, however, so if it does not have any warming effects on your fingers that doesn’t top wrapping them instead around a steaming cup of hot chocolate or Starbucks, you are not alone.
Friend April in Washington is enjoying unseasonably warm and sunny weather. She has sent her sympathies and best wishes to stay warm to us here in St. Louis. She resides in the Pacific Northwest/British Columbia area where many there are chiming in and sharing tales of early flowers and blooming treas, and funny amorous turkey tales. Or shall I say tails? Well, perhaps not, if this is a family blog.
Encouraged by her bravery, a new member from Northern CA, ironically named Sunny, announced this morning with glee the hatching of her first Lavender poult. A poult is a baby turkey and Lavenders are another rare Pilgrim breed of turkey.
Those of us in our Anoraks are demanding pictures of Mom and chick among sunshine and flowers. I promise to pass them on so that we can stay inspired.
So cheer up, St. Louisans – just keep in mind spring is occurring somewhere and will soon be here,
bBrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr – stay warm, everybody,
Dorene, Dorene Olson, Animal Behavior and Training