Cooks Corner

Farm Animals and Gates

Gates are there to keep the animals where they belong, but we humans tend to be lazy and think that we can get by without shutting them when we are “only going to be a minute” before we come back. I don’t care if the livestock is anywhere near the gate—they will somehow know it is open. Add to that the fact that nothing on a farm is done in “just a minute,” and it is a recipe for disaster.

It happens here often. A person would think that we would learn to always close the gate, but somehow we always think they won’t notice it this time. Many times we have chased cows, goats, horses and, early in our lives, sheep and pigs back into the pen/pasture.

Case in point:

Sugar the milk cow could and would open gates even when they were latched, unless the gates was chained and the chain had a snap on it to secure it. Rick made wonderful latches for our yard gates from mule shoes. It took her about five minutes to figure out that she could flip that latch up with her horn and push the gate open. We stored the chicken feed in barrels inside the yard, and it only took her a few more minutes to open the barrel and get into the chicken feed.

Years ago I had a pony named Candy. My cousin Cathy also had a big horse named Candy, so mine got called Candy-Pony. She was a sweet little thing. One summer she was close to foaling, and to keep her away from my other mare that was kind of a mean thing to her, we put her in the yard around the house that was fenced. She foaled, and a few days later a thunderstorm blew up. Being overly cautious, I was looking out the back door to make sure the baby was all right. It didn’t take him long to see that open door and run right into the house, where her promptly hopped up on the couch. When Candy-Pony realized she couldn’t see her baby, here she came too. About that time mom came out of the back room and noticed a foal curled up on the couch with his pony mom watching over him. They went back out pretty quick when she saw them.

Now we have Bonsai, the old gentlemen. He doesn’t open the gates, but if they are left open he will certainly take advantage of them. Just the other day I found him with his head in the shed where I have been keeping the baby chick feed. I chased him out of the yard and thought he was gone, so I went after another load of wood. When I came back, he was back in there, too. So the next time I closed the gate behind me.

Shutting gates is inconvenient, but it does keep the animals and the plants and even the house safer.

I like eggnog, but not the really thick stuff from the store. Here is an alternative, and as an advantage it makes one serving. It can be made richer by substituting half of the milk with heavy cream or half and half.

Eggnog by the mug

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 cup cold milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Cracked ice

Sprinkle of nutmeg

Beat egg, sugar and salt together, add cold milk and vanilla. Pour over cracked ice and sprinkle with nutmeg. Enjoy.