Punxutawney Mule

Well, my shadow's comin' in loud and clear this morning, February 2nd, 2010, but what I can say is that we are about due for some winter here in Western Washington after an unusually warm January. Record high temps have meant that, A), my blanket has been off more often than not, which has resulted in some excellent rolling conditions, and B), the floodwaters have been very modest in Wickersham, which has meant that we have not had a rousing game of Wild Mules of the Camargue in quite a while. Alas.

Global warming? Perhaps. We may find that this warming trend results in Californification of the region by 2020, which would have a terrible impact on local flora, fauna, and snowboarders. It would, however, result in the possible Californification of our housing market, which would mean that Mr. and Mrs. FarmWife could sell this little slice of heaven and buy that 40 acres they've always wanted. They've already got their mule, after all . . .

The alternative scenario would be immediate human action to reverse global warming, which might mean embracing advances in clean energy technology. Another option would be to forget this "progress" business and revert to a simpler life in America. I'm seeing mule drawn carriages lining Interstate 5, the Deihl Ford car lot given over to orchard grass production, and a widescale repurposing of all automobiles as hay storage units.

I hope you guys have a lovely groundhog's day, folks! Hug your local groundhog for me. Since I don't have access to a rodent here at Bent Barrow Farm, I'm going to hug the FarmWife's lagomorphesque mini-mule and call it a day.