Different strokes

Unlike the annoying song, There's A Hole In The Bucket, that was stuck in my head for days, I've had another, much more pleasant children's song tap dancing in and out of my cerebellum for days -  maybe weeks.  Did you know the word cerebellum is Latin for "little brain"?  I sang this song in my elementary school chorus and I've probably sung it thousands of times since.  It has stayed with me most of my life.  I doubt you'll be surprised at the song. 

If we could talk to the animals, just imagine it
Chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee
Imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah
What a neat achievement that would be.
If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages
Maybe take an animal degree.
We'd study elephant and eagle, buffalo and beagle,
Alligator, guinea pig, and flea.
We would converse in polar bear and python,
And we could curse in fluent kangaroo.
If people asked us, can you speak in rhinoceros,
We'd say, "Of courserous, can't you?"
If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages
Think of all the things we could discuss
If we could walk with the animals, talk with the animals,
Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,
And they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to us.

I spend much of my day talking to my animals and I doubt they really know what I'm saying any more than I know what they're thinking, but I know there's some connection - some comfort we find in each other's company - some understanding of noises.  Most days (not all) I find milking my goats or cow meditative.  Milking, petting or watching my animals is probably one of the most relaxing things I do in my day. 

I've learned though, this isn't something that everyone would find relaxing.  I know some people who don't like being massaged.  I can't even fathom how someone could not like a massage but I have friends who hate it so it must be a personal preference, like foods..... like wanting to talk to animals.

James loves his vegetable gardens and green house.  I think he finds working in them meditative.  He probably talks to his plants.  Maybe he has a gardening song tap dancing in his much larger brain.  I don't know the Latin word for "big brain".  I can assure you I've never had a gardening song stuck in my head.  Maybe because gardening is not something I find enjoyable.  I actually find it to be a four letter word, W-O-R-K.  

I told a friend today that I'd love for James to milk Raisa and see how relaxing it is.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that he might find milking to be a four letter word if he had to do it every day.  This brings to mind another song.