Spring Collection 2012: Cute farm animal edition

This is my fourth annual spring collection. Past editions have featured eggs, insects and birds. But mostly, they've featured lots and lots of buds and blooms. This year is different. We'll call it the mammal edition. It features gratuitously-cute lambs, grazing goats, munching calves, one confused poodle and, last but not least, a duck. We also have accompanying videos included for the first time ever. All brought to you courtesy of the Erb Farm in Iowa.

Lambs

Jesus understood the power of lamb references. And Sunday School teachers have been milking them for all they're worth for 2000 years since then. With 41 lambs born this season, there was no shortage of little signs of Easter running around:

Here's the 50 seconds of cuteness that led up to that photo:

The lambs really look up to Daddy Ram:

But there's nothing like trotting besides momma:

Fortunately, lambs are pretty durable, as this one proves when he gets mowed over by a slightly older sibling:

There are many more lamb photos where those came from.

Poodle

Then, of course, there is Snerdly, the poodle who thinks he's a sheep:

He seems to have at least one lamb fooled:

 Goats

Unfortunately, Jesus was a little harder on the goats in his stories, at least when it came to heaven and hell. But when a billy goat climbs up on the fence asking for a head rub, you really can't hold it against them:

The nanny goats were pretty cute too:

Calves

This spring there's a new generation of steers on the farm:

They were pretty focused on eating when I stopped by for a visit:

Here's the same idea in 8 second video form:

And last year's crew are still around as well:

Duck

As promised:

Tim Nafziger is passionate about gathering people with shared values to work together for change in our communities and our world. One such space is Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) where he works as interim assistant director. Tim lives with his wife Charletta in the Ojai Valley in southern California where they connect with Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministires. Tim has written chapters in Widening the Circle: Experiments in Christian Discipleship; Fear or Freedom?: Why a Warring Church Must Change; and 118 Days: Christian Peacemaker Teams Held Hostage in Iraq. His photo portfolio is at timnafziger.com.

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