School holidays · Shade Hunt

Mid-summer holidays, the shade moved and the farm moved with it — slowly.

Shade hunt, said Spike, ready to chase darkness across dirt. Suzy smiled the long-way smile.

Paris already understood. She stood where the tree would throw relief in ten minutes. Spike herded the shadow; the shadow declined to be cattle. Beijing pondered umbra. Denver was himself a high shade option. Nairobi tried two shadows and picked one. London queued in a sliver.

Little Thunder stood in sun to think about shade, then calmly walked to rails with a breeze.

Canberra adjusted the line around the tree because lines can bend for heat wisdom.

Teaching: hunt shade early, share it, do not crowd the only cool cow into a shove. Soft push for space. Water beside shade when you can.

Chooks owned coop shadow. Sheep made their own wool shade. Goats sought underside of tanks. Quails became leaf-litter.

Spike finally sat in Suzy’s predicted shade and admitted she had won the future again.

Folder this beside early light. Christmas manger Free story pairs well this week — no Santa, hay hush, then back to summer care.

Sit where the shade will be.