fourrage

Photo of the puppies (beneath my son's legs) with their little identity tags (having just returned from the vet). Read today's picture story "Puppy Fodder" in which Braise-The-Dog and I offer up our ears, fingers, and toes to the Puppy Gods... before they go. (This is their last week with us...)

Never miss a post! Sign up for free delivery of this French word journal. Enter your email address in the box, upper right column.

le fourrage

    : fodder

Audio File and Example Sentence Download Wav or MP3

Le fourrage est, en agriculture et élevage, une plante, ou un mélange de plantes, cultivée pour ses parties végétatives... Fodder is, in agriculture and breeding, a plant, or a mix of plants, cultivated for its vegetative parts. (Example from French Wikipedia)

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

PUPPY FODDER

Kids! Every parent knows that caring for them can be an all-consuming activity, that is, when the kids are not busy consuming you.

Yesterday, Braise and I, exhausted after 7 weeks... and 14 years (respectively) of child-rearing, decided to GIVE IN.  And so we collapsed on the front porch and put up our figurative white flags.

With that... the puppies rushed forth in victory!

After getting our ears, noses, fingers, and toes chewed on... and our shirts and fur slobbered on... on a eu assez*... That's when we decided to play dead in order to get these puppies off our heads!

(Photo, below: Braise, in the background, feigns la mort.* I follow suit, protecting my face just in case...)

Braise is a natural. Just look at her play dead...

In my case, the puppies aren't buying it -- though one stops to feel my pulse with her paws.....

After a bit of ceremonial concern (short-lived sympathy on their part) ... the puppies now esteem... that it is time to revive the drama queens. Let's get their ears! Let's pull on their hair! (Braise, in the background, continues to play dead, unfazed by the toutou* torture...)

The victor! (Actually, there were six of them. Each got his/her turn to rise to the sky as Champion, glorified. 

***
Have you ever let a band of puppies run all over you? Comment here. If not, I urge you to add this to your 10 things to do in 2010 list! (You are making that list aren't you? Why not share a few of the items with us, here? I could use a few ideas for my list. Thanks in advance for the inspiration!)

Also: if you are planning on attending the American Library in Paris event this Wednesday, Oct 7th, then please be sure to let me know so that I might look for you!

~~~~~~~~~French Vocabulary~~~~~~~~
on a eu assez = we'd had enough; la mort = death; toutou = doggie