Funny Faces

We had to take one of our dogs, Jem to the vet the other day when we noticed she had done something to her eye.

(This is Jem)

After the vet had inspected her and was talking to us about what might be wrong, Jem sat down and looked up at me. And after a few moments, I realized that I was making faces at Jem that were very similar to the ones that I make at Princess P in an effort to get her to smile and entertain her. As if my dog would react to my silly smile. I have no idea if anyone else noticed, but I sure did. And I felt kinda silly. And I began to wonder how often I make those faces at Princess P out in public...

Funny how my actions have changed in the short time I've been a mom. And how really, I don't much care.

How can I when this is the response I get?

Jem should be fine by the way. At least her eye should be. She might be scarred from my ridiculous faces though. :)

Oh, the Life...

of a dog. It sure seems sooo rough!

A Quick Update

Since I orginally posted, things have not gotten much better. We took Jasmine to the vets today (Monday) to have her leg looked at and were told that while they would try surgery, it was not hopeful. Once they opened her up, it was determined that the best thing for her was to amputate her leg...as she would be in pretty bad pain for the rest of her life if she still had her leg. I'm in shock and struggled with the decision all day. I hope it was the right one. I never expected this outcome, and while I have read amazing things about tripod dogs, it doesn't make it easier at the moment. I'm not sure when I'll be back to posting. Right now, I feel I need to hold all my animals closer and spend some more time with them. Jasmine will especially need quite a bit of attention when she returns home tomorrow.

A Sad Return

B and I are back from what was a wonderful and relaxing vacation. More to come on the vacation in a future post.

Unfortunately, the rest and happiness of the vacation did not last upon our return home. We returned to a horse with a hurt foot, Jasmine with a very hurt leg and urinary tract infection, fleas everywhere, our cat Maggie missing, and our cat Tears no longer with us. It was a lot to handle in the middle of the night when we returned home.

The next day did not get better, as we finally found Maggie and she was on the verge of passing away... She passed about 20 minutes after we found her, in my arms. We have no idea what happened. It was a bizarre situation, with no clear culprit...all I know is that it rather devastated me to see her in the state she was in, and to see her take her last breath.

Maggie was a very loving cat. I talked about her back in December when I was trying to help her get better. She never did get totally better, and because of this we had to make the decision to put her outside. It was not my first choice...I'm not a fan of outdoor cats because of what can happen to them, but B and I didn't know what else to do with a cat that had the runs on the floor multiple times a day. The vet didn't know what was wrong, and nothing we tried made her better. She seemed to do fine outside, although she would often try to run back in the house. She really just wanted to be with her people and that was the most important thing to her. She did not deserve what happened to her. I miss having her run at me every time I walk out the door.

Tears was also a very loving cat. She was found before we got home and buried before we could say goodbye. What happened to her is also a mystery. She ended up outside because she had a constant sneezy nose that resulted in snot everywhere. After months of trying to get her better, we couldn't take anymore and thought she could keep Maggie company. She seemed to adapt to the outdoors much easier and didn't seem to mind it as much. Her biggest problem was that she liked to sleep under cars. She loved our dog Jem, and loved us well.

It has been very difficult for me to come to terms with what happened while we were gone. These kitties were our babies, raised from very young and we put a lot of time and effort in to them. They were so loving and probably some of the friendliest cats I've ever had. I worried the most about our animals being ok while we were gone, and I so hoped we would return to all of them as we left them. It is difficult to know that our not being here as usual could have contributed to what happened. It is difficult to know that we planned our vacation with the understanding that our friend would be staying at our farm while we were gone and taking care of the animals...only to have said "friend" leave us hanging high and dry when the time came so we had to scramble to find someone who could at least drop in to check on them a few times a day. It makes me think that taking a vacation when you have a farm is almost impossible.

I am hurting for my animals.

Update.

Time is flying by and summer commitments keep me busy. I have a desire to write more, but with so much going on, I sometimes find it hard to find the time. Will I ever find it again? In the past few weeks, B and I have decided to try our hand at becoming meat goat farmers. We have acquired an additional 8 goats in the last few weeks and are busy learning the trade. On top of that, we had our nephew over for a few days, had to hook up electric fence to the horse pasture and I fell off the horse the other day.

Yes, I fell off the horse. After writing my last post, 2 days later, off I went. I guess you could say I had a feeling it was coming. I was actually working her with the person who trained her to try and get her to go past a part of our property that she would give me trouble at every time I rode her. I think in her mind, it was the point where she felt a little too far from "home" and wanted to turn around and go back to her herd. I was trying quite hard to keep her going in the direction I wanted to go, but it didn't quite work. In the process of her turning to go back and attempting to make a break for it, I fell. I didn't get bucked off this time, happily, but slid right out of the saddle. I went chest first into one of our fruit trees...so I bruised a few ribs and my knees. Problem with my little mare is that she is extremely quick. Her movements are so sharp that if you aren't paying attention or ready for it, it is very easy to fall. As I did. This last fall has left me a little scared I must admit. I tried to get back up in the saddle on Saturday, on our very broke horse, but had a bit of a panic attack. Maybe it was the fact I could still feel the pain in my ribs, or maybe it was the fact that he is soooo much taller. I don't know. But I know I just didn't feel comfortable riding. So, I'm taking a bit of a brake. B is going to be doing most of the riding until I feel more confident I guess. I'll get there, but it might take a bit.

We didn't see fireworks on the 4th (I can't remember the last time I saw fireworks...3 years ago?), which was a bit disappointing, but responsibilities called. Instead, B and I spent some quality time together, which is always nice.

Also nice? We are finally starting to get some veggies from our garden. I LOVE eating fresh veggies. Right night we are mostly getting onions and cucumbers, but the tomatoes should be ready soon. The problem we always have is the fact we have WAY too many cucumbers. Any ideas for good recipes? I've actually looked up a cucumber bread, and am going to try pickles again this year (last year, I failed miserably). But, I wonder if anyone has a standby recipe? Let me know, so I can make some good use of these cucumbers besides eating them cut up with ranch dressing!

Tomorrow, B and I are taking some time together to go and see:
I'm really excited and I hope it's good. We both love musical type things and plays. We thought the movie was pretty good (we love the music - the singing may not have been the best, but it was so funny!), so hopefully this will be just as good.

I'll let you know how it is when I post again! :)

A Riding We Go...

Wow, where did the month of June go? I feel like just yesterday it was getting warm out and I was anxious for the last day of school to come. Now, we are almost to July, a month that will bring a few small nights out for B and I, and a visit from my mom.

I realize that I never posted pictures of my horses and goats. I will do that sometime in the next week. This past month, we had two of our three-year olds broke. They finished about a week and a half ago, and now it is up to B and I to keep them going with their training. This has not been an easy process for either of us...especially me.

Three years ago, I adopted three, week-old foals from a rescue. I always wanted horses, but more to ride then to raise as babies (I was concerned with the amount of care they would need and the likelihood of death is so high). However, my friend convinced me to adopt these three. I waited and waited for them to be old enough to ride. At the time, they were up at the farm, and they stayed there even after B and I bought our farm, as there wasn't time to get them at first. As we were waiting to bring them down, we took in 4 more horses. Two young babies, one retired police horse, and one as a foster to be a friend to the police horse until we could bring my horses down. I was excited because we finally had horses that were old enough to ride.

I don't pretend to be an expert rider. In fact, I MAY be considered a novice, but probably more of a beginner. I have ridden several times, but never taken lessons. I sure read a lot about horses and riding when I was little because I was so obsessed with horses and wanted them so badly. But for the most part, I rode on vacations, and sometimes at friends houses. I often got the ridiculous horse that was stubborn, would take off for the barn, or even take me over a jump for no reason.

Regardless, I still loved horses and always wanted to have some so that I could ride them around and take them trail riding. Eventually, I got up on Teddy, the horse we were fostering. I was told when we took him in that while he would be antsy at first, all you had to do was be a little firm with him. So, the first time I rode him (with our friends who are horse people as well helping me out), he acted up and I tried my hardest to keep him in check. He tried to get me off a few times but didn't succeed. And he didn't settle down even after I was firm with him. But I stayed on. A few days later, I decided to try to ride him again. I went down to the barn while B was shucking corn, saddled him up and rode him down to the house. On the way down the driveway, I could tell that something wasn't quite right. He was acting antsy and being stubborn. Not bucking any, but acting weird. I finally got to the house and wanted B to hold him while I got off (Teddy was a huge horse, over 18 hands). B somehow didn't understand what I wanted and I eventually decided to turn back and get to the barn so I could get off. On my way back I noticed HUGE horse flies all around and figured this was probably what was bothering Teddy. He was still acting antsy and hadn't settled down at all in the few minutes I had been on him. We barely got to the driveway on the way back to the barn when he took off and started bucking. I tried hard to stay on. I knew I was next to a fence and was scared to death I was going to fall on it. Unfortunately, the saddle broke and down I went. I fell hard. I landed right on my back, hit my arm on the fence, and twisted my ankle...it somehow got stuck in the stirrup. I was in bad shape. I still hurt some today...my ankle never fully healed, and I have pain in my back...although I've had that pain for a long time and can't say it is from the fall completely.

I didn't ride for some time after. In part because I was recovering from the fall, and soon after, the rescue we were fostering Teddy for came and picked him up. Then it was winter, and we also only had one horse that we were able to ride.

Anyway, spring came and the babies turned 3, and it was decided it was time to break the two of them that were in the best shape. They did really well during the whole process. The trainer told us they learned very quickly and took to everything very easily. There were some things they were scared of, but after getting them through those obstacles, they always went. And now that they are done their training, it is up to me and B to keep them learning. We need to ride them several times a week so that they continue to be comfortable having a rider on their backs. I realize that this is probably not the most recommended way to go. Two beginner riders on two beginning horses. They would probably learn better with someone who fully knows what they are doing. But, it is hard to find someone around here that would take them for as long as would be needed.. And I'm unfortunately, extremely attached to these beauties that I've had since they were days old. Which makes it very difficult for me to get rid of them and move on to horses that are older and more broke. So right now, B and I are trying to to stay on top of them and ride them as much as we can.

Unfortunately for me, the fall I took last year has left me kind of scared and unsure of my riding. It isn't that I don't know how to ride, but I am incredibly scared of falling off again. The pain is too fresh in my mind. And I have no doubt that I will end up falling off again at some point. Getting over these fears is not the easiest on a horse that is green broke. I'm currently riding our mare, Sugar, who is a bit more high-strung it seems, then the gelding we broke, Trucker. She is very quick to move and really has a mind of her own. She wants to go her own pace and when I want her to slow down, she doesn't always want to listen. I know she is still learning. I know that things are going to scare her, and she is going to do things I don't like. My problem is staying calm during those times. And I've been having a really hard time doing that. I'm scared and I don't know how to get past it really. (And, I've gotten back on the horse, so I know that's not it!).

Teddy, the horse that bucked me off. A big, beautiful boy.

Sugar and Trucker (I don't have any more recent pictures), the two we broke. Sugar is the one I'm riding. At least she is a bit smaller then the last one!

Pictures

Since I'm still a bit overwhelmed, I thought I'd do a picture post. Enjoy these "sights around the farm"!Our handsome boy Striker, who is just about a year old now. He still has a lot of growing to do and is the biggest lovebug!

Three of our first batch of chicks. They have grown so much. Very friendly and good chicks.

Our rooster, Elvis, cock-a-doodling. He does it throughout the day, not just in the morning!

The new pup, Khloe, already growing fast and a great joy. She has a wonderful disposition.

Our handsome boy Bolt, who like his brother is just about a year. Can't wait for that winter coat to get all the way out!

Coming up for Air...

Once again, things have been unbearably busy around here. I've barely had time to sleep or think or just relax.

Last week included a full week of subbing, and a FLOOD. Yes, a flood. The rain has been almost non-stop the last week a half. Therefore, the ground couldn't take anymore, and our backyard looked like this:
The creek that runs all along our property and is normally so low you can walk across it.

The water was rising so quickly that the place where I originally stood that was dry, was wet only a few minutes later!

And a video of the rushing water:

We actually got flooded in as the drive that leads to our driveway was flooded. The school had a 2-hour delay. Happily, none of it reached our house, but this was our first flood here.

Then, on Saturday morning I flew out to Pennsylvania for a friend's wedding, where we had fun and stayed up too late. I got up very early on Sunday morning to fly back home. B met me at the airport, where we went on a short trip to pick up a new member of our family. Here she is:

Her name is Khloe, and she is a German Shepherd. We debated for a long time about whether this was a good choice for us considering the amount of pups we already have. But, we have plans for this one, that we hope will happen. She is a very well-behaved pup who never wants to leave our sides. I'm excited to have her, and the other dogs already love her. :)

This week continues to be busy. I've subbed every day so far, and thought I'd have tomorrow off until I just got called. I sub Friday too. I have only a few weeks left to be able to sub though, so I'm trying to get in as much as I can before the break. Luckily this weekend I have a break though. I'm looking forward to getting some much needed sleep...

Chick Stories...

I hinted last week in a quick post that we lost some of our chicks. In all, we lost 5, so we were left with 5. It was very difficult for me to lose them. Not because of the attachment (that I was trying so hard to avoid) but because some of them suffered. And because I was so excited to start this new project and it seemed that in a matter of seconds it all changed after so much time and effort.

B and I decided to look for a few more chicks after this because we did want to have at least 15 laying hens by the end of everything. So, yesterday we finally found a guy that was selling some (we were told that TSC only took orders and they had to be 25 or more, so we didn't bother going there) and went to pick them up. Of course, we get there and we are talking to the guy and B asks, "So, how do you tell when they are a male or female?" "When they get older," the guy replies. Uh. So, it turns out, we weren't getting 10 guaranteed females...just 10 chicks and you get what you get. I'm crossing my fingers at least 5 are females. We don't have much use for lots of males...although we did get a rooster when we went to this place, who we have named Elvis, and when I get a picture of him, you will see why.

I come home today and B surprises me by telling me that he went to TSC and guess what? They had chicks for sale even though we were told they didn't sell them individually. He got 10 more. And he knows they are females. We would have just gone there in the first place had we known that they had them for sale and never worried about the 10 unknowns! :) So, now we are up 20 chicks to replace 5 that we lost. How did that happen? We must be becoming chicken farmers...I am still excited about raising chickens, and have come to quite enjoy it. I'm crossing my fingers that we have learned enough to keep these little ones alive and well.

Here are pics of the new chicks. The black ones, gray ones, brown one in the middle and brown one on the right are unknowns. The light chicks and the one on the left are from TSC.

These ones are my favorite. We have two little grey ones that look like this. They are feather footed, and actually what our rooster is. I think they are just adorable.

Apparently, the new little ones think it is appropriate to lie entirely in the food for whatever reason... And the funniest part of the whole experience...we were trying to figure out the whole sexing the chick thing, not realizing that you had to do it when they were a day old. So...here is B, trying to squeeze the poo out to see if he can tell if it is a male or female. Haha.

Want to take a few guesses at how many will end up female and how many male?

5 Things, and something you should watch...

5 items in which I update you on my life (sorta, some stories reserved for later posts).

1) It has been raining here the last two days, and is supposed to rain again tomorrow...blah. Of course, it is supposed to be lovely on Thursday and Friday, when I am scheduled to work. Reasons I dislike rain, even though it is needed:

-> the pasture becomes a muddy mess
-> the yard becomes a muddy mess, and I get stuck when I try to mow and get mud all over the mower, even if it is 4 days after it has last rained.
-> 3 of our dogs go in and out of the house, therefore, they track a ridiculous amount of mud into the house, even when we wipe their paws off. Which is really nice on the white carpet the former owners thought was great in a farm house (I can't wait to one day change it).
-> we live in an area that floods. Luckily, our house is not in the flood plain, but the town around our house is, and the creek is getting high...not sure it is going to be able to make it with yet another full day of rain...

2) This reason for disliking the rain deserves its own number. Rain makes the stairs to the chicken coop extremely slippery. So slippery, I slipped on them twice today. The first time, I'm not sure how I didn't end up on my butt...but I did catch myself and only hit my arm. The second time, I don't know how I didn't end up on my face. I thought for sure I was going to go down and hit my face on the steps. It is going to happen one of these days if we don't fix how slippery the steps are. I just know it...

3) I walked outside yesterday to take care of the animals before leaving for work and found myself looking at a deer head. I was quite surprised. I shouldn't have been, since we have pieces of deer around our property often since we pick up road kill for the wolfdogs, but I was not expecting this deer head outside my door in the morning. I have no idea how it made it from the wolfdog kennel to the front yard. I don't really want to know. All I know is that people that don't know we pick up roadkill for the pups would probably be really freaked out if they visited our house (and might be even if they did know...).

4) I was extremely distressed while subbing yesterday because of what I observed while subbing for a preschool. There were about 13 kids in too tiny of a space, and 4 of these boys went around punching/hitting/kicking/terrorizing the other kids the entire time. When I asked the aide what to do in order to correct these kids, I was told I could just talk to them...and let them know that we didn't allow hitting. WHAT?!? Obviously this works well. I was told it was a regular occurance and didn't just happen because I was a sub. What ever happened to good old-fashioned punishment? I'm not saying I'm for punishing a kid, but time-outs...some sort of consequence! Talking to them. Right. I am honestly scared at what I see in schools nowadays...every time I sub, it becomes more clear to me that the upcoming generation is not raised in the way I was raised...and are just not what I would hope a child would be...

5) The other day, as I was doing things near the wolfdog kennel, I started to hear squawking. I couldn't figure out what was going on, until I looked closely at Kaos, and saw that he had gotten a hold of one of the chicken's tails! I started kicking at the kennel and yelling to get him to let go (which was quicker then running around the other side to actually get in the kennel), and finally he did. Now, Kaos has been quite obsessed with the chickens since they arrived. No doubt, he would love to make them a snack if he could. The chickens are absolutely oblivious to the fact that he is constantly watching them as they walk around, and under the wolfdog kennel (yes, they go under it...it is built on a wood platform, and they love all the bugs they can find under it). They have been torturing Kaos as they have been walking under him, and he constantly tries to pounce on them as he can see them through the cracks between pieces of wood. I guess, this particular day, the chicken's tail poked up just enough between the pieces that he was able to get it. When released, the chicken walked out from under the kennel, shook herself and continued on her way...despite the fact her tail feathers were a little plussed! And wouldn't you know, they were right back under the kennel just a few hours later...

I'll be back tomorrow hopefully with an update on things around here. I needed a little break as I explained in an earlier post. I did have a rough few days last week, but I'm feeling better.

I wanted to put a video in here, but it seems that the emedding from YouTube has been disabled for this particular video. So, click here to watch it. It is an amazing performance...brought tears to my eyes...and Simon's face. I love it.

He's Back!

Onyx is back! We found him! I am so unbelievably relieved and happy!!!

I asked B yesterday if we could actually walk the paths in the woods next to our house before going in, and so we did. As we continued to trudge up and down paths, I was becoming more and more frustrated. I couldn't stop thinking that there was so way we were going to find him...he'd probably run off when he heard us coming, or he'd probably gone somewhere else, or was hiding too well.

After about 20 minutes we had covered the paths and ended up in our neighbor's driveway, which is across from our barn. I was going to run down to the barn to look around in it yet again before heading back up to the house when B looks down the road and says, "Is that him?" Of course, I don't have my glasses on and can't see anything except a blackish cat. And, our neighbors have a cat that looks entirely black until you get up on it and realize that no, it is actually black and orange and white. I decide to walk down to where this cat is, just in case, but in my head I'm trying not to get my hopes up because it is most likely the neighbor's cat. As I am getting closer, the cat jumps in to a little shed type thing that is along the road. So, when I get up to it, I can't see him. "Onyx?" I say. And I hear a meow. Not that it means that it is him, just that it is a cat. The hole he has jumped in, is not big enough for me to get into, so I have to move the roof on the shed. At this point, I see snake skins and call B over because I was scared that I'd get bit, or the cat would run out on me.

In the time that B is walking over, the cat hisses, so I really think it can't be Onyx. Why would he hiss at me? But, lo and behold, when B moves everything around, there he is, a bit dirty, but none the worse for his adventures. I think I was in a bit of shock for quite some time. So, now he is safely back in the house, where hopefully he will stay. We had a bit of lovey-dovey time, and I think he missed me, but I can't for the life of me figure out what he was doing so far away and how (or why) he got out in the first place. I guess it doesn't matter though because I have him back.

Onyx is especially meaningful to me because I got him so soon after my dad passed away. He was one of the only things in my life that kept me going rather then succumbing fully to the grief I felt...he made me smile and laugh when not many things did, and I knew I had to get up every day and take care of him. He was my companion for pretty much every hour of every day for many weeks and months, and still showed me love, even when I was at my worst. Needless to say, to lose him would be devastating (even though I know it is inevitable), especially as I continue to deal with the sale of the farm and going through everything that is there. At least now, I know where he is, and I won't be spending so much time wondering what happened and if he is ok. I am happy to have him home.

Chicks!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!! :)

Not too long ago, I said something to B about raising our own chickens. I was slightly kidding, as I didn't think he'd go for it, but I brought it up wondering if it was worth having your own chickens to lay eggs, and then to eventually use for meat (something must be wrong with me if I am considering killing an animal on my farm for my own purpose...sigh). He was actually pretty receptive to the idea, and we even talked about maybe one day going to the farmer's market to sell our own eggs (along with a variety of other things, but that is a ways off). Neither of us knew if having chickens would really save us money (let's be honest, eggs aren't the most expensive thing I buy from the grocery store, but I guess any money saved is money saved), but we also couldn't see what it would hurt. They'd eat the bugs, hopefully provide us with eggs, and one day we'd be able to use them for meat. We kept it in the back of our minds, and when we saw ads for them in the paper, continued to talk about getting them.

Well, yesterday, I went to the local feed store and came home with these:


Yup. 10 little pullets (female chicks). I can't for the life of me remember what kind they are...just that they lay big brown eggs. I think they have the word Golden in their name too, but don't quote me on that. These chicks are currently in our bedroom, as we have nowhere else in the house to put them that the cats won't get them. Haha. Who would have thought we'd have chicks in our bedroom?

Anyway, neither of us have ever raised chicks before, so it is sure to be an experience for us. I don't think it is supposed to be hard, but that doesn't mean anything. My main concern is getting the dogs to leave them alone once we put them outside (and for good reason, since we didn't give the dogs much thought when we got goats, which was not smart on our part since they ended up attacking one of them...high prey drive). For some of the dogs, this won't be a problem, but the others...they will need to be taught, and we will have to keep a close eye on them for a while. Granted, they don't chase the geese that hang around the pond anymore, but chickens that are around the house might be different.

I must admit that I find these little boogers quite cute. They sleep in the oddest positions. They fall over quite a bit. And they have stellar hearing. I was quite a bit away from them and made a noise, and the whole group of them started and began running around their bin. I am going to do my best not to get attached to them though. I need to start teaching myself not to get so attached to every little living thing that comes into our lives.

I'm looking forward to this adventure with these little babies though. I'm excited to see how fast they grow and to get our first egg (not for about 5 months or so most likely!). It is sure to be an experience!

The Animals Part 2

How bout them Steelers?!? I for one am grateful and happy they won. I would have one very grumpy and upset hubby if they hadn't! But it was a great game and definitely kept us on the edge of our seats!

Crossing my fingers that the groundhog predicts that Spring is coming quick!
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This is Part 2 of my posts about our animals. The first was about the dogs, and can be found here.

Let it be known, that when B and I moved in to our new house last May, that we had 3 cats and did not plan on getting anymore. 3 cats in the house along with 1-3 dogs at a time was more then enough in our opinion. Little did we know, that we would be receiving 2 barn cats with our house purchase, and that they would have kittens. Now, we have many more then we ever would have thought...

This is Onyx. I wrote about him here. He was my very first pet that I got on my own. He is black with a little bit of white on his tummy and is four a half years old now. He is a lover...much more like a dog then a cat. He actually fetches mice and brings them back to you. He also LOVES to get up in the most bizarre places...some times he will actually jump to the tops of doors and balance on them. He'll then realize that he can't sit on them and jump back down...but what possesses him to jump up there in the first place is beyond me! He can be stubborn and has a habit of batting things off tables, counters, etc. He is the reason I don't have many decorations on my tables...

This is Lucky. Lucky is two and half years old. She holds a very special place in my heart. The way Lucky became a part of my family is different then all the others. I had decided at that point, I did not need any more animals. I was done (at the time we had 5 cats and 4 dogs and enough was enough). One night I was up at the farm and we went out to eat. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a kitten sitting in the parking lot. My friend mentioned that he had tried to catch one the last time he was there with no success. I, being the smarty pants that I am, bet him I would be able to go right over and pick the kitten up. So I did. And my gosh. What I found was a kitten whose eyes were almost completely crusted shut. Extremely dehydrated (so much so that her gums and tongue were white), very small, very hungry and flea infested. I was mortified. I couldn't leave her there. So, I took her home. I didn't expect her to make it through the night...everything was closed and I had no milk for her. I sprayed her with flea spray and put her in a crate for the night (the fleas were so bad that they were jumping off her to escape the flea spray...ugh). She made it through the night and the next day I got her some milk, and gave her a flea bath...I had to since the spray barely touched her. The water was filled with blood. Her belly was raw. The next day, I had to go down to see my mom, so Lucky made the trip with us. I took her to the vet then, they gave her a shot and told me to do what I'd been doing. Somehow, she made it. Lucky is a very smart kitty. But, she is one of the few I have that is not extremely social. She does like attention, but only in her time. If you pick her up, she will immediately start purring. She runs and hides when we have company, only really wanting attention from me and B (especially me). She is a bit cross-eyed, and I think she has the most beautiful face. She looks a lot like Onyx, with the bit of white on the chest. She is my special girl. :)

This is Myah. She is a year and a half. Again, I wasn't looking to get another animal. But, she came in to my life as someone abandoned her in a park on one of the hottest days of summer (it hit about 100 degrees). A friend called me and asked me if I could give her a home for a few days, and then that was it. I fell in love with her. Myah is our most standoffish cat. She loves to get attention when she can come in our bedroom, but otherwise she pretty much keeps to herself. It is weird to me she is like that because when she was found, she was very young. She was a very loving kitten. But, she changed. She is playful, and used to climb up furniture and curtains. Kind of a crazy kitty. :) She and Lucky are pals and she's not the biggest fans of the little kittens. Myah's quirk is that she will always stick her paws under the bathroom door when someone is in there. It is her way of saying hey! let me in! i want to be with you! I'm often greeted in the morning by a paw stretched under the door, and it makes me laugh.

This is Mama Cat. I have no idea how old she is. She is one of the two barn cats that came with our new house. When we got to the house, she had 2 kittens on her (Speck and Tears). Eventually, she also ended up mothering Wild Cat's kittens. She was a very good mom and stayed in the house for about 2 months raising the kittens. Now that she is back in the barn, she disappears for days at a time, but shows back up eventually. I often see her out in the field hunkered down, waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting meal. She is now spayed, so no more little kittens from her, which is for the best.

This is Wild Cat. She is the other cat that came with the new house. She had kittens also (Mouse, Maggie, Smoke and Hammie, who didn't make it), but we had to take them from her because we didn't want feral kittens...and that would have happened with her. She is not really people friendly...she does come around to eat food, and hangs out in the barn consistently. Almost always there when we are there. I think she is starting to get more used to us, but who knows? She is fixed now also. We don't want more kittens!


This is Speck. He is about 9 months old. He is my baby. All my life I've wanted a long haired cat...I had one, but she was attacked by a dog and passed away when little. When I first saw him, I fell in love. He was about a month old when we found him and his sister in the barn. They weren't too fond of us and hissed at us all the time. Speck was very sick as a little guy. He lost a lot of weight. Eventually though, he cleared up and as you can see, became a very healthy and big boy. He is also one of the friendliest kittens. I absolutely adore him. Unfortunately, B felt that some of the kittens had to go to the barn (we had a few too many in the house...8...when we originally only planned for 3) and he took Speck down one day when I wasn't home. As Speck was healthy (and many of the other kittens not) he felt it was a good choice. I honestly miss having this kitten around all the time. He has a wonderful personality and is just a baby. He seems to like being outside, but I can't say I like having him there...

This is Tears (she is kind of in the middle in this picture...the one with the white on her face). She is Speck's sister, and is about 9 months as well. Tears went down to the barn...and then came back up to recover from her spaying...and never went back down. Although she was originally standoffish...something changed in her. Now you can hardly ever get her off you. We are still discovering facets of her personality, but she sure does love to be wherever the people are. And, she absolutely loves Onyx, and Jem. She will often go over to Jem and just lie next to her belly, at which point Jem will start licking her. It is quite an adorable sight!

This is Mouse. He is about 8 months, although like his sisters (Smoke and Maggie) he doesn't look like it as he is so small. He has been sick for quite some time with the runs...which is part of the reason he was taken to the barn. We couldn't get rid of them...and when a kitty has a continuously running behind...it makes a mess in the house. We tried hard, and even the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong. For the most part, he seems to like being in the barn, but like Speck, I miss having him with me in the house. Of the kittens, he is the one who cares the least about getting attention, although he likes it when you give it to him. I love his markings. His one eye is black and I think it is the cutest thing.


This is Smoke. Also, about 8 months. Also, doesn't look it. Like her brother and sister, she has been sick for quite a bit of her life. We wonder if maybe it is because they were born in the barn to a barn cat. Who knows? Smoke is an absolute lovebug. If you sit down, she is on you. If you put her on the ground, she gets back up. She will not be dissuaded. If she wants up, she will find a way to be next you you. Smoke also loves to sit in the most bizarre places. I've found her on paper plates, on paper packaging, you name it. She will also lie on you in the most bizarre ways...I often think it must be so uncomfortable, but in the end, she seems happy that way, so who am I to guess how comfortable she is? :)


This is Maggie. I wrote about her here. She is also about 8 months. We have been trying for the last month to help Maggie get better with our own type of treatment (in the bathroom, better food, etc....if it worked we'd do it on the others), but have not succeeded well. She has gained some weight though. Maggie is a very loving kitten. She absolutely loves attention. She attacks feet with a reckless abandon, many times coming out of nowhere. She is another that loves to be in your face, and when she wants to be there is determined to be. There is no discouraging her. Something silly about Maggie is that she would just decide to take a nap in the middle of the floor. I could be cooking in the kitchen, look down and Maggie would be in the middle of the room, in the midst of everything, snoozing away.

This is Dakota. I think he is about 7-8 years old. Dakota is a monster and weighs over 20 pounds. Not because he is fat necessarily (although he is a bit overweight) but more because he is just a big cat. Dakota was originally my sister's cat. She had him for a few years, and felt that he wanted to be an outdoor cat. In fact, one time he wanted out so bad that he jumped out her 2nd story window... When she met her fiance about 4 years ago, he told her he didn't want cats, so she sent him up to the farm, where she felt he would be happy because he could be outside all he wanted. I guess he was happy, but about a year ago, when people stopped being at the farm regularly, we didn't know if he was still there. I loved the cat too, as he is very personable. He loves attention. He was our original sink sleeper. When B and I went up to get the horses in October, we knew if he was up there, we had to bring him back. We didn't want any animals up there anymore. I had little hope of finding him up there, as the person who stopped by on a frequent basis said he hadn't seen him in a while. But, wouldn't you know, that I stuck my head out the door when we got there, called "here kitty!" and out of the woods he ran. We tried to put him out when we got him here, but he kept going to the neighbors. So, he is inside right now, until the weather gets nicer, and he has a better sense of where his home is. I love having him here and am glad that we can provide him with his final home.

This is Fat Cat. I have no idea how old he is. Or if it really is a he. We are assuming by the way he looks that he is a he. He randomly showed up in the barn one day last fall and has become a regular visitor since then. We aren't sure how we feel about that yet...especially if it is a he. We don't want him trying to run Speck and Mouse off. Wild Cat and Fat Cat are really good friends, surprisingly...and when I come in the barn, I often see Wild Cat sleeping on top of him. He is not people friendly...runs when you get near, but apparently, he likes the food we leave in the barn...

We have one other cat who just started showing up whom we have named New Cat. No pictures of her. It is rare to see her. She seems to be about Speck and Tears age, but who knows at this point. We'd like her to stay away. We don't want kittens. No more!

And those are all the lovely cat furbabies that bless us with their presence. While many (most) were not planned, they all bring us joy, and I love them each for their differences and what they bring. While having so many cats can be overwhelming at times (more so then having quite a few dogs) they are worth the time and effort.

My final animal post will cover the horses and goats. :)

Snow!

We sure have had a lot of snow this year. But yesterday was the biggest of the snow storms so far. I'm not sure of total inches, but I know it was upwards of 3-5, maybe more then that and they put us under a level 2 snow warning. We aren't done yet, with more snow expected to fall tonight, and flurries the rest of the week.

The animals quite enjoy the snow, and I thought I'd share a few pictures I took of them yesterday! :)Jasmine loves the snow and could care less about how cold I think it is. :) She didn't want to come in and I basically had to pull her inside!

Cynder and Kaos also love the snow and play in it and eat it. Kaos thinks he is king of the world. :)

And, I'd love to show you tons of pictures/videos of all my horses, but Trucker is the only one I can ever get running around. Eventually I'll get the others... But here he is trotting away...

The horses are not always the biggest fans of going out in the cold. They whinny and neigh whenever I get down to the barn, but once I put them out, they are whinnying to come back in. they can't seem to make up their minds at all! But, we feel they need the exercise, so they at least stay out for about 4-5 hours. And that way they can munch on whatever dead grass they can find too.

Since I still haven't started working (impossible since we've had so much snow...every day has been a snow day!), I plan to go grocery shopping today...I'm hoping the stores have had a chance to restock after what I am sure was a mad rush in preparation for all the snow. People make me laugh...do they really think they will be stuck in their houses for endless amounts of time unable to get to the store? Who knows.

I hope all of you are enjoying whatever weather you are getting. I, for one, am looking forward to warmer weather!

The Animals Part 1

If you've read my blog at all, you've probably ascertained that my animals are a huge part of my life. I love them dearly, and know that I mention them frequently...but I may not have always introduced them to you. I thought I would do a few posts to introduce all of them to you so you have an idea of who I am talking about, and also, to give you a bit more of a glimpse into my world. It was my hope, awhile back, that I would be able to do individual posts on each one...but that didn't happen. I did two, started the third and kinda stalled. I will hopefully in the future to more in-depth posts on them all, but for now, will suffice with at least introducing you to them.

Today, I start with the dogs:

This is Jasmine. I posted about her here. She is a chow mix, and was my first dog. She turns four on February 9th, and I can't believe she is that old already! Jasmine is an absolutely amazing companion. We share a tight bond that comes from being nearly inseparable for two years. The one thing about her that I wish I could change is her affinity for running off. If she isn't on a leash, off she goes!



This is Jackson. He was my second dog. He is a chow and just turned three back in November. He hasn't always had it easy, but he truly loves his people. Chows are often misunderstood, and while he is stubborn, he is also very loving. Does he like other people? Yes, as long as they give him the chance to get to know them. He needs to sniff you out first, and then he's ok with being petted. Jackson could lick your face all day long and not get sick of it. He is one of our permanent outside dogs, in part because of his thick coat. If you bring him inside, he gets way to hot and starts panting almost immediately. One of my favorite things about Jackson is the fact that he hops when he is excited and happy. When my car pulls in the driveway, I know he'll be a hoppin! I also love that he tries so hard to howl along with the wolfdogs...but it comes out as a very pitiful, awful barking instead...I believe one day he'll master that howl!


This is Jem. She is a Rottweiler. I got her almost three years ago. I adopted her from the pound, so I'm not exactly sure of her age, but it seems she is probably about 8 or 9. I never wanted a Rottweiler...like a lot of people, I thought they were mean. But I was at the pound one day (a very bad place for me to go...which is why I no longer go...I just feel so bad for the animals and end up adopting them) and looking for a dog to send up to the farm to stay with Jackson. I was looking at this very hyper lab mix when all of a sudden, this dog peeks over the top of her enclosure in to the lab's enclosure. I of course, passed this dog my first time through, but said, let's go see that one. When I got to her, I realized it was a Rottweiler. But, I asked her to sit. She did. "Sit Pretty," I said. She did. She even begged. It was obvious someone had spent a lot of time with her. And so I took a chance and decided to take her home. What a great decision that was. Jem is the best dog a person could ask for. She wants nothing more then to be with her people. She listens well and is very loving. She is getting old, and it is noticeable. She is much slower and has a harder time hearing. She stays in all winter and then stays out in the summer (although we would keep her inside if she wanted to come in in the summer as well). She loves our kitties and it is often that we will see her licking them like they were her babies, or find one curled up next to her.

This is Juju. She is a Pomeranian (supposed to be a teacup, but, well, she is WAY bigger then a teacup...) and is two and half. Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted a Pom. I saw an ad in the paper for them and got her. I probably shouldn't have at the time, but I sure don't regret it now. :) Juju is our alert system...when she starts barking someone is coming or something is happening. I learned this the hard way. One night she was barking and wouldn't stop. I told her to be quiet several times. Turns out, someone was breaking in to the truck and had I listened to her, I might have caught them! Juju is our only house dog. She goes out for periods of time, but will never stay out because of coyotes around here. She is a fast sucker and I hope one day to get video of her. She looks like the Mighty Dog when she runs! She sure doesn't think she is small and often instigates playtime and chases...but of course, when one of the bigger dogs gets to close, she will run and hide behind me! :)

This is Chief. Chief was B's dog before we got married, just as the top four were mine. Chief is a german shepard/wolf mix. He is turning 6 this year. Chief is a very loyal dog. He is another that stays outside year round...he is so big it would be almost impossible to keep him inside, but also...he gets WAY too hot when he comes in...he has a very thick coat! He really loves B and follows him everywhere. He listens extremely well and loves attention. He gets a little jealous of other dogs if they are getting attention and he is not. :) He is a very fast dog and has run next to the four-wheeler with us while we've been going over 25mph. One thing about Chief is that he does not like the AEP guy. He'll charge him and bark whenever he comes down the driveway. We don't know why. Must be the truck.

This is Kaos. He is 10 months old and a very high-content wolfdog. He is getting to be a big boy, and stands just about as tall as Chief now. Kaos is quite a lovebug...he loves to get his belly scratched and loves attention. He is still somewhat shy around people he doesn't know, but around me and B, he can't be in our faces enough. He will pull my ponytail out if he gets the chance, but otherwise will plop himself down on my legs so he can get belly rubs or just lay there. He is a good boy and it has taken a bit of time and patience to get him there.

This is Cynder. She is also a high content wolfdog. She is almost a year old (February 4th) and is our most recent addition. We did not plan on getting her, but when she was offered to us, we decided to take her. We got her when she was 6 months old, which is well outside the time-frame recommend to properly socialize wolfdogs. Working with her has taken a lot of patience and a lot of time. She was very scared of B and I for the first several months...so much so that she would never sit down when we were in the kennel, and would never willingly come over to us on her own. She has finally, started to settle down and comes over to let us pet her. She will probably never be as sociable as Kaos, but she is finally trusting B and I and that is very important to us. She has a very quiet demeanor, but is also quite sneaky, and will often stick her nose in my pocket and take off with my gloves! I look forward to getting to know her better as she continues to trust me more.

And those are our dog furbabies! The next part will introduce you to our kitty furbabies!

Busy Day

I am happy to report that when I woke up this morning, our water was FINALLY back on! YAY! 48 hours without sufficient water made it hard to get some of the things done I had planned to get done! But as B pointed out, it could have been a lot worse. And I know it could have. Water isn't a HUGE necessity...and it isn't as if we didn't have access to some. There are people who probably have it much worse, and I do realize that.

I now have to catch up on a lot of cleaning...dishes, vacuuming, and plan to attempt to make a pineapple upside down cake today (hopefully...if time). We have a friend coming over for dinner, and I had to go grocery shopping this morning and B is working today until later then normal...so I'm the one doing all the chores for the animals too. Should be interesting trying to get things done.

So, I'm off to get to it...but I'll leave you with a video of one of my horses, Trucker. I was trying to get him as he was running around like a wildman as he normally does when he first gets out of the barn, but instead he just kinda wondered around and then came over to see me. :) I got him almost 3 years ago as a week old foal, and at the time, they thought he was going to die. He is now the biggest and most ornery of the three I got then. :)

Enjoy!

The Mud Dog

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The other day I spent the day cleaning the house for several hours. Turns out, I should have cleaned Jasmine.


Yes, I was cleaning and she was out running around, ignoring my calls to come back. And when she had finally had enough fun, and came back for a drink, I took one look at her and burst out laughing. At first she didn't know why. She was so excited and had been digging and chasing who knows what. She expected to be greeted happily and let right back into the house. When she figured out I wasn't letting her back in the house, she refused to look at me, as she realized I was not as excited with her new look as she was!

Such a rough life she has!

New Year's

I haven't posted much this past week. I was actually, enjoying some time with my lovely hubby. He had three days off, and that meant time spent together, as well as time to get some things done around the farm. In the last few months, we were never off at the same time, and since I quit my job (and haven't started substituting yet), we've had a few days together the past two weeks. I love our time spent together.

We used the last few days to put up/repair fence in a far pasture (that I didn't even know existed when we bought the farm!) that will give the horses a lot more room to roam. We aren't quite done, but I must say, I think we've done a pretty good job, having never put up fence on our own before. I'm excited to get the horses out to the pasture because they've been cooped up in the barn the past week and a half, and this pasture is HUGE. Lots of room to run around, and lots of things to explore. We can't put them back out in the pasture they were in because it is really torn up from all the rain we had the last two months. I'm almost worried it won't recover in the spring! Here's B leading my girl Sugar to the new pasture.



We were able to put them out a bit while we worked on the fence...they don't go far when there is grass (even if it is dead) to eat and as long as their buddies are around.

We spent more time with the animals, which I always love. Jackson and Chief pretty much go with us wherever we go on the farm. It has been a real treat for Jackson, who before we brought him to the farm, was locked up in a house most of the day (I'll post more about that whenever I write my profile of him). What makes me laugh about them is that if we forget something at the house, we take the four-wheeler back to get it...mind you, this happens a bit, so we have to go back and forth from the field to the house a few times. Every time one of us goes somewhere on the four-wheeler, the dogs follow. Chief will always be up with you (even going 25 mph!) and seems to have unlimited energy. Jackson gets worn out. He isn't used to running so much! The running joke is that we have to look behind us to make sure he is still coming...and he will be FAR behind! Here he is enjoying the sun we had.


Hopefully we get the fence done by next weekend. We'll see. We also had a little visitor in the barn...a raccoon, who was injured...something bit it in the neck. B and I gave him an apple and water and when we returned the next day he was gone...so we thought. We figured that meant he must not have been too bad off. Little did I realize that he was still in the barn, hiding in the hay, and when I went out to feed the horses yesterday, I almost stepped on him! I guess he seems to think he has found a home. Not sure how I feel about this considering we have barn cats, and I don't think cats and raccoons get along. Also, not sure if he is carrying anything. We've had a variety of animals in our barn the last few weeks...possums, raccoons...I wonder what will be next! And it seems that more and more cats keep ending up as residents of our barn. We had two, added two more from their kittens, and have spotted at least 3 more now. I'm hoping none of the new ones are females...we spayed the two females that were originally in there, but the two kittens are males...who we didn't fix...we don't want more kittens...

As an update to my post from earlier in the week, I did send my friend a quick email. It was difficult for me...but she did write me back and I'm glad she knows that I am here for her/thinking of her. Thank you for all the advice.

I hope in my next few posts to talk about some goals (NOT resolutions) I have for this year. I've never been much of a goal maker, but I think it is important to have some. So I've been thinking about them.

Happy 2009!!

Maggie

This is our kitten Maggie. She is about 7 months old right now...but she doesn't look it at all. She is quite small. B and I sort of inherited her when we moved in to our house last May...the barn cats had kittens and we probably found her and her siblings when they were about a week old, if that. We had to put Maggie and her siblings on a foster mom because their mom was not human friendly. Our hope was to adopt them out to new homes, and for that to happen, we needed them to be friendly and raised with human contact (somehow, none of them got adopted out...figures, right?). Maggie is a special little kitty. Very loving, and always wants to be on people if she can. She just can't seem to get enough attention. One of the quirky things about her is that she will just plop down in the middle of the floor and sleep. Doesn't matter if she is in the midst of everything, if that is where she wants to be, that is where she will sleep, and you have to go around her.

As a baby, Maggie always had a grouchy look on her face. Made me laugh. She was almost impossible to litter box train. The last of all the kittens...she was probably a month behind them. She loved to go to the bathroom anywhere near the litter box, and would hop right out of the litter box if you put her in it...only to walk a few steps and poop on the floor.

When all the other kittens got sick (as seemed to happen a lot...maybe since they were born barn kittens?), Maggie somehow stayed healthy, until the last wave of cold hit. She was hit the worst of all of them. We finally knocked it out of her with meds, but it came back again...and it seems we just can't get it to go away. She has had almost non-stop runs since she was young, and despite numerous trips to the vet, they can't tell us what is wrong, or what will fix it. She has the sneezes, and is very thin. After some research, I have decided to try my own experiment, and I am hoping that it will work.

I have moved Maggie upstairs, to our bathroom...separated from the other cats (we don't allow them in our bedroom/bathroom typically...we'd probably never get any sleep!). I figure our downstairs is too cold for her to get healthy...her body just isn't fat enough to keep her warm (and we don't run the heat downstairs unless we are down there...until we figure out a more affordable way to heat the area...which means it is quite cold most places in the house with the exception of our bedroom/bathroom at the moment), I have started her on the cold meds AGAIN, and am feeding her dry tuna, which I hope will fatten her up and take care of the runs, which can be from so many things (I read on many sites that it can be from so many underlying problems...I'm hoping getting rid of the cold will banish the runs...or maybe the change in diet?). So, I'm giving it a week, and will reevaluate after that.

I'll keep you all updated, but would love to hear if you have any suggestions as well, if you've ever had this problem with a kitty before!