Is it May Already?

Well, I came back here to find my post where I'd mentioned buying our first chicks only to realize it's been over a month already AND I haven't posted since then! Wow. Those chicks are now probably about 6 weeks old or maybe a bit more depending on how old they were when we first bought them. I'm not sure if it was the next week or the week after that Autumn and I went back and bought 4 more. These will be surprises! We know they're pullets but we just don't know what kind. They must be the same age as our original ones because they've grown at the exact same rate. Their only difference really is their color. If you remember, I'd bought 2 Amberlinks and 2 Red Sexlinks the first time and they are evolving into exactly what their name suggest... amber and red-colored birds. These new 4, however, are white. There's no color on their wings or heads or anything. I need to surf the web some more to see what kind they might turn out to be. It's rather exciting... sort of like not having an ultrasound during your pregnancy! The baby kittens are doing well. We lost one, Melvin, as The Dude named him, to Copernicus. He didn't kill it, he was just playing with it. After all, Cop IS a puppy and they like to play with things and especially things that smell different and move. So, after 2 or 3 days of The Dude taking extra special care of him, Melvin finally let go. He was buried under the tree in the backyard. :o( The other 4-named Tiger (I call it Tigger), Janet, Shadow and Guinea are all getting so big and they're adorable to watch when they start playing together. Sometimes I find Janet playing with her mama's tail as it swishes back and forth across the grass or concrete patio. The pups have been on lock-down for a while. Copernicus was first, after the incident with Melvin he tried it again with Shadow and I tied him up. One day a few of the chicks got loose and Zeta took off after one into the dry creek bed. The chick was saved only by diving head-first into a nook created by tree roots. Then I tied Zeta up. I am finding that longer, plastic-covered wire leads are not a good idea for them. They like to chew and so they've chewed them to the wire and that causes it to kink somehow. They're also constantly getting wrapped around trees, roots, the dog house and anything else they can find to tangle themselves into. We are debating now whether to use the tie-downs that go into the ground instead of one that runs from tree to tree. Today is Mother's Day! I'm thankful for my family and that I was given the opportunity to be a mother. Some aren't. I also feel like I'm the mother to all these animals because they rely on me to feed, shelter and clo...oh wait...feed and shelter them. They're teaching me a lot as far as what life is like with a bunch of animals... Many days I don't feel like getting out in the cold or the rain to feed them or let them out of their coop or take them for a walk or pet them, but then I realize... they depend on me and if I don't take care of them they would die. It really is a huge responsibility to take on but I'm glad we did. I love having them all. I just can't wait to get our own home so we can move ALL of us out there and get settled. Speaking of the house: A lot has been going on there too. We've still been contacting builders and such but recently we found one and he seems to be a good one. He gave us references and an address for a house he build recently. We never got that from the other builders. :o) So we drove by to look at the house and since they were home we decided to try and talk to them and ask them about it. I think it's safe to say that this guy is probably going to be the one we pick. Next step: The fun part-talking to the banks. Weeeee. Needless to say we have been very busy lately but the end of the school year is near (only 2 weeks away) and that means Mama gets to sleep in a bit. ;o) I hope to be busy with gardening and house building stuff over the summer... and canning! I've been doing nothing but baking lately...cakes, and cookies galore and the scale is witness to that! I need to work harder on feeding us all better. Man can't live on cookies alone, after all! So, that's all from the Homestead-in-the-works. Maybe I will remember to blog a little more often than once a month. ;o)

I'm still alive!

So, just to update since it's been... well... quite a while now, I suppose.

I started juicing!  I have to say I LOVE it and how I feel overall since starting it.  WHY did I start it in the first place, you're wondering, right?  Well, I watched this documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead  and it really opened my eyes about what I've been putting into my body lately. The part that REALLY got to me was when I learned that Joe and the other guy both had auto-immune diseases.  Like me.  They showed a picture of the meds they took and named them off and I'm like.. "Hey, I take that too." So, I have now been juicing for 5 days (I think) and I feel pretty good.  I have found that if I eat anything of real substance... like say, a salad, I will be munchy-hungry the rest of the day.  So I'm better off fighting that desire for something to chew and sticking with just the juice instead. Today I didn't do too well and yesterday I didn't do so hot either so this week I really have to crack down on it.  Wednesday will be hard because I have to make a birthday cake for a meeting I'm going to and of course Valentine's Day is coming up too on Tuesday. Well, I guess I could reward myself by eating chocolate whenever I reach the goal I've set for myself.  When will that be?  I don't know how long but soon.

In other news, the pups are beginning to really grow up!  And I don't just mean physically!  When my kids and I go outside so they can get on the school  bus they always go with us.  When my oldest goes out to catch his, which is before the one comes for the littles, they go out with him.  He is highly annoyed by this and thinks they are attacking me... but if you know Bricker you understand.  They've also begun with the barking.  I mean SERIOUS barking.  The other day I drove up and someone was on a tractor behind our yard and a strange small beagle was with him (strange to me anyway). When the tractor turned off and the dude climbed down the dog, namely Copernicus, started in on his barking.  He perked up all over and looked so majestic standing there!  Then he crossed the creek and got a bit closer to whomever it was he was barking at, whether the man or the dog or the squirrels-I don't know, but as soon as the dude climbed back on the tractor and starter her up and drove off Copernicus relaxed his entire body and turned around, crossed the creek again and proceeded to flop back down on the patio which is normally how I always see him.

About a week ago I began looking at the dogs following us out to the bus more like they were going along with us as our bodyguards instead of just puppies.  I think it started when Bricker started walking out to the bus alone.  I would stand in the doorway watching... and then the pups would always trot down there to where he was.  As soon as he got on the bus they walked back up to the house.

I think they know what they're doing.

Also, after I put the 3 youngers on their bus (and yes, the dogs are with us down there), I ALWAYS walk back to the front door, go in, walk through to the back door and go feed the puppies.  Around the same time all this with Bricker started going down.. or I started NOTICING it anyway, I also started watching them when I walked in the house.  In the beginning, Zeta would paw at the front door after I went in... wanting me to come back out or me to let her in. But now she watches ME and when she sees me open the back door she and Copernicus run around to the back door so they can see me again and so they can eat.  I know, I know... ANY dog can learn that!  Sure...  I agree. But I still think they're smart.

Case in point- I started working more with them lately on some simple commands. One I've been REALLY wanting to teach them was "WAIT". I take a treat and hold it in my hand right in front of their face and every time they start to nab it I say the command and they stop.  If they touch me I voice my disapproval and they back off.  Then, I use the "GET IT" command when they are allowed to have the treat.  I am getting closer and closer to their faces with this exercise each day I work on it and they've pretty much gotten it down, but I want to get them REALLY good at it, meaning that I want to be able to sit the treat on their nose and them not move until I give the "GET IT" command.

After we finish that fun exercise I then tell them "GO EAT" and they move on to their food dish.

It's all about repetition, really.  They're doing great and I'm having fun teaching them things.

One "problem" I need to break them of is that they LOVE to play with the cats.  Zeta in particular.  When I say "play" I mean pin them down on the ground with oh, say, her mouth around their head or throat.

MMyeah.  So... even though she never HURTS them... I still don't believe it's a good habit of play because what happens when I have goat babies or chickens? Not a pleasant thought.

We had to buy new collars for them recently too.  The martingales (see the collar pic) we got when

Martingale Collar

they were babies were so tight around their necks that I had to literally cut them off! Anyway, so the new ones are made for LARGE dogs and have metal locking clasps.  It was a bit difficult to get their dog tags on them but The Dude is strong and able!!!  So now they have nice, bright, easy-to-see collars which aren't covered up but all the hair....

Speaking of hair, they need a good brushing out.  But honestly, every time I think about doing it they go and run through some wet, black soot from the burn pile or go run through some Alabama mud somewhere.  Another day, perhaps.  Too cold anyhow.

Anyone planting yet?  Starting seeds?  I bought a LOT of seeds recently as well as my potato and onions to plant.  We've decided to plant them on our "farm" as opposed to here where we're living.  Why not?  We have the land... shouldn't we use it?  Absolutely! So maybe when it warms up just a TAD we will get over there and clear a spot and till it just a bit and get these babies in the ground.  I'm SO ready for Spring!

My Initiation As a Farm Girl

Yesterday a very unfortunate thing happened.  One of the new pups was run over by one of our cars, fracturing his scapula (shoulder blade) and breaking the tip off of it and also some hip displacement.  The vets office was SO very sweet to us and especially Copernicus and they were very comforting and careful. However, because of his injuries he has to be restrained from walking a lot and certainly any horseplay. So yesterday after we got home from the vet I kept him inside in a really big Rubber-type Brand Name tub in the house, lined with paper and with a blanket, food and water.  He was medicated and so he rested quite a bit but later began to whine and I couldn't comfort him too well. So we brought Zeta inside and put her in there with him.

They both slept for a long time, Zeta laying her head or her paw over him as if to hold him or protect him.

I paid close attention to when they woke and seemed to need to go out and potty. And while they were outside I would change out the newspaper because when they drank they sloshed it everywhere. 

The confinement drove them batty. Great Pyrenees are roamers by nature, so eventually The Dude carried him out and put him in his doggie house so he could snuggle with his sister.  She was NOT staying in that little (to them!) tub all night! And then The Dude brought him back in this morning to get back into the blue tub.  He was definitely not having it and neither was Zeta and everybody was whining and I was going nuts, so after talking with both moms we had the idea to use the chicken wire we have here and some bannister rails and make a small pen using the dog house as a corner.  This would keep him confined enough where he couldn't walk around TOO much, couldn't go down to the creek and drink and then not be able to make the climb back up (this happened yesterday) couldn't get out around other dogs that would try and play rough with him and jump on him, yet he could go out of his house and potty and sit in the sun if he wanted to. The importance of the confinement is that according to the vet this is a critical growth time for them and growth plates are shifting about in their bodies and if that fracture doesn't heal right or he further injures himself it could cause permanent damage and possibly even cause some physical limitations.  Great Pyrenees are more susceptible to hip dysplasia anyway and so his hips need time to rest too.

Here is a picture of the make-shift pen I made today.  I know the short post is leaning but by that time I had to call it quits with the sledgehammer.

So, the vet says he should be perfectly fine so we're doing every little thing they said to do for him.  He has pain meds (once daily) and an antibiotic (2x per day) that we have to give him and we have to make sure he's eating and using the potty each day too. 

In other animal related news Sambo said he found Zeta in the neighbors yard up the street a little ways, so I am ordering their doggie tags today or tomorrow hopefully.

Christmas is coming up very soon!  We each got a card in the mail from grandma and grandpa with a gift card inside! (shhhh, don't tell her I opened them... but I did.) So after my morning initiation into farm girl life (building a animal pen all by myself!) I told The Dude that we all needed some "muck boots" soonly!  And since we're going to grandma and grandpa's farm on Christmas Eve I thought it'd be good to have them before we went.  Well, then I remembered the gift cards we all got.  Each one could use their card to buy their own pair... and everyone wants some!  (for those of you who don't get my terminology, I am referring to the rain boots like at GetItAllMart and Tarjay. I just happen to call them muck boots because I will be walking through muck, not rain... well, not all the time.) So I am going to look online today and get us all our own pair.  Then when we go to their farm on Christmas Eve they can see what their gift got them!  Don't you think they'd like to see?  Of course, my girls will probably want the Hello White Cat from Japan or whereever... boys=camo... me?  Who knows...I'm not exactly the "pink" type of gal... not sure I'd want anything with any kind of fancy design or colors on them either but I guess I will have to choose from what they have before I can really say either way.

Well, I'm off to check on puppies and kids and then do some more typical mommy-type stuffs.

The beginning...

Did I already write a post titled that?  Ah, no matter.  For this feels like it really IS the beginning.  Beginning of what, you ask?  Life with animals.

A number of things have happened since my last post.  I learned that the puppies would be pickable-upable on the 6th of this month and because we wanted all of us to go so we could all tour the farm there we were going to wait until the following Saturday.  So this past Saturday we had a full day of work planned. The main thing being to finish the dog house.  So imagine our surprise when I got a phone call that morning saying we could come pick up the pups today if we wanted to.

!!!

!!!!!!!!!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

??  This kinda threw our day for a curve.. (huh? did that make sense?)  Anyway, I of course, wanted to go pick them up so we loaded everyone up in the truck and headed off to the farm to get them.  There were only 2 boys in the litter of 9 and we picked the only one with badger markings.  We told them we had wanted a white female but there were so many it took us forever to pick one out.  The Dude had one picked up but I was a bit afraid of her because she seemed so spooked.  But she was keeping herself separate from the other puppies almost as if to say...."Here I am.  Pick me!  Pick me!  The one over here!"  So I went ahead and took her too.  :o)  We figured if we loved her enough she'd snap out of it.  So we picked them out, they got the worm meds and first immunizations (did you know i canNOT say that word?) and then we toured the farm and checked out all the goats and headed for home.

We had taken this huge rubber-brand name tub and put chux pads in the bottom in the back of the truck for them to lay in but I wanted to hold one on the way home. One of the boys held the girl and I held the boy.  One chux was under the boy on my lap and the other started out under the female.  Then kid #2 put it in the floor.  Well.... long story short the female got car sick and although most of it was caught by the chux laying in the floor, quite a bit landed on the beforementionedkid.  He was now pretty grossed out by it.



We unloaded and set the puppies down.  The female (Her name is now Zeta.) went under the truck and could not be persuaded out.  Even with dog food.  The boy (His name is now Copernicus.) went somewhere... I don't remember where.  Anyway...  The Dude and The Before Mentioned Kid and I (though I did very little) finished building the dog house so they'd have a place to sleep, although at this point I'm sure we'd have all let them sleep inside with us.  Later on we gave them both a bath in the mop sink (I used heavily diluted Dr. Bronners Lavender Castile Soap) and used the hair dryer to dry them off.  Then we all sat in front of the gas heater taking turns petting and brushing the puppies.  Sadly at some point it was time to put them down for bed.  I think around this time The Dude and I were still finishing the inside of the dogs house.  We put some scrap carpet down in the floor (Or HE did rather.) and some rugs and some old shirts in there for them to snuggle with.  We stayed in there with them for a while... just making sure they were nice and snuggled down for the night and plus because we wanted to keep petting them.

Copernicus...

Zeta...




















Before then and since then a number of things have occurred. (hey, it's my blog I can talk how I want and not make sense if I don't want to. and not capitalize either.) Several days ago a stray dog  showed up here and hasn't left.  I've posted pictures of him and tried to give him away and he's just not going.  So he now has a collar and a home apparently. He is maybe part husky though I really don't have any idea.  He seems to be really smart but that kid is ENERGETIC!  And he's eating all the food and making it known to the puppies that he is the alpha.  The head honcho.  De Boss.  I have been concerned that this will continue and only get worse until the pups are big enough themselves to where they can easily intimidate the other dog and thereby prove their dominance.  Also, at first it seemed Zeta might be the more dominant of the pups, but since then I have seen small glimpses or Copernicus coming out of his shell.  For instance, yesterday the black dog (the kids named him Attila.) bullying her.  Going up to her and nudging her with his flanks or his nose.  This is how they show their dominance.  Well, Copernicus (smart dog!) saw it and went over to her and laid his head down over hers and put his paw over her obviously in protection.  Then today I rescued "Perny" from a corner trapped behind some stuff and when I took him out Zeta ran over and started rough-housing and playing with him.  (I forgot to note that anytime I talk to the puppies Attila runs over to where I am and shoves them out of the way and wants all the attention.) Attila came over and started bullying and I heard Copernicus growl at him.  At first I thought it was Attila but then I heard it again and saw Perny clamp down on his neck a few times.  This is proving his dominance.  When training a dog (according to some online research) you can pinch them on the neck mimicking what their mother would do when they were being bad, thereby showing them Oh no you don't!

This is their dog house..very nice and cozy inside...carpet on the floor and everything!  Needs a bit more trim work and paint but it's basically done.  The Dude Done Did Good!

So let's recap a little.
I was worried about Attila maintaining dominance over the pups for so long it would remain later even after the pups grew full sized.  However on day 3 Copernicus has already been showing some signs of establishing his dominance over the pup pack.

Oh, did I mention he's only 5 weeks old?

Yes.  Seriously.

Every day I am noticing they are more relaxed and at ease where they are.  Last night I watched them come out of their house and start wrestling with each other.  Then they went potty and walked around and explored for a while.  When I went to feed them this morning, they saw me come through the door of their house and they jumped up and ran over to me.  They wanted some snuggles and love! (no, they didn't just want food.  They still had some in their dish.  I know you were thinking it!) After I gave them some love I went to get their water and when I came back they were out nosing around here and there.  A while after I finally came back inside I peeked out through the kitchen widow and saw them chasing Attila and exploring some more.



I think they're happy here. :o)

Notes on training:
I worked with them a little bit with the "sit" command and rewarded them for what they did.  I also rewarded Copernicus for showing his dominance over Attila today.  It's one thing for dogs and puppies to want attention from humans but it's another to bully other animals into believing they're the boss.  He does it to me too and today he was biting me and biting Muffin and jumping all over her and me.  I've been working with him on the "sit" command also and rewarding him too.  When he's up close to me he will obey but if he starts to get up and I tell him again he won't do it.  And he never obeys when he's not right in front of me.  He just has so much energy and wants to boss everyone else around.  I might have to put our babies on hold until I get him under control.

I am still learning as I go but it's fun and I know it will be very rewarding when they will obey and do the things they're asked to do.

OH!  I forgot another time that Copernicus growled at Attila when he was jumping all over me and ran over to me when I started yelling at him (Attila).  He did the same thing when the Attila was jumping all over Muffin.

I think he's going to be okay. :o)

Now if I could keep his paw out of his collar I'D be okay!

Until next time...more pics and video to come. <3

Another update on random happenings...

Imagine my shock when I learned a few days ago that I would be getting my pups in a week and a half!

Say WHAT????

Yup.

So, this holiday weekend The Dude and I worked on the dog house. I have an in-progress pic but haven't got the energy right now to upload it to my online album and what-not. It's coming! Just be patient! ;o) The framing is done and the trusses are finished too. Doesn't that make it sound like it's going to be HUGE? Well, it is a little big. 4x4x4 or thereabouts I think.

The Dude also worked on the chicken coop some more which is good because I think we will be getting some soon. Not sure what "soon" means exactly, time-wise, but...soon. :o) I can't have pups around here with nothing to do, can I? LOL! He put the front side wall on after he cut out the door and I then painted the front and the door. Just a few more things to do and it will be complete.

I got a few new pictures of the puppies to show off too. :o) I canNOT WAIT TO GET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just love their little waggy tails and cute fluffy bottoms. Sigh. Not too much longer! And I have a ton to do before they get here. Collars, leashes, food, food DISHES, tags, etc...

Anyway, I think that's about all I have to mention right now. I'm feeling a bit under the weather and it's been raining non-stop since yesterday so I'm taking every opportunity to rest that I can. Tomorrow is the first day back to work and school for everyone and I need to do my part.

p.s.  I think I have the pups names picked out.  I will keep it to myself for now... I want to see the puppies to make sure they fit, if that makes sense. :o)

Have a lovely evening. :o)

Puppies and Farm Update~

So, we had previously decided on a boy and a girl pup. Here's why. The way I see it, someone around here would LOVE to have a local dude to breed their dudette with and also I would love for someone local to have a dude that I can breed my dudette with. Like a barter, possibly. (I love bartering!) At any rate, we want a female so we can sell any future pups (If we're able to part with them!) and a male so we can let people pay to breed their dog with ours. Make sense? Good.

Now, I have PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!

Out of 9 pups born, only 2 were boys. One had badger markings and the other was white. After questioning The Dude and the gang, we decided on the badger, and here he is!

The 7 females are both badger and all white and since we got a badger male we decided to get a female with white coloring. A good way to tell them apart later, depending on how much of the badger-coloring fades as he grows. I don't have a picture of the specific female we're getting but here is a group shot of the puppies with their mama. <3

So, now we just get to sit back and wait on them for about 5 more weeks or more. Wait. WHAT? Sit back and wait? Hardly! We have a double dog house to build, collars to find and purchase, along with leashes, fencing to put up, food and treats to buy...grooming equipment, studying to do, etc....

This is going to be so fun! And the best part? They will come home around Christmas-time. Couldn't get more perfect than that, could it?


In other news: We did our first REAL thing to the farm on Saturday. The Dude and I stopped and purchased 3 fruit trees and then went and planted them on the homestead. We want more (2 of each or more) but a little at a time and all that rot! I wish I had taken my phone out there with me because it would have been REALLY neat to have pictures of that but I didn't have any pockets to put it in so I left it in my truck. Booo. :o( It was chilly out that day too so we didn't spend a lot of time just walking around like we normally do. Muffin and Punkin' were with us and both had on short-sleeved shirts so they got cold quick! (so did Mama!) At one point Muffin had my skirt on like a poncho. (I had leggings on underneath LOL!) Another reason I should have brought my phone so I could take pictures. Ah well... live and learn. Next time I will make sure to wear something with pockets!

The goal of our homestead, as with most, is to grow as much STUFF as we can on our own to provide FOR our own. So the fruit trees are just the first step. There are LOTS of fruit trees, bushes, vines, gardens, etc planned, but it's kind of hard to plant things when you aren't positive where your house is going to be OR where all the trucks hauling stuff to BUILD that house are going to be driving and where all the people are going to be tromping around, but I think these trees are safe. :o) Hopefully.

The Dude and I (well, mostly The Dude) have been working on the chicken coop. We're starting small because well, it's our first go at building one and though we might increase the number of hens where we are- for right now we will just get a few to start.

Here are a couple of pictures of the progress.

I love to watch him work. <3

Looking good, huh? We like it! It's actually progressed further than this picture but all those pictures have kids in them. As in, they are IN the coop. They apparently think they're getting a playhouse. Maybe I should let those 2 be the egg-gatherers! Ha!

I might post some recipes soon because this weather is perfect for yummy soups and breads. It's been nice chili weather and we've had it twice in the last 2 weeks!

Happy Birthday, Puppies!!!!!!!! *yesterday*

I got an email yesterday afternoon saying the puppies were being born! I am so excited and will post pictures as soon as I get some!

Keep the name ideas coming!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY for Puppies !!!

It's been a bit since I've posted simply because there hasn't been too much going on. The Dude and I have started construction on our first chicken coop. No pictures yet because after learning a bit more we determined we needed to alter a few of the plans. So, pics of that coming soon!

Also... I finally found someone fairly local that had the puppies we needed. Well, I say puppies because we're getting two now. A brother and a sister. Below is a pic of a littler of Great Pyrenees but not THE litter as they won't be born until around the end of this month. This is just one I found online to share. :o)

Now, the next two are of some more mature (obviously) pups. I have no idea how old these pups are but this is just to show how large they get sometimes. :o) LOVE IT! Can't wait!

Are those some doggies or WHAT?

So, I am awaiting the news that they have been born and then I can go pick out my girl and boy.

Any name suggestions? It has to be very different, ya know because that's how I roll. :o)

One last pic... Just because it makes me smile. :o)

Until next time....