Cats have invaded my writing space

Yesterday, I was just about to sit in my chair to write, when I noticed a butterscotch feline cleaning himself.  It was as if he was saying "this is my chair."  So, instead of writing at that moment, I chose to walk on the treadmill.  Just before I sat up from putting my walking shoes on, there was an oreo cookie colored feline sprawled out on the treadmill!  I had to laugh.  They are such loving cats, and have such funny behavior.  If they aren't chasing either others tails, they are hanging around for some lovin'.  They didn't stop taking over my space at all either.  After walking and showering, there was an oreo colored feline sprawled on my computer chair.  Last night, while crocheting a blanket for my youngest, her butterscotch colored cat, jumped on the bed and sprawled out over the blanket.  I think he knows who is getting the blanket - ha ha ha!

Meet "Charlie" ~ The Second Rescued Dog

Here is a "before" photo of Charlie, the second dog for us to rescue.  When the humane society absolutely refused to help, we decided we had to do something.  The only option they gave us yesterday, was to keep him as our own (duh!) or take him to the dog warden.  Their reasons for not assisting in this dog's care, were contradictory and lame.  They pick up abandoned strays themselves, and this is an abandoned dog.

After we had a vet look at him, we discovered he has testicular cancer, and needs medical help.  We are praying we can get his weight up enough to withstand surgery in a week.  Then we will be able to test for heartworm and to check of the cancer spread to his lungs or not. 

Looking at Charlie today, you'd never know he was sick. Unless you looked at him from behind that is.  He is full of energy today and is very alert.  Last night when I was petting his head, then stopped, he pushed his head under my hand for more.  He's definitely been someone's dog, and a neglected one at that.  The owner may have not had the money to care for him, or the owner could have just not cared too.  Either way, Charlie is now being cared for by us, regardless of the situation.  He has no way to defend himself, nor care for himself.  He's relying on us now.

We are taking it one day at a time.  We are praying he does not have heart worm either.

Nurturing a Malnourished Dog ~ Another stray that came to us

In just a few short weeks after we took in a stray puppy, we now have this stray dog.  We found him late last night.  He had wandered onto the property early in the day, but then disappeared.  My son found him laying in the woods, unable to walk. 

The good news, is that he's up and walking, has been flea combed and treated, had his very long nails trimmed, and is about to go see the vet for overall check up.  He's a very loving dog, and is anxious to come inside.  A visit to the vet is needed first, as we already have 3 healthy dogs inside.

I am sure the dog warden was looking for him yesterday.  After we saw the dog wander around the barn, and disappear, the dog warden's van was driving up and down the highway, and up and down side streets about a mile or less away.  He even sat in our driveway for a time, looking directly at our house, but never knocking on the door.  I am certain, that if the dog warden had found this dog, he would have put him to sleep.

Thankfully, the dog came to us, and it was us who found him.  Now, it's just one day at a time, nourishing him back to health.

Meet Tiger ~ The Ferocious Jungle Cat

Update on Stray Puppy aka "Molly"

It was a bittersweet day today, as we put "Molly" into my brother's truck.  She is now joining another family and has a playmate she gets along with.  She will be loved and nurtured and we were glad to be a part of it.  Now the kids think they are hot potatoes when it comes to "fostering" puppies.  If we do have the oppurtunity to foster any, I'm sure you'll read about it here.

93°F in my house today ~ Upstairs is sweltering

I'm so glad that the stray puppy found us last Tuesday, before this extreme heat wave became worse.  She may have not made it if she had not found my daughter.  The doggie swimming pool, which is a simple small plastic portable pool, has been used hourly today.  I'm so glad we could offer the dogs a way to cool off.  After today's newspaper article that is on the front page, I have doubts that the humane society will take the pup (if we don't find the owner).  The article talked about all the animals they have taken in, had surgery on, and those that still need homes.  All we can do is hope.

I'm about to take the garden hose to the girls because they are getting ornery. The heat is making the bees go crazy too.  My 11 year-old daughter got stung by one just sitting still today.

The dogs aren't the only ones we worry about in this heat.  Thanks to the wonderful information from my farmgirl sisters, I have found out that our chickens can die from heat exhaustion.  We have a fan running in the barn and have even given them bowls of crushed ice.

The barn cats are cooling under shaded plants and won't come out until the rain cools the air.  

The garden has blessed us yet again, so many meals are planned when the temperature drops.  Including my mother's zucchini bread.  Yum!  I'm not turning on my oven until the rain arrives.  I am seriously considering the costs of a summer kitchen.  It would work perfect for us during hot summer days.

Ice cold sliced watermelon sounds pretty good for dinner right now.

Meet "Molly" ~ Stray Dog

Meet the newest addition to the homestead.  So far, we have not received any phone calls for this stray dog my daughter found.  We've checked bulletin boards and so far no one is claiming her.  The kids have already taught her to sit and shake, and are in the process of house breaking her.  Luckily we had a dog crate from when the other dogs were puppies.  She is just a cutie and the family is getting attached to her.  She jumped out of a creek when my oldest daughter was out for a run early yesterday morning.

The kids have given her a name because we can't just say "come dog" etc.  When my daughter found her she was starving and dehydrated.  She will lay down beside the water bowl, place her paws (one on each side) around the bowl, and rest her chin on the opposite rim of the bowl and covering it.  Almost acting afraid that we'd take the water away, making us wonder what had happened to her previously.

Now that she knows we won't take her water or food away, she is content.  She will even go inside the crate to take a nap during the day.  She's free to go where ever she wants and is never taken outside without a leash.  Luckily, we still had some out grown collars, so one went on her.  We went out and bought her puppy food and a few toys.

If no one calls, she may very well be the newest, and permanent, member of our homestead.

The case of the missing catnip

Where oh where did the catnip go? Once drying on this herb drying rack, it's suddenly missing? One orange, and very curiuos cat, is enjoying it somewhere in teh house.

Dog Funny

Yesterday, while my oldest daughter was out giving water to the chickens, her dog (pictured above) was out running around. The second school bus pulled in and stopped in the usual spot in our horseshoe shaped driveway. This crazy, but loving dog, walked right up the bus steps to great them! I guess she wanted to go to school!

Planting Potatoes ~ First Day in the Garden

My husband and I both have blisters to show how hard we worked.  I forgot, over the long winter, how much work is involved.  In the end, it's all worth it, but I was not prepared.

Pollen is high and I have a major sinus headache, my body aches in places I didn't think was possible and I feel like I need a nap already.

I took frequent breaks to enjoy some iced tea, but still felt I have aged over the winter.  I better get more weight off or I won't survive the heat this summer either.

During one of my trips to the kitchen, our 16 year-old daughter opened the fridge and was standing there.  They do this often, as if something will jump out at them and say "eat me."  I was just about to yell "don't stand there with the door open" our cat Tiger jumped into the fridge and nosed around a shelf.  HA HA!  He better be careful because she could have looked away while shutting the door and shut him in there.

"Mom! I wrote a book!"

While resting on my bed most of the weekend, our eight year-old found a way to keep herself occupied.  With a bad cold, a bottle of Vick's Vap-o-rub, a box of Kleenex, and a book, I took advantage of the restful Sunday to regain my health.

Even though rest was not all undisturbed, including an 80 pound dog sitting on my chest pushing her bone up to my face with her tail wagging enough to shake the bed (literally touching my nose) while trying to wake up up, some of the time was peaceful.  By Sunday evening, our eight year-old daughter had taken a small spiral notebook and had written a book.  She even included dialogue and used quotation marks and had her ten year-old sister illustrate it.

Every other page she wrote, prompted her to visit me by reading me her "book." 

Now if I could just get her motivation to motivate me...

Dogs Snoozing

I was going through photos on the computer and located this one.  I'll never forgot this moment.  All three dogs were snoozing together, and no the kids did not put them like this for the sake of a picture.   The kids were watching television and the dogs wanted on the couch too.  They only had a portion to share, so they did indeed share it.  This is truly a picture that shows how well the pets get along with each other.

This morning I had to clean up a spilled plant.  The two newest cats were chasing each other around at 6:00am.  They were zipping here and there and having a blast.  Of course, now that I am up and have cleaned it up, they are snoozing and worn out.

Well, that's okay.  I can exercise and get busy writing early today.  As long as my cough stays away and my nose clears up so I can breath.  The kids brought more germs home again.

As for adding "Mazda" to our small homestead, he's been a delight.  I love to watch him woo the hens and I love to listen to him.  This journey of having a small farm has not been a "bucket list" item, but more so of living our life as we wish.  I'm not sure I am ready for goats this year, but raising chickens and turkeys for meat is definitely on the list.  Growing our own garden and herbs has been a wonderful experience despite the hard work.

Foxy Loxy is back ~ Close call for one of our dogs

Well, I decided to take the dogs outside, sit in a lawn chair, and soak up the sun  - in my slippers.  Bad move.  I heard it but I didn't know what it was.  One of our dogs kept sniffing the air so I was keeping a close eye on him.

Then, all of the sudden they darted and I screamed until my throat hurt, and chased after them through mud, leaves, and snow.  One of our dogs bolted across the 2 lane highway and would not come back.  Thank goodness there was no traffic was passing.  And then I saw him.  A small animal running across the empty field. 

To make sure of what it was, I googled the sound of a fox.  The dogs went crazy! And yes, it was the fox.  He's back.  Good thing the chickens are still in their pen.  Phew! 

That was a bit scary for me too.  I thought our dog would not come back and he just stood there in the road.  Now I have a headache and dirty slippers.  I guess I better have running shoes on the next time I take them out, and maybe even take a quick walk around.

Holy Cow! An Earthquake and we didn't even know it!

I took my laptop to the library to observe people while the two younger ones were in a program.  About a half hour of typing "boring" and "no juicy action" there was a huge rumble.  My 13 year old was sitting at a table with me and we both looked up at each other.

"What was that?"

"I don't know?" she answered with raised shoulders.

"Sounded like the roof was coming down!"

I continued to type, and after getting frustrated with no one to "observe" I put the computer away.  I read a bit of my Bible and soon we had to leave.

After we arrived home, I got a text from Mom.  There was an earthquake in a town 10 miles from our house and further from where we were at the library.  An earthquake.  I couldn't believe it.

My son was home, and after sharing the news, he said that the dogs went crazy about that time.  I guess they started barking when it happened.

Jasper the Naughty Cat ~ The Missing Tissue Paper Flowers

Oh I wish I had a camera that video taped constantly around here.  Not that I would want my life on the Internet, but these cats of ours are hilarious!  I wish I could have gotten a picture of video clip of Jasper running through the house carrying a tissue paper flower attached to a chenille stem. 

The girls made tissue paper flowers over the weekend, and I fell in love with them.  Immediately I stole two of them, and the vases they crafted, and placed them in two kitchen windows.  It was like bringing spring into the house early.

However....yep there is a however in the story.  The flowers disappeared during the night.  Vases were toppled and we soon found out what happened.

"JASPER!"  Or could Tiger have helped?

The girls removed the flowers to a safer place, or so they thought.  Ha ha ha!

Just minutes ago, Jasper, tailed by Tiger, went flying through the kitchen with his prized possession - the chenille stem with the tissue paper flower!

Sunshine Today! Cats, cats, and cats

The sun is shining on the wintery February day.  The snow is so bright, bringing in more light.  It's a good day to get outside and soak up and store up.  The barn cats are loving it too.  God is gracious today!  I love watching the cats stretching themselves out in the bright sunlight.  They look so happy.  The inside cats will most likely be searching the house for the best sun spot, so they too, can stretch out.

Speaking of barn cats, we have not see the stray gray cat today.  He/she sits on our wood pile and waits to sneak up to the house to eat.  I wonder if it will stick around or move on?

It's amazing how different our cats are.  We adopted our first cat over eleven years ago.  That's a long time to get to know your cat huh?  Now, not including the stray, we have six cats now.  I never thought I would even have more than one animal.  Now, here we are, considering raising goats too.

For the Love of Dogs

We adopted our first dog 6 years ago, and I am still seeing new behaviors.   Funny and hilarious behaviors, and some that are just plain surprising.  Life would be so boring without them.  So far our adoptions included one that was left tied out with no food or water, one that was dumped in a box full of  puppies, and one puppy that just needed a home.  Then of course there are the barn cats we inherited with the house.  They gave us two more kittens to befriend the one cat we also adopted from the Humane Society. And the funny thing about them all is that they all get along.  Including our indoor rabbit.

In reading a recent news paper article, my heart broke.  A family's house became uninhabitable and they were forced to give all of their animals to a Humane Society.  So what did I do?  I asked my husband even though I knew the answer.  It's been a tough year with feeding our own pets, but I asked anyway.  I wanted to foster one of the family's dogs until the family got settled into a better home.  Otherwise all of their pets would be adopted out to other families.  I tried, but it still breaks my heart.  This family with children could use prayers.

Naughty Kitty and a Poster

The naughty cat award goes to my 10 year-old daughter's cat - Jasper.  Just before the kids arrived home, on their first day back to school, I heard a loud bang from upstairs.  When they arrived home I mentioned that they might want to check it out.

Groans followed my comments and they slowly made their way up the stairs.  A few minutes later my 13 year-old stood at the bottom of the stairs.  She was holding her Twilight poster and groaning.  That little booger not only ripped the poster from her slanted ceiling, but put holes it in with his claws.  I guess he didn't like the poster, or he was looking for attention.

Now I'm on the hunt for a replacement poster.  I'm guessing she'll have to put the poster a bit higher or somewhere else.  He's the same cat who likes to chew up rolls of toilet paper, and cardboard boxes.

The "Ding Dong" award goes to my husband.  He bought the chickens a new heat lamp and now he can't find it.  He had it in his hands and was multitasking outside.  Now it is no where to be found.  I checked the other barns, the garage, the vehicles, and the chicken barn.  Nothing.  Good grief.  Poor chickens.  I'm sure their freezing their pa-toots off.  They are sitting two to a roost to stay warm right now.  I better look for that lamp again today or I'll have frozen eggs.

The creative dog award goes to my 13 year-old's dog - Jesse.  He wanted to play this morning and kept bringing me his toy.  He does that when he knows everyone is going to school.  When I didn't play with him, another one of our dogs (black lab/german shepard) decided she would play with him.  However, he wanted to part of sharing his toy.  He placed it into an open backpack that was hanging on the back of  a kitchen chair to hide it from her!  How funny!  He definitely gets an award this morning.

Life would be so boring without our animals.

Weekend Horse Craze and a Halloween Pudding Cup Theft

I opened my e-mail yesterday morning to find a major alert sent by my 15 yo daughter.  I had to laugh because it described her completely!  If you had to sit and watch the Breeder's Cup all weekend, I did too.  At first it was like torture.  I had retreated to the couch to read my English assignment, but was mystified by my daughter.

There she sat, watching the television intently.  It wasn't just that either.  She was prepared with a clipboard, that held the schedule of events she had printed off of her computer.  With a pen in hand and a snack, she watched and cheered and asked us to bet on a horse.  Her's of course was Zenyatta. 

On Friday I picked the horse who had a name that started with Rose.  She would have won had the other rider not knocked the whip from the jockey's hand (at least that's what I think happened).  That got me started.  I was hooked until Saturday.  Then, I tried to get to work on my homework and writing.

I then retreated to my room to work there on Saturday, but could hear screaming coming from the living room.  And of course the only filly running against the boys won.  The one and only horse she was cheering for - Zenyatta.

Even after the race was over, I caught her re-watching the race on YouTube.  I had to laugh.  Here is a copy of what she sent me in the e-mail:

Mom, I am sending you this message because I think I need to get checked by a doctor. This is a very serious illness and can be highly contagious. Several people have picked up the virus already and I believe that, by some means, I was born with this disease and I am afraid to inform you that there is NO cure. Sadly, there is nothing you can do but support me and help me through the long-term affects that this will have on my body and mind. I hope that you will still love me no matter what.

Love,

********

This is a public service announcement.
Urgent Notice: Potential Danger of Horse Hair

In a press release today, the National Institute of Health has announced the discovery of a potentially dangerous substance in the hair of horses. This substance, called "amobacter equuii" has been linked with the following symptoms in females:
* Reluctance to cook, clean or do housework.
* Reluctance to wear make-up, good clothes or heels.
* Reluctance to spend money on home or car repairs until after "baby has new shoes,pad, blanket, tack, grain, hay & supplements".
"Amobacter equuii" usually results in long hours away from home and exhaustion which may lead to a loss of physical contact with other humans (especially husbands).
"Amobacter equuii" is thought to be addictive, driving the need for additional sources - this may lead to a "herd mentality" or like the potato chip commercial, "you can't have just one". (Especially potent if infected from miniature equines)

Beware! If you come in contact with a female human infected by this substance, be prepared to talk about horses for hours.

Surgeon General's Warning: Horses are expensive, addictive, and may impair the ability to use common sense.

Pretty funny I'd say!

As for the hijacking on my Halloween treat container, well here's the photo with the thief!

If you want to see the cup before the attack visit my article I wrote on how to make them on eHow.  The little booger took it off of my night stand, emptied the contents and was caught running through the house with it hanging from his mouth.  It is now his personal toy.

Last night I was sound asleep when I heard a bang, bang, bang from where the dresser sits.  I jumped from the bed to catch this terrorizing thief with a 10 inch styrofoam Christmas tree in his mouth.  Our youngest had painted it years ago and decorated with pom poms and sequins.  And here this thief was trying to take off with it.  I'm going to have to sleep with one eye open now (ha ha ha!).  

Funny and Weird Dogs

My 15 year-old daughter caught me talking to her dog yesterday.  There she (the dog) was, sitting proudly behind another rock she had brought in.  And there I was saying (with my index finger going up and down), "Seriously, are we going to have to take you to a doggy counselor?" 

We have the strangest dogs, but love them dearly for their uniqueness.  One has an obsession with rocks.  Instead of playing fetch like our smallest dog, she'd rather be digging up rocks and carrying them around in her mouth.  On any other day she'll be obsessed with chasing her shadows.  If anyone reaches for a flash light, she is ready to chase - for hours.

Then there is the laundry issue.  It's not really an issue, just a cute story.  I hang laundry on the line just about every day here.  I've always taken the dogs out while I hang the laundry on the line, and bring them back in when I come in.  Considering it takes a few loads to get them all on the line, we go out often.  They play, run around and fetch rocks and sticks. 

Now, if I so much as pick up a laundry basket, they all stand at attention ready for me to make my move.  Just to see if they really were smart enough to know that I was going outside, I walked to the utility room, did not turn on the light, and slowly and gently opened the washer.  Immediately, the dogs were staring at me through the doorway with tails wagging.  I can't even say the word "laundry" without them barreling me over to race to the door. 

They are all funny for sure.  They may make it into one of my books yet.