It's a slippery slope!

This is a view of my driveway a few weeks ago. It was sheer ice,  and there is a slight down hill run. The dogs are Goose, Grover and Miss Noodle. These dogs have a serious play agenda! They charge, pounce, jump, push, pull, trip, chew, anything they can think of to each other! Never a dull moment, and assuredly, never bored...not these three!

After a freezing spell, the snow started melting a bit. It left us with ice everywhere we had plowed...and that makes for some funny moments with the critters! The dogs, mainly Grover and Miss Noodle, will hide in the woods or crouch on a snow bank, and when another dog walks/runs by, they charge! The 2, sometimes all three will go sailing down the sheet of ice and slam into a snow bank and slide some more...then they jump up and do it again!!

Sometimes, a chicken might get in the way and they will go for a slide! Once, our big black rooster jumped down off the snow bank onto the ice and there was a whole lot of fancy ice skating going on! He was unable to keep an upright position for long but seemed to catch onto the summer salts quite nicely!

This ice makes for hours of entertainment for us humans! Of course, it's all fun until a critter winds up in the vet's office! I'd get all this on video but seems by the time I get the camera out, the critters act like "hey, nothin goin on here"!...But, some day!!

On One Leg!

When we leave our driveway, we then have another, oh, let's say 1/4 mile of easement road just to get to a "primitive" road that takes us to the narrow, paved 2 lane road that gets us to the highway...you get all that?! Ok, let's get back to the easement road...there are trees on both sides. To the north there is thick woods, to the south after the narrow row of trees, there is a field. So, as you can imagine, there are a plethora of critters that go back and forth across that easement road, from the field to the woods.

I personally have seen deer, moose, grouse, quail, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, turkeys...I'm sure I've missed a few! And, there's the domestics, dogs, cats, horses and an occasional human! Anyway, right now, the turkeys are out in force. Sometimes I will see a rafter...oh ya, that's what a group of these guys is called...a "rafter"....pretty smart, huh? Ok, wikipedia! -- So, sometimes I will see a rafter of 10, sometimes 100...I'm not kidding!! Lately, there has been a turkey in the rafter with either a leg tucked up under himself or a missing leg, regardless, he only has one useable leg! We have seen this guy for a few weeks now, hopping back and forth across the easement road.

Well, it snowed last night...not much, but a decent skiff, enough that it is perfect for tracking. At O-dark-30a.m., I went out to feed the horses...still dark. I see a track coming into the driveway, over the gate, across the yard, to the hay barn. The weird thing, it is a turkey track, the right leg of a turkey, in a straight line. No left leg, just the right, and where do the tracks go from the hay barn...well, to the chicken house of course!! It's a free meal, why the heck not!  Do you think my 2 BIG dogs know he is crippled up, because they sure aren't stopping him!!

All said and done, this little one legged, chicken scratch steelin, thieving turkey is pretty crafty! He has survived a pretty harsh winter, deep snow, underlying ice, extreme low temps, lots of owls, raccoons and a mega population of coyotes...and my dogs! I'm impressed with this turkey's survival skills. Maybe he will soon join into my daily follies, he seems to feel pretty comfy here on the farm!!

hmmm...

Why did the cowboy buy a dachshund? 



He wanted to "get a long little doggie!"
                                           
....YEEE HAW!!



                                                     

                                    

The Little Dog

I wish Christ had a little dog

All soft and loving like mine,

With two long ears and a nose all wet,

And big brown eyes that shine

I know that He hadn't because I have read

How He prayed in the garden alone;

For all the disciples had fled from his side...

Even Peter...the one called a stone.

I'm sure that a little dog

With a heart so tender and warm

Would never had left Him to suffer alone

But would have crept up under His arm

Would have licked the dear fingers in agony clasped

And counting all favors but loss,

When they took Him away, would have trotted along

And followed Him right to the cross.

ua

What is wrong with people...

Daughter in law, Dr.J, asks if we could maybe check out a house in the middle of nowhere on some mountain top, where abandoned dogs have been reported. The Sheriff’s office responded, found 2 puppies, one dead, and the momma dog, which he could not catch. The officer took the live puppy to Dr.J at her clinic.

Long story shorter…we drove up the mountain and found the abandoned house. Looks like the people shut down, locked up and walked away in a hurry…left it all, everything…food in cupboards, dishes in sink, garbage everywhere, trash in the yard, AND their dogs!! There is 3 feet of snow and the only tracks are from the abandoned dogs. No one has shoveled, plowed or walked up to the house except the one officer…and his tracks were snow covered! While we were struggling through the snow, there was an unsettling feeling, like the hair on your neck being disturbed! My hubby says, “shhh, I think I hear banjos”. Oh, hey, thanks allot! Like I need you to add to my creepy thoughts!

Ok, so no boogiemen, no one from the “Deliverance” movie…just dogs, abandoned , helpless, starving dogs. The information we had was there was a female (mom to the pup) that had a broken front leg. She was there. A sweet small Black Lab cross with damage to her front leg. AND there were 4 more puppies…adorable little Lab/Rott cross. AND a 6 month old female Lab/Rott cross, AND a year old female Lab/Rott cross.
You doing the math here? That’s 8 dogs!! 8 abandoned dogs! AND I’m sure we saw one more that we can’t find now. We took dog food up and left for that one…we will go back up and look for him in a couple days.

These dogs have been scrounging to stay alive. We saw a chewed on back bone that seemed to be that of a calf, and some venison bones were laying around as were a few empty dog food bags along with all the garbage in the yard. All the dogs had extended stomachs and crusty hair, add to that a horrible smell! So, they all went to Dr.J for a check up, shots and de-worming. Dr.J is guessing pups at around 7 weeks old so they are ready for new homes! 2 of which are now living with the pastor’s daughters and getting spoiled! I hear the other dogs are all doing well also. Dr.J thinks the leg on the momma dog will be saved.

We have the year old with us, and she is doing well, after passing all those horrid worms and getting some good nutrition in her. Isn’t it amazing how a dog can fair so well after being treated so bad. 3 days with this young dog and she now knows how to sit, lay and ask to go outside. She sleeps by the bed…all night without getting up, and she rides in the car like she is a world traveler. She gets along well with the other 4 dogs, lays with the cats and pays no attention to the chickens, ducks or horses. You gotta love a dog like this!! She already has a new home and will move in there next week…it’s just down the road so I will get to see her often!

Still, I’m appalled at the nefarious butts that think they can just leave a helpless critter to fend for it’s self with no consequences. Maybe someday they will suffer what their dogs did.

Kicken Chickens!

I have roughly 35 chickens...I could get a more accurate count if they would either stand still or walk in a single file...but noooo, they have to run around an confuse me! The count I am sure of is the duck...I have "one" duck!

In the mornings all the chickens and the "one" duck are waiting for me close to the front door! I have to walk all the way out to the Chicken house to feed them so they gather around me, walk on my feet, trip me, whatever it takes to hurry me up! They are so bad that I have to gently move them out of my way with my foot...It's my morning dance, "The Kicken-Chicken"!!

The really cool thing about the Chickens is how socialized they are, mostly the young ones, no, I guess all of them now. You see, this "one" duck I mention, well, I feed her out of the grain scoop while I am throwing scratch to the chickens. I do this to tame her so the kids can pet her. Slowly the baby chicks started coming close and eating with her from the scoop. So I just start petting each one as they come to eat. Now the older chickens come close so I can pet them...even the roosters!

The really cool thing is that a few of the young chicks (the banties) fly up on my shoulder or head sometimes. Of course this is all fun and games till one of them poop on my head...then it won't be so cute! I wonder...are all chickens like this...or just mine?!

Mickey!!

Turning 14 years old this June 10th, Mickey is showing his age. Not just the white covering his face, but the distorted look he has. He had a nerve issue a few years back and it left his face dull on the left side. He has lost about 90% of his hearing and has a blurred look to his eyes.

That being said, Mickey still runs, jumps, plays, hoards his toys, loves his treats, and has the most incredible appetite! He is an obedient and loyal dog!

I never thought I, or my hubby would own a wiener-dog. I always thought they were kind of stupid, hard to train dogs...well, I was so wrong!

Mickey was a rescue, I just happen to be the one the owner dumped him on. He was 4 months old and after a few hours with him, my hubby and I decided we couldn't just give this little guy away! I have to tell you, we have had 2 Black Labs, a lab mix, German Shepherd, German Short Hair, Standard Poodle, add to that all the dogs we are around that our friends and family have, and Mickey...has the best vocabulary, the best understanding of the events taking place around him and the quickest response to the right action to take for the circumstance!

I write all this down and share it because I know it is inevitable we will loose him one day. It will be a very sad day. I got a phone call from a friend who winter's in Arizona. Their chow cross just up and died in their arms on New Year's eve. A couple months ago my youngest brother and his wife lost their little sheltie cross. And about 4 months ago, my oldest brother and his family lost their yellow lab. It's so sad and so hard on the families to go through such a loss...In each case, their dog was a HUGE part of their family! Mickey has been there, done that in our family!

Mickey keeps us all on a schedule here, he is a silent alarm as he barks very little...instead, he goes and gets one of the big dogs to challenge the intruder! (like I said, he's a smart one!) He has traveled everywhere with us! He is worldly! He is a perfect gentleman in any motel, and as a passenger in a car, you couldn't ask for better! He knows his boundaries, never runs off and always minds his manners! All of this came naturally...he was not trained!

I could go on for hours on how good and smart this little guy is, how accepting he is of all animals and people...but sooner than later, you will get bored! So, let me leave you with this...Never judge a book by it's cover...the content may be something you wouldn't want to miss out on in life!!