What a Morning Already

This morning has been full of surprises and lots of energy used.
Had to order several more hen aprons and they came in yesterday mail. So this morning it was dressing the girls again. First hen caught was one of the Mottled Houdans. When I lifted her left wing up to slip the apron on I saw this....
A huge wound!! I didn't know it was there. I think this is the hen that disappeared for several days. Although I gave her a quick once over when she returned, obviously I didn't look good enough. And the worst part is, I don't know what to do for her wound. The only medicine I have is for horses/donkeys, cats and dogs. Do you suppose Neosporin would hurt? The wound is on the left side of her back under the wing area. It looks like something either grabbed her or something bit her. Glad I have a strong stomach. Well, for everything but any kind of puke or skunk smell. Those two things will get me to gagging everytime.

Here she is with her new clothes. And let me tell you, she is not happy!!

Poor Eva's shoulders are so raw thanks to over zealous Stew Pot.

So off went her old apron and on went the new one with shoulder gaurds.

As soon as I was all finished dressing the girls I look up to see one of the neighbor dogs on my property running around! Thankfully it wasn't the same dog that killed my hen awhile back. But it is the same dog that had gotten loose two years ago and ran around my back pasture trying to chase my horses!

After about an hour of trying to catch him, he finally trusted me enough to walk him into our back yard so I could keep him safe until one of the neighbors gets home.

He really is a nice enough dog, but poor thing is stuck in a kennel 24/7/365. The only human interaction he gets is when he gets fed and watered. Or when the one grandson whom they have custody of terrorizes him. This kid is about 8 or 9 and I kid you not, a serial killer in the making! I have talked with the neighbors about this kid, but to no avail. They are aware of what he does, but don't know what to do about it.

And the neighbors other dog, a Border Collie, also got out and is running around. That dog hasn't come over her yet, but now I am having to watch all the animals here. And that dog is known to bite! Great!

Oh, an earlier this morning it was time to worm the horses and donks. Everyone was nice and easy except for my horse. He hates to be wormed and it is a chore and a job! After about fifteen minutes of trying to convince him to get wormed I gave up. Mainly due to him yanking on me so hard my right shoulder is hurting pretty bad. It is the same shoulder he injured over a year ago. So, he stayed in his stall today and he is not happy! I'll just go to the feed store and buy some feed on wormer. He IS going to get wormed come hell or high water! I will win!!!

I hope the rest of the day is nice and normal.

Until next time.................

Done and a Funny Story

Yesterday I finally made myself clean and organize the book shelves in the family room. Talk about a mess and pretty much a catch all. It was just one of those chores that I kept telling myself I'd get to it. In all honesty it didn't take as long as I thought to do it.

Now if it would only stay this way!!

Last night my oldest daughter, Jennifer, and I were talking about Jake ( the Boxer pictured here). We lost Jake to cancer about three years ago.

Anyway, Jake was really a great dog. He went everywhere with me. But he was neurotic. Really, he was downright a spazz case over certain things. We knew what would upset him so we would be careful not to get him into an anxious state. The vacuum would always get him upset. Or the ceiling fan when it was on. It wasn't like the fan would just suddenly appear, but when he looked up and saw it, well, he would just get so upset. Balloons also got him nervous. We got him when he was eight weeks old, so it wasn't like he had baggage with him.

Some years ago Jennifer and Jake were outside playing. The next thing I see is Jennifer running and screaming past the big window carrying Jake ( he was full grown when this happened). I ran out the door just knowing something bad had happened. We laid Jake on the couch, started looking for a wound, or some indication as to what was wrong with him. Couldn't find anything other than him being all upset and shaking.

Jennifer finally calmed down enough to tell me what had happened. They were outside playing when it began to snow pretty hard. She said Jake looked up, saw the big flakes of snow falling down and his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted!! Not kidding! That dog passed out cold!!

To make sure it wasn't anything serious I rushed him to the vet. Explained to the vet what had happened and after a few tests and xrays the vet told me what he had found. Absolutely nothing was wrong with him. Nothing. Then the vet looked at me and informed me that Jake was a neurotic dog and anything could set him off into 'anxious land'. By this time I am laughing hysterically and so was the vet. I asked him if he had ever met a dog that passed out just by looking at something that upset him. He said in all his years of practice that Jake was the first dog he had ever encountered was that neurotic.

He gave me a prescription for anxiety and whenever I knew something was going to upset that goofball, he got a pill! There were still times when I didn't notice what might upset him and he would get all weirded out.

Have to say, Jake gave us a lifetime of stories to reminisce about.

So everytime it snows, we all bring up that day when Jake passed out.

Until next time...............

My Dog

This morning as I was reading blogs and drinking coffee, I looked down to see my dog, Honey Dog laying right next to my chair. Wherever I am, she is. A big smile came across my face as she lay there so content. She is my shadow that's for sure. I think I have talked about her before, but since I love her so much, she is worth talking about again.


She is very protective over me. When we are home alone and she hears a sound out of the ordinary she gets really close to me and starts growling and barking. Heck, she still barks at my oldest daughter when she walks into the house.



Honey Dog is not good with kids ( not that that many kids ever come here), but when there is a kid, I have to put her out into the playroom. Whenever friends come over, I ask them to wait before coming into the house so I can put her up, or I tell them that there is a dog in the house that is very protective and not to make any sudden movements until Honey Dog checks them out.
She is part German Shepherd, part Boxer and part Pit Bull. She is a great dog. When she was younger, before I got her, she had been attacked by a neighbor dog who ripped her face up pretty good. She is missing a small piece of her upper lip and she has scars on her belly from another dog that attacked her.

We have a game we play. All I have to do is hold out my hand and start wriggling my fingers and say, "Tummy time" and she knows what's going to happen next. She gets her tummy rubbed.

Honey Dog is seven years old now and is having trouble with her hips. So she gets pills everyday to help her. One of them is Fish Oil which is great for her joints.



She has one funny little quirk that cracks me. Whenever I get the nail clippers out to trim my nails, she gets very upset and starts whining. Therefore, I cannot trim my nails in front of her. It upsets her that much. You ask if I can trim her nails? Nope. I believe that when she was younger she had a really bad experience with having her nails trimmed which has resulted in her getting very anxious when she see clippers. Thankfully we have a cement area that she has to go through to get to the yard and that keeps her nails short enough.

Here is Honey Dog and Doug. He is the only cat that she allows to get close to her. Oh she is good with the other cats, but tolerates them. Doug for some reason she likes. Go figure.

And speaking of Doug. Yesterday he went to the vet to get neutered. Last night the only way he would sleep is if I was holding him. When I had to get up and do something he would follow me weebling and wobbling until I picked him up and sat back down.

This morning after the sedative wore off, well, I think the look on his face says it all!

As the morning wore on he was coming around to his old self. This is him wanting 'uppy'. When he wants to be picked up he meows very loud and stretches himself up my leg to tell me he wants up. Of course I pick him up every time. Who can resist that face! Ha Ha

Until next time..............

New bed

Yesterday it was go to town and get dog and cat food. Just about everything was on sale! Yay!!!!! Dog food was three dollars off a bag. Cat food two dollars off a bag. Even the kitty litter was on sale. So, with the savings, Honey Dog got a new bed! Even the bed was on sale! Ten dollars off!! Whooooo Hoooooo!!!!

Can you tell she loves her new bed?

Now that she is the only dog in the house since Rose passed away three weeks ago, Honey Dog needed a new bed. I did not blog about Rose passing away due to the fact that I haven't even been able to say her name out loud without getting upset until just the other day. Not to say it still isn't an open wound. Sorry, no pic of Rose. Not yet.

Until next time.....................

Sounds and growth of Spring

The weather here in Southern Oregon has been to say the least, very mild. Not much rain and very little snow in the mountains. I was going to post about something else, but changed my mind and took this video to share.

I try to have either horses, donkeys or goats eat the grass down rather than use the mower. Looks like it is time to bring a critter next to the house to eat all that yummy grass!

For those of you dealing with the horrible, nasty snowstorms, hang in there. The sounds of mowing will be heard soon enough!

Until next time...............

Two day update

It's been a couple of days since I wrote. Sorry, no pics in today's blog. Camera is either being temperamental or I need to buy more batteries!

So far there are still only the three baby chicks. Bonnie is sitting on the rest of the eggs while Little Inger is teaching the young ones how to eat and scratch and do chicken things.

The other hens are rather upset now since the door to the pen is closed all the time. Which means I have to keep a real close eye on them and open the door for them to go in and lay their wonderful, yummy eggs. Then back out to open the door to let them back out.

This afternoon Little Inger took the babies out of the house and into the enclosed area. It was so cute to watch them scratch the whole time they were peeping and Little Inger talking to them.

But, as I feared, the outside cats have noticed the peeping! Mr. Worm has been hanging around the pen with 'that look' in his eye. Even though I have talked to him that the babies are not for him to eat, for some odd silly reason he ignores me. Hmmmm, go figure! So, without him knowing it is me doing it, rocks are tossed at him to scare him away. He runs off with a very confused look in his face. But sure enough later on there he is hanging around the pen again.

Rose ( our 12 year old Boxer) is not feeling well today. I have a suspicion she may have had another small stroke. I have been sitting with her the better part of today which seems to make her feel better. The way I figure it is, whatever I can't get to today, will be waiting for me tomorrow to get done.


Speaking of dogs, in previous posts I talked about our neighbors Little Dog who is over here all the time. Over the past several days I haven't seen him. Now this is ridiculous on my part since he isn't even our dog, but I got worried. I went out and looked in the ditches along the road, walked the back pasture, looked in the barn, but couldn't find him. Well, maybe the neighbors are just keeping him home now. Okay, that's fine. Earlier this afternoon when I went out to get the mail, who was standing by the front door?! Yup, Persistence aka Little Dog! Now I feel better knowing he is okay.

Hopefully tomorrow the camera will be working and will post pics of the babies.


Until next time.....................

Playing

Today it has been very windy. And with wind, comes energy. The dogs getting outside and actually playing.

Rose trying to grab a toy from Maggie.

Starting to pant after real exercise!

A huge crow landed in the tree and these silly dogs thought they were going to get it!

Sugar aka The Tick aka Baby Beluga now, is all tuckered out.

Our dogs really do go outside! They don't always just lay around. Okay, a lot of the time that is where you will find these spoiled rotten dogs. Snoozing on either a couch or a bed. What a dog's life!

Smile

Smile!!!!!!!!!!!!

Share your smile with someone else and brighten their day too. It might be the only one they get today.

Until next time...............................

Darn it!

All I can say today is 'Darn it. Animals are suppose to live as long as us!"


Today I had to make the 'big decision' concerning one of our dogs.


She had cancer. It took her sight so we became her eyes.

This past weekend was a bad one for her. She was in a lot of pain and the pain medication wasn't helping.

So this morning the decision was made to let her go peacefully. One day of watching her be that uncomfortable was enough to know that the time had come.

I believe whole heartedly that it is about the quality of life, not the quantity.

As you all very well know making the 'big decision' is a tough one, but when you know in your heart it is the right one, you make it.

Rest in peace Chicken Dog. 1999-2009. See ya' on the other side.

Until next time...........................

Maggie--The Other Playroom Dog

Since I introduced Sugar aka Tick and her being a playroom dog, you should meet Maggie. She is our other playroom dog. Maggie is Rose's daughter. She is almost 9 years old now. Gosh, 9! My goodness it seems like last week she was a puppy.

Maggie is not allowed in the house due to the fact that she chases the cats and is way over the top hyper active. You've seen the Energizer Bunny commercials?Well, Maggie here can give that bunny a run for its money! She has always been a hyper girl. I wish I could tap into that energy of hers! In this picture she was getting ready to jump and start playing.......again.

Taking just these three pictures took about twenty minutes. She thought I was playing the whole time. Okay, I was making a game of it. She just cracks me up. What a goofy girl!

I forgot to say what breed of dog Maggie is. She is a Boxer. Thanks Razberry Corner for reminding me!

Until next time.................................

Sugar to a Tick

It dawned on me today that I haven't introduced you to one of our other dogs.


Her name used to be Sugar. But over the years we have had her,the name has changed to Tick.

Probably should have changed her name to Coward! Oh she barks a good game, but if frightened she runs into where it is safe and pokes her head out of the dog door and barks. Yeah, that's real scary!

Why did her name go from Sugar to Tick? She got fat as a tick!

Tick isn't allowed in the house anymore. She had knee surgery three years ago and while she was recuperating inside the house, she decided that instead of going out the dog door she would pee at the end of the hallway. Um, no. She also does not like cats and with the cats inside the house, well, it was not working out.

Now when I say she isn't allowed inside the house does not mean she is an outside dog. She is a playroom dog. Out in the playroom is a couch and loveseat, a television, carpeting, and a heater/air conditioner unit. All the comforts of being an indoor dog. And no, she does not pee in the carpet out in the playroom. She uses the dog door to go outside.

Tick and another dog, Maggie are playroom dogs.

Until next time........................

Rose and a Birthday

Today is my youngest daughter's 19th birthday. My baby is growing up! That's her in the white sweater. The cake is one of those Dairy Queen ice cream cakes. Oh my goodness, what a yummy cake! I am not a big ice cream fan, but this cake was really good.

Late Sunday night Rose, our 12 year old Boxer ( she is the beautiful Brindle on the right) had a stroke. At first we thought she was having a seizure, but after a few minutes we knew she was having a stroke. Very scary. Thankfully we had been through this before. Not with Rose but with our old Boxer Jake, who passed away two years ago, from his third stroke. When Jake had his first stroke we immediately rushed him to the vet to be told that there is little that can be done when a dog has a stroke.

The fawn colored Boxer on the left is Chicken Dog and she has seizures.

With lots of rest on Rose's part and being watched like an Eagle ( with very little sleep on my part for the past two days), she has almost made a complete recovery. Her equilibrium is off a bit now, but other than that she is fine. Although I do believe I have created a Princess monster! She won't go outside without me right there. Although I do have to turn my back when she is doing her business. She doesn't want anyone seeing her do her thing. In two short days she has expects the scrambled eggs with bits of ham that is cooked for her. Or the rice with scrambled egg. Or the chicken that is prepared just for her. Or......

At this point Rose can have or do whatever she wants. After all, she is our Princess.

Until next time...............................