Video of my old cat

Turn up your sound so you can hear him. Wanted to share a video of what my old 16 year old cat, Mr Smith Big Fat Cow Cow, does when he gets petted. He doesn't have many teeth left which makes it that much more funnier when he is enjoying his petting.

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

Helicopters, Keets, Yard Sales,Reminders

Earlier this week I heard a helicopter very, very close to the house. Upon investigating where it was I found it hovering right above one the hills on the property. It hovered for awhile, then slowly made it's way down the property onto the next property. After several phone calls I found out it was a Sheriff's helicopter and that they were looking for marijuana grow sites! I don't have a problem with that at all, however I do have a problem when they spook my horses and donkeys! A few days later there was another helicopter on the other side of the road on the hills over there doing the same thing. After asking around a bit I found out that this area is a hot spot for illegal growers! Personally I don't care if you smoke the stuff or not, but when comes to a safety issue, well that is another thing.



The Guinea keets are growing so fast and they are hanging out with the older hens and Stew Pot the rooster. I have to admit I am really thrilled with the keets and their sense of humour. The other day I watched one keet jump up onto the car trailer, settle down, then looked to the left and saw a pine cone right next to him/her and that pine cone scared the bejeebers out of him/her! I laughed so hard.





Yesterday we stopped off at a few yard sales. This is one of my finds. An old dial up phone. One of my daughters asked me if that was a real phone and I had to laugh. Yup, sure is real. Had one of these when I was a kid. She laughed commenting that it would take forever to dial out. Oh, and I actually remembered my Grandmothers phone number when she had a dial up. Goes to show you how old I am!



This is another yard sale find. An Outback hat which is going to come in very handy this winter. Best part was I hardly paid anything for it and it is already broke in!


I would like to say a big thank you to Tina over at http://borderlineexpress.blogspot.com/ for the surprise in yesterday's mail. Tina donates her time to the Donkey Sanctuary in Canada. And did you know that for only $50.00 a year you can become a Guardian of the Sanctuary. They do wonderful work for all longears! 

The garden is coming along beautifully. Everyday you can find me checking those tomato plants for the first ripe tomato. Not yet, but there are a few who are getting close. Come on tomatoes!!

Speaking of gardens, are there things you look at that remind you of people you know whether personally or through a blog? When I look at my garden I think of Flartus over at http://flartus.blogspot.com/.
When I see my Guinea keets I think of Lynn over at http://razzberrycorner.blogspot.com/. Chickens I think of John http://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/ and Danni http://critterfarmgirl.blogspot.com/.
When I see something beautiful I think of Jim at http://jabacue.blogspot.com/ as well as Ron and Sophie at http://fromsophiesview.blogspot.com/.
When I see a cow I think of Jim at http://aranchersview.blogspot.com/.
When I think about family it goes naturally to my Sister at http://ccantiquesandanimals-whatalife.blogspot.com/.
Well, you get the idea. There is something everyday that reminds me of all of you.

Oh, of course my blog wouldn't be finished without of course and animal awareness bit. How's this one for you. Did you know that horse thieves are now using moving vans such as UHaul trucks to move stolen horses! I bet you won't look at another moving truck/van the same anymore wondering if there is a stolen horse or another animal inside of it!

Okay, time to get some chores done. Always know that I think of each of you daily!

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

Learning

Wow, a lot had been going on! We have been trying all week to get the irrigation pump to pump the water out of the canal onto the pasture. The pump is ancient but it works great. Two of the risers that are in the pasture are broken ( the risers let the water out to irrigate the pasture). Fixing those won't be to hard.  Problem is the foot pipe that leads into the pump itself keeps getting plugged with debris. We have tried digging the water hole deeper but that doesn't seem to help other than to bring more debris up. I don't know alot about irrigation pumps and pipes, but hey, I'm learning! 



Troy, the one black Frizzle bantam is finally growing feathers all over his body. As soon as I know how many Frizzle roosters there are they will need to go to new homes. As it is I have three roosters now, don't need anymore.




The Guinea keets grow bigger everyday. I am getting such a kick out of them. They stay together all the time and move like a school of fish. I am learning a lot about them.



With the warmer weather comes a true growing season! A month ago you could see the door leading into the barn, but now you can't even see it behind all the bushes and vines. Have to find the time to start cutting it all back. Between weeding the garden and cutting blackberry bushes back is a chore in itself!

Speaking of blackberry bushes, I learned how to freeze them so we can have blackberries in the winter. Wash the berries, dust them with powdered sugar, place them on waxed paper, freeze for an hour or so then put them into freezer bags. That way when you get some out they won't stick together and become a mushy mess.

The blackberries have all flowered and have little berries on them now. So long as I can get my fair share of them before the bears do then all will be grand!



This is the garden. There are lots of green tomatoes so I watch look everyday for that one ripe one which means the others won't be far behind. I am so looking forward to eating that first fresh tomato! Oh, and I am going to try to make some fried green tomatoes this year. Have never tried them before and this season I am!  Well, that is after I indulge on the ripe ones first!


And speaking of trying something new, eggplant is also going to be tried. Have never had it before so have no idea what it tastes like, but hey, I'll try just about anything once!

Okay, you all know me by now when it comes to animals. I have just learned that Nike has signed on Michael Vick again! Can you believe that! Nike drops the piece of shit when he was found guilty of dog fighting, torturing and murdering dogs, but now they have picked him back up. Does Nike really think we, the animal advocates have forgotten what he did? And what is the icing on this cake is Nike is based right here in Oregon! Yup, I have written and called Nike letting them know how I feel about their decision. There response is less than acceptable in my book! Basically what they say is that Vick paid his dues and it is in the past. And I still stand firm on that he would still be torturing and brutally murdering dogs if he hadn't been caught. I mean come on, he thinks his shit don't stink and that he could get away with anything because he is some hot shot football player. Grrrrrr.

Alrighty, there was my two cents worth on that. 

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

Bad with the good

There is a saying that things run in threes. Well I am doubting the whole three thing. Not only did the one work car take a shit, but now the second work car has decided to also break down.  Only had the two cars, but hey, I've got a truck that is still running pretty good. See, there is a positive with the negative.

Sunday evening I made the decision to put Gabby Goat to sleep. What I thought was an infection in her udder turned out to be cancer. I rescued her 6 years ago and her years with me were good ones.  See ya on the other side Gabby. 




This morning one of my dogs killed one of the Guinea chicks. I didn't see her do it, but the body was under the dog on the dog bed I keep in the breezeway and she didn't want to get off the bed. There were two small bruise marks on either side of the Guineas backbone. No feathers missing. And there was a guilty look on the dogs face.

Now I have to figure out what to do. I let the chickens and Guineas free range during the day. There is no fence to keep birds and dogs separated. Hmmmm. Until I figure out what to do Sugar Dog is going to have to wear a harness and be walked rather than turned loose to get exercise and to do her business. I'm thinking of the positive side to this situation. Hmmmm. Haven't found it yet though. Oh wait, I know the positive side of it. I get more exercise walking the dog now!!!




The Black Frizzle bantam has actually started to grow more and more feathers!! Thank goodness! Now he doesn't look like he is almost all the way plucked! I am waiting to find out how many roosters there are out of the Frizzle bunch. As soon as I know for sure, well, they are going to have to go to new homes. Can't have that many roosters.

I thought I had my last two remaining Nelson heated automatic waterers for horses sold , but alas, no.  If any of you know of someone who would like to purchase them  at a very reasonable cost, email me cndezdog@msn.com.

All day yesterday I dealt with the auto insurance company. They said I was cancelled from lack of payment. Um, they take it out of the bank account each month with no problems and this month was no exception. Turned out it was a computer glitch on their end! So, I still had and have insurance!

Today is the last day to burn in a barrel or a pile so have been gathering what I can burn and doing it. Tomorrow fire season begins.

One of the screens fell out of one of the living room windows sometime in the night. The windows are left open at night to allow the cool air to come into the house. Thankfully the two cats who are not allowed outside did not jump out the window.

Oh, one more thing. Found out that there are some companies who endorse, back or are associated with the dog killer Michael Vick. Don't know if you know who he is, but he played for the Philadelphia Eagles as their Quarterback. He was caught and convicted of fighting Pit Bulls and also killing them in horrendous ways when he was done with them. Yes, he did his time, but as far as I am concerned he would still be fighting and killing dogs if he hadn't been caught. Anyway, here are a few of the companies that are associated with this piece of shit. And of course you know me, I contacted each company to let them know my humble opinion of their  choice of who they are connected with.
Subway
KFC
Hot wire
McDonald's
Ford
Checkers/Rallys
7UP
Lysol
Buick
Overture Films
Nissan

Well, I have talked your ears off long enough. Wishing all of you a most glorious weekend and a Happy 4th of July for those who celebrate it.

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



A conversation

The other day my youngest daughter and I had a conversation. During the conversation she asked me how I could look at videos and graphic pictures of abused/neglected animals. She just couldn't understand  why I would look/watch when I have been rescuing animals for years and have seen my fair share of it.  

I explained that the reason I do it is so I can continue to be involved whether it be just signing a petition, contacting representatives, getting the word out. Right now financially I cannot bring in anymore animals. Knowing what is really going on is the key to knowledge and getting the word out so others know what is going on.

She told me that it upsets her to see what I sometimes post on my Facebook wall. She says she knows what is going on, but doesn't want to see it.

I told her I was sorry she doesn't like when I  post about abuse/neglect cases, but the more people who know the better it is for the animals.  The more animal abuser names that get out there and become public the better. There is no reason why abusers names should be kept quiet. They are the ones who did the crime.

I also explained to her that a lot of people don't want to 'see' what is going on. That they know, but don't want to actually see it. To understand sometimes you just have to 'see' it for yourself. Seeing has much more of an impact than just knowing. 

I also explained that the people who stand by thinking someone else will do something or the ones who don't want to get involved are just as guilty as the abuser. One has to stand up for what they believe in. 

A lot of you are already involved with rescuing animals whether it be running a rescue, helping out at one, donating, stepping up when you see an injustice, etc....

Here are a few of the websites I visit often to keep up to date. Please be warned that yes some of the pictures are very graphic. The stories are heartbreaking. The tears will run. Anger levels will rise. Yet some of these websites will make you smile seeing for yourself how one or more people are making a differance.

Being involved and doing something helps.

***Graphic****   http://animalrecoverymission.org/

http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database.php

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/mainbarnwebcam2

http://caboodleranch.livejournal.com/

http://www.kaufmanzoning.net/

http://www.madeleinepickens.com/

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/

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

Harder than I remember!

Wow, babysitting is a lot harder than I remember! Since Grace's mom started her job I watch Grace. It sure has taken some getting used to! It's taken a few weeks to get used to the whole time thing. I can't just walk out or go somewhere anytime I want now. I'll be honest, I never thought I would be doing this after all these years. With my youngest going to be 21 this year, well, it has been a long time.

Slowly but surely Grace and I have found a routine that works for the both of us. When there are chores to be taken care of outside, I park her by the chicken coop where she is happy as a clam watching the chickens. With her being occupied and happy, I am able to get some chores down. Well, chores that are within 20 feet of where she is. I never let her out of my sight. Then it is into the stroller to take care of horse and donkey chores. Another thing I have noticed is talking on the phone while I am watching Grace is pretty much out of the question. Pretty sure it's that built in radar kids have. The one where you are talking with someone and that's when they decide to poop, or they are hungry or over the top tired.

So much has been going on. I traded some items for 3 ton of hay. No more worries about hay for awhile. The car that I drove broke down in town last week so now am carless. Getting it fixed costs more than the car is worth! Thank goodness I have my truck, although with these gas prices driving it is not cost effective. But hey,. I have a vehicle to drive!

The one cat who had a urinary tract infection is now living with my oldest daughter. 

The garden is slowly growing. I am anxiously awaiting for the tomatoes!

The county is working on the highway ( the one we live on) which means trucks and heavy equipment are constantly stopping in front of the house or passing by. 

Tourist season has officially begun. I can now distinguish the locals from the tourists. The tourists stop next to the pasture where the horses and donkeys are and take pictures of them! And the wine tour buses slow down now so the tourists can take pictures or just look at the horses and donkeys.  At first it annoyed me, but now I grin and wave at them! 

The Guinea keets I ordered came in. I was hoping Little Inger would raise them like she did the Frizzle Bantams and the Americaunas, but alas, she said no way! 

My farrier came out last week to trim up the horses and donkeys feet, and I have to say it was a bit of a challenge since I was watching Grace that day. Grace was in her stroller on one side of the fence and on the other side we managed to get everyone all trimmed up. It took over two hours to get everyone done, and I must say, Grace was a trooper!

Before this turns into one of those lengthy, really boring novels, I will close it up. I promise to catch up with all of you. Believe it or not, I really do think of each of you everyday! Now if only I could learn to read and comment and post via my mind alone!

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

 

Has this happened to you?

  

Have you ever 'met' someone/animal that you have never met in person, but there is an instant connection? There is just something extraordinary about them.  

This is Morgan. A few years back I met his owner online on EBay when she bid and won a leather halter and matching lead I had listed. After awhile we became close friends.
She sent me a picture of Morgan not too long after she rescued him from an ignorant, abusive man. The first time I saw this picture I felt there was an instant connection. There was something special about him. 
Everytime I emailed my friend I always asked how Morgan was doing and explained to her that there was a connection to him. She completely understood and didn't think I was crazy. Thank goodness. 
I actually fell in love with this handsome gentleman.  



While we were in the process of moving after losing the house, Morgan passed away and my friend didn't want to tell me because she said I was going through enough grief. After several months of living here in the rental she finally told me about Morgan.  She said he had just laid down and passed away peacefully.
Even as I write this the tears are streaming.

So, have you ever 'met' someone or an animal that you felt a bond? A connection? Even though you never met in person!

Unti next time.........................