Man Down

Even though the head gate is rusty, it still serves it's purpose, but only if it was installed properly.

   
Two of our heifers have pink eye and we needed to treat it right away so that is wouldn’t get any worse.  And since we were going to have to go through the trouble of bringing those two girls up, we thought we would bring up the rest of girls and do everything we need to do at one time.  The cattle needed to be wormed and they needed some fly spray. 

Our way of worming is a small pinch of tobacco, and the fly spray consists of Scope mouth wash mixed with a little bit of water in a spray bottle; something that we heard about from a friend (now whether the methods work or not, that we can talk about later).

In order for us to get to where we could "treat" the girls, we needed to round them up and put them in the corral.  Once we got them in the corral, we could run them through the shoot and into the *head gate. 

Now, we've used the shoot and the head gate quiet a few times before; once to pull a calf and other times to worm the cattle.  And THANKFULLY, we haven't had any problems with either one because if we did, it could have been devastating, especially since The Rancher and his wife and The Farrier, who has also doubled as the "vet" have been here to show us and teach us what to do while using them.

But this time it was different.

Barrett, Tanner, and Cooper were able to, without any trouble, get the girls into the corral and run the first heifer through the shoot and locked in the head gate without a problem.  She took her tobacco and got her fly spray and she was off.  She didn't have pink eye, so she was off and back to the corral with the other girls in no time. 

After they were done with her, I called Barrett over by me because I needed to ask him a question.  I was standing near the hay barn which is about 10 yards away from the corral where they were working.  I was working with the new Jersey cows that we just brought down to the farm.

So Barrett walked away and left Tanner and Copper to put the next heifer in the shoot and lock her in the head gate.

Once she was locked in, Cooper grabbed the spray bottle with his right hand and put his left hand on one of the posts that was attached to the head gate and started to spray her.  Then, as Tanner started to walk away to grab the LS200 to put in her eye to treat the pink eye, he heard Cooper starting to yell.  So he turned around, and could see that the heifer had just "freaked out" and pushed her head down so hard that the bottom of the head gate had come loose and the top of the gate had caught and pinched Cooper's finger between the gate and the post.

So Tanner quickly ran back to the gate and pushed in the bottom of the gate which let go of Coopers finger and freed him from the post.  And just as Cooper had taken a few steps back while shaking his hand in pain, and as he started to walk around the corral while trying to hold back the tears, the heifer reared up again, but this time, while still locked in the gate, she completely ripped the head gate off the eye bolts. 

You can see how the bolts are just sitting on the eye bolt and not secured.

Barrett and I heard the commotion, and looked over as Tanner was calling for Barrett.  Then both of us went running over there.  As I got closer I could see that the heifer, who is over 700 pounds, and who was still locked in the head gate, had pushed her way forward out of the shoot.  And the force of her trying to get out, along with the weight of the head gate, had caused the gate to slam her head face down into the ground and her front hooves to stand on top of the gate.

I thought for sure we were going to loose her and wow, what a mess we were in!

The bottom right eye bolt that had been bent at some point before we came to the ranch.

Not knowing how or if the guys were going to be able to get the gate off her neck or not, I called to Shane because I thought we were going to need his help.  He had just come home from work and was in the house which is about 100 yards away from the corral.  First I yelled to him, but then I realized that he might not have heard me, so I **whistled as loud as I could.

He was out the ***door in no time, and was headed over to the corral.

Once Cooper realized what was going on with the heifer, the pain that he was having seemed to disappear for the time it took him and Tanner to pick up the head gate and get the heifer to stand up.  All I can say it that there was a lot of adrenaline flowing at this point, in all of us!

As the heifer's head came up off the ground, she turned and was violently trying to walk backwards with the 200 lb. gate around her neck, while Tanner and Cooper tried to hold it up off the ground.  And just before she rammed herself into the back of the corral, Tanner was able to flip the lever that opened the gate and she was free.

And there she stood, as if nothing had happened. 

After she was free, Tanner and Cooper carried the head gate and set it up against the back of the corral and the pain that Cooper was having in his finger came back in full force.

Then Cooper and I headed for the house.

As we were quickly walking back to the house, I asked him what had happened to his hand and he said that the tip of his finger was smashed in the head gate. 

I knew right away that we had to bleed his finger to relieve the pressure that had built up under his nail.  So while we were trying to get back to the house as quick as we could, I asked Cooper if he knew where a small drill bit was that we could use to bleed his finger.  He said there was one in the barn by the house so he went over and grabbed the drill bit as I went into the house to prepare to drill his finger.

When I got in, I asked Emma if she could do it because I was starting to think about what had just happened and how it could have been worse.  And also, thinking about the pain that Cooper was in, I was starting to get sick so I didn't think I could help him.

Well, Emma gave me a look that I took as, No, I am not doing that!

At that point I told myself that I had to do it and just that fast, I immediately composed myself and got to work.  There was no time for me to have a melt down and feel sorry for myself, I needed to do this because I didn't have time to take him anywhere; it needed to be done now. 

I quickly cleaned the drill bit that Cooper brought to me and then I realized that it didn't have a sharp tip on it and it wasn't going to work.  So I asked him if he knew of another one and he said he did.  So he went back to the barn and brought me another one.  Well, same thing:  no sharp tip!

This kid was in so much pain that I, I mean he, didn't have any time to waste and here I have him running back and forth trying to come up with a drill bit that would work!!

Deep down in my heart, I knew what I really needed to do, but I didn't want to do it.  Why?  I don't know!

No, wait a minute, I do know!  This was something that my husband always did, not me!  But he wasn't here and now I was "the one".  Anyway, all I know is that I was wasting time and putting it off and enough was enough!!

I asked the girls to get me a ****needle and a match so I could heat the head of the needle, but Cooper grabbed the torch instead that just happened to be close by, so I used that instead.

Once Cooper lit the torch, I put the needle into the flame to heat up the tip, then I stuck the nail with the tip of the needle where the blood was pooling and it didn't do anything.  So I did it again, and this time, with more force, the tip of the needle punctured the nail so that some of the blood came oozing out, but he was still in so much pain.  I think I did it 3 or 4 more times and finally, I was able to get almost all of the blood out to relieve most of the pressure.       

When we were done, we had him hold up his hand and put pressure on his finger and try to get him to soak his finger in Epsom salt when he felt he could.  He was starting to get light headed so we just made sure that he was comfortable and that he wasn't going to try and get up anytime soon.  He was down, at least for now.

Unfortunately, Cooper, was right in the middle of raking hay when this happened, so I though that he wasn't going to be able to finish, which is not a good thing, because once you start the process of making hay, you have to keep at it until it's done.  You never know when the weather is going to change, and if it rains on the hay, we could loose the whole crop. 

Thankfully, a couple of hours later into the evening he was feeling better and was up and walking around, but I still thought that he wasn't going to be able to finish the hay and we would have to put one of the other guys on it.  But thankfully, by the next morning, as if nothing had happened, he was right back on the tractor, back to raking the hay.

We've had enough "accidents" happen in our lives that we've been able to learn a few things here and there, just like other people.  And that helps us to be able to do some quick fixes or treatments that we might need to do.

The last time we had a smashed finger, it was Shane that we had to take to the doctors office to relieve his pain.  But this time, when the doctor bled his nail, blood went shooting all over the office.  It was quiet disgusting, but Shane felt so much better and we just laughed at the whole thing once he was done.  Actually it was pretty “cool” and the Doctor wasn’t phased by it at all.   

We live pretty close to a small hospital if we really need to go to one and we also have Air Evac, but there are times, just like what happened to Cooper, that we need to be able to take care of somethings ourselves.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When I was younger I worked as a life guard and along with my "life saving" training, we also had some basic training in first aid, but it's been a long time now, and I think it’s time to take another course.  This time I think our whole family needs to take a course because you never know when we might need it.

One thing that I've realized, and I guess I have known all along, is that when you're hit with an emergency or an accident, don't panic.  It's easy to say and it sounds good in a book, but when real life situations happen, that's when you really need to work at not going into panic mode.  Stay calm and think about what you need to do to help the other person.  And then, do what you need to do as far as calling for help,

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Coopers nail looks really good and only time will tell if he is going to loose his nail or not.  And soon, this too will become just a memory.

And as far at the heifer goes, she hasn't shown any signs of trauma and so far she is doing great.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*head gate - This head gate was here when we purchased the property so we had nothing to do with it's set up.  But now looking back, we should have checked to make sure that it was in working order and that it was properly secured.  But who would have thought to have done that?  And unfortunately, that's why things are called "accidents" because you don't anticipate things going wrong.

**whistled - My dad taught me to whistle when I was in 4th grade and I practiced and practiced until I could whistle, first with 2 hands and 4 fingers; 2 fingers from each hand (index finger and middle finger), then with 2 hands and 1 finger from each hand (index fingers), and then only one hand, making a "circle" with my thumb and middle finger.  It's not very "lady like," I know,  but it sure has come in handy a lot of times in my life. 

And I don't tell you this because I think I'm something special - not at all.  It's just something that I learned when I was younger and had no idea how important it would become.  Only Shane has learned other than me and he can whistle really loud without any fingers.  My family knows to answer to my whistle and it's soooooooo much louder than I or anyone else could ever yell.

***door - When I asked Shane later if he heard me, he said that he heard me call, but when he heard me whistle, he told Emma that something was wrong and they both jumped up.

****needle - After talking to The Rancher and his wife about what happened, they said that they have done the same thing with a paper clip instead of a needle.  And that makes sense because the tip of a needle is a lot smaller than the tip of a paper clip.


Sandy
August 25, 2015

Chickens on the Go

Kind of a side view of the trailer.

     Here is the beginning stages of the our new chicken house on wheels. 

     It's built on the base of our old pop-up camper that we used to camp in when the kids where younger.  Boy, did I love that camper!!  It was an old Starcraft camper from 1984.  It wasn't in fashion anymore, but it was very "homey" and I loved it.  It was hard for me to let it go, but I had too. It was beyond repair according to my husband, and I didn't want to believe it!!

     In April of 2009 we were headed west for a week of luxurious condo living and skiing at the Grand Timber Lodge in Breckenridge, Colorado.  We were sooooooo excited!!  We started saving money about two years before our trip so needless to say we were anxious to get going.

     But we sort of had a dilemma.  How were we going to move 12 people over 1000 miles in our 15 passenger van along with all the skis, boots, poles, food, winter clothes, and more for our family?  We couldn't really rent a trailer and we didn't want to borrow one, so what were we going to do?

      Well, along with my husbands creative idea and family input, we decided to use the base of the pop-up camper that had been sitting in the back yard for a while.  Because the camper was in bad shape and we couldn't use it anymore, Landon went ahead a while before and ripped it apart and scrapped what he could so that the only thing that was left was the frame and the wheels.  Then he parked it in the back yard to "store it" until we could come up with a use for it. 

     Well, that day finally came and we knew just what to do.

     So, in less then a week, we had our new "storage transport on wheels" built, electrified, and painted and we were off!! 

     Nothing like waiting until the last minute to do a project, huh!?!  Yea, we're bad at that!!

     Once we all took our seats in the van and started for the mountains, I realized that there was no way we could have done this trip without the camper. 

Colorado mountains here we come!!

The only picture I could find with our newly built trailer.

Landon, Barrett, Shane, and Dakota

     After our Colorado trip, the new trailer became our transport for camping trips, day trips, and moving junk trips and then it became our doughnut trailer to transport all of our "stuff". 

     And after years of use, it had to be retired because it was beyond repair, again.  But we haven't forgotten about it and once again it was ripped up and thrown away; all but the frame and the wheels.  And at this point, the "scrap" is waiting to be hauled over to the burn pile.

     And so the building begins again.  This time into our mobile chicken house.

     This is Tanner's project and so far so good.  He's had very little construction experience, so along with his dad and his brothers input, he's off and running.  And what a great way to learn!  Sure he's had to change plans here and there as we talk about things, but that's okay.  He'll get it done and done well. 

     As far as the details go, we can talk about that later.  But since the floor is already done, I can tell you that it's made out of expanded metal so that when the birds "mess", most of it will fall through the floor and fertilize the ground as the house moves across the pasture.  And, it should be easy to clean also.

     Tanner says that he should be done with it by the end of this week, so we'll see.  I hope so, because I'm anxious to get it it filled with some baby chicks!!  We would like to get one more batch of chickens grown and processed before winter sets in.

     Oh, and just a quick question before I sign off.  Have you ever eaten a chicken that was grown out on fresh pasture?  If you haven't, you're in for a treat!  It's hard to explain how fresh and clean these birds taste.

The front of the trailer.

August 18, 2015
Sandy

Building a Rail with a Bench on Our Front Porch

Before

       My main reason for building this rail on the front porch was to keep the goats off of it.  For MONTHS we had the goats pretty much living on our porch and we couldn't keep them off of it.  They were given free reign to roam where they wanted and eat whatever they wanted on hundreds of acres and yet they chose to eat, sleep, and poop on our front porch. 

     Did you know that goats will eat ANYTHING; cardboard, plastic, metal, etc.!

Shane and Tanner Just Getting Started

     If we didn't figure this out soon, I was going to have to tell Emma that the day has come and we just need to get rid of these "things".  I couldn't stand it anymore!!  I think a year was long enough, don't you think? 

     As soon as we would clean off the porch, scrubbing on hands and knees in hopes that they would stay off, they would be right back in no time at all.

     Yea, we were in denial.  You can't do the same thing over and over again expecting different results!!

     So, after many many months of dealing with this problem and pretty much going against the people who we had been talking to who said it would never work, we decided to order a real electric (not solar) fencer and some more electric netting hoping that that would take care of our mess. 

First Section Attached to the Posts!  

Oh, and that's Barrett showing off his sunburn from our floating trip the day before.  Something to be talked about at a later time.  Getting on the river here in Missouri was something we should have experienced long before a few days ago.

         Yes, it was going to be an expensive experiment, but some of us were willing to try.  Soooooo many people said that it would never work and the goats would either get out of or jump over the netting and be right back on our porch.  And pretty much the only ones who said that it would keep the goats in were the people who sold the fencer.  Hm.  Not very good odds, you'd think?!

     Well, it was worth a try otherwise they were out of here!!  

     We purchased a Cyclops charger and it couldn't get here soon enough.  I wanted to get the one with the most powerful charge, because I wanted/needed to make sure that it was going to work. 

     Well.................I didn't get what I wanted.  The final decision that everyone else came to was to get the "Brute".  This was the 4th strongest, out of the seven that they had, and I was nervous.

     As soon as we got the charger the boys went to setting up the electric netting and the charger.  We made sure that the goats and the sheep had both pasture and brush and also water in their new home.  And once we got them settled we decided that it was time for Poseidon (our male Great Pyrenees) to learn to stay with the herd so we put him in the fence also.

Unbelievable!!  

Barrett Working on the Corner

     If - I - knew - how well this new system was going to work, we would have done it a long time ago!!  It's been almost a month now and other than a few of the goats and Poseidon getting out of the fence a few times, we haven't had any problems! 

     The reason some of them were able to get out for a day or two, was because when they were moved to a new paddock, the fence wasn't secured properly.  Since we've been able to figure that out, we haven't had any escapees - yet (as of this writing).

     I can not tell you how good that feels!!

     Now, the next thing we need to do is purchase two more electric nets so that we can set up the next adjoining paddock before we move the herd over.  Then when the boys open the "gate" for them to move, they won't know any different.  That will make the lives of those that move the herd so much easier! 

     With all the excitement that the new "experiment" brought, a new problem was just starting to brew and my new found paradise wasn't to last very long at all. 

     Once the goats were no longer coming on the deck, the chickens and the waterfowl moved in!  Ug.  What could be worse?!?  Cleaning up after goats or things with wings?  I don't know!!  I don't want to clean up after either one!!

     I strongly believe in the first chapter in Genesis, vs. 28 where God said to take dominion
"..................over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

     It's almost like raising a child.  If you want to love and be around your children as they grow older, you have to discipline them when they are young.  Otherwise, you will create monsters that you can't stand to be in the same room with. 

     Animals can be the same way.  We need to do our best to take care of, or discipline them when they are young or when we first bring them to the ranch so that we can enjoy them and they can bless us.  If we don't, we'll want to just give up and shoot them, sell them, or give them away.  And then what does that do for us?  Nothing.

     I'm not one to quit or give up easily, but.........and I know............there may be times when we have tried everything and we just can't get it to work and then we have to decide what to do.  But, I think that if we put into practice what we think we know and tweak things here and there and see how it goes, we might surprise ourselves by what we can accomplish.   And then, and only then, can we reap the benefits of our hard work.  Things worth keeping are worth fighting for.

Day 3 - Quitting Just Before Midnight

     Not only is our rail going to serve a purpose in keeping the animals off the porch, but it's also going to make us more living space as well.  There is still a lot of work that needs to be done on it, but we are well on our way and so far it's amazing.

     I am so thankful that our boys have had the experience of working with their dad and other people that have given them the chance to try something new.  The skills that they have learned and will continue to learn will be of incredible benefit to not only our family and their future families, but friends and neighbors as well. 

     I look forward to many of the good times that we will continue to have when our friends, family, and neighbors, "sit long, and talk much" on our new, clean, and tidy front porch. 

     Let us know when you would like to come for a visit and we'll try and have some ice cold lemonade or some creamy hot chocolate waiting for you to "talk the time away" with us. 

     And if you don't have a front porch that you can sit on when the sun is beating down or when the rain just won't quit, well, you might want to think of putting one on your house because there is nothing quite like it!!

      

The End of Another Fruitful Day!!

July 10, 2015
Sandy

As I start to sign of for the night, it's raining, AGAIN.  

You will not believe me when I tell you that it has rained EVERY DAY for the past 60 days.  

And not just a little rain, buckets and buckets for rain.

Our First Potato Harvest

     We went out into the garden late this morning to check on our potatoes to see if they were ready to harvest and this is what we found!  I think they're ready. 

     The red potatoes are "Red Pontiac" and the white potatoes are "Yukon Gold".

     Who would have thought that harvesting potatoes was soooooo much fun!! Not any of us because we've never done this before.

      So, what does a potato grown without any chemicals whatsoever taste like?  

     Well...........................um......................just heavenly!! 

     
     We had two "plots" for potatoes and one was better then the other.  I'll talk about what we learned in a later post. 

Barefoot Gardening in the Rain

     I've been trying all day to get myself and some of the kids out into the garden today, but the day was just getting away from me.  And I was kind of ok with it, at least subconsciously I was stalling a little bit because the sun was shinning so bright and I really don't like to work out in the hot sun.

     So, when I finally decided to stop everything that we were doing inside and gather the last minute things that we needed to take to the garden, I walked toward the front door and just before I reached the door, the rain just came pouring down!

     "Noooooooo!"  I said.

Rows of tomato plants.

     It has rained everyday for the past month and a half, and I am not kidding! 

     And I'm really not complaining either, I'm not.  I was just ready to start digging in the dirt and now I have to wait for the rain to stop, again.

     Oh, how I love this gardening thing!  I didn't realize how strong this burning desire has been inside my soul all these years.  It has been bottled up in me for the past 20 years or so and I can't stifle it anymore.  If I do, I will pop!  I want so bad to just get in there and get my hands dirty!

     The boys had work to do on the new fence project that we started and also potato duty.  Esther was going to help me plant, but now we had to wait.  It's a little hard to work in the garden in a downpour, don't you think?

     Oh, how I love the rain!  I love to be cooped up in the house during a rain storm.  But for the first time in my life, I was able to sit outside on my own front porch and watch and listen to the rain as it came just pouring down while the water was making its own little creek on our dirt road near the front of the house.  (Have I told you that the front porch is the best part of this house?)

     So for the next half an hour or so we sat on the front porch and talked while we watched the rain.

A few cabbage plants.

     The baby ducklings that were on the grass in the front of the house, jumped up into their bin and sat there just looking out as if they were afraid of a little water.  The bin was to protect them from the sun not the rain.  Silly little things, water is for ducks!  Shouldn't they know that?

     And then as fast as the rain came, it just stopped.  As the sun quickly came out again, I looked overhead a little to the South and the sky was as clear as could be with little fluffs of white clouds just moving ever so slowly past the incredibly bright sun!

     Well, sun or no sun, it was time to get to work because the day would soon be over.  So we quickly gathered up what we needed and drove to the garden which is about 3/4's of a mile away (thanks to Landon).

     And sure enough, shortly after we started to work, it started to rain, again.  But this time, we didn't care!

     Esther and I took off our flip flops and just worked in the garden barefoot as the rain came steadily down and kept us cool from what could have been a miserable afternoon.  And as for me, life doesn't get much better then this.

I was able to take some pictures between the rain drops.

Esther and a tomato plant.

More cabbage and Esther.

 
   

The sun peaking through the rain clouds.

Tanner adding insulators to the rebar posts.

Esther's garden selfie.

Tanner clearing the fence line.

Where did the potatoes go?

Barrett clearing weeds between the potato plants.

Cleared potato row.

      The Lord has truly blessed us as stewards of this place for this season in time.

Oh, and Cooper, well, he just kept on working, boots and all.  

Sandy

June 16, 2015

Humble Beginnings

When I was first married, more than 20 years ago I purchased some strawberry plants and planted them.  Well, not having much experience with them, or gardening for that matter, I went ahead and just put them in the ground.  I really didn't think about where I was putting them or what type of soil I was putting them in.  I just planted them.  And guess what?  They didn't survive. 

I don't think that it was because the plants were bad, it was just what I did with them.  I think the location and the soil - clay - wasn't what the strawberries needed to survive.  

So they died.

And because they died, I resolved that I could never grow strawberries again. 

Well, then I moved to Missouri and found out that people really can grow strawberries and lots of them.

About 2 months ago, my very sweet neighbor, the Rancher's Wife, gave us a lot of strawberry plants.  So the next day, we planted all of them and watered them well.  And then the next day we watered them again and they were doing fantastic.

Then.................we went to a homeschool conference for 4 days and I totally forgot to tell my kids who stayed back (to hold down the ranch) know that they had to water the strawberry plants.  So when I came home, I found out that only about 1/4 of them survived.  I was devastated!!  Noooooooo!  How could I be so negligent!!  These beautiful plants that my neighbor so graciously gave to me, I killed them!!  Ug!

After a few days of feeling sorry for myself I decided it was time to forget about it and get over it.  There was nothing that I could do about it.  I had to focus on what was still alive.  

And that's what I've done and once again, they are doing fantastic!

"You don't have to be great to start but, you have to start to be great!!"

Zig Ziglar 

Our first and only strawberry of the season (so far)!!

The Valley is Asleep

January 16, 2015

Sleeping Valley

     As we walked along this late afternoon in the middle of January, Elizabeth and I tried to make sure that the dogs stayed close by.  Not that we had to work very hard at it, but every now and then, Elizabeth would call out their names to make sure that they wouldn’t stray too far away.  

     (Ms.) Belle and (Mr.) Poseidon are Great Pyrenees dogs (and more here) and they are about 7 or 8 months old.  We bought them from our friends, Cody and Dawnell, at the Rockin H Ranch, in Missouri.  The dogs main job in life is for them to protect our livestock.  At this point, they mainly protect our family, and slowly, they are understanding that they are to protect our livestock as well.

     In the evenings, they sleep on our porch, and every now and then in the dark of the night, they start barking to let the "intruder" know not to mess with us here.  Sometimes they just stand on the porch and bark, and other times we can hear them off in the distance barking away.  So really, already they are doing their jobs. 

     Whenever someone leaves the house either to go to the barn or take a walk, whether it’s our family or a guest who happens to be staying with us, Belle and Poseidon go and tag along with them.  They are a great comfort and companion to us.  

     Misty, who is about 7 or 8 months old also, came to us from our friends, The Rancher and his wife.  Misty's mom is part chihuahua (and here) and part short hair dachshund.  And really, it's not just about Belle and Poseidon, it's the three of them that work, play, and live together.  

     It's funny how the three of them have their own personalities and Misty seems the most confident and the leader of the other two.   
 
     One evening, about 3 weeks after Misty was born, we went to visit our friends.  And while we were standing around visiting, Ember went over to the puppies nest and brought back a puppy for all of us to see.  

     Ember, who was 7 at the time, was small enough to get into where Rosy and her puppies were living.  If it wasn't for her, it would have been a long time before anyone would have seen them because no one else would have even bothered to look.  

     "Oh, it's so cute and so big!," we all said when she brought the puppy to us.  So we took the puppy from her and passed her around and went on with our conversation.  A few minutes later she came back with another one.  And we took that one from her and continued on.  She left again and came back with another one!

     After the third puppy that came to us, our friends told us that that was probably all there were and so we just continued on talking again.  Well, when Ember came back a few minutes later with another one, we couldn't believe it!  Four puppies!

     Oh, if you could have seen the look on our friend's faces; it was priceless!!   We all just stood there and laughed and laughed and continued on at the same time forgetting about Ember.  And then, all of a sudden, here she was again with another one!!!   Five puppies; all girls!!  How in the world did this little tiny dog have such huge puppies:  one puppy was about half her size?! 

     At this point now, we were all very curious to know if there were anymore, so this time, we sent Ember back to check and make sure.  And sure enough, the nest was empty.  

     Our friends told us that we could have one, or all of the puppies if we wanted, and after I got over the shock of taking home five of them, I agreed to let the girls choose only one.  And little did I know what was about to happen with that comment that I just made.
  
     Oh, what a fun time we had that evening!!

     Well, unfortunately for the girls, they had to wait for the puppies to be weaned and it seemed like that took forever.  In the meantime, we had plenty of time for family discussion as to whether one of these little “mutts” were going to become a part of the Peterson Family or not.  

     Some of the boys thought that we didn't need to have a "useless thing" on the ranch, especially one that was going to cost money to feed.   And so began the long discussion as we waited for the puppies to be weaned.  

    It's kind of funny now, looking back at what we actually went through for the girls to keep one of these puppies.  It was ridiculous.  

     When Emma finally brought a puppy home, it stayed the night, and the family conversations got a little out of hand, not because the puppy did anything wrong, but because of the kind of dog this was going to be; an ugly, useless, little mutt! 

     So with all the drama, I had Emma take the puppy back the next day.  Then after she took it back, the girls, including myself were very upset, so we all sat down and had a very serious discussion about this puppy. 

     We finally came to the conclusion, or should I say that I had a lot of influence in the final decision, in favor of us keeping the dog.  Some of the boys weren't to happy, but that was ok.  So off Emma went, back to get the puppy.  She brought her back home and that was it.  Settled.  

     Emma named her “Misty.” 
 

Misty

Misty and Chickens

     Misty, even though she is a little thing, is also a protector.  And she is learning to herd chickens along with Belle as Poseidon just lounges around and watches and keeps guard.  It’s actually quiet funny to watch the three of them.  Sure, the dogs have a lot to learn about protecting livestock and herding animals, but they’re off to a great start.

     And now, if you ask any of the guy about Misty and as to whether or not we should have kept her, I know they would all agree that they are happy that she came to be a part of our family. 

******

Thawing Pond

     Two days ago we had 2 inches of snow and today the temperature was up to about 60 degrees.  The wind was calm, the sky was crystal clear, the snow and the ponds were starting to melt, and the sun was shining so bright that for a little while I forgot that we were still in the middle of winter.  Just a few days ago, the girls were ice skating on the pond and a few of us were out walking around and playing on the frozen ponds.

Ember Ice Skating on our Pond

     When I was very young, I used to walk to the end of our street and then on to a trail that led me to the swamp behind our neighborhood.  It was usually during the spring thaw that I would find myself there because that’s when I had the most fun.  

     With my boots on, I would “skate” across the ice until it broke, and then my boots would fall into the muddy water.  As I continued to walk on the ice, the ice would crack under my feet.  I loved the sound of the cracking ice and the splashing of the water.  I loved the swamp.  I can only remember going a couple of times, because someone decided to put up a housing development where the swamp was and then it was gone.  As a little girl, I couldn’t understand why they had to do that. 

     Today, here on the farm, we experienced almost the same thing.  And all these years later, I loved it just the same.  

     I've always cherished my childhood memories and have stored them away in my heart.  And when those memories are brought back because of something that I'm doing or "just because", it gives me a warm feeling inside.  

     Today, I’m with my daughter who is storing memories away in her heart for a lifetime.  And when the time is right, she will be able to relive those memories also and I hope that it brings the same feelings to her as I have with mine.   

     I’m so thankful for the memories that I have from the past and the memories that are still waiting to be cherished.  

     As we walked along the road, through the creek, over a gate, through a field, past a pond, we came upon the horses and there we stopped.  As we stood in the field, just taking in the sights and sounds, we watched the dogs play.  

     Life at this moment came to a stand still and all the stress of everyday life just ended - at least for a moment.  I still don’t think that any of this “life on a farm,” has really registered with me as of yet.  This is a childhood dream of mine that has finally come true and it still doesn’t seam real.  

Two Bits and Dixie Grazing

Belle and Poseidon enjoying the beautiful spring day!!

******

     It’s been almost a year since we came to live here on this ranch and we’ve been through soooo much!  We’ve learned so much and have made many mistakes.  We’ve been both encouraged and discouraged; sometimes both at the same time.  It’s amazing how emotions can take a turn so quickly.  But we are survivors and we just keep forging along.  No one ever promised that life was going to be easy.  And I guess if it was, life wouldn’t be so interesting. (smile)

******

     Not long after my last post back in August, Tanner went ahead and installed the new update on my iPhone.  Once it was complete, we found out that all of my pictures that I had been collecting were gone and that hit me pretty hard.  And I found out later that other people had the same thing happen to them, and I felt bad for them too.   

     And then, our lives became incredibly busy; more traveling, visitors, holidays, the flu, helping plan a wedding from 400 miles away, and so on (all good things, of course).  But, with being sooooo busy, I completely forgot about what was lost.

     When I started this blog I was very enthusiastic and excited to tell our story, but then I was hit with such a huge loss. I know, I know, it was only pictures, and I shouldn’t have let it get me down so much.  But I had so many pictures and stories to tell, and just that fast, everything was gone.  I was completely discouraged.  

     But this is a new year and I’m finally ready to move on and continue our story.

     So while the valley is still sleeping, I, or I should say we, look forward to spring and the new life that it brings.  From the natural world around us, to the part of the animal kingdom that we have become the stewards of.

     My heartfelt prayer is that we will take this tiny part of our world and at least, preserve what is already here or make those improvements that will be of benefit to those who will steward the land after us. 

******

     I dream...........and I dream..........and I dream.  

     I dream of where this is going to take our family.  By trial and error things will start to happen around here.  I don't think that anyone can succeed if they don't have failures in life to learn from.

     I hope I can write so that whoever is reading this, will feel a part of what we are doing here.  I'm not a writer, but I'll do my best to keep things as real as possible.   

Sandy