Front Yard Project - Part 1

We put together a video of Emma and I working on the front yard.  It was soooo hot when we did this!! But now that it's fall, it's already starting to cool off!

Hope you enjoy!

September 2018

Esther

Labor Day Weekend 2016

We had a great Labor Day weekend this year with a lot of projects going on at the same time.  Everything wasn't planned to happen all at once, but it did and thankfully we had enough of us to do what we needed to do because it was sort of a "race against the clock".

Ember is NOT liking the noise from the saw on the back side!

And that's just one reason to be thankfully for a big family!!

Oh, but unfortunately, we were missing one of our family members:  Barrett.  

And boy did we miss him!!  Not for the work, although he would have been a great help, but just to have him here with us.  

We've always been a really close family and when one person is missing, it just isn't the same!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Seriously.

Preparing for this weekend was a story in itself, but I won't be able to tell you what happened.  Unfortunately, it takes me too long to write already.  Maybe someday, I'll do a podcast or something like that or learn to write better and faster, whichever comes first.

But trust me when I say, "You can not write a better script", then the way our family life just plays out.  

 We sometimes laugh and talk about having a reality TV show, but then again, who wants to be famous?!?  Sure we might make a lot of money, but being "famous"?  No thanks.

Thankfully we all, for the most part, can just go with whatever happens and keep a positive attitude and laugh about it later.

Hey, and it keeps life interesting too!

Here is just a glimpse into what we did for the extended weekend.   

But first...................................

The foundation of our addition was laid about 3 weeks before we started the building project thanks to our friend Mr. Balmer, the concrete extraordinaire, aka "expert".

I've been dreaming of and designing a new mud room for that spot right there.

Our shirtless friend Mr. Balmer, the concrete expert.

Side view of the house.

Our weekend projects:

Shane was on the excavator digging trenches - about a 1/4 of a mile in total and dealing with wire and water pipes.  It might not sound like a lot, but it is and was.  Lots of hand digging also needed to be done so we wouldn't break any phone, electric, or water pipe lines. 

Road Block!  "Did I hit a phone line?"

A little over whelmed.

Our intersection is the spot where everything branches off in different directions so there are orange flags and spray paint lines everywhere.

Esther stopped by to help too.

Dakota, and Tanner working on their construction skills.

Landon working on lines in trenches and working with Cooper in our hay field and a neighbors field working hay.  Cutting, raking, and baling, loading, and stacking about 600 bales of hay.

In the trenches.

First load of hay.

 
Tim working on the new room and stopping to help solve whatever problems were going on.

The girls preparing and serving food and helping when needed or when they just decided too.

And me: the designer, the one to offer moral support, the go-getter, the photographer, the disciplinarian, the encourage r, etc. 

That was the basic assignment, although the jobs just fell into place and there was no discussion about who was to do what.  And if anyone needed help, then whoever could stop what they were doing, they would go and help somewhere else.

The trenches were dug for new electric wires to get rid of an ugly electrical pole and it's overhead wires that were in the front of the houses.  Also to bury wires that were strung up in and through the trees from the main pole to a few other places around the farm.  Those wires were hung there before we purchased the farm and the electric company strongly recommended that we bury those lines as well, and now was the perfect time to do that.

A long time ago, someone (who shall remain anonymous) said that we could get rid of the ugly pole that was in the front of the house.  When I heard that, I got really excited and was anxious to see what we could do, because let me tell you, that pole is an eye sore!

But my excitement quickly faded when it just seemed to be too overwhelming.

The Ugly Pole

Then months later, the electric company in town started to replace all of the electrical poles in our valley and that's when I started asking questions again.

It worked out, and after a lot of planning and talking, here we are:  digging trenches for new wires!!  But little did I understand what was all involved in moving just one little pole.  $$

While digging the trenches for the electrical wire, we found out that that main water line was only 1/2" water pipe, so we changed that over to a 1" pipe - not something that we had planned on doing.

Water pipe.

Everything ran pretty smooth the whole weekend except for the fact that on Monday afternoon we broke a water pipe.  Fixed that one.  Then we broke another pipe on Monday night, just before we were getting ready to be done for the night.  

Nice face Landon!!  (It's funny at what point the photo is actually captured.)  They're trying to find the water leak so we can fix it to take showers.  I don't know what's worse, no water or no electricity?!

At this point we all needed a shower from sweating all day and being covered in dirt and grime.  And to top it off,  some of the kids had to go to work the next day which meant they had to be up early.  So for the next hour or so the guys worked on fixing the pipe.  And that they finally did.

Unfortunately the extended weekend had to come to an end.  That was a sad time.  The projects aren't finished, but we are still working on them.  We stayed dry for almost a week but we got hit with a lot of rain today.  Thankfully it didn't do any harm although we weren't able to get all the hay into the barn before it rained.

So in a day or two when the rain stops, we'll have to go back into the field and cut the twine on the bales of hay, spread it out to fluff it up so it can dry.  Then we'll have to bale it once again.  It's not something that we would ever plan to do, but it's the only way to save the hay which amounts to almost 300 bales.

First wall and they forgot to put on the vapor barrier.  Oops.

Sorry for the blurry photo.

Lots and lots of wire!!

Feeding electric wire.  It doesn't look heavy, but it surely is!!  Oh, and Tanner's photo bomb - his ball of tape he threw at Dakota.  That kid is in just about every picture:  physically or mentally.

Tanner having to pose for EVERY picture!

Getting closer.

Girls can climb too!

The cat found a place to nap in Dakota's tool belt.

Dakota and Emma finishing the wall.

Preparing the nails for the ones swinging the hammer.

Setting the first wall!!  Yeah, it was HOT outside!!  I wish we could have had six more boys!!  Oh, and a few more girls too!!

We'll keep you posted as we move along with these projects.  One thing that would have made the mud room move along a little faster was if I had drawn my plans for it more specifically on paper.  That way the guys wouldn't have had to stop so much for me to measure and think and change and measure again.  That was a little frustrating to them, but I told them that they're learning great character skills this way.  I don't think they thought that was to funny.

But I have to say that because we are doing this without having to submit plans to anyone, we can change as we see fit.  Sometimes if you draw something on paper and follow it exactly, you don't realize what you did until you're done with it.  And then it could be too late.  

This way, we could stop and talk about something and then go ahead and build it.  

Also, we're making our own windows and doors so we don't have to use standard sizes.  I think that's the most fun about this project.

September 2016

Sandy

Late Afternoon Ride

Dixie

It finally snowed for the first time this year!  

Not much more than an inch, but enough to brighten up the world for a while at least.  It's been a few days since it snowed and it's still hanging on even though the days have been warm. 

I love the way the snow reflects the light and brightens up the inside of the house.  If it's going to be winter, we might as well have snow on the ground, right?!  I think so!

Oh, how I love snow!!

As I was working on some paperwork late this afternoon while watching a series of YouTube videos, I heard a faint, "Mom...........Mom........." calling me from the outside.  When I opened the door, here was this little person (Ember) asking for some water.  As she was drinking her water, she paused to tell me that they need some saddlebags so they can take water with them when they go riding.  Hm.  

We'll have to work on that.

My little person on Red.

It was a lot of work getting the horses ready for their ride.  First the girls had to go find them in the field (on foot), chase them into the barnyard, corral them in the round pen, catch them, put a halter on, walk them to the other side of the barn near the tack room, and saddle them up. 

It's all the work I didn't see.  

Now, looking at the girls and the horses, you would never know that they had worked so hard.  

Emma and Dixie

Elizabeth just finished helping Ember up into the saddle.

At last it was time for their reward before the sun set for the day; a short ride down the road. 

 There they go with Dixie in the lead followed by Scout and then Red.

Stories from Saddlebrook Ranch (our new name).

Sandy
January 2016

I'm in Love, I'm in Love, and I Don't Care Who Knows It!!!

Albuquerque, NM from the top of the Sandia Crest Mountain.

Trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico

Last week Landon, Tanner, Emma, and I returned from our almost two week trip to New Mexico for the  *ABQ Fashion Incubator "Boot Camp".  (More about that in another post.)

We've never been that far southwest, and it seemed to me that we were in a foreign country; not so much by the people we met, but by the terrain of the state.  Once we left the plains of Texas, all the "greenness" soon disappeared from our view.

The clouds are amazing in New Mexico!

New Mexico

I've heard very little, if really anything at all of adobe/cob houses.
(The link above will take you to some ideas of the endless possibilities one can create.)

My only exposure to them has either been through movies, pictures, or from a girl from our church who recently gave a missionary report. There, they built an earth home of some sort.  Quite honestly, I didn't really like the look of those earthy houses from what I had seen.  To me, they either looked very warm or just plain, hot! 

A quick driveby snap shot of some adobe houses in Albuquerque.
(I am so fascinated at the fact that these houses have been built all over the world!  
Oh, if I could only go and visit them!! ) 

 One of the first places we stopped, in Albuquerque, was a little coffee shop that was an adobe.  As soon as we walked inside, I was instantly "in love" with this building.  It's hard to describe the "feeling" that it had on me; but, instantly, I felt the warmth of this place.  Oh, how I wish I had the words to tell you!

The house was over a hundred years old and it was made with adobe bricks.  The owners showed us around the house-turned-coffee-shop, and told us what was original to the building and where the addition had started.

In the backyard, towards the back of the yard, they had--"built" into their landscape--the hundred year old wooden frames that were used to build the adobe bricks for the house.  Off to the side of the frames, were some extra adobe bricks sitting in an organized pile that looked to be part of the fence.

My world just exploded!!

I was in LOVE!!

You know, sometimes I just wonder, what. is. wrong. with. Me?  I'm not normal!!  

Ever since I was young, I have been fascinated with the making of things and how they are put together.  Since I'm not afraid to try something new, I'm always putting things together and creating.  Of course, there are some things I enjoy doing more than others; but when it comes to purchasing things, my first thought is--"I can make that so why buy it?!"

If you ask my family, I'm sure they will tell you that I drive them crazy at times because I'm constantly coming up with news ideas for us to do.

If I was normal, I think I would find different ways to use my time and not waste so much of my mental energy thinking of what I/we can do next.  I don't like to just sit around and be idle; and when I say idle, I mean wasting time.  What I really mean is, I like things to be a certain way and when I'm happy with the way things are then I'll leave them alone, but until then, I'm always wanting to, "Just make it right, pretty, comfortable, and homey, etc." (you know what I mean).

Oh, if could only wake up every day and just do life and be happy, I would.  I'm just not that way and don't think I ever will be.  I've even prayed that the Lord would make me "normal" and take this crazy creative side away from me!

Now don't get me wrong, I love to be home and do things around the house!  I love being a wife, mom, and a home maker!  I just can't only do that!  I need to be creative.   

I love people!  But not cyber people, real people that I can touch, laugh and cry with.  I need to be able to read their expressions and really get to know them!

Whew!..................
I was really going off on an tangent, wasn't I?  Alright, I'm going back to the reason for this post.

This trip has really opened up my and my families eyes to what is possible in the world of "natural" building.  There is no limit to what we can do if we put our minds to it.

   Even if I had all the money in the world, (which I never will and that's more than fine) I would still do things myself--there is so much satisfaction in getting your hands dirty and completing a project!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We now have some plans to do some natural building here on the farm.  We'll see where those ideas take us--so keep in touch.

Here is a quote from the MaryJane'sFarm magazine that I just brought home.   

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass 
under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the 
murmur of water or watching the clouds 
float across the blue sky, is by no means a waste of time." 
 John Lubbock, 1894

Oh, and, just so you know; as much as I love people, I also have a very strong need to be by myself reading a good book or spending time alone with the Lord so I can rejuvenate myself--
I just couldn't function without my down time.
Happy Dreaming!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*Yes, we know that Landon is called Tanner in the photo.  He didn't want me to let Kathleen know.  Funny!  I should really tell her, I think.  Kathleen called the boys by different names because we didn't know at the time we signed up for the class, which two of the six boys were going to be able to go to the "Boot Camp" and she needed to get the dog tags printed.

Our official dog tags from "Boot Camp".

Sandy

September 2015

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

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. 

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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!!

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     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)

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     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. 

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     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