Presenting Goldie, our crooner.. but only to this song. Every day (when I have this local radio program on), she sings along. We love this girl.
Bill Kenny (formerly of the Ink Spots) – “Thank Heaven for You” via KWIX Radio
I will be back soon with a road trip post, then a giveaway soon afterward (My Mama wrote a book!).
Happy Fall to All.. See You Soon!
The newest member of our family -- Mr. W’s 2 month old Mountain Cur puppy.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a puppy around here, and she is a fireball. Banjo (our almost 10 year old JRT) and Chloe (our 6 year old Corgi mix) are not pleased.
Pecking orders are being established, and slowly things are calming down a bit.
I hope :)
Sadly, Grady the angel-winged gander is no longer with us. During the wee hours of Independence Day, raccoons attacked in the goose pen. The one casualty was Grady. Greta Goose is A-okay.
I won’t even tell you the guilt I’m feeling now as I knew the raccoons had been raiding their food lately – but I wasn’t convinced they could harm my geese.
Rest in Peace, dear sweet Grady. There wasn’t any hint of mean spirit in you. You were a wonderful companion for my dear Greta Goose. You were a trooper.. apparently protecting your Greta girl up to the end.
Here is the last picture I took of Grady – last week during our early morning walkabout. In spite of his Angel Wing Issues, he truly was a beautiful-handsome boy.
Until I have the goose area more secure, Greta has been inhabiting a large pet taxi in the house at night. I pack her in the house at dark, and back out in the morning. She’s been a polite houseguest, with only an occasional honk-honk.
Raccoons are smart, and some of our more cute wild creatures. I won’t argue that one bit. However, this time of year, please make sure your coops and pens are secure and raccoon-proof ~ as it’s their time to be more aggressive to find extra food for their babies. We know they kill chickens and other small feathered creatures. And yes, they do kill geese also :(
This beginning carpenter is getting her coop built :) I really think the framing part has been the most fun so far. The rest of it has moved much slower. It didn’t seem like I accomplished much during my building sessions this week, but now I realize: two hours here – two hours there.. I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chipboard was installed on the roof (this stuff will *not* show in the end. I’m putting nice shiny tin on my roof). This is the view from the back - nest box & roost area (where I’ll be installing a door).
Most of the bead board siding is installed. I had planned to perfectly match everything (i.e., the “beads” on the bead board), but let’s just say… measuring, and cutting accordingly has not been my strong suit so far. But then again, I’m a beginner! Trim will hide most of my errors (I hope). I am getting better and less nervous with the jig and circular saws.
This view shows the opening for the little chicken door, and the side window.
And here’s a quick view of a step that proved to be very tedious – I installed hardware cloth in the ventilation around the rafters. At that point I wished for verrrry tiny hands.
A few of the next steps –
*one more piece of siding installed because of another slight modification I made :)
*paint the interior – I have a quart of nice lemony yellow eggshell that was FREE from Glidden a few months ago.
*install hardware cloth on the inside of the window.
*cut out doors & brace them, as well as cut the window cover.
*trim window, doors, corners, roof lines.
*install doors, window, hinges, latches, etc.
*drill hole in back for heat lamp cord.
*caulk, caulk, caulk.
*paint exterior.
*install galvanized tin roof.
More updates soon – chicks arrive week after next! Thanks so much for the encouragement, Blogger Friends. I hope I can inspire others to build something they’ve been dreaming about. If you want to see more inspiration, check out my friend Linda at Prairie Flower Farm and what she’s been up to this week!
I’ll leave you with a few photos from this week. We’ve had lettuce from the “greens bed” for a couple of weeks now.
Check out one of our yard birds. So pretty, and so watchful over the nest…. 
Giant Allium was fully bloomed earlier this week.
Spiderwort from Patti. Such dainty little flowers!
Lastly…. and sadly, our Miss Monkey kitty disappeared a week ago today (in the middle of the day, no less). No clues… nothing. The neighborhood has been alerted and we’ve covered a lot of ground over the past week looking and calling for her. Hoping she’s okay and will come back soon. I miss those blue eyes…
Last but not least, Happy Mothers’ Day. Blessings and hugs for all the moms out there!
This morning’s breakfast in the barnyard,
Ruby & Hazel ~
Have a blessed and beautiful Sunday!
It’s been a tough couple of months around the Farm. First, we lost Oliver, our dear 17 year old cat, in September. Last night we lost our precious Roxy girl. Early in the Summer, she went in for cancer surgery for removal of a mammary tumor. After the surgery, she rallied, recovered, and had a wonderful summer ~ chasing squirrels and was the recipient of lots of spoiling. We dubbed her “Cancer Dog, the Amazing Survivor!”
A few weeks ago she began developing another tumor-like lump, as well as a strange skin infection. One steroid shot and two weeks of antibiotics later, the lump had shrunk and the skin condition seemed to be healing. However, her heart and lungs were not doing so well. Her legs were swelling and her breathing was labored.
Roxy age 12 was the eldest of our three dogs, but had the most energy out of the trio. She was a good-natured girl in all ways. But she had her quirks. Roxy despised hawks. Anytime she spied one of the winged creatures in flight over the hayfields, there would be heck to pay!
The past few weeks she was not the same energetic girl, and life was getting more and more tiring for her. Sadly, I suspected that it soon would be her time. No more heroic efforts. Just lots of love and TLC. And that she had plenty of. Just minutes before her final breaths, she had wagged her tail and perked her ears when Chloe was barking at a critter. Such spirit in a tiny little canine package! Now I know she’s running the fields with her Mama Jazz and Grandma Ginger, where there is no more pain and suffering. And only sunshiney skies.
Rest In Peace, Roxy
1997-2009
But wait, there’s more.
As if that wasn’t enough for one night ~
I also spent a very long time calling and searching in the dark for 4 out of 5 of our little barn kittens. They were just. plain. gone. At just about six weeks old and oh so vulnerable, I feared they would never return.
Finally after all this drama, I went to bed. I tossed and turned. It was raining (not even in the forecast). Could things get any more gloomy?
Fast forward to this beautiful, sunny morning. After caring for the other critters, I ventured out again calling for kittens. And, lo and behold, at the woodpile…
All 5 were alive and well and hanging out in the sunshine. Life is good again.
Oh, and look what else I found. In November? It’s not a perfect bloom, but yes, they’re still blue! (Apparently the birds love it too) ~
“I still believe in Hope - mostly because there's no such place as Fingers Crossed, Arkansas.” – Molly Ivins
To help redeem myself for being MIA on my self-imposed “Thursday Walkabout” last night, I am posting pure cuteness today. Here are Harlequin’s (Harley’s) adorable kittens in a white oak basket (basket hand split and crafted by moi several years ago). These little sweeties will be three weeks old tomorrow ~ each and everyone is spoken for, and going to good country homes when they’re ready.
Some Kitty Bokeh!
One more “Awwwwww” moment, please…
**And yes, I am a firm believer in spaying and neutering. We do have our cats, dogs, (and even bunnies) spayed and neutered. However, we still can’t catch Harley (she was a stray who found us early this Summer). She’ll only allow a quick touch. We set live traps and what do we catch?? Raccoons! I am slowly making progress with Harley’s trust in me, so hopefully she can take a trip to the vet in the near future.
On another note - watch for a Barn/Cottage Update late this weekend. Remember that project? Progress has slowed but we hope to have a small crew of buddies to help tomorrow! Cold weather is going to catch us soon! Speaking of which, I’m off to do some more painting right now.
TGIF! Have a great 1st Friday of October!
If you’ve been following our farm adventures since last Spring, you may recall we’ve traveled far and wide searching for a Brown Chinese Gander for our goose Greta. Well, big news… Greta now has a boyfriend. His name is Grady and hails from Shawnee, Oklahoma. He just flew in to join our family. Well.. not exactly…
A local auction company hosts an “exotic animal auction” at least 4 times a year. During these week-long events, there are also Bird Swaps. You will find guineas, ducks, chickens, geese, and all kinds of feathered friends. I attended the July Bird Swap in search of a Brown Chinese Gander, to no avail. I did however meet someone from Oklahoma who said he had a Brown Chinese gander back at home, running around with his flock of 65 geese. He also offered to bring him for the September event if I didn’t find a gander before then. Well, I didn’t find a gander, so I contacted him and he brought this guy on Monday. I was thrilled to say the least!
Grady is slightly imperfect, but he’s perfect in my eyes. He has a condition called “Angel Wing” and sadly, he will never fly. However, since he’ll be in a protected area here, I think Grady was meant to come join our group of pampered pets. In every other way, he’s perfectly fine. Greta seems less than thrilled so far. Maybe she was enjoying her single life, I don’t know. But at least she has some company now. No fighting, no big issues… just a little bit of nibbling from Greta if Grady gets out of line. They goose-talk a lot, which is funny to hear.
Now ~ at long last…. Meet Grady!
Here’s the Happy(??) Honking Couple…
RIP Oliver
a/k/a Olli Bear, Olly Olly (Oxen Free)
1992-2009
A sweet, docile kitty left this world peacefully at home yesterday morning. Oliver was a part of a litter of newborns that my sister rescued from the Humane Society 17 years ago (their mother had just been euthanized). My requests: We wanted a Garfield (check). I also asked for the most lovable, sweet, docile, easy to get along with kitten (check, check, check, check). Oliver was the only cat we’ve ever owned (or who owned us) who didn’t mind a bath now and then. An unforgettable furball part of our family.
Rest in peace, dear sweet Oliver.
Or at least that’s what I think our new residents’ names shall be. Their mama also seems to be a permanent resident in the blacksmith shop. She’s very pretty, in a “haunting” sort of way. She seems to be a little less fearful with each passing day.
Henry (orange/yellow tabby) is feeling much better. He had a bite, or some other kind of wound on his neck and I’ve been medicating it. He is just as playful and energetic as Hazel (gray/callie tabby) now.
The area in and around the Blacksmith Shop is perfect for kitten play… so many hiding and climbing places!
Roxy, our Fox Terrier (11 years old), came through surgery for her mammary tumor with flying colors. Mr. W picked her up from the Vet’s today, complete with an Elizabethan (E) collar. This will prevent her from chewing and licking her incision on her lower belly. After I returned home from work, she didn’t get two inches away from me all evening. In fact, it was really hard to take a picture. Here she is in her E-collar, which she hates, but it’s a necessary evil for a few days.
The cat is afraid of her in this contraption, wondering what this strange alien-looking creature is! Hopefully Roxy will have a full, easy recovery. She is such a little trooper, and the best patient ever!
After a less-than-fun week, Mr. W and I traveled to Hams Prairie, Missouri today for a Blacksmith Association of Missouri meeting. This proved to be a good ending for our difficult week (more on this later). I don’t usually go along for the blacksmithing meetings, but it was my chance to meet the famous Patti of Osage Bluff Quilter. This is the same Patti who made this adorable wall quilt for me a few weeks ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how in the world to ever get even with her. Is it even possible?
Below ---
This is the wonderful Patti on the right, and don’t look at me on the left :) PT looks great! I was blinded by the sun (that’s my excuse for looking like a dork, and I’m sticking to it).
Here is Mr. W in a typical pose (mouth open) with Patti’s hubby, BT, the Osage Bluff Blacksmith. (I love this picture).
And Mr. W with another blacksmith friend, Ed. What a pair, that’s all I can say… the picture says it all. What troublemakers :)
There were some demonstrations throughout the day. I had a little trouble getting close enough for a decent picture. This is what I ended up with (please pardon the cap). I did find it interesting that this particular BAM blacksmith is a surgeon in his real job. Wow.
On our trip home we saw hundreds of flags flying over a local cemetery. Just beautiful.
This week – we found out that our 11 year old fox terrier, Roxy, does indeed have mammary cancer. The vet says it appears to be external, but she won’t know for sure of course until she explores further. We’re hoping she can remove what has blossomed into a huge tumor on her lower belly with no complications. The tumor went from very small to very large within two weeks’ time. Her surgery will be Monday. Here’s our dear little Roxy:
Also, we’ve been searching for and setting live traps for our neighbor lady’s missing Silver Persian cat. We spotted her here early this week, and haven’t seen her since. Her mama is SO very worried, and we’re hoping for a safe return home for “Callie” soon.
This could be my longest blog post so far! Are you tired of reading yet?? Since I’ve been absent here since last Sunday, I’ll add on a couple of hummingbird pictures for good measure.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Don’t you love a good Friday evening? Especially when the weather is gorgeous. A great night for sitting out in the yard and relaxing.
Chloe says ‘hey’ and ‘pleased to meet ya’! She is our rescue dog (thanks to Mr. W). She has been a part of our family for about 3 years now. Part Corgi, part Red Heeler… maybe? Or she could actually be a Cardigan Corgi (she does have a tail). Chloe is also known as “Big Eye, Little Eye” around here. We love her to pieces. Not sure what happened in her past to cause the small eye, but she is also blind in that eye. The vet agrees with us that it may have been a head trauma at one point in her past. She seems fine in every way, although a bit skittish until she gets to know you. And what a sweetheart! She’s just a huggy teddy bear…
Hummingbirds! I’m SO glad to have my little buddies back. I miss them all winter long.
Hope the weather is warm and sunny where you are. Have a wonderful weekend!
