I Feel the Need . . . The Need for Seed

I have been helping my daughter the past few days and I stopped on the way home from her house at Walmart to pick up a couple of things for Fred.  Unfortunately, I parked down at the Garden Center and walked through on the way into the store.  About $100 later, I walked out with vegetable plants, seeds for other vegetables and six pink geraniums that were half price along with Fred's stuff. 

I am anxious to get my garden done and plants in the ground.  Time to make it happen!

Farm Tip of the Day

Never walk around in the horse pasture in sock feet.  Okay, I realize this sounds like common sense, but I know of a lady that actually did this, and as I was walking. . . I mean she was walking through the field, she was thinking what a bad idea this was.

Those socks are going in the burn barrel.

The Compost Pile and The Burn Barrel

I love my compost pile and burn barrel.  There, I said it.

Garbage is one of those things we all have but don't think too much about.  When we lived in Charleston, we had garbage pickup and recycling bins and that's just the way it was, but it always bothered me that our garbage was contributing to the huge landfills.  Out here we do not have garbage pickup which is okay with me. 

I like the idea of recycling our garbage.  We throw scraps of food into the compost pile along with grass cuttings and the occasional shovel of horse or chicken poop, which makes great compost for gardens.  The chickens wander over there when they are out and eat some of the food scraps too.   We use the burn barrel to burn any paper garbage, not including newspaper or magazines.  Holly Hill has recycle stations in the back of City Hall so I take plastic bottles, metal and aluminium cans and newspapers once every couple of weeks there.   This means that all I have to take to the dump occasionally is glass bottles, spray cans, paint cans, things that can't be put in the burn barrel which is not much at all.  I love the fact that we are not contributing tons of garbage to a landfill every year.  We are recycling the compost bin back to the earth and feeding our animals with scraps as well.  No papers with our personal information make it to a dump site either.

It's all part of being greener and I like that.  It doesn't hurt that Fred enjoys burning stuff in the barrel too.

How NOT to Prepare a No Till Garden or in other words Boy, Can I Make a Mess!

As I told you, I wanted to try this no till garden thing so the other night right before dark, Fred and I got out there and laid out newspapers on the wet ground.  It had been raining earlier.  We got it done right before dark so we put a sprinkler out there for awhile to wet the newspapers.  I figured I would get out there the next morning and start adding the compost in the beds I laid out with brick. 

The next morning, however, I had a doctors appointment so I thought I should leave the sprinkler on while I was gone so the newspapers wouldn't dry out and blow away.  When I got back a few hours later, I went out to the garden and alot of the newspapers had dissolved into small pieces.  The rest of it was really wet so I turned off the sprinkler because we had ruined the paper.   I went inside for lunch, the sun was shining, and you guessed it, the papers dried out and started blowing all over the place.  All that work for nothing!  The newspapers were out in the hay field, against the chicken yard fence, and pretty much everywhere but where they were supposed to be.  What a mess!  

Notice the newspapers stuck to the chicken yard fence on the right.

I have re-read the article about no till gardens and I can only assume that the whole thing - newspapers on the ground, wetting them out and putting in the walkways and garden plots, then adding compost and plants all need to be done in one day.  Laying the papers out one day and doing the rest any other time definitely does NOT work.  Another lesson learned.

Not to be deterred, moving on.

No Till Garden - I like the way that sounds!

I read an article recently in Mother Earth News written by a guy that has done gardens for 30 years and even written books on gardening.  He told about no till gardening and I thought I might try it this year.  According to him, you lay wet newspaper down on the ground and plant through them.  The wet newspaper smothers the grass and weeds underneath and they rot in place along with the newspaper itself.  Then you lay out your paths with mulch and planting beds with compost.  I started to lay the newspaper out yesterday, but of course the wind picked up so that's why I decided to go and get the pavers.  I drew out the garden I wanted and figured out how big each plot would be, small enough to reach into the middle for any random weeds they may live to spite me, but big enough to plant several things.   I will show you each step as I do it.  Here is the beginning of my garden this year.  Just getting started.  I plan on laying out the wet newspapers in the morning.  We'll see how that goes.  I hope I don't go to all this trouble and end up with nothing but weeds. 

It doesn't look like anything yet, but just wait!  We did actually get the fruit trees planted.  We got 3 peach, 2 pear, 1 plum, 1 fig and a blackberry bush.  I planted them so that it will eventually be a walkway to the garden from the house.  The garden is where the 2x4s are laying in the distance.  We have a red shed up at the front of the property we haven't been using so I'm hoping to get Fred to drag it or pick it up and put it at the end of the garden so it can be my potting shed.

Gettin N2 Goatin

I went to a goat workshop today in Little Mountain, South Carolina.  First of all let me say, Little Mountain is a cute little town about 20 miles outside of Columbia.  I had never been there before and didn't know what to expect.  I thought the workshop would be at the instructor's farm, but it was actually held in a gazebo in the middle of town.  The instructor, Vee, brought two mama goats, one youngster and two 5 day old kids. 

Now I've seen goats before and have probably petted one a time or two, but have not been up close and personal with goats so I was excited to learn all about them and actually get to milk a goat and hold the little ones.  One actually fell asleep in my arms!  So cute!!

The milking was something that I really wanted to try and it was fairly easy on the bigger goat but more difficult on the smaller breed goat.  Good to know.  Also she told us about keeping the bucks separate from the does unless they are breeding.  She told us how to castrate the small males (which I would probably call a vet to do) and to debud them (again, probably couldn't do that either)
but she does this all herself with the help of her husband.  She milks ten goats every day.  Oh, and we got to taste raw goat milk and eat fudge made from goat milk.  It was good!



I definitely want goats (I mean, how can you resist that face?!) but it is something that I need to be completely ready for.  I need a fence that will keep them in, an area for milking and where they can get out of bad weather, and all the supplements and medicines that I will need on hand.  It's not something I want to just run out and get, THEN figure out how to keep them.   I probably would have done that in the past, but heck, maybe I AM getting wiser the older I get. 

Really?!

Hannah really likes sleeping in her new bed . . .

AND eating it.

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

Look what I found today.  Yep, still laying in the woods.

I Am No Martha Stewart

We have a large pile of pavers that my husband bought several years ago and I plan on using them for my garden beds this year so I backed the truck up to the pile and started loading them into the bed of the truck.  Fred said to be careful because there might be a snake or mice in the pile but he was busy clearing and burning so he couldn't help.  Great!  I had on heavy gloves and boots and as I was loading the truck, I started thinking about Martha Stewart. 

I was thinking that we are alike in some ways, but very different in others.  She has a farm, I have a farm.  They are similar in size, both of us have chickens and donkeys.  She likes to bake, I like to bake.  She throws great parties, has her own TV show, writes books and does amazing flower arrangements - wait, who am I kidding?  We're not alike at all.   I was thinking to myself as I was stacking pavers in the truck, how does she do it?  She has the same amount of hours in the day as the rest of us, yet she seems to be able to do it all perfectly.  Then it dawned on me.  She has a staff.  She has a staff to help her take care of the animals and gardens at the farm.  She has another staff that helps her with her show, making sure all she needs is at her fingertips.  That might explain some of it, but she is still pretty amazing when you think about it.  Heck, by the time I get up and get dressed in the morning, she has probably planned a wedding, written 3 or 4 chapters in her next book and put a gourmet meal for 10 in the crockpot for dinner!

I wonder if she could send some of her staff over here to help me with these pavers.

Snakes

As you can imagine, there are snakes in the country.   That's not to say that they are everywhere you go.  I have stepped over a copperhead out walking one morning and we have had a couple of rattlesnakes killed near the cookhouse and front pasture.  They were small and that was quite a while ago.  I anticipate seeing them when I am out walking so IF I see one, I hopefully will not be too alarmed. 

One day I got a call from a neighbor whose husband was out of town.  She said there was a snake in her house and she did not know who else to call.  My husband was also out of town at the time, so I told her I would be right over.  This, of course, didn't make any sense because I am no slayer of snakes, but she was a young woman with small children so maybe my motherly instinct kicked.   When I arrived she ushered me into the bedroom and sure enough, laying across the blinds in the window right above the bed, was a snake.  Yep, that's what I said, right above the bed.  I did the only thing I could think of . . . I called every man I could think of in the area.  Within a few minutes, while we watched to make sure he didn't go anywhere, we had three men show up to help us.  One of the guys attempted to grab his tail and he fell behind the bed.  The snake, not the guy.  Of course this meant the young woman had to move all the junk she had stored under the bed so they could get back in the corner.  They finally pinned it down with a stick and got it out.  Turned out to be a rattlesnake!  She said it must have come from the open pipe in the bathroom.  She explained her husband had been working on the plumbing before he went out of town. 

I thanked the guys for coming and when they left, I begged her to take the kids and go stay in the cookhouse.  It's really nice inside and very comfortable with a double bed and couch to sleep on, but she wouldn't go.  She thanked me for coming and I reluctantly left.  I really didn't want them to stay in their house that night.  My thought process is that if there is a small snake, where is the mother snake?  Honestly, if it were me, no amount of money would have kept me in that house that night.  I would have had my kids out in the car before you could say "cookhouse."

Welcome to The Cookhouse

I started a small pecan business, Molly and Me Pecans, a few years ago and needed a commercial kitchen to cook in.  Unfortunately there were no commercial kitchens in the area so we started looking for a building to buy and move on to our property that we could put a kitchen in.  Across the road from our house we noticed an old metal building in the woods.  We rode the 4-wheeler over to check it out and see if it would work for us.  It was one large room with nothing in it but some sheetrock on the walls and a few outlets.  There was one occupant, however, a small bat!  I am not sure who was more scared, me or the bat.  We continued looking for another alternative but finally decided to buy the building across the street.  Fred jacked it up and put it on a trailer, then moved it to our property with a tractor. 

Fred did the majority of the work on the inside, including new sheetrock, electricity and plumbing.  He divided the big room into three separate rooms so we could add a bedroom and a bathroom for guests.  We bought and installed a 3 compartment sink, double ovens, and a refrigerator and I was in business! 

I love cooking in the cookhouse because I can look outside and see the horses in the field and chickens running around.  It has a tin roof so it's really nice when it rains and the commute is great too - just a walk down the driveway.

I had kind of taken the past year off because my pecan trees didn't produce enough and the price of pecans went up, but I really need to get back to work.  It's time to make some money!  I will be doing the Kiawah Farmers Market starting in June and still have them in a few stores around Charleston, but I have been thinking about doing a sales trip up the coast.  I need to get them in more stores.  Man, I wish I had taken some marketing or business classes when I was in school.  I love cooking all the different flavors of pecans and packaging them in cute little packages, but I really don't know much about marketing them. 

 

The Hoosier Cabinet

I wanted to share with you the story behind my hoosier cabinet.  It sits in my kitchen and reminds me of my family in Alabama.

I have always loved going to Monroeville, Alabama.  Since my mom and dad were from the same small town, we had lots of aunts, uncles and cousins as well as both sets of grandparents and great-grandparents in one area growing up.  I remember how my Grandma Petty would cook fried chicken, fresh vegetables and cornbread in the morning, then she and Grandaddy Petty would have it for lunch, cover it with a cloth during the day, then uncover it and have the same thing for dinner.  She had a hand pump in her kitchen when I was younger and an outhouse before adding a bathroom years later.  I was always afraid to go out to the outhouse, especially at night.  The thing I remember about my Granddaddy Petty most was that he always had Denteen chewing gum in his pocket for us.  Always!  I loved riding in his old pickup truck too.

Anyway, back to the hoosier cabinet.  When Fred and I first got married, we went for a visit.  My grandmother took us out to the old homestead where Great-Grandma and Papa Petty used to live.  The house was pretty empty and the roof was leaking in the kitchen area but we found this hoosier cabinet inside.  Grandma told us that it was a wedding gift for my great-grandmother so that was pretty special to me.  Fred was opening the drawers and doors, seeing what was inside.  There were some old empty jars in the top portion.  He opened the big bottom drawer and out popped a mouse!  Now picture this - my grandma was short and round and I was in high heels (not sure why now but I distinctly remember being in heels) and we were both jumping up and down, screaming.  The mouse was confused by all the screaming and jumping, and apparently tried to jump up on my grandmother's leg.  Fred was laughing so hard he almost cried.  The mouse ran out and upon further inspection, Fred found a nest of baby mice in the drawer.  He took the nest outside and put it in the woods.  Grandma told us we could have the cabinet if we wanted it.  We loaded it up and took it home with us, stripped it, painted it and have loved it all these years.  I used to tell Fred that if we were ever in a flood or hurricane, that would be the first thing on the truck.  It's not rare or an expensive piece of furniture, but it's part of my family history and when I look at it, I remember all the people that I love in Alabama and smile.

I Used to be Cute ~

I look in the mirror and see someone else.  An older woman who doesn't look much like me.  She has wrinkles and her hair is short and odd.  Not at all like I thought I would look when I was younger.

I was one of those girls who loved the beach, laying in the sun for hours cooking myself with suntan lotion with a 4 spf or none at all.  I can't blame anyone else for the wrinkles I now have.  My hair was bleached by the sun each summer and I didn't even consider exercising back then. 

Fortunately for me, my daughter has moved back to the Charleston area and she will whip me back into shape.  She has great taste and will guide me into my later years gracefully.  She has told me that I should think "Ralph Lauren Country" when shopping for clothes.  When she's not around, I tend to lean towards less flattering clothes that look more like what my husband should be wearing, not me.  I'm so thankful for having a daughter to help me.   She knows what looks good on me and what doesn't and she is good at telling me which is which without hurting my feelings.  She makes me try on clothes I wouldn't normally reach for in the store and yet they always look better than anything I would choose.   I also did not get the "accessory gene."  Luckily she's good at that too. 

As far as the wrinkles go, I will try and start using creams that reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but honestly I still love the feeling of the sun on my face and don't wear a hat when I should.  I need to start exercising again and I'm trying to grow my hair out so there's not much Heather can do about that, but I'll definitely be dressing better!

Maybe I can still be cute . . . for my age!  It's worth a try.

Ungrateful Chickens

I went out this morning to see how the chickens liked their own little chicken yard. Turns out, not so much.

Four of them had already gotten out and the rest of them were pacing up and down the fence squawking because they weren't out too. To be honest, I was a little hurt. We had spent quite a bit of money and lots of time putting the fence up for them, to keep them safe and happy.

Fred said not to take it personal, they are just used to being out.

I think the next time that chicken hawk comes by, I'll just tell him to take his pick of my escape chickens. Maybe my next chickens will be more grateful!

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

We finally got a weekend to work on the chicken yard so we worked on it until dark Saturday.  I was anxious to get up this morning and jump right back on it, but Fred was a little distracted.  Since the weather was so nice, he decided to start burning some trees and underbrush he had pushed up in a pile and headed out to start the fire.  He also decided it would be a good day to take Daisy and Blue, two of our horses, out to graze in the field on the side of the house.  They were tied off but had plenty of room to roam and graze.  So, keep in mind we now have a fire going, two horses out along with the chickens and we are supposed to be working on the chicken yard.  Then he said "Let's go ahead and let the donkeys out to run around and graze too.  They won't go far."  Not a good idea.

The wind picked up and he went back to check on the fire, which had now gotten a little farther away from the original site and I was keeping my eye on the donkeys.  They stayed close for a little while but started wandering farther and farther away, towards the other horses and the road so I took the 4-wheeler to "round them up" but instead of heading back towards the house, they decided to go into the woods, towards our neighbors' houses.  After I stopped panicking, I was able to get them out of the woods and heading towards the house. 

Those little dots in the distance are the donkeys and a horse.

I noticed Fred was beating the fire with a limb so I went over to see if he needed help.  About that time, one of the horses started making lots of noise, so I jumped back on the 4-wheeler and went to see what was going on.  He had the rope around one of his hooves and the donkeys have run off again.  We have a neighbor that has a big, beautiful garden that he spends all his time on and garden clubs visit so you can guess where I found the donkeys . . . in his garden.  I snuck over there (hoping no one was around to see me, Lilly or Sunny) and shooed them away from the flowers and walkways, out into another open field.  I realized I could not get them back to the house by myself so I once again jumped on the 4-wheeler and hurried to get Fred.  He jumped on another 4-wheeler and we were able to maneuver them back to the pen.  I decided I had had enough chasing animals around and put Blue and Daisy back in too.   Fred went back to his fire.

By then it was lunch time and we had not even touched the chicken yard!  I went in and fixed lunch and as soon as we finished, we headed to the chicken yard and worked on the fence until dark.  It is pretty much finished, except for the gate.  I did not realize it would take so much work but I'm happy it's done. 

Side Note:  This man can move ANYTHING with a couple of ratchet straps!

I love working on projects with Fred but from now on, the donkeys and horses will have to stay in the pen.  Really, I insist!

Did I mention I got this in Paris?

I have not done much traveling outside the U.S. so I was thrilled when I got an opportunity to go to Germany a few months ago.  My son-in-law was stationed in Ramstein, Germany and my daughter was over there with him, staying off base so I went over for two weeks to visit them and see some of the country.  Germany is wonderful, with each small village having a castle up above the town.  It was cold and we had to bundle up wherever we went, but it was an amazing trip that I will never forget.  I would love to go back, rent a car and drive through the countryside for a couple of weeks during the summer.  It is a beautiful place.  We went to a big flea market in Homberg and I bought some large old milk cans that I brought back in my suitcases.  I stuffed my clothes inside each of them.  I was surprised that security at the airport didn't pull me out of line once they saw these big metal canisters inside my suitcases.  They probably just looked at me and thought, "Another crazy American.  They buy the weirdest stuff!"  Anyway, I'm just happy to see them sitting on my front porch.  They look great.

Heather and I took the train to Paris for a couple of days and had a ball.  The train ride itself is an adventure but Paris is like nothing I have ever seen before.  The buildings themselves are all works of art, with so many carvings and statues, and there is just so much to see.  The subways were intimidating to me and very confusing, but luckily Heather took charge and handled all of that.  I would probably still be there, trying to find my way home, if she had not been with me.  We both love to sew so we were anxious to go to their famous textile district and buy fabric.  We fell in love with so many things and brought back fabrics we just don't see here in the US (at least not in South Carolina).

I had to laugh at myself because for a few weeks after I got back, I caught myself saying "I got that in Paris" or "I got that when I was in Germany" alot in conversation.  I don't like to brag, but . . . well okay, maybe just a little.  

Paris, France is pretty much the opposite of my life in Holly Hill, South Carolina.  It's an amazing place to visit, but I couldn't imagine living there.  I have to admit, though, I am saving my pennies just in case they go back for another deployment.  Save me a spot on the couch.

Spoiled . . . my dogs?!

Some of you may know that we have two mastiffs, Molly and Diesel, who are 160 and 120 lbs. respectively so when they want to cuddle in bed with you, well, there's not much room for you.  We also have Hannah, our rescue dog, who chews everything up, including dog beds.  After buying several dog beds from stores that got ripped up, I was at my wits end.   We needed to try something new.

I was at a thrift store recently and saw these two kids beds and I thought, why not?  The dogs needed their own beds and maybe we could train them to stay out of ours completely, so I bought them and brought them home.

I went to a thrift store and bought two used crib mattresses and was ready to cover them.  I knew sheets would get ripped up immediately so I went with something I swear by . . . painters drop cloths.  They are sturdy and very durable but will soften up when you wash them. 
And even more important, it is the one thing Hannah does not chew on.  I use them for all kinds of things and will show you some other DIY projects made with them later on.   I buy them at Home Depot and the off-white/linen color is one of my favorites.  They are about $10.00 for a 6'x9'.

I needed to make the covers for the mattresses removable so I could wash them regularly so  I simply covered the mattress and sewed one seam so you could push the mattress through it, like a tube, then simply folded the ends like wrapping a present, and added Velcro across the end.

After I got the covers done, I thought I would be really clever and put MOLLY on one and DIESEL and HANNAH on the other with stencils.  I started Molly's first and because I was so worried about spacing and lining them up straight, I put MOO instead of MOL!  Then I was stuck and didn't know what to do so I told my daughter about my mistake and she laughed (of course) and told me to just put OINK on the other since I live on a farm and people will think it was supposed to be like that.

Here are  my finished dog beds - MOO and OINK

 

 

Ready for Spring!

Come join me on the porch swing!

I admit it, I'm one of those people who, in the middle of the summer, start complaining about how unbearably hot it is and wish for winter to come, only to start complaining about the cold mid-winter and can't wait for spring.  I pour over garden magazines and sketch flowerbeds on scratch paper in anticipation of warmer weather.  To be honest, the weather here in South Carolina is one of the reasons we moved back here from South Florida.  We loved living in the Fort Lauderdale area when the kids were younger and have done our share of sailing and windsurfing, but after years of wearing shorts on Christmas day, I longed for the change of seasons.  South Carolina has hot sticky summers and cold winters so it's a little bit of everything and I like that.  Not to mention we had family here that we wanted to live closer to. 

I was at the store the other day and couldn't help but walk through the garden area and wanted to buy everything that was in bloom or just about to bloom.  I don't want to jump the gun and plant lots of things only to get one more cold front, but I did buy lots of small plants for the window boxes at the cookhouse.  I can always bring them in if it's going to get cold again, but at least I can dig in the dirt and make something pretty for now.  I also bought lots of flowers seeds to start now and plant outside later.  I didn't have a lot of luck planting seeds outside last year, so I'll try starting them inside first this year and maybe have better luck.  The ultimate optimist. 

Never Know What You'll Find in the Laundry

Don't you hate it when you sort the clothes to do laundry, check all the pants pockets and pull out the assortment of loose change, screws and receipts from your husband's pockets, then run them through the washing machine cycle and as you are putting them in the dryer, you see this at the bottom of the washing machine?

Oh, that never happens to you?  Well, never mind.

Rogue Donkey

Lilly, my brown donkey, has been escaping the pen daily, sometimes several times a day.  We knew something was wrong with the electric fence, but had not had a chance to find out what was going on.  All I know is she kept getting out.  Once out, she would graze around the house and hay field, not going too far but not staying in the pen either.  After putting her in the fence three times today only to watch her go right back out a few minutes later, I called Fred and left him an urgent message that he had to come home and fix the fence.  I just couldn't take it any more.  I love Lilly but lately I've been referring to her as "that damn donkey".  Sorry for the bad language, but I can't get anything else done!  Fred came home and spent a couple of hours putting a new electric box in and making sure it works.

----- UPDATE -----

It's 12:30 a.m. and I'm just about to head to bed when I look out the kitchen window and guess what I see? 

Lilly drinking water out of the dogs' plastic pool in the backyard!  Out again -

That Damn Donkey

Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

After two days of rain, the dogs and I were ready to get outside.  After my usual routine of feeding the horses and donkeys, letting the chickens out of the chicken coop for the day and throwing the ball for the dogs, I decided to take the dogs for a walk.  I had on my boots because of the standing water on our path in the woods, my carhartt jacket because it was cool and windy and my phone in my pocket.  I was enjoying the walk and the dogs were thrilled to be out of the house and splashing through the large puddles along the path.  The best part was the wind blowing through the tall pines and making the most wonderful rustling noise.  I stopped several times just to enjoy the trees swaying in the wind.  A perfect morning.

After a while I decided we had better head back to the house.  As I walked along the path and the dogs ran ahead of me, I stepped into a puddle and my feet slipped out from under me.  Down I went!  I knew I wasn't hurt but immediately soaked through my jeans and down into my boots.  As I started to get up, the dogs ran over to play.  They were all over me, jumping around and splashing.  Every time I started to get up, they would jump on me again, sure that I was there to play in the mud and water with them.  Finally, I think they must have heard something in the woods, because they all ran off together, happy to investigate the unknown.  Muddy and soaked, I was able to get to my feet and drip back to the house.  As I poured the water out of my boots and peeled my wet socks off I was thinking "So much for my perfect morning!"

Mint Cookies - Yum!

I saw a recipe on Pinterest the other day and had to try it.  These cookies are yummy and easy to make.

Andes Mint Cookies

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil and eggs together.  Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes.  Don't cook any longer than that.  You don't want them overdone.

Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie.  In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted.  Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

They are really yummy when they are still warm.  Add a scoop of ice cream on the side, and I'm in chocolate heaven! 

Warning:  I put a piece of wax paper on my dining table to put the cookies on while they were still warm and it apparently melted part of the wax onto my table!  Please don't make the same dumb mistake I did. 

Do You Ever Wonder . . .

Do you ever wonder what your animals are thinking?  I know that sounds crazy but I was just thinking about that today. 

I wonder what my chickens are thinking about me.  Do they go into the chicken coop at night and talk about me?  Do they say to each other, "Oh she's wonderful!  Isn't she great?"  Or maybe they're saying "Can you believe her?  She didn't even let us out this morning until 10 o'clock!  Hasn't she ever heard the saying the EARLY bird gets the worm?!" 

As I look out the window and see my donkeys standing in the rain, looking so pitiful, I think they might be saying to each other "Can't she see us out here, soaked to the bone?  Look at her in that warm, dry house.  Doesn't she even care?! And when is she going to get her boots on and come out here anyway?  I'm hungry."

Of course we know dogs can not talk but can communicate in mysterious ways.  Take Fred's dog, Diesel, for example.  He will sit in front of me staring at my plate and I know he's trying mental telepathy.  He's willing the food to fall off the plate on to the floor.  Or he'll stare at me.  I know he's thinking, "Look how adorable I am.  You know you can't resist me.  I need that last cookie." 

Maybe I've been in the house too long today.  I need to get out of here.

Chicken Yard, will you ever be finished?

As you know, the scouts started putting up the poles for the chicken yard for me but couldn't finish because of the rain when they were here.  I went out there this past week and stood looking at the size of it, on a beautiful sunny day I might add, and decided that I wanted it twice as big so I started laying out the 4x4s and 2x4s to see if we had bought enough to make it bigger.  Turns out we only needed a few more boards so I headed to Home Depot with Fred yesterday, another beautiful sunny day, to get what we needed in anticipation of building it today.  But as we all know, Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humor, and had other plans so here I sit, as it pours rain outside.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good rain day as much as anyone but really, couldn't she have waited until a week day?  I only have two days to get things done around here with Fred! 

Cute Gift Wrap Idea

My daughter was here last night and needed to wrap a present.  I couldn't find the wrapping paper but as I walked by my desk, I noticed my large calendar and offered her the month of March as wrapping paper!  She loved the idea, wrapped it up and we took some black and white polka dot ribbon I had to make a bow.   As you can see, she wrote "Sandy's Birthday" on the actual day of the month her birthday is.  Quick thinking, super cute package!!