I'm I still here?

It has been ages since I've posted to my blog. I've been so busy with work, animals, facebook and crafting I almost forgot this blog was open.

After 14 months (10 paid) with the Humane Society I called it quits at Thanksgiving 2010. I was burned out and needed to get back to living my life rather than living for the HSTGC. We still foster great guns and volunteer at adoption events but thats where I draw the line.

Our 'farm' is pretty slim these days. We only have ducks and geese in the pastures right now but will be bringing back some hooved animals come spring if not sooner. I have 17 busy laying hens and one big, beautiful rooster keeping us in a little spending cash. We now own 5 little dogs and foster up to half a dozen at a time. I LOVE the little dogs!! I've started sewing and selling dog duds, belly bands for dogs and scrubs. Excited for the next craft show but need to get busy on inventory.

Gonna run; much, much more to post later.

Bonzai

This is our second foster baby. His Humane Society name is Bonzai. I'm learning about Pekingese by having him in our home. What a gorgeous dog!! He's a tank, big chested and short legged. He snores like a Shih Tzu and lays flat belly to the floor too. He is a confident male but gets along well with Koko, Mijo & Gracie Lou. He and Koko are gone for the weekend to the home of a couple who intend to adopt one or both of them. She picked up the dogs this afternoon and took them to a party with 16 society ladies; better mobile adoption opportunity than we could ever offer. ;0)

Its amazing that Koko has been with us so long because he's so precious. I think the Humane Society adoption coordinator needs some help so I'm going to learn more next week and start helping her out. She's well connected with every pure breed rescue and shelter within 500 miles but is less familiar with small furry breeds and less comfortable with home visits etc. We simply need to save more dogs and I'm going to work toward that end. Bubba is too. He applied to the board of directors for the Humane Society. They met today but we haven't heard if they voted on him yet.

There are at least three new members of the menagerie that I haven't posted pictures of yet but promise to in the near future. Bubba brought home his big dog and outdoor companion, Gracie Lou, this week. He also brought home two more geese. China geese; just beautiful animals.

I better go crochet. The craft show is just over a month away and I'm not nearly ready.

More later ........

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

The Bubba of my dreams

I was in my 30's and had experienced a myriad of things, good and bad, before I met Robert Allen Brooks. God bringing him into my life was, by far, the most profound thing that has ever happened to me. I am thankful each and every day of my life that I get to spend it with him.

Yesterday I felt compelled to capture him doing his morning chores. A simple little can of corn shared by ducks, goats & a goose is a delightful encounter every day. It gives him a chance to mingle with the animals and observe them for health issues, personalities and such. Its a really wonderful thing we're able to do now.

When we spent five glorious weeks with Ed & Sheila in North Carolina we saw how the simplest tools can simplify life .......... as they should. This old mower & trailer combination is Bubba's farm truck. He mows the ditch and rough yard with it while I mow the house yard with the push. He takes along his 'grabber' tool to pick stuff up out of the ditch while he mows. He's able to drag things here and there around the acreage with it to mend fences and such. It keeps him from having to run our only vehicle through the pastures where there is great potential for tire damage and such. And this little trailer he picked up for $25 is a dump trailer too! ;0)

Just ten years ago I was at the top of my game, or so I thought. I had been promoted in my job and transferred cross country for work. I was learning all kinds of new things and experiencing things I never thought I would have the chance to. After having experienced life from one end of the spectrum to the other, I can absolutely shout that this simple life is an amazing blessing for me. It gives me the opportunity to appreciate God, people and the Earth. Bubba is a HUGE part of that and we're both amazed by it all.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!

The world loves Koko

It was no big surprise to me that, after the TV broadcast Saturday evening, there would be great interest in Koko. The surprise was that the Humane Society employee who took us to the TV station seriously wants to adopt this little love bundle. Because she is one of only two actual employees of the Humane Society here, she will be given the opportunity to take him home for a night and see how he fits in with her family, furry and otherwise. ;0)

I predict that Koko will love Laura & her family as much as she adores him. Will keep you posted. I'm getting excited already, wondering what type of foster baby we will be offered next.

More later ..............

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Chickens at last

Another big step at Our Promised Land Farm; CHICKENS!!!!!!

20 pretty birds, mostly red/black, some black/red and one white/black. All have the slate colored legs and you can see the little tufted cheeks.

I'm hoping and thinking they're older than seven weeks as the seller claimed. I'm thinking he had them for seven week, maybe.

We increased the existing fence from three to four sides and brought it up to six feet or more. We put tin at the base for physical and visual barrier. I'm planning to keep them inside the coop for a day or two at least, maybe longer.

Koko

It doesn't take many words for you to see just how adorable this little boy is. He's Shi Tzu and likely about 12/15 pounds.

He was brought in to the animal shelter by someone who could not care for him. He was all matted up and had to be completely shaved, shy his ears.

All it takes is for you to let him lay on your lap or in your arms and his eyes close and he starts to snore. He wants to be held often; especially when our two babies tag team him and he gets a bit overwhelmed.

He's a bow legged and flat footed little love, just like Mijo.

He's only been with us 24 hours but seems to be perfectly potty trained, even after more than a week in the cold, wet kennel where he never even saw sunlight.

I think his new family will fall in love with him quickly!! We sure have.

More later ..........

One more big step

Our new life at Our Promised Land Farm is becoming even more rewarding and fulfilling than I imagined it could. Like the rest of my family, I never imagined that I would end up on an acreage raising animals. My career was as an operations manager in the transportation industry. It was a job I grew into and, at times excelled at, but always took stress from. When I was laid off from my last employer in that field I vowed never to re-enter it if at all possible and, by God's blessings, I haven't.

Those of you on Facebook have already seen the pics of the chicken coop. Those of you not on Facebook get to be bored by my sillyness for the first time! ha ha ha

This is the chicken coop, on a trailer, as brought over from our good friend's place. By the time I took this picture I had already added one 2x4 on the bottom in the front to hold it together so it could be removed from the trailer.

This is how the chicken coop looks today. We dropped it on a base of cinder blocks so it would be tall enough for me to walk into comfortably. I had a ball adding all kinds of support, roosts, ladders, screening, tin, nest boxes and a walk in door to the coop. Bubba was very gracious and only helped when I asked. I wanted this to be 'my' project; control freak that I am, and he indulged me.

The only new product used in the remodel are the cinder blocks the coop sits on. I bought screws, nails and paint but no other building materials. I re-used wood salvaged from our remodel and brought the nest boxes up from the coop we dismantled out back. I used a plastic, accordian style closet door, from the remodel, to make the exterior door on the nest boxes. That way its big, light weight and water proof. ;-)

I mounted the nest boxes on the outside to maximize interior space and made the door for outside access to eggs.

I'm a 43 year old little girl who can't wait to show her Daddy what she built!!! HA HA HA HA

We've put up 6' fence around it and will be shopping for laying hens next week.

Today we took another step in raising goats. We brought home an amazing billy from the auction. I wasn't patient enough to find one on private sale and was really impressed with the look of this animal. He appears to be a cross of Spanish and Boer. He weighs nearly 100 lbs and is extremely muscular. The funniest thing about him is that he walks like a chicken. He leads each step with his head jutting it out in front of him.

We unloaded him into a rigid panneled pen connected to the barn and soon found out his potential ..... LOL I made the rooky mistake of placing a wedge of hay in a make shift feeder on the fence. He tested it first then used it as a ladder to jump up and over. Once we contained him for a couple hours in the larger pen with the entire herd he calmed down and is now moving through the pasture with the nannies. He's not attempting to "do his job" yet, is still acclimating to his new environment.

We contained the herd to the center pasture with access only to the neighbors property on both sides and to our other pastures front and back. Hopefully, that way he won't be so inclined to run and won't have immediate access to the road if he breaks through. We'll be keeping a pretty close eye on him; both to insure he's doing what he's supposed to be doing and to insure he's still on the property and hasn't headed to greener pastures. ;-)

I love my life!!!!

More later ........

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH