Simple Acts

Sometimes, it's the simplest act that means the most. I was dragging this morning and didn't have a Dr Pepper on hand. My bestie, who was fortunately helping me today, ran right out and got me a Dr Pepper to help see me through. Not just one though, she got me three so I wouldn't have to worry the rest of the week! She's just awesome like that. 

Yes, I'm getting quite tired, but having so much fun. I'll sleep when I can, but those kids and I are really enjoying the camp. My teen angst girl, who at the start of the camp had begged and pleaded not to have to be there, actually told me today I need to do this again next year. That she's really having fun! 

It's those small moments. Those simple things that mean the world to me. I hope y'all all have those simple things. 

Mid jump

Hear Me Out

Ok, now hear me out. I'm still learning about all this farming and ranching business, so mistakes happen. I'll get y'all all excited about Maesie having a calf and then all of a sudden, Flora drops her haunches, belly hanging low, udders filled and now I realize I'm watching the wrong one calving soon! Again, I'll let y'all know when it happens. 

In the meantime, I took a tasteful pregnancy pic of her. The sky was beautiful, she's always beautiful, it was just meant to be. I can't wait to see what she calves!

That's it. I've been cleaning tonight so that's all the fun to share. Oh yeah, more Sahara dust because I just haven't collected enough in my house yet. 

Insomnia Relief

If you ever need to cure your insomnia, try to check out a City Council meeting when they go over the budget. I spent three hours doing that this evening and you just can't get that time back. 

Eventually, as the Chamber President, I'm also going to have to start attending the fire department meetings if they'll have me. Considering I don't know when that happens, I'm off the hook for now. 

Why do I do this to myself? Simply put, getting all information possible in a small town is crucial for a chamber to succeed. We have to know what parts of town are falling short and see if we can help improve on that. Conversely, we have to know what areas are doing great and showcase that for others. But I sure would have enjoyed being home with my animals instead! 

New Adventures Abound!

Another week ahead boys and girls! To kick this week off right, we've got three new kids. Goat kids mind you. Some twins from Scotchie and a single from Spice Girl! 

The twins were born on Friday and the single was born on Saturday. I thought Spice Girl was having twins, but I was mistaken. All mamas and kids are doing great. Spice Girl's kid's lungs are super healthy. She can scream like a banshee if you pick her up. The twins are one male and one female. 

Pics to enjoy as I ramp up for another busy week. 

Weekend Please

The drama camp has been great so far. Wonderful kids and some of have some real talent. What all of them have though is energy and great imaginations. I only possess one of those two things, and it's not energy. 

Tomorrow is my last busy day for the week and then a relaxing weekend ahead! The drama camp in the morning and the farmer's market in the afternoon and then I'm home free. I can turn off my brain and turn on the tube. Any good things to watch these days? 

Have a great weekend everyone and I'll be back on Sunday night with new adventures perhaps. 

Flurry and I looking at each other wondering why we're awake

Nap Lesson

When you're overly tired and you've got a small window of time between commitments, don't take a nap. It's not worth it. Trust me. 

This morning's drama camp was full of energy and that drained what little I had. After the camp and the stuff I had to do, I laid down for a nap. When Rob woke me up, it was like I was dragging through an ocean. But, rehearsal awaited!

I did my best with my limited exhausted abilities and the overall rehearsal had some clunky parts, but I think it'll smooth out in time. I'll just need to up rehearsals before showtime. Come August 11th, you will either find me in bed or in the pool. That's it. That will be my reward. 

Some Bonding

Today's theme was all about bonding. In camp, we learned what it means to be part of an ensemble. Whether it was groups of two or ten, they all worked together well. And trust me, if six year olds and fourteen year olds can work together well, that's a great thing! 

In the afternoon, I bonded with my indoor animals, some friends and my mom while Rob picked up mash. Ok, I also bonded with my bed for a quick nap. 

Then bonding with Rob and more friends in the evening and, of course, my outdoor animals. Bewety is letting me pet her just a little bit more each day. Ewenique is all about the petting now! 

Camp & Council

All in all, a good day for it being a Monday. The first day of theater camp went well. Lots of great kids with active imaginations. Three hours is a long time, but I think we'll get into the groove as the days go on. 

A short little break in the afternoon to enjoy the rain and relax before heading to City Hall for their entertaining meetings. We'll be getting a new Police Chief soon and maybe order will be restored again one day. These small towns run hard on gossip though, it's going to be difficult showing everyone that good things are actually happening. 

Off to bed to gear up for day two of camp. It's ensemble time! 

Yay!!!

Getting right into it! Fancy is letting me pet her snoot again. Bewety is letting me lightly pet her forehead with one finger only. Dolly let me pet her thrice! I don't know what I've done to deserve all this, but I'm loving it. 

We got some rain and some cooler temps, so even being outside is pleasant now. It's making Brogan frisky, but he's got enough girls out there. Well, maybe? You never know. 

Tomorrow is the start of the youth drama camp! I'm excited and also a little nervous. I hope I can get the love of acting across to the fifteen kids coming. If nothing else, I just want them to have fun. 

Unedited photo of Dolly and her daughter Valentina

Ending The Week

At the end of the day, end of the week, end of the month, end of the year, are you happy? Do you think back about your day and smile? On the whole, you should. 

Look at how you talk and act with others. I read a statistic that 60% of groups talking are negative. That's not pleasant. Not every conversation can be good, I get that, but don't automatically default to the worst of things. 

I'm sure those who don't know me from way back think I don't know what I'm talking about. I've lived through situations that aren't pleasant. I've dealt with things no one should deal with. But I always found a way to get back up and smile. If I don't have something nice to say, and it doesn't need to be said, I don't say it. But you want to wipe the smile from my face? You'll regret it. 

No, I'm not talking about anyone in particular. Life is good here. It is something I observe in others and felt like passing my viewpoint on. Have a great weekend everyone and I'll bring the smiles wherever I go! 

No Calf Yet

I won't say anything now about Maesie until it happens. Y'all know how bad at this I am. 

Instead, I'll talk about how Fancy let me pet her snout today. How Valentina and her mom Dolly were playing with each other in the pasture. How Maesie and Flora were licking each other's faces. Oh, and how Brogan tried once again to get frisky with me. He sometimes forgets I'm not one of his cows. I know the signs and he never actually does anything to me, rest assured. 

Off the farm, I got the farmers market moved, I'm getting my lines down for the play, and I've got my volunteers lined up for drama camp next week. I think tomorrow I might take an extra nap just for fun! 

Maybe Maesie?

Ok, not to get too graphic on here, but I have a feeling we're getting a calf out of Maesie soon. Y'all don't want to really know how I know this, but it's my blog so you're going to find out. 

I keep checking her rear end and comparing it to pics on Google for people like me. You know, first time cow moms. I'm sure I'm on a virtual list somewhere of people who look at really inappropriate things, but how else am I going to figure it out? Cíarin had come to us already bred. We didn't even know when she was due and all of a sudden, there is Callie! I actually want to know this time. 

Meanwhile, all the other animals are wondering just how crazy I am. They think I've gone as crazy as I could, but then I reach a new level! At least they all know they're loved. 

Lil Callie

Caledonia, or Callie as we call her, is finally venturing off from her mama Cíarin. She's starting to hang out with the other cows and slowly starting to get closer to me. Cíarin has this way of being a helicopter mom, which is her right. Anyhow, she's now the one of the cows I'm focusing in on to be more sociable. I've got a long road ahead of me. 

Cíarin will let me brush her now and while she doesn't enjoy it quite yet, she doesn't hate it either. Callie won't let me anywhere near her. Not with a brush. Not with a treat. Nothing. I've got time and loads of patience. 

For the donkeys, I'm still working on Fancy. For the sheep, still Bewety. For the goats, any male that isn't Fudge. Maybe when it starts getting cooler we might get a little more success? 

A Little Late

We had a great weekend and yet somehow I forgot to write the blog last night! I'm going to keep it short and sweet as nothing spectacular happened. 

Last week, we managed three different grain pickups in addition to Rob being on call and my being all over the place. I've got to find a new home for the Farmer's Market as the winds are constantly cancelling us in our current location. Rob has completed all the IRS stuff for the theater, but now he gets to help me with the stuff for the Chamber. It's a little more involved and I don't want to make a mistake. 

Still rehearsing for the play, loving on all the animals, prepping for the youth drama camp and all the other fun stuff I do. I think I'll be ready for a vacation in August! 

Ewenique and I

Routinely, I've been visiting Ewenique and Bewety. Ewenique is two weeks older and therefore more brave. Each night, I've been feeding them a little bit of grains from my hands which has led to Ewenique touching noses with me. Well tonight, we finally hit the jackpot! 

With my sitting on the straw on the barn. Ok gross yes, but I'll shower. Anyway, Ewenique started letting

 me pet her. She really enjoyed it and finally let me really give her a massage and super pets. She loved it! Bewety expressed interest, but she was more inclined to let Ewenique have all the fun tonight. I love the progress!

We decided to celebrate with their first selfies. Bewety enjoys looking at herself. I don't blame her! 

Don't Count Your Chicks

The old saying is don't count your chicks until they hatch. Well, don't count them until they're grown either. We originally got ten Jersey Giants in May. Much later than we ever had and that's probably part of the problem. 

They stepped on one of the chicks near the beginning, then two others died from being drowned and beaten. We realized we had a less docile breed at this point. Two others went in June, one jumping out and not getting back in, the other probably got overheated. But the last five were healthy. Well, until today. 

Somehow, there was a lack of water issue. Rob had filled it this morning and either they knocked it over, or it had a leak, or something, but we didn't have an Jersey Giants left. 

Rob's beating himself up, but really we tried everything with these birds. I know this sounds bad, but I'm actually relieved to not have to try to integrate them with our current flock. These weren't the sweetest and while I hate to see any life perish, it just wasn't meant to be. The other girls are doing great, so we're not horrible chicken parents! 

Touching Noses

Ewenique is really starting to warm up to me. I've been feeding both of them from my hands, but today, I took a little break from feeding them to see what they would do. Bewety decided to step back to wait and see what I was going to do, but Ewenique started sniffing me everywhere and finally ended by booping her snoot to mine! She even let me pet her a whole second longer, doubling are previous time. 

Not to worry, all the other animals still love me. Cíarin even let me brush her head today! Normally I get one swipe and that's it. This time, she let me brush everything between the horns and the mouth. She's been the slowest to warm up to me, but only because she's always been caring for a calf since I got her. Now, she gets to enjoy some of the perks. 

Dandy, Fudge and Chip made sure to give me the same loving treatment they always do. I sure love them all! 

Back To Acting

Do you know what people truly need, especially in our city? Drama. On stage! Actually, they just need a good show, something to get their mind off of the every day. 

Unfortunately, there's a lot of drama going around our city. Not my circus, not my monkeys. The only way it affects me personally is that we're out a renter for our RV. But boy howdy is there a mess that needs untangling in our city. 

Anyhow, back to acting. We had our insane asylum group back in action and I can tell you, they are prepared to bring even more to the stage this next go around. We'll be having a bigger stage to work with, so we're adding a lot more physical comedy, but also some great ad libbing, too. They made me laugh so hard, I can't wait for this month of rehearsals and the dinner show on August 10th!

Let Freedom Ring!

What a wild weekend this was! Friday night Farmers Market got cancelled fifteen minutes before it got started because we got a cold front. Yeah, heavy winds ruined some canopies, but that evening felt incredible. 

Saturday was our city's Independence Day celebration and I helped out a lot more than I thought I was going to be required. Then when the fun was really about to begin, the skies opened and absolutely drenched everyone in rain. I love the rain, we needed the rain, but how I wish I wasn't outside in the rain. 

But you know what? That's it for me except for the barest minimum now. The farmers market is in great hands, I only have to keep the vendors who sign in on my growing spreadsheet, and turn the cash over to the city. There's no other big event planned right now for the city and I think I'll play dead if they come up with another one in the near future. 

This week, it's drama, game night and swimming! Some farm work, a little housework, and napping! Minimal organization updating, filing, and loving on my animals! Have a great week everyone, I'm free!!!

Independence Day

Rob and I were basically sloths today. We did swim and of course took care of the animals, but that was about it. It felt good at the time, but now I feel overly drained from the heat. 

I've got two days left and then I'm removing some stuff from my plate. I've gotten the Farmer's Market going, so other than some maintenance, tomorrow should be the last day I've got to be more hands on. Then Saturday is the big city event which I've helped more than I thought I would. Once that's over, the city can run itself. 

That leaves me a day of rest on Sunday before I focus solely on the Chamber and Theater. There's still tons to do with both, but I've got helpers! 

Ewe Like Me

Every night, I've been spending a little time with the ewes for them to get used to me. As much as it goes against my desire to run in and grab them and love them, I am being calm and letting them warm up to me. It's working! 

Yesterday, they both came up to me about a foot away and Ewenique even smelled my hand. But today, we hit pay dirt. Y'all, they ate from my hand! At the same time!!!!  Then Ewenique even rubbed her head against the back of my hand. They are so soft and even if it's a thousand degrees outside, I will still happily accept them cuddled up in my arms if they let me. 

Happy Independence Day for everyone tomorrow! 

It was like this, but out of my hand

Still Joy

Keeping animals is difficult. When you lose one, it's heartbreaking, but you just keep going. All the joy they bring is worth the heartache. 

Case in point, I got all sorts of special moments today. Fudge ran up to me for petting and still let me pick him up. He's getting heavy now, so I usually don't. But he let me cuddle him and he cuddled back. Ewenique came up to me and sniffed my fingers allowing me the barest of chin scratches. Flora tried to cuddle me while I was in the mule, she actually got her horn stuck and she let me calmly help her out. And sweet soon to be Mom Maesie let me give her a full body light massage. Hey, I remember when I was pregnant, massages are great! 

We think it was bloat that got to Coorie. So today, we picked up some bloat blocks (I don't know what they're actually called, but they're blocks they lick to reduce the chance of bloat). There was a literal line of cows waiting to take their turn at the block. We bought two, but decided to start with one. Here's hoping for a lot more special moments ahead! 

The mural at our lakehouse

Coorie

Our sweet Coorie, which means hug in Scottish Gaelic, somehow passed away today. We don't know what happened. I feel so bad I wasn't there for her. 

Yesterday she was fine and there are no visible marks on her. It hurts my heart, I love all my animals but she was such a sweetheart. She was getting to be just as sweet as Flora. 

May you rest easy sweet girl and know you were very much loved.