Happy Thanksgiving 2024

I hope everyone enjoyed their day. Rob and I celebrated differently this year with a harvest charcuterie board. It could also be considered Spanish tapas, but either way it was good. Took me about five minutes to prepare, which beats five hours of cooking for a bird no one really likes anyway. 

As it didn't get past fifty one degrees outside, the day was spent indoors. If there was sun and less wind, outdoors probably would have been great, but inside was good. I finally watched Twisters. Not the same and not near as good as the original Twister movie. The dog show was a disappointment. I don't think the judges know what good dogs are supposed to look like. And don't get me started on the parade. A two second quick glance of Santa before giving huge air time to a Mrs Claus I didn't know wasn't my cup of cocoa. 

Now it's time to start singing the carols and decking the halls. Well, soon anyway. 

Thanksgiving Eve

This year, I'm most grateful for therapy. Yes, I'm always grateful for my family and friends, but when family disappoints or friends disappear, it's been therapy that has helped me see new avenues. 

Whether it's been professional therapy, art therapy or animal therapy, these last two months I've done them all. On the bright side, I've come through the other end prepared to do even more for myself than ever before. 

In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. I'll be enjoying all the fruits of others labors (pun for my mama animals). 

The Babies

Out of all the animals and their babies they've had, I'm feeling for Tootsie the most. Those ten puppies are constantly eating it seems like. Even when they're sleeping, they're still dreaming of eating as evidence by tonight's pic. Tootsie is tired and she literally jumps at any chance to have a break outside from them. 

The other babies, Coinneach and even Rory are far less trouble to their mamas. Yes, they still eat but it's like once every couple of hours, not constantly. Speaking of cows having babies, I think Dolly might calve soon. 

Reminder, I am only speculating she's both bred and about to pop. She's one of our Dexter mixes, so even my pedantic knowledge of highland calving doesn't help here. However, she is quite round now and today she's distanced herself off from the herd. I'll see what happens tomorrow. 

Friendsgiving

For the first time ever, I went to an official Friendsgiving. Don't get me wrong, I've spent Thanksgiving with friends before, but not a special event not on Thanksgiving. It was fun and I'm truly grateful for the friends I've made here. 

Other than that, it's been puppy central around here. Tomorrow, they'll officially be a week old, but already I notice some changes in them. They've gotten a little bigger, their ears are starting to flop out, and they are finding their voices. With ten of them, the sound of all their voices together gets a little loud so I completely understand when Tootsie begs to go outside even when she doesn't have to go potty! 

Coinneach (kon-YAHK)

Y'all, Maisie's son is the absolute sweetest calf I've ever come across! I've decided to name him Coinneach, which means handsome in Scottish. 

From day two (Thursday) and everyday since then, Coinneach will readily come up to me and get a nice throat scratching! He's so curious and friendly that everyone in the pasture absolutely loves him. Rory, who is noticing all this attention, is slowly starting to come back to me. He's not letting me touch him yet (not since the banding), but he's getting really close. Then I turn around and little Jewel is eyeing me like she wants petting, but she doesn't understand she has to let me get close to her for this to happen. 

The weather is great and I'm just having fun with the coos. Have a great start to the week! 

My Patches

Out of all my "outdoor" animals, Patches was always consistently sweet, loving, adventurous and only a little mischievous. She had learned out to pick out the gate chains to get herself and Fancy free at times. She more than once found feed bags that weren't hers and got into them (donkey proof bins aren't donkey proof FYI). She loved to run with the dogs and get hugs from me. She's irreplaceable and I'm really going to miss her. 

See, the guy we got Patches from is also the same guy we got Faergus from, and we lost Faergus rather quickly and discovered later he was much older than we had been told. It's possible Patches was also older or had some other underlying condition. I feel I failed her and with the chaos of the new births happening, I wasn't there for her when she needed me most. I pray she knows how much I loved her and I'm hoping her, Faergus, Sundae and Coorie along with others will meet me at the park gates when my time comes. 

Rest in peace my sweet girl. With all my love. 

Patches, Pups and A Calf

Highs and lows happen all the time on a farm I'm learning. Last night, Tootsie gave us ten puppies (she added one after I wrote the blog). Overnight, Patches died from what was either bloat or colic. She was my sweet girl and I'm going to miss her very very much. 

But, life goes on and this morning, Maesie finally delivered her calf. He's a boy and bigger than Rory was at birth. I don't doubt it, I really think Maesie held onto him longer than she was supposed to. He's extremely healthy as is his mom. He's actually more curious of us than Rory was at birth as well. I guess when you are born late, you are more cognitively developed. 

I'm going to give a special tribute to Patches tomorrow. For now, I'm going to celebrate life. 

Tootsie the Mama Bear

I knew she was close, and today was the day. Tootsie Roll has had her puppies! Originally, I thought she was done at seven puppies as she stopped contacting, panting, etc. Nope, I came back later and two more were there! Nine puppies and I'm actually not sure if she's done. She wants to be done, she's tired!

All the pups are predominately black and all are healthy. Since she has more pups than teats, I'm going to have to somehow keep track of who has eaten and who hasn't as best as possible. Again, they're all mostly black and jumble up to each other, so it's difficult to make out who is who. Tootsie is a fabulous mom though, so I'm sure she'll figure it out for me. 

I don't have any favorites, but there are a couple who stand out. One is a chunky one compared to the others, another is a wandering one who keeps thinking Tootsie is hiding more food on her back, and another is the explorer who Mom keeps having to bring back to the fold instead of him/her trying to scale the baby pool they're in. 

I'm so proud of Tootsie! 

Rory's Woes

Gator came by tonight and we were able to somehow capture Rory and get him banded. He took it like a champ, but mama Cíarin was scared to death for her boy. Even Brogan came up at one point to see if he should intervene, but then he saw what was happening and he decided to take his manhood elsewhere. 

At the end of this week, Gator will come back and we'll put some Blue Kote on to help him. I'm just so thankful I'll only ever be steering one bull. All others born on the farm will be sold intact. That's not a joy I wish to do again. 

I'm also going to have to figure out something for Patches. She bloats real easily after we get a heavy rain like what happened this morning. Other than hay and the water trough, she doesn't have access to anything that should cause bloat. Does she just open her mouth and guzzle the rain as it falls? At least now I know to keep bloat blocks on hand in the future. I'll have to pick them up tomorrow. 

Another Thing

Every time I think Wonderland is getting to the completion part, more things pop up. A plumber has to come out to check the water heater, the front door needs to be replaced and the bathroom door needs to be planed. Curtains still need to be hung and little decorating touches still need to be added, but it'll happen when it's time. 

The doors aren't really a surprise. When the house was brought back up to level, that particular area was the most out of whack. The water heater is relatively new, but I think when the electrician rewired some things, perhaps that got cut off and the pilot light needs to be relit. I'm getting a licensed plumber out there first to make sure and then go from there. 

Bottom line, the next housing venture I partake upon will be starting from scratch again like the barndo. And yes, I have plans to expand my real estate "empire". My long range goal there is the lake house for short term vacation rental and something in the future for long term rental. I've got lots of plans! 

The completely full lake from the house

Waiting Game

Remember, this is a farm blog primarily and you might learn more than you bargained for when reading. 

There's been a long waiting game going on around here. I've got Maesie ready to calf and Tootsie Roll ready to birth her litter. Well, to me they look ready at any rate. Both are big and round. Both have their mammary glands engorged. And I'm ready for both, but they seem to be happy giving it more time. 

Granted, I'm not the best in tracking these things. When you have so many animals, it gets a little difficult charting when the deed occurred. I thought I knew the ballpark on Maesie, but that passed last month. Now, I'm just winging it as I usually do. Regardless, I'll be having some more babies here soon to cuddle and love on!

My latest piece on perspective. 

Cows drinking water in the distance

Sneaky Cows

My cows will take absolutely any and every opportunity to get into mischief. A week or so ago, the gate was left open and they took that chance to get out. Today, a particularly big gust of wind hit the storage container door open enough that my red headed cows took full advantage. I mean, the wind has to blow just right for it to open, but that's what it did. That door is a pain to close by the way with the latching. 

Inside this magical container is hay bundles. Nevermind there was hay already out for them. Nope, Brogan, Fiona and Flora decided the hidden hay must be tastier. I got out there and shooed them off, but Brogan gave a disgruntled sigh. Never in my life did I think I would be chastising a bull with an attitude, but here we are. At least Fiona took my look of warning and decided not to test me. Flora, of course, acted surprised she was even there like she had just woken up from sleepwalking or something. Y'all have no idea how much personality cows have!

Mineral Tub

The craziest phenomenon yet for the farm has occurred today. The introduction of the mineral tub. Usually, lose minerals have been given to the animals, but the guy at the feed store gave the cows a complimentary mineral tub to try out. I was antsy about trying it as it contains molasses and I've got to be so careful of how much the donkeys eat, but it appears I didn't need to worry. 

See, my cows have big heads with even bigger horns. Even though this is a big tub, only one of my cows could lick from it at a time. One would go up, lick for a few minutes, then walk off. Once that cow had returned to the herd, a different cow would go. They were literally taking turns while also maintaining distance like it was a bathroom break or something. 

At one time, Patches got a brief lick before a cow had walked up. Without any head butting from the cow or any other signal, Patches just calmly strolled away. These are the same animals that kick and head butt each other when they think their portion of hay is tastier! One tub is supposed to feed fifty cows, so far it's looking good. 

Almond Joy 

Therapy

As I've mentioned, I'm in therapy and it's going well. Actually, my therapist has brought up a couple of times for me to become a therapist myself. How I work with people, how I listen to people, and how I care about people. Keep in mind, I've used this therapist off and on for over a decade, so he knows me well. He wants me to think about it. 

He also wants me to get off my duff and begin writing. I've started so many fiction books, but never have followed through with them. He suggests I begin writing plays instead. Even if I didn't use them even if I don't show anyone, just for me to start writing. I know I should, that's just a huge self criticizing task for me. I'm my harshest critic by far. 

I am a voracious reader in case y'all didn't know. I'm a Renaissance woman where I paint, play piano, and write. You won't find me in petticoats and corsets though!

That's my rambling for today. Enjoy a pic of Mounds. 

Roll Call Cow Edition

It's time I give an update of all the cows in a simplified manner. I'll list all their names and say cube and/or pet to identify who is doing what. If they allow both, I consider them social. This means they will eat out of your hand and let you brush and hand pet them. 

Fiona cube pet 

Flora cube pet

Brogan cube pet

Maesie cube pet

Cíarin cube*

Callie cube pet

Josie cube

Dolly cube

Valentina cube

Rose cube*

Rory

Now, Cíarin and Rose will let you pet them or brush them if you have given cubes, but only briefly. Then they demand more cubes. So not too shabby, but I've still got work to do. 

A New Project

Somehow with all my newfound desire to paint, I have created a new project for me to tackle. As I was painting today, I realized that the color wheel I remembered from kindergarten isn't quite enough for what I'm doing now. I'm going to have to make a color chart. 

Granted, this isn't quite farm-related yet, but stick with me. Yellow and blue make green. Primary colors, easy. Green and white make a soft green while green and black make like a forest green. Ok yeah, but then you get into adding a little more yellow to the green and then it becomes a spring green. Add a little more blue to the green and you get a dark teal. Add white to the dark teal to get a lighter teal. It just goes on and on. So when you're trying to remember how to get one shade, you got to remember the mixture. Hence, my next project is to make a chart. 

Now, to tie it into the farm for those who read about the animals. Chickens lay different color eggs. We've got light brown, medium brown and blue egg layers, but our chickens are red, black with white, and all black respectively. They will always lay the same color eggs regardless of how much sunlight or what they eat. But, you will get brighter yolk colors if they have a diet rich in protein. The more you know. Have a great weekend! 

S'mores with her candy bar kids

Fall Road

For most of the day today, I painted. I wasn't the most pleased with this work and I'm starting to get frustrated. So, I'm going to look for some food to try to do tomorrow. Maybe a strawberry? Just thinking out loud. 

At least the animals weren't as frustrating. Mounds is learning how to buck with her horns which is always cute to watch. Almond Joy is all about the loving and petting. I find the boys are like that until they get those hormones. Then the girls become the sweet ones. 

Rory was my only punk today. He played keep away from me and it truly was a game to him. He's got to learn though that I don't chase. I'm too old and too lazy to run after a boy no matter how cute he is. He can lick a cattle cube tomorrow if he doesn't run off again. 

Rock & Eggs

Sometimes, I just like to take pics of a collection of rocks or eggs. Things that are in a jumble and each one unique. Months ago, I took a pic of my bucket of eggs. Last week, I printed out that pic to use has a concept for a painting. Today, I did the painting. 

The painting is not exact, I never wanted it to be. I don't know artistic terms, but I was going for the painting that looks one way further out and more intricate upon close scrutiny. It's just a 3"x5" because I didn't want to attempt this on a huge scale. I'm calling it Rock and Eggs. Art doesn't have to make sense and neither do the titles. Anyway, I enjoyed being a little more intentionally chaotic. The colors weren't exactly what I wanted, but close enough. 

By the way, we didn't get more rain but the animals and I are greatly enjoying the cooler temps. I wore long sleeves today! 

Rain-ish

As per usual, the farm only got a light sprinkle where rain announced everywhere around. More rain might come in later tonight? I'm just going to be happy there's cooler temps. 

I'm going to share a little grievance with shopping I've experienced today. As y'all know, I ran out of paint last week and ordered some more. I eagerly awaited the UPS truck and once it arrived, I was upset that instead of the white acrylic I had ordered in a large size, I got a very tiny tube of watercolor paint in dark brown. I tried to call, but they're on Eastern time and they were closed, but the message suggested to go to the live chat. The live chat online was also closed but encouraged me to leave a message. I tried several times, but it wouldn't submit my message. I get it, this world today hates actual phone calls, but don't give options that don't actually work. It's ok, I drove two hours round-trip to pick up the paint myself, but in store shopping isn't that great either. That's a story for another day. 

Here's hoping for a rainy day and fun painting tomorrow! 

Dolly says to not boop her snoot unless you have a cattle cube

Time Change

I don't know what time it is. All I know is the animals have been fed and the sun has gone down. A wonderful thunderstorm came in this morning and hopefully more rain and cooler temps are on the way. 

This weekend, trees were purchased for the farm. Loblolly Pine, Sycamore, Burr Oak, Mexican White Oak, and a Little Gem. The Little Gem was planted today and depending on weather, more or all will be planted tomorrow. These will hopefully provide shade for the animals, beauty to the farm and a little more privacy. In the spring, I'll be adding an orchard if all goes well. 

Everything is also ready for Tootsie Roll to have her first litter of pups. She's a double registered English Shepherd, Teddy Bear is registered also, and this breed was almost extinct and is an excellent breed. They're incredibly gentle, have great and natural herding tendencies, beautiful coats, and I'm excited about being a responsible breeder of this breed. I know in the past, I was adopt and don't shop, but to help a specific breed that is so perfectly suited for families and farm life, I've made an exception. 

Have a great start to the week. I've almost finished through my stages of grief and moving forward and I feel so much better. 

This is Little Gem (a hybrid of magnolia). Grow well little one!