almost "normal"

Even though I have (yet again) cancelled this evening's dog classes, I am feeling some what better. I probably could teach tonite, but my voice is so hoarse from coughing that it's hard to talk, and I worry that I could still pass this onto others.. and NO ONE wants "this"!!! So, I am being a slug for yet one more day, and hope that I have this licked.

I had to go down to the barn and check in on things. Ed said last night that he was going to let Duke out today with Tonka and Silver. Duke was getting bored in the round pen, and Tonka and Silver have been "good" with him in the barn, so, it was time to give them all a shot.

We did have a bit of pinned ears, kicking and squealing, but with such a large pasture, there is room for everyone to "get out of each other's way" and aside from an occasional "I will chase you around"... the three of them have gotten along quite well. Silver for the most part has decided to stay out of it... Tonka has been the one pushing his weight around, and Duke just gives him space. A few times Duke has said "enough is enough", but for the most part, he just moves about as Tonka wishes and let it be done with.





There is a bit of a size difference, but catching this photo of the two of them together, I think they'll team up nice. (Tonka is the one with the dirty butt!!!)

I have been missing all the "fun" on the farm... yesterday, my dear friend Betty met Ed at the barn. Knowing that I was under the weather, she did all the chores for us!!! (thank you so much my friend... Duke owes you a ride in the cart!!!!) that was a huge help to Ed who has been "stuck" doing everything right now....

And the guys are going great guns on the house.. you can see it well from the road now !!! They are getting the ceiling done on the second floor, and the panels will go on next and all this "pretty part" will be hidden from view!!!!

Ed is off today to pick up the materials for the heating system, we will have radiant heat in the basement and on the first floor. Our pole was set on Monday, so Chris will start next week with the electrical side of things... so, as usual.. seems like everything begins to happen at once!!! There will be some big changes over the next couple of weeks.

you know I'm sick...

For the second time this week, I have decided to cancelled tonite's dog classes... I can count on one hand the number of times that I have cancelled a class (or two) and mostly that's been due to weather!!!! But, not this time.... I guess it's a cold, but none like I have ever had before. I have absolutely no energy... I have sore ribs from coughing and a headache that is "amazing"....

My wonderful hubby has been running the show!!!! I am so very grateful for him!!!! He has done all the barn chores (including helping Duke settle in!!!) taken care of dogs, done housework...laundry... made dinners, and is continually asking me if I "need something" or if he can "do something"...

I feel like such a slug!!! and "worry" one minute and then could care less another..... this can't go on much longer!!!! (actually I have a little glimmer of "hope" even now as I feel up to being on the computer for a moment)... but looks like it will be back to bed in just a second...

ugh!!!!

oh...come on....

( Sadie shot this video yesterday on her camera of Duke as we were trying him out... I haven't ever done video on the blog..so I am trying this out.....)

I wake up this morning... I have new horse in the barn, I am anxious to see how he has done thru the night... we have church this morning, then fencing to move, stalls to re-arrange and just a whole fun day planned for the farm. BUT NOT me!!! I am sick!!!!!

Ed had a "pretty good" cold all last week, a couple of days, it really put him off his feet (and that is hard to do when it comes to my Ed!!!) He really didn't complain about it too much, I knew he wasn't feeling good.... now I really know that he wasn't feeling good!!!!

I could hardly move this morning, "looking for the that truck that had hit me"... and you have to know that I didn't feel well, because when Ed said.. "I'll go down and check the barn" I was happy to have him go. I laid around the better part of the morning, by noontime, I just had to get out and at least go and see my babies.

When we got to the barn, we ended up having a "ton" of company.... first to come was Wayne, who will be installing the heating system in the house, then some of our neighbors dropped by and met us (they have been trying to catch up with us for weeks and finally got our names and looked us up in the phone book) then my dear friend Betty popped in to see Duke and so did Sadie and Matt.

Our new neighbors are really nice, they have a Belgian and do a fair amount of driving. They had a Percheron at one time, so they were pretty interested in Tonka and Duke. Their farm is just around the corner from ours and I plan on popping into seeing them one day next week. We have a lot in common!!!!

After they left, I was feeling better (being outside helped) so Ed and I decided to get some fencing changed around... Betty was there to help, Sadie and Matt as well. We got everyone moved into their "new" stalls (I think it's where I want them all to be).. and then Betty helped me clean the stalls. It was a nice afternoon, but as I sit now to blog, I am done and will probably be to bed fairly early. Fortunately I don't have to teach dog class tonite and hope that I will feel better tomorrow. Stupid cold... you know I just don't have time to be sick.......

say hello to........................

Duke !!!


Meet the newest family member of Sweetgrass Farm..... a 16 year old Percheron and almost twin to Tonka...

Last weekend we went out to dinner (as we usually do) with the family. Dave mentioned that in the "uncle Henry's" (a small magazine where you can find almost anything to buy).. was an ad that several carriage horses from Acaida National Park were for sale. I have been looking off and on for another draft with the idea that one day, Ed and I would have a team. So, Dave's comment interested me, I went and bought "an uncle Henry's". Sure enough, big ad .. I talked it over with Ed and he said, "give em a call".. but it was another few days before I did.

I called last Tuesday and talked with the owner of the horses, he actually lives down in Kentucky, but the horses were being kept at a dairy farm and the farm owners were acting as his agent. He asked me what I thought I was looking for, and of course I knew right away... another Percheron.. black, about the size of Tonka, but with more experience and I didn't mind if it were a bit older. Well... as a matter of fact, he had just the horse to fit the bill. He gave me the name of the agent and his phone number. I called... and asked about Duke. Justin (the agent) said that there had been a lot of interest in Duke, he has pulled the park carriages for the past 9 years, and has done it all. I told him I would like to come and see him on Saturday (today) and he said fine.. but he wouldn't guarantee that he would still be available. I decided I would just take my chances, if Duke was suppose to come to our farm... then he would.

Ed came up with the idea of calling Butch and see if he would be willing to come with us, and give us his opinion. I thought that was a great idea, and gave them a call. I told Becky what I knew and when she asked where he was and who was selling him... it turned out that they know Justin from the "horse pulling world". Butch said he would call and talk to Justin and see what more he could find out about Duke.

You can bet I was pretty excited when Butch called me back and said..."I think you should take it look, he sounds like something you are looking for. Justin is a good guy and he wouldn't tell me different. If we go, bring your trailer and check book". I told Butch that would be awesome, but that Justin had said he wouldn't guarantee Duke being there until Saturday. Butch said ..."I'll take care of that".

We were up bright and early this morning, did barn chores quickly, hooked up the trailer and met up with Becky and Butch in Augusta. Butch told me.."I asked a favor of Justin... to hold Duke until we had a chance to see him... he said for me, he would" (what a gift!!!!) The minute I saw Duke I knew he was the one. We had a long talk with Justin and the bottom line was... the owner did not "win" next year's bid on the carriage rides, and had to pull his fleet of horses from the park. Instead of shipping them to Kentucky, he decided just to sell out... 11 horses, basically 5 teams and a spare. Only three horses were left this morning... Duke and a team of Belgians. Butch threw a harness on Duke, did some ground driving around the yard, and then handed him over to me. We did well, together, but I have to be honest, it was a wet, drizzly day... the yard was mud.. and I was more worried about my footing than being able to drive. Still, we played for a bit and then I had a quiet minute to ask Butch what he thought. "I'd take him" was the answer.....

Well, dear readers, I am sure that you have already got it figured out.... Duke is "home" in our barn this evening. I have to say I felt bad as we pulled out of the farm, his buddy was calling and calling to him as we loaded him up, and Duke gave a loud call back as we pulled out onto the road. But, he will have an amazing life with us, and once he has settled in, I am sure he will be happy on our farm.

The next few weeks will be getting to know him, fitting him to a harness and helping him settle in with Silver, Tonka and Mocha.... but, it will all be good.... I am sure.

why???????

Why is Sadie and Ed cleaning out the "extra stall"????

Very curious..............................

missed it...

I like looking over my "blogs" of the past... each month, I print off that month's worth of blogs and put them in a note book..keeping them much like a personal log... today, I went all the way back wondering when I first began this blog... and it was October 31, 2006.... I was surprised to see that I have been "blogging" for two years!!!! So, happy anniversary "Sweetgrass blog" and hopefully the next couple of years will have some "interesting" stories to tell....

done for the day

You know, it just wouldn't be "building" without some bad weather and blue tarps!!!! The men had to call it a short day, when "showers" turned into actual rain!!!! Because of the sheet rock ceilings we have "downstairs"... they thought it best to cover the area with the "ever famous" blue tarps. I don't think Ed and I have ever done a building project without them at some point and time!!!! sort of makes me feel that we are on the right track!!!

The good thing about being able to "live at camp" thru the winter, is we aren't paying rent!!! so, when we have a few days of "set backs" with regards to the weather, we aren't panicked thinking.. "we need to be out by such and such date".... everyone asks when I think we might move in... I am hoping for May. We will be finishing the inside work ourselves (which we both enjoy doing) so, alot will depend on how quickly Ed and I can do that side of the project. I already know it will be stressful some days, but overall I am looking forward to doing the work. (you all have permission to remind me I said that when I begin to "complain" about all the painting that will have to be done!!!!)

So, the wind whistles once again across the field... makes me very glad that this house will be "tight" and "easy to heat"... because when it's cold here....

it's COLD!!!!!

puppies (again!!!)

It seems as though I am getting a "reputation" for being a "puppy mid wife".. and even though dogs have been (and still do) having puppies all on their own for "thousands of years", when it's your dog, and your litter, people always want to try and do their very best. Sadie and Matt have two friends, Emily and Ed... who's Rottie had a "close encounter" with the neighbor's Labrador. Certainly not the ideal of situations, but none the less.... little puppies needing to enter the world.

Sadie asked if I would be willing to come and lend a hand when the time was right, and of course I said yes... not just because Sadie asked, but for the well being of this new Mommy to be and her litter. Last night was THE night, and of course, I was already home from dog classes and tucked into bed when her call came in!!!! Back down to the south I went.

Emily was actually very interested in learning how to whelp out the pups, Sadie has had some experience with it too, and she wanted a more hands on opportunity... so basically, I sat on the side lines and coached them thru it. Kiesha (the mother dog) was a great dog to work with... she got right into her "work" and was awesome when we got the puppies all cleaned up and ready to nurse. Her labor was easy for a first time Mom, and made the whole experience for the kids a very good one.

It was a fairly quick night (as far as some deliveries go) and within a few hours, there were four new babies, two boys and two girls. I am happy that it wasn't a huge litter, that is tremendous amount of work for anyone, let alone a young couple with all ready too many responsibilities.. so, a small litter will just make things that much easier.

When I left for home, it was a happy sight to see all is well with this new family. Best wishes to them all... and I will be there to guide them thru any puppy questions that might arise over the next eight weeks....

heading up....

It's all about the second story with the house this week!!! The ceilings are in, which makes the base for the second floor..floors!! There's a ladder that is currently acting as the stairs, but as soon as the "real stairs" are put in, I may brave it and head up to see what it looks like. Until then, my feet will stay firmly on the ground, and I will just have to be happy with the looking up view!!!

a matter of time...

It was nice to wake this morning and see the sun beginning to light the lake, for the past few weeks, we have been starting our day in the dark (and that makes it very hard to get rolling in the morning!!!)... course, having "early daylight" meant barn chores this evening were in the dark!!! And until December 21, the days will continue to be shorter and shorter.... ah well, "tis the season".

Turning the clocks back last night made me think of two stories from my childhood. My Dad repairs clocks, it began as a hobby nearly 40 years ago, and over the years has grown into a very successful business. As a child, there were always clocks in our house... literally hundreds of them.. and it wasn't unusual to have 50 or more running at the same time. Funny how you get used to things, because we never heard them ticking and seldom noticed them striking the hour, but you can be sure our friends did!!! Once someone commented on it, I could "hear" them, but soon the sound would fade into the back ground once again.

Now, living with so many clocks, one thing we never got away with was "being late for curfew".. my parents were VERY strict about curfew and if they said, "be in by 11:00" what they really meant was "be in by 10:45"!!! We knew the rules, and knew we into trouble if we didn't adhere to them.

Well, one night (actually it was in the spring when the clocks "spring ahead") I was out on a date, and pulled into the drive about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Knowing that I was "safe" my date and I sat out in the driveway and talked for a little longer, and then about two minutes before curfew, I said good night and rushed into the house. The first clock I saw made me gasp!!!! I thought I was coming in at midnight and this clock said it was 1:00 AM!!! It had to be wrong, so I checked another and another...all read 1:00 AM... OH NO... I crept up the hallway, and my Dad (still awake) said.... "is that you?" I answered yes... "OK then, I'll talk with you in the morning"....great, I was in big trouble. I stayed up nearly the whole night, trying to think where I had lost that hour.... did my date's clock in his truck break or something... I just couldn't figure it out. The next morning I was tired and cranky and ready to hear whatever my "punishment" would be. I sat down for breakfast and my Dad asked all sorts of questions about my evening..... then my Mom came to the table with her coffee and said... "it took your Dad about a half hour last night to put all the clocks ahead".... ahead???? "you know we're back on daylight savings time, don't you" she asked me. NO.. I had totally forgot... and lost a night of sleep worrying!!!!!

The second story was when my folks forgot to set the clocks back. We lived very close to our church and my sisters and I could walk to Sunday school. So, my Mom had us up bright and early, dressed for church, and over we went... only to find out that no one was there!!! We hung around for abit and then walked back home..."Mom is it really Sunday" we asked "there isn't anyone at church!!" and it was then she realized that the clocks had "fallen back"... but we hadn't.

But last night, Ed and I got it right and set the clocks back.. everyone said.. You get an extra hour tonite, but I didn't see any extra hour today!!!! It zipped by and as I sit for a minute on the computer I have to wonder where another day has gone.

God's artwork

This was the view we had tonite from our living room......

As a rule, I am off teaching dog classes in the evening... but tonite I was home and got to enjoy this wonderful "show"....

Well, the "holiday season" can't be too far off.... look at what is in the grocery stores once again....

"golden egg nog"!!!!!!

ceilings...

A perfect word to describe the day.... COLD!!!! Old man winter wants us to know he isn't that far away, because the wind was whistling and the snow (yes you read correctly....) was falling. OK..so it was just "flurries".. but it was snow just the same, and I so hope not the hint of what winter will be like this year.

However, the guys continued in their work and we now have ceilings!!! the odd thing about a timber frame, is it doesn't go together like a regular house does... usually ceilings wouldn't go in until the house had walls, but not the case with a timber...

We will mostly have wood ceilings, except for in the kitchen and the pantry and bathroom. I felt that those rooms would be handling moisture, "greases" from cooking things like that, so I wanted a ceiling that I would be able to paint and keep clean....so we opted with sheetrock in those rooms....

It gives the house a whole different feel seeing those ceilings in place...I like it...

This is the kitchen looking up to it from the back yard.

AND... if there is any doubt about how cold the day was..... Ed went and found his "silly" hat... this is certainly a "winter item"...

Oh.. I hope the weather will give us one or two warm spells before getting serious......

jury duty!!!!

IS ALL DONE!!!! and not that is was ALL that bad, because the five cases that were presented, I was never chosen for any of them. But I am so very glad that I won't have to remember to "call in" anymore, nor schedule my day with the thoughts that "this could all change".....and today, as I sit and think "what will I get done today"... I know that I really can.....

whew!!!!

guinea hen wrangling....

These silly guinea hens!!!!! this afternoon, Ed and I had an errand to run down in Dover. I had a feeling that we wouldn't be home before dark, and decided to bring the guinea hens in before we left. Well.... nothing doing, the afternoon was bright, sunny and warm, and those little birdies said "no way are you closing us in now".... I chased them around the barnyard and gave up when they went into the woods!!! Hoping for the best that Mr. Fox, Hawk or whom ever he was.. wouldn't show up again tonite before we got back.

Well, as thought it was pretty dark when we returned to the barn. I first checked their stall and no birdies... great..... I have this funny sound I make which they often call back to, and was very happy to hear them when I "called"... there they were, in the paddock with Mocha... all..... FIVE of them!!!! One was missing, "oh no".. and not only was one missing.... it was MaMa bird who was missing!!! The babies seemed a bit lost without her, and I had a pretty hard time herding them into the stall. Usually they just follow MaMa bird, so if you herd her in the right direction...they follow. Any ways, I got the babies in and Ed came out to the barn and said..how ya doing... I told him the Mama bird was missing... just then, we could hear her... somewhere out in the woods. I was worried that maybe something had started to get her and she was hurt out there. But listening carefully, we found her... in the top of a small pine tree... she had roosted for the night, and left the "kids" to themselves!!!!!

Ed got a long pole and we more or less knocked her out of the tree, I thought she would run right into the barn.... but...NO..... she decided to take a walk out thru the pasture, over the manure pile, into the woods... anywhere but into the barn. Here is Ed and I ..in the dark, with flashlights... rakes, etc.. trying to herd this silly bird in!!!! Because of the rain we had last night, there were puddles and mud all over the place and we gave up trying to get around them and head Mama bird in the right direction!!!! Finally... she co-operated and calling to her kids, went inside!!!!

Ed and I looked at each other... covered in mud (our shoes are a mess).. running around for who knows how long... all after a silly bird who would have been perfectly happy sleeping out in a pine tree.... but, it's just my thing... I need to know that when the night falls, all my animals are tucked into their beds safe and sound (it drives me nuts that the barn kitty doesn't stay in all night and I can only assume she is ok because her food is gone each night!!!!) I don't know, a "real" farmer would have said "good night, good luck Miss guinea hen"... so I have my doubts about ever being a "real" farmer..... and for tonite anyways.. Mr. "whoever ate the other baby". won't have a free meal. I will be able to sleep and good thing, as I report for jury duty tomorrow....

30th class reunion

Last night was the "class of 78" high school reunion. I simply can not believe that I have been "out of school" for 30 years!!! Where in the world has that time gone!!! We are all a bit wiser (aka "older") and in most cases... grayer!!! But it was so much fun to reconnect with friends, and feel like the years have hardly passed at all. My two class mates, Cindy and Marty obviously spent a great deal of time organizing, searching and planning and their efforts more than paid off. We had a very good turnout and almost everyone in the class was "found" (amazing thing this Internet!!!)

For the most part, I would say that I recognized everyone, and if it "did take me a second".. it was mostly because I hadn't seen that person since graduation. I think, too, that just about everyone looks the "same".Naturally there were a few special people that I was looking for. A few were there, and a couple were not, but because of all their work, Cindy and Marty put together a small booklet containing email address ... so, hopefully, I can to a little connecting on my own.

I was very happy to meet up with Chuck!!! who, by the way, was my senior prom date!!! Chuck is such fun, and is the kind of person who everyone liked and was everyone's friend. It's kind of funny how we ended up going to the prom together and actually it was his sister's doing. I was dating another guy who had already graduated from high school, and when I asked him if he would take me to my senior prom.. he promptly said "no way am I going back there"...so I figured that I would just have to skip out on it (Ed told me years later that I should have asked him to take me... he would have gone!!!!) But either way, I was pretty sure that I would miss out on my senior prom. Well, Chuck's sister Mary was in a few of my classes, and when she heard that I didn't have a date, she said... you should go with Chuck..he doesn't have a date either!!!! I guess she must have said the same thing to him, because he did ask me to go.... and much to the dismay of my "then" boyfriend, I said yes that I would love to go.... I really didn't want to miss out on my last prom.

To be honest, I don't remember much about the senior prom... but I do recall we had a fun time together and I was always grateful to Chuck for taking me!!!! We saw each other ten years ago at our 20th reunion, and found that we were both on the "same time line" with life... married, raising kids, paying a mortgage and enjoying life. Last night, we "compared" notes again and find we are still on the same track... still married to our wonderful spouses... kids mostly out of the house (Chuck and Cindy kids at college) and talking about retirement and what we have done and where we are going!!! I now have his email (and promise to send him the blog address.... Hello Chuck, if you have gotten around to reading this!!!) and I am in hopes that it isn't going to be another 10 years before we can visit again!!!

As "typical" with life, some of us still live fairly close (people were "shocked" to know that Ed and I have left town!!!) some have moved very fair away. Some are still with their first spouses and other's aren't... kids range in ages from very little (2 and 3 year olds) to college/married/grandchildren age!!!! But all in all, we were very happy to be together again for a special evening of good food, visiting and dancing. For the most lot, I would say we are all very happy and doing well......and it was certainly a fun evening and one to put into the "memory book".

this week's progress

Despite having a day of rain, the guys got alot done on the house this week. And the framing on the first floor is now complete. It's fussy work, Ken, Eric and Buzz are very particular about how it all goes together. It's fun to get a real idea of the size, and I think it will be about perfect. I have been worried (abit) about it being "too big"... but, it's not much bigger than "the old house".. just laid out in a different fashion. I am very excited about having a dinning room, and hope to have many family dinners and get togethers!!!!

This view is the (facing) right front corner, which will be my "quilting/craft room"....





Here is a view from the back yard... which shows (from left to right) the living room, kitchen, pantry and first floor bathroom....

And this is the view from the driveway.. which folks will see as the pull up... the garage is the closest... then the mudroom and continuing across the front, the dinning room, front hallway and the quilting room...

Next comes the ceiling boards, on top of that comes a "chase way" for plumbing and electrical, and then the framing goes up for the second floor... you can now see the house from the road, and today in church, we received a number of compliments and got to meet a few more of our neighbors....guess folks are beginning to notice that "we are really here"...

thank you kind driver....

It was an amazing fall afternoon, so after a morning of dog training, it was time to get Tonka back into harness and do some "driving" with him.... I can't believe it's Friday and this is the first time I have had him out all week. We "drove" around the field for a bit and since it was all looking so good, we headed out to the road. A few cars passed us... no big deal. Then I saw an oil truck pulling onto the road... Oh well, I thought, we got to learn to pass these things as well. The truck noticed us right away and slowed down, approaching us with respect and caution... Tonka plodded along... "this looks good", I thought... and then all of a sudden, he jumps into the center of the road (sort of in front of the truck) and begins to pitch a fit!!!! Surprisingly, I was not one bit nervous, and just kept talking to him calmly and asking him to get back to work. He began to settle down, when the truck (due to the way it works) let out a sharp "hiss" of air, and that was that. Tonka was no way... about to co-operate. So, I walked him into our neighbor's back yard, just to get him off the street, and give him a minute to pull his head together. The truck, seeing a good opportunity to get out of our way, passed quickly. It took me a few minutes to pull Tonka back together, and then we were back on the street, and working again. He was still a bit jumpy, but at least he was listening, and I was pretty happy to be on foot behind him and not in a cart!!!! We "played" along the road for a while and then headed back home. Guess I found out a weak spot in our training, and that means... more road work for sure. But I am very grateful to a smart and kind driver, and though I doubt I will ever know "who he was"... may I say thank you for helping me out with my horse!!!!

Welcome baby, Maya

This is little Maya, who arrived on the earth on Wednesday (22) at 3:10 pm. Her parents are Mandi and Patrick, they are dear friends of Kas and Nate. Patrick is in the Marine corps and heads for Iraq in January..... Mandi was Kassy's "rock" when she lived in NC and was going thru all the deployments with Nate, and the back and forth trips to Maine. I know that both Kas and Nate miss their friends and were certainly very sad not to have been in NC for the special event. Either way, Maya can count on us as "extended family" and it is in the plan that she and Mommy Mandi will come to Maine next summer for a visit while Daddy is away!!!! Blessings to you Maya, and welcome to the world. You have amazing parents!!!!!!

one of those kind...

Lucky me, Monday turned out to be "one of those days".. you know them, we all have them.. when everything you touch goes a muck, or requires "a million more steps" than normal. And try as I might, the more I did, the "worse" it got. I ran out of time on everything and it seemed at the end of the day... nothing was accomplished. Which really isn't true... I got the laundry done, did barn chores, met with a private student and taught two dog classes, but I was done by the end of the day.

THEN to top it all off... we have had a sadness to deal with... we have "lost" one of our little guinea hens.. one of the little white ones to be exact. And I feel pretty bad about this.. for someone "who really didn't care about birds".. I have grown pretty fond of these guys and loosing one makes me very sad. It was a beautiful day, so I let the birdies out early. At noontime I needed to travel to York to meet with my client and then to teach, I hated the idea of locking them in so "early" in the day, even though I knew we wouldn't be home until well after dark. But, they have been excellent about coming in on their own as the sun begins to set, so I was pretty sure they would head for the barn when it got dark. Well, when we went to button things up after we got home, there were the guinea hens in the barn... but only 6 of them... one was missing. I took a flash light out to the trees, just to see if "she" had roosted somewhere ..but no sign. The next morning, I looked around again... nothing. Yesterday afternoon, as Ed and I were increasing the size of the pasture (again) we found the tell tale signs.... a spot in the middle of the field covered in white feathers, and then another small spot with more white feathers.... "someone" got her for sure. My "gut" feeling is a hawk, we have some pretty big ones here and if it were big enough, it could have picked her up.... and the fact that the "crime" scenes were way out in the field, I wonder if he caught her and then had to land and re=group before taking off again. Either way, "she" is gone and I will be keeping a very careful eye on the rest of the group, and won't leave them out again if I have to be gone for a long time. I knew it was a "risk" allowing them to free range, but, I can't keep them locked up in the stall forever. it's not fair to them.

So,by the time Monday was over, I was pretty happy to say goodbye to that day...... and so far, the rest of the days this week have gone pretty well...

guess it was just "one of those days".....

behind the Belgians...

This past weekend was Harvestfest in our old home town... so, nothing doing, we had to go and spend some time there. We went down yesterday for a few hours to enjoy some of the food and see the crafts. So many beautiful items and workmanship, but a bit on the pricey side. We got to see many of our friends, and chat with them, all curious about the progress of the new house and if we are happy "up on the farm".. (which of course we are!!!).

Then after we did that, we went with Kas and Nate to see the puppies (yesterday's blog)

And today, I just had to go back down again, because our good friends, Becky and Butch were there giving rides with their team of Belgians... Bill and Ben. So, the day was spent visiting with them and enjoying the "backside of the Belgians. The world looks so different from the height of a wagon and the sound of those feet on the pavement... just an amazing time!!!!

These are gentle giants and at roughly 1600 lbs apiece... it's a good thing that they are. Butch is a true horseman and his team trusts him. It is such fun to watch the relationship that they have, which is why they can be so calm in the midst of the crowds, cars and who knows what else comes down the road. But what amazes me is how people are around horses, they really don't have a clue sometimes, and will run out in front of them, or stand and watch them walk up to them, or just not even think before they do something, I guess people aren't used to being around horses and maybe think of them as a dog!!!

One really neat thing about knowing Becky and Butch, is we get "front seat rides"... (and as many as we want)... we can also get rides for friends... (right Betty???) and if "they" are very good, there can even be a ride for a dog... (hey Kato)... Sadie and Matt enjoyed their ride thru the town....

Here Becky gives the "boys" some hugs and pats, just letting them know they are doing a good job!!!!

The day was cold and quite windy... but the sun was bright, and it was a grand time...

now, I need to get Tonka back to work!!!!!

puppy visits....

Amoung a few things today (more in another blog) was a visit to see "my grand-dog"... aka: Kas and Nate's new baby, Banjo. He is four weeks old now, and in just another four weeks, they will be able to bring him home.

Mary, Ed and Rosie are doing the most wonderful job raising this litter... all the puppies are thriving and it really would be hard to pick just one as a favorite. Mary told us today, that almost the whole litter has been spoken for and she is very excited about the homes that they will all be heading off to.

We arrived for our visit at nap time, so poor little Banjo (and his sister and brothers) weren't too excited about having company. He is a real little cuddle bug!!!

"Can I please go back to bed???"

And speaking of visits... we have a few guests staying with us. Two Labradoodle puppies (and yes, they have been with us before)... they love walking with the cockers, and it's quite a "crew" that I take out each day. Here we have... (left to right) Tazzy, Camille, Hunter and Trevor (there are two black dogs there) and Rosie's Boy and Cherry Pie. Moxie and Cole didn't do the walk, their slower pace makes it hard to walk the "younger" dogs with them... so they get their own special time....I think the neighborhood is getting used to me walking by... instead of staring they now just wave and smile......

pictures of the day...

A new use for pumpkins..... paper weights......
A joint ready to be put together......

Eric touches up.....

Buzz getting all the pieces in place

Ken and Buzz making certain everything is perfect.....
And the progress that was made this week.... it's really looking like "something"

And a little cocker spaniel who has had a very busy day....... Miss Moxie!!!!!!

a week of trucks...

It's been a "week of trucks" around here again. I like "trucks" as they mean "progress" in a strange sort of way... though, I am very glad NOT to see dump trucks anymore!!! I truly understand "dirt poor" as each dump truck that brought us "fill" arrived. It got so, any time I would see one pull up the drive I would say "not another one".. and Ed would make that "cha-ching" sound!!!

But, the dump trucks are done (and paid for) so that part is behind us. This truck that arrived brought the panels for the house. I think I know how this all works, but, instead of explaining all of that in the blog, I will just keep you up to date in the days ahead. The only "sad" thing about panels, is from the outside they will cover up all those beautiful beams... too bad you can build a timber frame in plexi glass!!! (course you would have to be careful getting out of the shower in a house built from plexi glass!!! :-p ). These panels are super warm and give us some amazing "R" factor (another thing I am not schooled in except that I know "it's a good thing"...) and it will still be a little while before they are in place.

The next truck that showed up this week was our friend Rick... and yes, it's a dump truck... but it brings "better things" than dirt...

It brings WOOD.... our winter heat...

Rick wasn't kidding when he called and said, "I have a nice load of wood for you"... it is grand!!! and yes, I do see beauty in woodpiles!!!

We do not depend entirely on wood to heat the camp... we do have an oil furnace here, but, even though the prices are dropping alittle, we hope to use a good portion of wood and besides... it's a "better heat" if you want my opinion....

Ed's comment to me.........................."Look honey..... now you have something to do!!!!"