buggies!!!!!

Yesterday my little fly predators arrived in the mail!!! If you remember, I had ordered them one day last winter and they said that once the good weather came, they would be shipped.

Now, these little predators eat the fly lava that is in manure piles and the like and are suppose to reduce the fly population. I have talked with several people who use them, and I guess they make a big difference around your barn and animals... so I am anxious to try them out.

The funny thing is, you can't put them out right away... actually you have to keep them warm and in their package for a few days... because they need to hatch. What you see here are the fly predator "eggs" (the black specs) and they have been shipped in saw dust.

You have to watch for "movement" in the package, and then take them out and sprinkle them around your manure pile, area of your paddock etc....

so... we're waiting for hatchlings!!!!!

workin' in the cellar

Once Ed got all the foam boards/radiant heat 'stuff" done in his garage, we moved into the cellar.

This part of the project was a bit "trickier" because we have stone in the cellar verses the compacted sand in the garage. We spent an entire day, leveling out the stone and getting the foam boards down. It was a lot of work, but it looked so nice when everything was in place.

This is the part of the cellar area that will be the kennel. Our guest dogs will be toasty warm with the radiant heat floor underneath them. Sadie and I are also toying with the idea of opening a small doggie day care.. as far as I can tell, there aren't any in our area and it might do well. Course that is something we will check further into once we are settled in the house.

Once the foam board is all in place, next comes the part of running the tubing that the warm water runs thru... thus making the heat. Ed took a few minutes to study the "pattern" that needed to be laid out. It's not "rocket science", but you do need to know "where" you are going so that the tubing runs from point A and then back to point A again. You also have to be careful that you run only about 220 feet per "zone"... so, it all takes a bit of pre-planning.

It looks a bit like a "hodge podge" right now, but it's all coming together quite well. This is where all the tubing will enter into the "manifold" and then from there go onto the furnace...

We talked to the man that will be doing the cement work... and we should have the cement floor poured on Friday...

that will make a big difference!!!!

mother's day & birthdays

In a town, not too far away, there once was a beautiful dairy farm. As a "child" I can remember driving past and seeing hundreds of cows, I always loved looking at that farm. Then a "few" years ago (at least 10 I am guessing) the cows began to "disappear" and before too long, the farm was for sale. Such a sad sight, and sadly it's happening all too often in this day and age. Usually these big farms are divided up and turned into housing developments, and not that it's a "bad" thing, just I "hate" to see it happen.

However ... in this case, the farm was not turned into a housing development, but into a golf course and "restaurant/function hall" instead. I still didn't like to see the old farm go, but, at least a golf course keeps the land open. I also noticed that a GREAT amount of work was being done to the barn, at the time I had no idea "what the plans were" and I hoped that the big beautiful barn would not find it's fate in the ground!!!!!

" Fate" seemed to smile on the big barn as well, for that was the part turned into a beautiful restaurant and function hall, where weddings and the like take place. They also offer a Sunday brunch during the "off season" and I am told that it's "quite the feed."

About six weeks ago, Kassy called and said she wanted to make reservations for Mother's Day and have us all go to the "farm" for their special Mother's Day brunch.... sounded good to me, the plans were made. I was excited to go, because I have wanted to see what was really done with the big farm.

It's hard to describe how wonderful it all was!!!! First of all, having everyone get together was GREAT fun. Second of all, the brunch was amazing... I don't think there wasn't anything that was offered. It was buffet style, and you could get anything from cereal to raw oysters!!! and just about everything in between (I did not eat oysters!!!) The service was great, and the place is just beautiful!!! The barn still has a "barn look" and yet it is very elegant!!!!

Really, it isn't so much Mother's Day, as it is Family Day... so we just had to pose for this family picture!!! (besides I'm not one that dresses up too often, so you better get a picture of that!!!)

On another note.... It was also brother Bill's birthday (this is Ed's brother for those of you who may not know)....

So, we sort of had a birthday celebration as well as the Mother's day brunch, and even talked him into having a picture done with his nieces!!!

Happy Birthday Bill!!!!!!!

Later in the day, I invited my Mom and Dad, and sisters and nieces to come to the camp for a cookout. It's always wonderful to just be able to sit with family and get caught up on the daily events, we don't do it enough!!!

Because I was so busy playing "hostess" I (sadly) didn't get any pics of our cookout, except for this quick one where I found my nieces playing with Titus!!!!

Little Naomi is quite the animal lover (how could she not be in this family??) and she really gets a kick out of Titus. She wasn't even one bit afraid when I took him out of the tank for her to see. She petted his shell and talked to him and told him that he was a great turtle!!!!

so cute!!!!!!

And last but not least... to the "end of this day"... I also have to say that it was (is) Camille's birthday!!!

She turned six today....

where has the time gone????

Such a grand, grand day... and if I haven't said it before, I must say it again... I am very blessed and truly grateful to the Good Lord for such a life.

got water?

Yes we do!!! you might remember that a few weeks ago, the well man came and hooked the well up for us. That meant that we had water in the barn. But we haven't been able to "use" it, because we needed to "run the well" for a while to let it clear. So for the past couple of weeks, we have run the water about an hour every day. We have used it for bathing the horses, and washing our hands and such, just not for drinking.

On Monday, Ed ran a sample to the water lab, to have it tested and see if we could begin to use it... and the results were... it's perfectly fine!!!! There are a couple of things that it is a little "high" on, but the water lab says that use will more than likely take care of those "high results"... and if it doesn't, it would be OK...

I had forgotten how easy it is to fill water buckets when you can simply use a hose. Actually this has happened in the nick of time, because we only had about a day's worth of water in the big tank that we have used all winter... and it would have meant another load brought to the barn from camp.... But we don't have to "worry" about that any longer...




We're up and running now. Course I was just getting some pretty good arm muscles from lugging 5 gallon buckets of water... but, I won't mind not getting my shoes or pants soaking wet, when I miss my shot into the water buckets!!!!

This is Diana... she is the daughter of our friends Dee and Chris, and she (along with her three siblings) grew up together with our daughters. Diana has been studying to become a nurse and tonite was her graduation and "pinning"... since she invited us as part of her "family" we could not miss this.

It was a nice ceremony, but the best part was when Diana received her nurse's pin and she chose to have Dee pin it on her.

Diana has such a sweet and caring nature, I just know that she will make a wonderful nurse....we are so blessed to have people who chose such a service as their life calling...

Best wishes Di..........

seriously...

OK.. so maybe I took that "meat and potato thing" a little too serious!!! I think what my dear readers were looking for is "house progress".... well, we are progressing.. or should I say "ED is progressing"... I seem to be off with dog students or the like as he is working on some of these projects. Ken and crew have just a few small things to do, but really, the house is "ours" now, and what gets done, depends on us.

Ed's main focus this past week has been preparing the garage and basement for cement. Yes, that is radiant heat that will be in the garage, and it suits two purposes.... one is, it will keep the garage at a nice even warmth, and the other as a "dumping area" for the wood furnace heat. I don't exactly understand what or why about that, but I guess we need it.

The sand floor had to be leveled, which Ed did mostly by hand... then this green foam board was put down and the tubing for the heat is run along it. Certainly much easier than the wire & tie that is also done with this type of heating. It shows that improvements are being made all the time.

There is a pattern that needs to be followed when doing this. It depends on the size of the area and all sorts of other variables. Ed asked our "heat man" Wayne to come and help him figure out how this all had to go.




And, once that was done, I couldn't believe how fast it all came together. They were done in just a few hours... amazing!!!!

This is where the garage is now, it's already and just waiting for the cement. Yesterday, we got the cellar cleared out and the stone all evened up. So, now we just need to get the foam board down, and Ed and I can do the tubing, now that we know how it's done... and that will be ready too....

And, maybe next week....

cement!!!!

meat and potatoes...

I never like to disappoint my loyal readers... so tonite when a request for....

"I want a story that have some meat and potatoes in it... something I can sink my teeth into... enough of those doggies stories"... well I am happy to oblige!!!

so... "D&D"... here's a "meat and potato" story for you!!!!

and now, it's time for supper!!!!

dog show, day 2

Another bright and early morning for Camille and I... off to day two of the dog show. She was happy to go, though just before we left, I found her in bed snuggling with Ed, which pretty much goes to say... we don't have show dogs... we have pets that happen to show.

Our first class was the Novice (CD) class, the one that she "failed" in yesterday. Again I wasn't expecting too much in this class, we need to work out the "bugs" on this one. Her "set up" was beautiful, she is alert and ready to work... I really like this shot.

In we go, "on lead heeling"... great. Next "figure 8"... well done. "Stand for exam".. flawless!!! Now, the "dreaded off lead"...

Bit of lagging on this outside turn.. but over all.. not bad... still in the running...

Lagging back a bit here too, but still working and not as far behind as I thought she was....

end of exercise, the judge whispers..."so far so good"... I can't hardly believe it.... we're passing!!!!

Set up for the come command.... last exercise and a piece of cake.. Camille ALWAYS comes when I call her...no matter what!!! That first leg is almost in our grasp...

I leave her, judge gives me the signal to call... "Camille come".... She looks at me, she doesn't move... I can see that she wasn't paying attention and now she isn't sure if she heard me or not... she sits and waits.... the judge slowly shakes her head.... we're done... she allows me to call her again, but we have already "failed"... I call again, and Camille comes running.. big smile and "happy to see you again Mom" look is on her beautiful little face. I give her a hug, thank the judge and leave.... so close and yet so far... bummer!!!!!

As it turns out, five other dogs blow their comes as well. After talking with some of the other handlers, we all agreed that perhaps our dogs really didn't hear us call for them. The ring behind us was busy and loud, and where we were working was windy. We all decided that we should have called much louder, I will think of that next time. But the good news... even though we need to practice more together, I know that Camille will pull it off and get her CD... we'll keep our eye on the prize.

Banjo showed again today. However, I had to find a friend to take him in for me. Camille and I were in the Rally Obedience ring the exact time that Banjo went into the breed ring. I didn't get to see him show, but Kas and Nate report that it was much the same as yesterday. Nice job, but a young pup can't measure up to the big adult males. This is Banjo's idea of "showing".... more like showing off!!! He's such a great puppy, and for a first time out... I was very proud of his overall performance and manners!!!!!

Because Kassy's was busy at the breed ring with Banjo, she wasn't able to get any pictures of Camille and I in the Rally ring. Today was a bumper leg anyways, as she finished her title yesterday, but it was an excellent run.... in fact it was a PERFECT run... she scored 100!!!! not one point lost on anything.... I was thrilled!!!!!

And it turned out that there were two PERFECT dogs in the Rally ring today. Camille and this beautiful Newfoundland!!!! When this happens (scores that are tied), "they" look to see who did the course faster. I am always aware that I am being timed as we do the course, but I work more for a clean run than a fast run.

The Newfie was faster by two seconds!!! So, he placed first and Camille and I were placed second. But, a perfect run is a perfect run, no matter where you "place". Our little Camille is turning out to be quite a little star!!!!

Tonite we are both exhausted, I am going to finish this post, put my jammies on and wait for it to get "late enough" to go to bed. Camille has beat me to it, she is out like a light having just finished her supper!!!! It was such a grand weekend.... saw so many friends, got to spend some time with my kids, weather was great, and a little brown and white cocker did her "mom" proud.... what more can one ask for????

a day at the dog show..

Even though the dog show was (is) just down the street from where we live, Camille and I were up very early this morning. I have three guest dogs staying with us, that all needed their time "out", plus the barn had to be done and the horses set before we took off. Once all the other animals were taken care of, Camille and I hopped into the truck and arrived at the show in about two minutes!!! (I have never lived so close to a show before!!!)

It was a busy day of showing, Cam was entered in two obedience classes, and then Banjo (my grand dog) was entered in one breed class. The first class of the day was with Cam and was for her "CD" (companion dog) title. I didn't have high hopes for this class. It's a mix of on and off lead exercises, and her "off lead" work needs work. But I thought I would give it a go, and at least let her have the experience of it. Her on lead work was very good .. this picture is of the "figure 8" exercise. She was right with me and paying excellent attention....

But when it came to off lead, she got a bit "lost" and lagged behind me. At one point, she thought the judge might be someone nice to visit, and needless to say we "failed" on this exercise. The judge was very nice and had a real "thing" for Camille (I don't know him, but had to wonder if he was a cocker person). He felt so bad having to fail us, but, it is was it is.... and there was no way Camille had done a "passing run". Over all I wasn't disappointed with her work and I now I really know where she needs to be trained on. There will be other shows!!!!

Other than having a day with your dog at a show... it's a wonderful time to catch up with old and dear friends..... I call this photo "the Rally gals"... because all of us (myself included) were sitting outside the ring, waiting for our turns in the Rally Obedience ring!!!! Quite a mix of dogs here... Mary with her Chessie.. me and Camille, Rayleen and her Skye Terrier, and Mary with her Shepherd!!! by the way... all our dogs did great in rally!!!!

So,here is Cam and I in the Rally Obedience ring. In order to earn a title (for those of you who may not know) you must pass three different times. Today was our third time (or leg) in the rally class. Because this particular class is completely on lead work, Camille was very happy and comfortable ... she worked great....

So great in fact... that she placed FIRST!!! and finished up her title. Here we are having a professional photo done with the judge (Kas took this picture over his shoulder)... Camille knew she had done well with this one!!!!

Then it was time to go into the ring with Banjo (Chesapeake Bay Retriever). Kas and Nate really don't have plans of keeping him as a show dog, but I thought it might be fun just to pop him in the ring. He is just seven months old, so he could be shown as a pup and even though I knew he couldn't beat the "big boys", it was fun just to have him there. He actually did very well, stood nicely for the judge and paid good attention to me.

He gaited well, and won his puppy class. So,he even went home with a little blue ribbon. And gave his "parents" some bragging rights.

Camille's breeder was at this show as well. She was pretty pleased when she learned about our new Rally title, and invited me over to her car to "see something".... Oh my!!! the most beautiful puppies!!! If this little chap had been a girl, and brown and white instead of black and white.... I would have had a new baby in the house tonite. He was a darling!!! But, I have a thing for brown and white cockers, and I really want my next pup to be a girl... so I am holding out!!!! holding this little guy... I just can't describe it... I am truly a "cocker person" and there is nothing better than a little pup......

It was a fun... and long day.... the kids came up for supper, Banjo and Camille were very tired. Banjo thought he could take a little snooze in his Mommy's lap.....

"what do you mean we go back again tomorrow and do it all over..... didn't I do good enough today????"

May Day

Happy May Day everyone!!! the first "real" spring month!!! You can never truly count on April as being a spring month, we often have snow during April... but I don't even recall it happening in May (though it probably has somewhere in time).

I was thinking this morning, that I hope we'll be in this house within the next five months. We have a lot of work still to do, but looking forward to doing it..

this is "where we were" five months ago, so I think it's a good possibility we'll make our goal!!!!

Yesterday, Ed spent hours working in his garage, he needed to get the "floor" all evened out, as we are hoping to have the cement poured within the next couple of weeks. Just because of all the construction, the "floor" had holes and lumps and bumps. He raked it all by hand and then used a compactor to get it all smooched into place. It looks nice... it looks big!!!!

I think we may have a "new family" at the barn!! Last summer I put up two bluebird houses, I didn't expect to get any birds, because we were still doing a lot of work on the barn, and I figured all the noise and such would keep them away. But I had hoped that "someone" might give them a look over this spring....

and... I believe I have a bluebird pair!!!!

It's pretty exciting, because bluebirds are rare, I keep looking for them, and tried to snap these pictures, but they're quick and hard to catch. They have a "different sound" and when I am working around the barn, I know when they are there, because of their song. I try to "hide in a stall" or behind one of the horses to see them. I don't know if they have actually moved in or just looking...so I'll keep you up to date on that one.






And something's up with the guinea hens. Yesterday this one spent most of the day alone... calling and calling for the other one (we're down to just two now). I was pretty sure that "something" had happened, but at supper time, the pair showed up. Today, this one is alone again.... I am wondering if we might have a "pair" and the other is off nest building somewhere. Either way "he" gets pretty upset to be all alone, and today, even took to "standing on a pile of dirt" in order to call louder. I wouldn't mind having some "keets" since we are down to the two, but I don't even know if we have a cockerel and a hen... hard telling who is who with these birds. Guess time will time on this one as well.

All sorts of "spring happenings" around the farm!!!!

busy days...

Yesterday was as hot as an August day!!! not that I'm complaining mind you... it was a long winter... but to go from 60's to 90's is a bit of a shock on the "system". Mocha and I had another day at pre-school, so bright and early we were loading up once again. Of all our horses, she certainly get the gold star for loading in the trailer... she hops right on!!!







The children were as excited as the previous group had been. But one little gal was VERY excited. Kassy tells me that she has a real love for horses, and the look on her face when she saw Mocha was priceless!!! She was simply happy to be around Mocha, but when she found out that she was going to ride as well.... I guess the smile on her sweet little face will tell you everything. (she smiled like this the whole time!!!)

I think she could have spent the entire day just brushing and "being" with our little horse. This is definitely a young equestrian in the making!!! and I dare say, it won't be a day that she will soon forget. This is why I like doing these sorts of things with Mocha... actually with any of our animals... sometimes, it might be the only way that some kids can enjoy such things!!!!

Today the weather was more seasonable. I putter around the farm and even took some time to get the garden started. My pumpkins were beginning to out grow their box, so I had to get them outside!!! I also put in our "Indian corn" , some sunflowers and a rhubarb plant that Deb gave to me. We have some other seeds to get in, but I'm going to wait just a bit to be sure that we are free of possible frosts.

Ken and crew were back today. They are working on the little front porch that will probably end up being the main entry into the house.

I keep forgetting that the "grade" is going to come up a lot in the front. Ken looks like he is working on a "mole" hill, but that is how far we have to bring the earth up around the house. Fortunately, we have great big piles of earth just waiting to be put into place.

I also got Camille groomed today for the shows this weekend... so the day was busy and flew by!!! And I would like to send out a "get well soon" wish to our friend (woodman/dog student) Rick... he's a bit under the weather right now, so maybe today's blog will give him something to read ....