cluck cluck cluck

The chicks have finally figured out how to use the little door in the east side of the coop!  They are truly 'free range' chickens, eating, growing, sunning themselves, finding bugs and worms in the ground.  A great life if you are a chicken destined for ... you know what and where...

 No rest for the weary!  Here is the little side garden we're working up near the dog yards.  Raspberries are on the left, a lilac hedge on the right protects us from the north winds and a load of compost needing leveling and tilling up is what you can see here.  We will likely plant tomatoes for the Cafe in this spot.

And here, our root cellar which doubles as a tornado shelter if need be.  There are still potatoes inside from last year which are holding well!  I tried using it to ripen cheese one year but the cheeses had quite a bit of not-so-lovely brown mold on them.  The face 'sculpture' on the left is a piece we brought home from New Mexico - he gives us constant delight as the snow or shadow molds his mood!

New Trouble video live!

Yesterday it was a warm 71F, we brought the stock into the barnyard since it was forecast to get cold and snowy and Jim took this little picture of me and some of the sheep. We currently have 31 lambs born and were finishing up checking tails on the rams. This is the last year we will fool with 'hair' sheep, I suspect.

Chica, our lovely new horse was helping herself to a little grain :)

New Trouble pup video today!

Blade from last year's Solo x Birdie litter! His owner writes: "He now stands at 26 and half inches at the shoulder and is developing nicely. He's still doing very well in agility and loves to bike and go to the beach. I'm working on a couple of issues with him but he is a wonderful dog and I couldn't be happier with him."

From her home in Montana comes a picture of Tillie and her friend, helping clean up the National Forests! Tillie is from our Solo x Ruby litter, a littermate to Noche' who just got her AKC Beginner Novice title.

A new puppy video and pdf file posted on Trouble's page! I'll be in and out tomorrow, picking up a new hay/manure bucket and having teeth cleaned on one of the Papillons. Good things to do since the weather's turned quite cold!

Congratulations to Susan Yochim and Briarlea Noche' on their new AKC BN title, finishing it with a 196.5 today! We also took Solo to an obedience trial yesterday where he got a leg with a 192.0!

Friday already! Where does the time go? Trouble's puppies are doing well, they are thriving ~ eating and sleeping. I cut Trouble's coat down today and filled an entire trash can with dead hair. Dogs generally blow their coats when they have pups and holy cow, did she ever decide to blow! We sent in entries for a herding trial in June so now we'll have time for her coat to grow back in and make Bouviers everywhere proud to call her one of our own :)

This week we sent some raspberries and some of our brown leghorn hens over to a new farmer in Deer Park, WI and our new neighbors down RR 4 stopped by and took Jim's beehive and supplies to their farm...they will bring us some honey some day..a good trade, I think. Part of today was spent cleaning the barnyard as I figure out how to use the manure bucket on the tractor; a new hay bucket is coming here next week to finish the cleanup project. Thanks to my son Seth for watching the craigslist ads!

With our weather returning to seasonal norms, it is time to put some cabbage and lettuces in the garden - maybe this weekend?

Larry, Moe and Curly.