Wednesday, October 11, 2017

In Need of Ideas

Guys!  I turn thirty in less than three months!  Mama- your baby girl is about to get old!  Not as old as the others though... just sayin!

I've seen some bloggers do a thirty before thirty thing where they have all these "bucket list" items to knock out before the big 3-0.  I thought it would be fun to do something like this, but maybe only like three before thirty.  I mean let's be real, I'm kind of a fly by the seat of my pants gal.  I've already skydived? skydove?  Whatever, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.  Garth's in town and some guy needs a date?  I went with him, even though I was seeing Garth the next day.  I took a photography class and attended a workshop.  I had my horse baby.  I'm going to see Garth again this month.  I pretty much do what I want... without thinking about it first! 

This is where I need your help!  I don't plan ahead, so have came up with zero ideas!!  What can I put on my list?  Ready?  Go!

P.S. Let's keep this relatively affordable... unless you're offering to pay! 

Monday, October 2, 2017

Remember...

Remember that time I said I was going to post every day on here?  Ha-- clearly I need to make more realistic goals.

It's been over a month.  I'm surprised I haven't heard more backlash from the two of you that read this...

Harvest has started.  I have zero picture as proof of this.  I did go on a parts run this weekend though.  And that was about the end of my productivity for the weekend.  It was pretty rough.  It rained again this morning, with more rain in the forecast so they'll be out of the fields for a little bit.

I tried using the wood fired pizza oven/grill thing.  That didn't work!  Going to need some practice on that before I can start posting pictures of something you'd be impressed with.

Rudy is growing like a weed.  I took some pictures of him last weekend I need to post.  I had to pick up a new halter for him since he hardly fits into his pink one anymore.  I think he was a little sad I didn't get another pink one for him, but the teal will have to work until he fits into the purple!  The good news is, we'll know what color he looks good in!  :)

Alright, I guess I'd better get back to work.  I'll aim to post before Halloween.  I'm not a very good shot though.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Oh Yeah, We had a Baby!

Did I forget to mention we had a baby on here?!  I think I'm doing pretty good, I announced it before he's two months old... not bad for the first born, right?!

Here's how I remember the day going- I'm sure not all of the following is true:

It was Tuesday, June 20, 2017.  I got up, went and worked out and went out to chore when I got home.  At this point, Pongo is in the run in and Mama is in the stall.  Note: the stall is also in the run in... I should post a picture of this sometime so it makes more sense.  Anyway, Mama's stuck in the stall with a sliding stall door keeping her apart from Pongo.  I go to give her hay or feed or something, details are blurry at this point, when JW starts going nuts cuz Pongo is stepping on him.  I start yelling at Pongo to move, but naturally he stands the most still he ever has so I go and push him off JW.  I scoop the dog up and carry him into the barn to check him over.  He takes off running like a crazy man, so I figure he must be good to go.  I turn around to Mama making a break for it through the stall gate I didn't close.  (Nothing exciting yet guys, just another Tuesday in the life of...)

Prior to this, the plan was to leave her in the stall during the day so I could check in on her via camera since she had been acting a little funny the night before.  After dumping her bucket of water down my leg I said screw it, she can stay out.  Off to work I went.

I showed up to work late (see above paragraphs) and was doing computer work when Peter text saying Mama was acting restless.  I said I'd go check on her.  Before I had even got my tush out of the seat, she calls.  They're both in the stall and something is happening.  Okay, on my way.  I leave work.

I can't remember if Peter called me back first or if I called DJ first.  We'll go with Peter's call first.  She calls- it's happening.  I'm a mile away, but have to drive on the roads so it's two miles.  Hammer down.  I call DJ saying I might need his help-- I mean nothing else has gone smooth with this pregnancy, why would the birth?!  He's busy and tells me to call his mom.  I should have just called her in the first place...

I get home and they're still both in the stall.  I kick Pongo out and close the door.  I scratch on Mama a bit and grab my little handy dandy foaling kit and some towels so everything is close.  I call the vet to tell them it's starting so they're aware in case I need assistance.  About six seconds later she starts pushing and I can see a foot.  I pretty much blinked and there was a baby!  Debbie got there right after he was born.  I looked back and Peter had called at like 8:06 and there was a baby by 8:23.  Wam bam thank ya ma'am.

Mama wasn't sure what just happened or what I had on my lap.  Debbie and I eventually got her to stand still so he could nurse.  Three hours had passed by and she hadn't passed the afterbirth, so the vet did have to come out and get it out of her.  Other than that, it was a pretty pain free process.  (Easy for me to say, I know!)  Victor was on her way to the city anyway so she made a detour to come see her newest grandbaby.  Pa was at a meeting the night before and stopped on his way home to see him.  Chuck fell in love and I had her scooping poop.  The love has since worn off...

I'm not home, but here are some phone photos for proof that part of this story was true.  I was told the videos were too graphic, so I won't post them, but if you'd like me to send them to you, I have them :)
Pretty fresh here
Before he got up

Mmm... that's the good stuff

Just over a week old



Friday, July 28, 2017

Peabody Update

I think I left you off with Francis missing and Floyd hanging alone in his house after I captured him in the field last year.  I then found a peahen, Bonnie, to join him. 

Fast forward to April 2017 (I think-- give or take a month or two...), and they have figured out how to get out of their home.  We would sit and watch them come out in the evening, wander around the yard, then go back in.  They did this for a few days in a row before really venturing off to the trees.  They decided to settle down in one of our windbreaks.  Perfect!  I moved their water and feed dishes out there for them.  In the mornings and evenings they'd come out and wander around.  (They could have done this during the day as well, but I had to be an adult and go to work instead of sitting at home watching my peafowl.  Lame, I know.)  I was pretty pumped, this is what I had been working for!  Free rangers that stay home!  

I pulled in from work one day to Josie in the driveway.  I sent a SnapChat to a few folks joking that it would be a miracle if the Peabodys are still alive.  I lock her in the garage and go start looking for them.  I find Floyd in the yard with his feet in the air.  DJ then got a phone call telling him to tell his family (Josie's owners) to come take care of my dead peacock.  I continued looking for Bonnie, but couldn't find her.  I assumed she flew away.  DJ would later find her in the trees.  The next morning she was back in the old garage.  

I started looking for a peacock so she wouldn't be lonely.  After a little searching, I located one that was close by and free.  DJ and I went and picked him up and brought him home to meet Bonnie.  

About a week or two in, Floyd Jr Jr escaped.  Bonnie called him back and the next morning he was trying to figure out how to get back in.  I let him in and things were fine.

Until they weren't.

They both escaped a few days later and were hanging out in the windbreak.  They hung out for a few days.  Perfect, that didn't take long.  And then they disappeared.  

I got a call while I was at volleyball one night that the neighbors had caught Floyd Jr Jr.  No sign of Bonnie.  I went over and picked him up (it was actually him, not an emu this time) when I got back and locked him into the garage.  I kept the garage locked up tight for quite awhile.  DJ convinced me that wasn't any way to live, so I decided to open the door up.  It didn't take long for him to get out.  He would torment the dogs by strutting around on the deck while they were locked inside.  He was around for a few days before skating.  He was at Aunt Lynn's for a few days, but we haven't seen him for awhile now.

I guess I'm taking this time to get out of the peafowl business.  For now.  Until I get a better cage set up so they have a safe haven.  

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Oh Hey!!

Woof!  Where'd June go!?  Didn't we just celebrate Memorial Day!?

I just wanted to stop in and say I'm alive and I'm trying to post.  Albeit, I'm obviously not trying too hard...

A lot has happened.

I need to update ya'll on the Peabodies, the basement, and the baby.

But not today.

Sorry.

Hopefully before August rolls around.  Yay state fair!  Then it's wedding season, also known as September.  After that, maybe I'll have some free time?  So busy.  Just kidding.  I think the experts refer to it as lazy.  Practically the same though.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Nothing to See Here

Holy smokes-- the countdown is on!  We are officially under the one month mark!!  I kinda fell off the wagon with taking pictures of Lil' Mama-- this should surprise nobody!

Pa delivered a load of straw last week, so Lil' Mama (not to be confused with my Mama) has been spending her nights in the stall.  Since she hasn't been showing any signs that she is close to foaling, she's still out with Pongo during the day.

I have everything in the barn ready to roll (I think).

She has started to get a bag, but nothing crazy.  Her croup is still tight.  Her teats are full, but that's nothing new!  She's a maiden mare so she may or may not show the normal signs!  I keep telling her it's not time yet.  Oh yeah, and she's still getting her antibiotics twice a day.

I went ahead and ordered another camera so I can have one on her in the stall at night and one on the pasture during the day.  And then one ended up in her water bucket...
Surprisingly it still works, but it has some condensation on the lens making it blurry.  I'll put that one on the pasture since babies usually come at night.  If you want the info to check in on her let me know.  I may or may not be able to walk/talk you through setting it up! :)

Oh yeah-- if you see Pa, make sure to wish him Happy Birthday today!!

Friday, May 5, 2017

Case of the Mondays

Luckily it's Friday.

I should have known to go back to bed when I was told I wasn't glowing, but leaking.  Uhh... thanks!?

Or maybe I should have gone and got that donut I was craving.

After a not fantastic day at work, I go to leave and discover a flat tire.  Perfect.

So to brighten my day and maybe yours, I leave you with a picture:

This was shortly before he stepped on her...

Just kidding, but if I tried that pose today, that would be how my story would end.  

Happy weekend!

Monday, May 1, 2017

Prom

Prom happened to be the same night as the workshop I attended last weekend.  A couple of the girls came out before the party started for some pictures.



If only I was to get invited to prom...

Oh wait... I did.  Why didn't I think of getting pictures with Pongo!? Instead I was stuffing my face with Grandma's fried chicken prior to prom... gahhh!

Next time!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Struggle Bus

This past weekend I attended a photography workshop.  I thought I'd have a ton of pictures to share with you tonight, but instead you're getting one.  It took me over an hour to get my computer to cooperate to get this one posted... 


Maybe I'll give it another shot tomorrow.  It may be time for a new computer!

Friday, April 7, 2017

Finally Friday

And I'm finally back!! :)  Oops... my absence has no good excuse, other than I haven't had any good stories happen to me.  Or taken any good pictures...

Until today.

Guys, we have big news to share from the SHITMON!!  Still no pictures though.

Bonnie has flown the coop!

I've had the door open and the gate unlocked for a few days and they've been wandering out of their cage, but not the garage.  I was heading walking back to the house from the barn this morning and heard some honking by the trees.  Upon investigation, Bonnie was not in the garage anymore.  Floyd's still holding down the fort there, for now.  I have given strict orders to not let the dogs out unsupervised so they scare her away.

Here's to hoping she doesn't fly away and just hangs out in the yard/trees.  Time will tell!!

Have a great weekend!

Friday, March 17, 2017

Exciting Things

About a month ago, DJ was sitting in our living room and "felt a rain drop."  His words, not mine.  He called a contractor friend to have him come out and look at it.  I suggested DJ mentioning finishing the basement to him and see what it would cost.  "Just get a rough estimate so we have an idea," I said.  To my surprise, DJ asked.

And then DJ started making plans!

Nick has come out a few times to measure things and talk about a plan.  We change things on him each time he comes, cuz I'm convenient like that..

So now my lunch breaks are spent on Pinterest looking/dreaming/planning.  Here's my vision.  Ish...
Basement Remodel



Yes, I do realize that is an outdoor fire pit.  No, I am not planning on putting it in my basement.  Maybe I can find an indoor version looking similar.

I'm sure my plans will change multiple times, but they're going to start framing on Monday.  Flying by the seat of my pants.  My comfort zone.

Also-- today marks eight months!  It's nice out and Char's coming up, so maybe we can get some decent pictures of Mama in all her muddy glory!

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Month Seven Part 2

The following Wednesday, I went out to do chores.  I gave Mama her antibiotics and went about my normal daily chores: scooping poop, filling hay bags, etc.  Since it was nice out and DJ was gone, I decided to set up my barn camera (or try to).  I went back to the house to get it and plugged it in.  I opened the app on my phone, but it couldn't find it.  I went back inside to move the router and head back to the barn.  Still nothing.  I accept defeat for the night and grain the horses.  Mama doesn't move.  Weird.  I call for her and she looks at me, still doesn't move.  I take the feed pan to her and she sniffs it.  Hmm...  She tries to take a bite and starts shaking her head.  I watch her for a bit and this continues.  Then I notice her flank area is moving abnormally.  I convince myself it looks like contractions (note: I have no idea what contractions look like...).  I walk away from her to give her space and she still won't eat.  Then she comes over to me.  Hmm... this is weird-- she's not exactly thrilled with me since I started shoving a tube of antibiotics down her throat twice a day.  Then she starts pawing.

I call Peter.  No answer.  I call Tessa.  She answers, screaming children and all.  I tell her what's going on and then I realize the sweat is real and I'm not just convincing myself of that.  Time to call the vet.  I give him the rundown and he wants to check her.  Naturally things like this only happen when DJ is gone with the truck.  I call Debbie and start crying as soon as she answers.  It's like I kept my cool for the first two phone calls and then lost it.  Her and Bill hook the trailer up and head over.  We load her up and head to the clinic.

We get there and he's in the barn waiting.  Her respiratory rate is high and her guts are moving fast.  Another head scratcher, because other than that she now appears normal.  He decides to give her some banamine and suggests I keep her separate from Pongo to notice any changes in manure consistency or food consumption.  Uhh, yeah I can do that... I guess.  That won't be too hard.  By the time I get home, I'm a walking zombie.  She's eating again and acting normal.  "I'll figure this out tomorrow," I tell myself.  I get inside and call DJ.  I tell him we need to figure something out to keep them apart.  He's pretty excited willing to play Bob the Builder.

By the time I got home from work, I had a stall in the barn.  WHAAAAT!!  Major brownie points for DJ!

The craziness has quieted and we're getting into a routine for giving the antibiotics.  Hopefully that will be the end of the excitement until baby gets here in June... fingers crossed!

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Month Seven

Month seven came and went.  Four months to go (less now...)!

I was doing chores on a Thursday and when I was walking around, I decided to reach down and handle Mama's teats (NOT to be confused with Ma).  I've done this randomly since I decided to breed her to get her used to having her teats messed with, so she will allow the foal to nurse.  She's never had an issue with it; she'd just look at me like what are you doing under there?  This day was different.  She wasn't having it and tried kicking at me.  I looked under there and noticed one side was way bigger than the other.  Since she was otherwise acting normal, I decided to keep an eye on it for a few days to see if there were any changes.  Monday rolled around and there wasn't much change.  The more research I did, the worse the news got.  I decided to call the vet and see what he said.  He wanted to see her to make sure it wasn't mastitis.  I had the day off, so we got the trailer hooked up and headed down.

He checked her over and "milked" her.  It was (as far as we can tell) milk.  Normal looking milk.  He decided to do an ultrasound, as early milk production can be a sign of abortion.  Everything looked normal on the ultrasound.  We saw the little one's head and the placenta looked fine.  Her cervix is tight.  All signs of a normal/healthy pregnancy.  Gotta love it when the vet says your case is a head scratcher....

We decided to treat it as placentitis to be safe.  Antibiotics twice a day until there's a baby.  We're assuming the baby is sick and will need to be seen ASAP.  As it gets closer to then, I'll talk to my vet and decide if he wants her down there to foal or if our place is good enough and call when something happens.

Here's some pictures of her at approximately seven months.  I think you can see she was feeling fine!!




The chalkboard would have been pretty boring- -the only news: We have hair on the tail!


Thursday, February 2, 2017

Mattress Shopping

On our way home from Texas, Pa had us stop and pick up some chairs he had ordered to match his table.  While there, DJ and I picked out and ordered a new bed.  The new bed was done at the beginning of January, so DJ headed to pick it up.  The new bed is a king.  Our old one was a queen. So we needed to find a mattress.

Back in the summer we had stayed at a friend's house and loved their mattress.  We asked them for the details and started our search.   Shouldn't be hard, right?  We had the brand, the style name, the store where they bought it...  wrong!   The store didn't carry that specific bed any longer and apparently the different stores give them different names, so it wasn't like we could just go to any store and find it.  We finally found out we could order it straight from the manufacturer, but it was going to take a month.

You could say we're impatient...

Some friends told us about this place where you go lay on a machine and they tell you which bed in the store to buy.  That's what they did and they ended up loving their bed.  We decided it was worth a shot so off we went.

We get there and no one will help us, so we just go lay down on the machine hoping something would happen.  Negative.  We finally flag down a guy who gets us started and then disappears.  We get our print out and go find our options.  We narrow it down to a few and find a lady to get us prices and see if they're in stock.

We narrow it down to two mattresses.  One is available now and the other is half the price.  What to do?  What to do?

So naturally we do what any adult couple would do-- we flip a coin.

I'm sure the sales people appreciated DJ telling the other customers that's how you're supposed to pick out mattresses...

The good news is-- we both like it so far!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Charlie Brown Tree

Our poor apple tree is having a tough first winter at our place!!  Once the ice melted he popped right back up.  Hopefully he survives the rest of the winter and the apples don't blow away this year...

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Johnnie Walker

This isn't quite the picture I was hoping to get, but as I was scrolling through the pictures I thought, "Man he looks like a bulldog!"  I'm taking donations to get him tested so we'll actually know what he is!!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Ice

Last week we had an ice storm come through.  Here's some pictures to give you an idea what our trees looked like.



Monday, January 23, 2017

Six Months

It's that time again!!

Another baby update! :)
Last week we hit the six month mark.  We're over halfway there!!  Downhill slide now boys and girls!  She had to read up on the goings on inside her.  

Had to bribe her with feed to stand still.

That only lasted until the other four-legged critters decided they wanted some oats?!


Here's a shot of JW to show you the (approximate) size of the baby.  

Other exciting things happening with baby include:
The mane and tail have appeared.
The body is covered with hair.  
External sex organs have formed!  I need to do the string test and see what it says we're having!!
It's about 20 inches long and around 25 pounds.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

I Tried

I made an attempt at writing a real post with real pictures. And then my computer crashed. The blue screen of death won tonight so you're stuck with this:
Yep, back in the brace. Clyde got me again yesterday. We're hoping it's only for a couple weeks this time!

Monday, January 16, 2017

Progress

Well I was able to take some pictures, but you're going to have to wait for those! I haven't put them on my computer yet. Hopefully soon!!! Until then, here's the progress we made on the house this weekend.
 
The bed got moved to the guest bedroom and the old one is gone. 

Friday, January 13, 2017

Slacking

I didn't even make it two weeks without missing multiple days!!  Ah!  I've been out of state at meetings, but hopefully with the weekend here I'll be able to get some new shots and have the patience to post them on my antique of a computer!  :)

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

So Close...

This could've been a really cool shot-- had I known what was happening behind me earlier!



Lil Mama was feeling good that day!

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Day 5

The geese have been crazy around here the last couple of days.  I was walking back from the barn and snapped this picture of them.  This wasn't even close to all of them that I could see!!  

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Day 4

This may be the best picture of the both of them I've been able to get!!  They both need a visit to the barbers to take care of their mo-hawks...

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Day 3

Clyde sat still long enough for me to snap a picture.  That doesn't happen often!

Monday, January 2, 2017

Day 2

Just because I know you wondering if The Peabodys were still alive:



Bonnie is also still alive, but camera shy.  We're working on that :)

Sunday, January 1, 2017

New Year New Me

Not really...

DJ gave me a new lense for Christmas so my goal for the new year is to post a new picture each day.  We'll start with this being a January goal!! :)

Here's the first one--  I'm new to this photography thing so would love feedback.  Good or bad-- it'll help!


Happy New Year :)