A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[redchicken]

Quote:
I wish I had a dog like rex.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
I wish I had a dog like rex.

Me, too! Such a wonderful dog.

 

[miss_jayne]

me three! Rex sure sounds like a perfect fit your family and farm, Monique!

a true blessing to you.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Having help now is an answer to prayers. I've hired office help and farm help. I just couldn't keep doing it all by myself. Can I afford it? Not really. But without the help, things were just going undone and snow balling. Every year I would have to try and enter an entire year's worth of receipts and records at one time to get to our accountant so he could do the taxes - now I've hired part-time office help who can not only keep QuickBooks up to date but can help with filing and data entry and marketing which will bring in extra money - all things that were piling up left undone. The hired hand is willing to do anything I need done and that list is endless. I've got fences that are falling over and I hold my breath every time I try and open and close some of the gates to the different runs and areas because the posts are rotted and the gates fall off in my hand. Parts of the barn and carriage house and log cabin are rotting because sheet metal is missing from the roof and the water has been pouring in for 30 years. So it's one of those things - spend the money now or spend a lot more later and probably lose a lot of the historical parts of the farm.

How are you feeling these days? Has the pain let up? Can you get up and move around at all or use crutches? I thought about you yesterday. John is in Covington at our home there packing up some things and both my office help and hired hand had medical issues and weren't here so I was here all alone. It had been raining and it was freezing cold. So I was trying to consolidate trips back and forth to the coop to refill waterers and tried stacking and carrying two large waterers at the same time. I was doing alright till I tried to step over the hedge that borders the brick walkway going into the coop. The brick was slippery with chicken poop and rain and when I stepped over my foot slid out from under me. I'm not sure what caught me or how I didn't fall (thank God) but in that instant when my foot was sliding out from under me and I felt myself going down and my hands were useless being full with two heavy waterers, the thought that ran through my head was wondering whether or not I would be knocked out when my head hit the brick and if so how long before anyone found the body and if not, would I be able to crawl back inside to call someone, oh yeah, the phones are still out because a tree dropped on the lines.

And I thought about you and what would happen if I were laid up in bed with a broken ankle. I thank the Lord that He caught me. It's amazing how much can flash through your mind in that brief moment it takes to have an accident.

Please, please watch your footing! I would be so upset if you got hurt like I did. I've fallen here before, but this time, it just didnt turn out so well. And I was alone, too, and wondered the same thing. My ankle is getting better slowly. That foot is very swollen and completely purple, but I can flex the ankle a bit and wiggle my toes okay. I'm down to about 3 pain pills a day rather than 2 every 4 hours around the clock, but it will be awhile before I can walk on this leg. I just want to get back to being a master poop-scooper, LOL. I have to get new xrays tomorrow then go back to the surgeon next Tuesday, sadly, my poor hubby's birthday. Guess he'll spend it being a nurse and Chicken-Daddy Extraordinaire.

 

[ruth]

Well, guess who's back? The beagle we had begun calling Butler (Beefy won the naming contest) showed back up today. We gave him away to a hunter about three weeks ago. We were assured this hunter took care of his dogs after hunting season was over. Well, not sure what happened but Butler showed back up today starving and much skinnier than when he left. I think he ran away and nosed his way back "home". He was greeted by Rex and Scarlett like he was an old friend.

Scarlett is as big as Rex now and just had her first heat - she's 11 months old. The other day I caught Rex trying to mount her. I just kept pushing him off and telling him he "couldn't do it...didn't have the goods." Well I guess he just wanted to prove me wrong because despite the fact that he was neutered years ago, he mated with her - hooked up and everything. I called my vet who told me it wasn't supposed to be possible. So I guess Rex is truly the Wonder Dog. Same vet assured me he was "shooting blanks" but at this point I'd love it if Scarlett were pregnant by neutered Rex - he would truly be Wonder Dog Supreme.

The little goat kids are getting so big. I'm enjoying them so much. They are Bouncing Betty Boop (BB) and Jumping Jack Flash (JJ).l

Not too many other updates here on the farm - it's been so cold I can hardly stand it. Still having frozen water in the mornings - this is really unusual for deep south Mississippi.

Come on Spring. This old house is too cold and drafty for me.

 

[ruth]

Prissy said I fogot to update on her. She's grown so big and someone who has Manchester Terriers told me they thought that's what she was. She's too large and heavy to be a Min Pin and is very angular and muscular and fast as greased lightening. She even wears a racing collar now. You should see her out run Rex and Scarlett to get a ball. She got "fixed" a couple of weeks ago. She and Scarlett were booked for the same day but when we got them to the vet's office we discovered Scarlett was in heat and the vet didn't want to do it so she sent her home. That's when vet assured us Rex would be no problem but little did she know Wonder Rex.

Prissy is still quite the little cover diver. She starts out at end of bed, under the covers but soon is at the top, with just her head sticking out and laying on our pillow just like a human which I guess she thinks she is. She is really an asset as a hearing ear dog though because the other three big outside dogs won't bark at a person but Prissy always lets us know if someone drives up or is knocking at door. The other three are out there greeting strangers with tails wagging and begging to play.

 

[ruth]

I saw the funniest sight this morning. I had let Butler out for a walk and was playing ball with all the dogs to allow them a chance to run off energy - something we do every morning and is part of the secret of having free ranging chickens and packs of loose dogs. Butler watched the pack running like lunatics for the balls (well we're down to using the large black walnuts that are all over the ground) but didn't seem to know what was going on. So he starts to wander off and goes around the house to the side. I still don't know if he's trustworthy to be around the chicks and chickens and peacocks that are running around so I go looking for him.

It took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing. One of the young peacocks was chasing him. At first I thought the peacock was just coincidentally running in the direction of the dog and thought "Oh no, I hope Butler doesn't jump the peacock" but then I realized the peacock was actually chasing the dog and no matter which way Butler turned to run away, the peacock stayed right on him. I guess those peacocks are going to be the good watchdogs I've heard they are.

I am, by the way, introducing Butler to the flock the same way I've "trained" all the other dogs - by letting him in coop and amongst them in my presence and teaching him "no" and showing him a bird and letting him smell it while I pet it. We did have an incident the first time he was here. He is a master escape artist and maybe we should calll him "Houdini" because he managed to chew through a new leash and a rope and break out of a fenced-in pen. He did kill a baby chick that he caught one of the times he got loose. So now, when I'm not out there, I'm keeping him in the laundry room and on a metal tie line that he can't chew through. But I'm quite sure he will learn the flock and livestock are "family" because he seems very smart and eager to please. I'm very surprised at how quickly he merged in with our pack and everyone accepts him.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

It seems that Butler was meant to be with you, since he came back again. He does look very skinny, poor thing. Why must people mistreat animals so? I love reading your posts. It seems like such an adventure at your house.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Hey Lady animals are looking good. Sounds like that pup left the day he went to the other guys and went on a walk about back to his home.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the update.

 

[speckledhen]

How wonderful those pictures are! I'd love a little Scarlett/Rex baby. Bet you'd be thrilled, too! Prissy looks amazing and hopefully,Butler will fatten up and stick around. He's found a great home, I know.