Dogs – Page 3 – This Old House 2

a Fly By….

It’s been months, has it? I remember a time when blogging was a daily occurrence here on these “pages”. Lately I just haven’t felt the therapeutic urge to keep up with it. I don’t keep track of traffic on this blog, so I’m not even sure it’s read very much, but I do miss those of you who have been reading my blathering and the friendships we’ve formed online, and I’m glad some of you are on instagram and FB where we still get to share with each other.

Some updates in case anyone would like them – Politically, I have taken a step back and OH, how good that feels. Kinda horrified by what all went down in the past four years, and the obvious cracks (craters, canyons) in the system overall, the divide that I’m sure still exists and I had no idea was so HUGE to begin with. I haven’t seen as much of it lately though, perhaps the very real and very vital notion that we really do all need to come together if we are to survive as a nation and not tank like the Roman Empire. Never would I have believed what went down was even possible. So, I’m not overly confident about our ability to right the ship and move forward but I’m gonna try. And by trying I mean Hope, really hard .

The farm and cottage are beautiful this year – everything that grows has flourished in abundance due to I’m guessing the best weather conditions, and our efforts as well. We are currently haying the fields, first cut, a little late but better late than never, right? There are more pine cones on the pine trees, the pollen allergy season was insane, there are more blooms everywhere, it seems.

The farm animals are all doing well – the horses, the goats, the chickens, new batch and old, the dogs. Every now and then I curse all the work it takes to keep them all fat and happy and their living quarters clean. The husband curses the expense, to be blunt. But.. the rewards are great if this is your thing… and it’s always always been my thing – the animals, the land, nature. I made sure when I was a young person that I got myself to a place where it could eventually be a reality – and here we are.

We have adopted another dog, I’ve named him Kai. ( sounds like Rye) The meaning is the Ocean or Recovery depending on whether you’re in Hawaii or Japan. It’s fitting for this semi feral 2 year old dog who lived as a yard dog with his mother and sister down South. Rescued after they were dumped by owner at a kill shelter. He’s a love, but he doesn’t trust – was given no rules or structure or socialization. So, we will be patient and give him the time and attention he needs. He loves the water! As I do… we will be a good walking/hiking team and water enthusiasts together.

I’ve continued painting, and it’s been so good for my soul. This is my latest finished piece, and it will live at my sister’s house. The Edgartown Light on Martha’s Vineyard, a place my guy and I love and walk to on our early morning strolls when we visit the Vineyard. I’ve blogged about it – a place I could call home easily, has always felt like home when I’m there.

Have you cartooned yourself with the Voila AI Artist app? Really fun! I’m getting a kick out of all the ones I’ve seen friends post on FB and Instagram. Forget botox…. Cartoon yourself!

See what I mean? Adorable!

Some inspiration for you before I close this post. If you’re reading this, thank you for stopping by! Leave a comment, let me know how things are going in your neck of the woods –

Barn swallow nest over the kitchen window sill. Such an artist! Beautiful nest.

Till soon, friends –

The best laid plans…

My son and his GF have been together for six years now, since High School days. They’ve had an exciting year – the completion of their home just over the hill next to this farm, and on Christmas Eve my son proposed. There’s a story behind it…. the ORIGINAL PLAN was a big surprise for his soon to be bride – We were going to take our annual trip to the Woodstock Inn in Vermont for a December weekend this year instead of fall foliage time. She would be under the impression it was just us, as usual. (Plans were made when we thought the pandemic would be winding down.) When we walked into the main lobby, she would see a huge banner across their main fireplace that read Will you Marry Me M………. . Her parents, step parents and beloved Aunts and Uncles would be there among the Inn Staff with champagne in hand ready to toast – and we’d all spend a lovely weekend in that beautiful town celebrating. But COVID raged on. We could have kept our reservations… the Inn was gracious… but Vermont has strict travel rules due to the virus and they weren’t adherable.. nor did any of us feel comfortable traveling as the numbers in the news got worse.

The Puppy Plan materialized. The young couple has been eagerly awaiting the birth of their rottweiler pup, from a breeder in Florida with an excellent long time reputation. My blog readers know I am an animal rescue advocate, but my son was raised with our two female rotties and what he really wanted was a male rottie of his own. The rescues we looked at had a few in the past year but not one I would trust with a young family and their first official dog. Hence, a solid ethical breeder ( not a mill). SO… off he went to Florida a few days before Christmas in a rental mini van with his cousin to pick up the pup. When they arrived home the plan was to have the puppy with a big bow and a ring attached. And we would all show up at the same time, he’d pop the question and we’d have a safe distance toast on the front porch. Except she was called in to work. So.. he arrived home with the puppy and fiance-to-be at work. We then decided to hide in the house , cars behind the house and garage, and she walked in…. hugged the new puppy… and we all strolled out with that big banner in hand, her dad handed M the ring, M proposed to M… tears, cheers, toasts, and puppy love.

The new baby’s name is LEO, or King Leo the 2nd, as he is named after his (HUGE) father.

The moms, unmasked for the picture and champagne…

So.. while this was a weird Christmas and we really missed having our moms right there with us for the dinners and the presents, etc… there is much to celebrate as well. The wedding will be when the pandemic is over and we can all come together to celebrate in a big happy way. – Karen 💕

Sanctuary

Thank you for all the kind words of comfort for the loss of my father, I have some truly wonderful readers/friends here in this little space of mine. ❤

We could talk here today about all the turmoil we are witness to out in the greater world… but I think instead I’ll share with you my walk about this morning on our farm, my sanctuary. I find the routine of caring for the animals and the plants and the home is soothing and restorative. Even cleaning the house and disinfecting the bathroom feels refreshing, who woulda thought? My home has always been my sanctuary, and now even more so.

When we decided to add goats to the mix I wondered if I had lost a few marbles, looking for more chores. But in truth, we have found much joy with our two little goat girls, Bella and Star. They are so very friendly. When my husband comes home from work he gets out of his truck and the goats immediately call to him. It sounds as if they are saying… Daaaaaa daaaaaaaaa. He get’s a kick out of it, and I get a kick out of him, the big guy…..enjoying them.

Having our show horse, Leah, home has been a blessing too – away from the stress of horse shows, she is contented with getting to graze more and with a larger turnout, less work. The horse show world has opened up again, they’ve been hurting just like any other industry, but we’re not ready to wade back in to crowds, we’re going to take our time with that.

It was 48 degrees here this morning.. in June. Hence her blanket. Brrr…

Our mini’s Coady and Lacey like having the goat girls nextdoor, they often hang out together at the fence line.

These chores ground me while the world beyond is so restless and *fraught*. I am so thankful for every day spent living here enjoying and working the land and the gardens and our home, tending the critters we take into our family.

Current situation here in my office – as you can see, my coworkers are slackers. PS – I’ve gotten many compliments on this rug – you can find it at Rugs Direct if interested. It’s more bold than my usually choices but I absolutely love it here in my office, as well as that faux hair footrest courtesy Homegoods.

Meanwhile, down at Stella by the Sea, the little seaside gardens are also growing, and I splurged on a new Kayak, as my Ruby is showing a lot of wear after 15 years of dependable service. My new perception tribute is a leftover they don’t make anymore, and I saw it sitting on the rack at a local marine shop for over a year. Last week my masked-face self went into the store and boldly (for me) asked if they’d consider selling it to me at a discount since it had been sitting there for quite a while. They said yes! .. and I got it for hundreds less. I’ll share that with you later in the week. If you’ve never tried kayaking before but feel comfortable on the water, it’s a great way to get a full body workout and you don’t even feel like your doing any sort of tedious exercise. Lakes, large ponds, rivers, coves, oceans if you’re brave and comfortable and experienced…with so many options and price ranges, there’s a boat for you if you’re so inclined. I highly recommend it, and it doesn’t cost more than the initial boat purchase.

Santa Pants

We get up pretty early around here, before the sun for sure. It’s just what we’ve always done, have not ever used an alarm clock because neither of us needs it. Now I’m not bragging here, let me be clear. I wish we got more sleep. We just… don’t. When I rise in the morning, first stop is the bathroom, then the dogs need to go out. They’re let back in and fed, coffee made, e-mail checked, news skimmed, then breakfast for the Mr. and I.

Then my daily commute commences – and often that means leaving the house in my pajamas. Today it was Santa pants and Snow boots, even though this is the mildest winter we’ve had in a long time with no snow to be seen for miles and miles.

My first stop is the chicken coop across the yard… where the girls are let out into their newly raked run, the water is changed, their feed tub filled. Treats like sunflower seeds, parsley and yogurt are dispersed and if it’s their lucky day, if the sun is out and the predators (hawks, coyotes, fox) not evident at the moment, they’re let out for a little while to free range while I’m up at the barn. Today was that kind of day.

While they’re scratching around in the mulch at the side of the garage just to piss the Mr. off, I head up to the barn to begin chores there – I’m greeted every morning by the nicker of all four horses. With all of them in the geriatric stretch of life, I’m grateful for all four of those nickers.

First they are given their grain – the big boys eat in their stalls, the littles are walked out to their day paddock and are given their grain and hay out there, unless it’s a bad weather day. In that case they’re fed in their stall. Every day the weather determines how the routine will play out.

Meds are administered to my two boys – Coady (red mini) has Cushings Disease and gets a pill for that, and Max gets eye drops to help ease the glaucoma that has developed in his left eye.

Once the big boys, Max 1 and Max 2 are finished eating their grain, they’re let out for the day into the fields. The littles would become obese if they had access to all that grass, so they have to settle for less.

Stalls are mucked next, and my trusty old gator is my best friend for that chore. After mucking stalls, refreshing bedding, cleaning water buckets and filling with fresh water, blowing out the tack room and rubber brick aisle with a leaf blower – I drive the gator to the back of the farm and dump it in the manure pile that slowly turns to fertilizer.

Once the animals are set for the day, in warmer weather months I head to the gardens to see what’s ready to pick, what needs tending, watering, etc. This year we’ve planted more blueberry and raspberry bushes in the apple/pear/peach orchard and we plan to apply some tips we learned from another farmer in Vermont – netting and “Protecting the Bloom”. More on that another day.

This photo is taken from one of the hayfields.. facing the houses and the road beyond them. The horse barn and chicken coop and orchard are on the left, our home almost at middle, and my daughter’s new home on the right. Tending this little farm has become a family affair, I don’t ever lose sight of that blessing.

Once outside chores are done, I head in to shower and do some house cleaning , perhaps some editing work in my little office. Speaking of that office… most of This Old House is decorated sort of in keeping with the feeling of country, old, comfy, rustic. This room has a totally different vibe. I chose blue as the accent for two reasons. My grandmother loved blue and all her decorating centered around it. I miss her still, all these years after she’s passed, and the hues remind me of her. Also, the kids and husband bought me that blue moon you see on the wall some years back while on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. I saw it in the window of one of my favorite little shops. The colors and oldness attracted me to it, and the fact that we rarely go on vacation made it fitting, it must have been a Blue Moon that gots us all away together for a bit. The kids and husband bought it for me on the last day of our stay, it’s a reminder of love and family and the importance of taking time away from it all to just enjoy life. So I plotted the room vibe around Nana’s blues, the Blue Moon and the bohemian in me ( Love Those Shabby Chic Curtains!) My arts and crafts supplies are in the cabinet and dog beds are plentiful.

office?.. you say….

oh yes, the computer clutter is in the other corner. If you spot the little stuffed animals and are eye rolling just a little, you haven’t seen the four dragons hidden behind the printer. If I’m lucky enough to have grandchildren some day, they will have plenty of Grandmother’s toys to play with.

I’ve had jobs where I had to report to an office, where the work was more “cerebral”, where I got to wear grown-up clothes like heels and skirts and a smart suit, etc… where the pace of the day was at times chaotic, demanding, relentless, invigorating, exhausting, boring, and a few more words I’m not coming up with right now. I enjoyed most of my colleagues, and sometimes I miss the daily camaraderie, but most often I truly enjoy this slower pace of life.

My schedule is my own to create, the pay not in dollars (except for the editing.. thankful I’m paid for that) but in the very real satisfaction I get from tending to the critters in my care, (even the shit shoveling) the home my family lives, laughs and loves in, these fields we work that produce food for the table, hay for the horses – maybe even christmas trees for our holidays someday down the road if our new crop ever takes hold. I help with the family business when they need me… and thankfully, it’s enough.

I’m grateful for every day I get to do this, and to know I can do it all in Santa Pants is icing on the cake.

This neck o’the woods

I could write all day about the current list of atrocities and tragedies in the news, but let’s heed the advice we’ve been giving each other here on this blog and focus on the good things in our lives, shall we? I want to thank each of you who stop by to read my musings and join the conversations, it’s encouraging to hear from like minded people, truly. #MakeAmericaKindAgain #MakeAmericaSaneAgain either would do.

It’s maple sugaring season here in the Northeast, but you wouldn’t know it by the current weather trends. We’ve had very little snow so far, the trees are tapped on our farm with a little flow, but the temps have not been cold enough overnight to get the sap flowing when the heat rises during the day. We don’t have a sugar shack here on our farm, so we take ours to the community farm Sugar Shack in our town, where volunteers process it, bottle it and sell it to continue to support the farm. You might wonder why pure maple syrup is so expensive compared to the fake stuff like Aunt J*mima, and the answer is there is so much work that goes into it, and so much tree sap is needed – 40 gallons of clear tree sap boils down to one gallon of actual syrup.

Have you tried Maple Water? I have found it in a few of the grocery stores in this area, but not all. I absolutely love it – light, refreshing, with just a hint of maple – it’s the pure maple water(sap) that comes out of the tree, is flash pastuerized and sold in stores. YUM! And it’s hydrating, it’s actually good for you! I’m not getting any compensation for saying it – treat yourself to a bottle if you find it in your local stores. Canadian runners have been using it to refuel for some time.

In my better health/better weight quest I have lost a few pounds and have gained some muscle, I’m not perfect with the food intake but I’ve made some headway. My clothes are starting to feel better on me and that is a good beginning. I continue to walk/hike/jog with the dogs, light weight training and all of this helps greatly with the Fibromyalgia I’ve been dealing with for the past five-six years give or take. If you suffer from the same, in my experience, keep moving – that’s the best line of defense. And.. eat much less sugar and dairy, much less processed foods.

L-R – My Sally and Frasier, K’s Gizmo on the right. Now that we live nextdoor to each other, we often take the dogs on walks together. It motivates us both to get out there and keep moving.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

– Henry David Thoreau

Our dear old retired showhorse, Max, is now dealing with Glaucoma in one eye, thankfully not the painful variety. He’s on four different meds to try to stave it off for a while and seems to be learning to live without vision on the left. I’m glad we can give him the peace to deal with the handicap and he will not be shipped off to a kill pen like so many others, no longer useful. Another reason to be so very grateful for what this old farm affords us.

Our son has begun the construct of his home just over the hill, the foundation is poured… and I am over the moon to have both kids so close by. Over the years we will all benefit from this little patch of farmland not far from everything else, just the right mix of country and suburb. He and his GF have worked hard to begin and build their careers and are very excited about the plans they’re making for their future together, it does my heart good. 🧡

That’s my mom in the red hoodie up there, the one who leaves awesome comments now and then and hates her picture to be taken but I do it anyway because – I GOTTA BE ME- .. and I love my mom.

One more update – I’m not happy about global warming so a mild winter is concerning, BUT… I do believe, because it’s been so mild… this batch of christmas trees might just actually survive. Third time’s the charm? Stay tuned…

I’ll close this post with something to ponder. Why is it that men or the kids think they’re doing us a HUGE service when they lift a finger in the direction of cleaning up after themselves such as… oh, say… changing the toilet paper roll or washing the dinner dishes or flipping the load of laundry into the dryer or taking the trash out or putting the sneakers back in the closet instead of under the bench in the mudroom. Aren’t they also the ones making the mess? AmIright? Just sayin –

Karen

More Light

I am so sick and tired of being so sick and tired of the current asshat in chief of this dear ole US of A, not to mention his spineless enablers, I’ve decided to just let that whole mess go for at least a little while. I’m not looking at the news .. much… I’m not reading someone’s spin or fretting over ignorance because really what good comes of it… answer – zilch. I need to breathe clean air, think clean thoughts, see inspiration and act on that. I need to believe most of us are made up of more good than bad.

So what is helping me accomplish this necessary avoidance? Extending kindnesses where a little light needs shining. (if only it would help me stop the holiday EATING… so far, no luck there. Onward….. )

The local veterinarian put out a plea for blankets and cat beds for the foster dogs/cats in their care, and we have an Ocean State Job Lot not far from here where those things are available pretty cheap. For $50 I was able to bring them a nice armload of blankets/beds and that simple act just felt good. Some light.

Recently a local family lost their matriarch, Carol Anne, a joyful woman who has known more heartache than should ever befall one person and yet she always found a reason to be happy. She would say to friends when they asked how she could remain so upbeat -” I have two choices, I can be miserable for the rest of my life, or I can choose Joy. I’m choosing Joy. ” Her home was always decorated to the hilt for Christmas, there were lights and pine garland even in the rafters of the family log cabin. When she passed a month ago, she left two daughters who are afflicted with a similar illness and are missing her terribly. Her favorite color was purple, and as I thought of how difficult this holiday must be for the two girls, an idea arose. Why not put together a Christmas package for each of the girls containing purple things – a nod to their joyful mother in this, their first Christmas without her. Purple no-slip socks, a purple cardinal ornament for their trees, (she loved birds) purple nail polish, purple candy coated chocolates, lavender soap. It didn’t take a lot of effort or a lot of money to do this, and to drop it off at their home, give a hug and reminder that their sorrow is not forgotten, their mother is not forgotten. And once again, it felt good, my soul lifted. More light.

As I left their house I stopped in just down the hill to visit 90 year old Marge . This lady has always known how to make the best of any situation, ever the optimist. She has many friends and family who love her, and she is still living on her own, taking care of a rescue dog I found for she and her now- deceased husband about five years ago. That dog takes such good care of her, and she him. She still cooks for herself and for company on occasion, rarely if ever complaining about the many aches and pains that come with reaching that monumental milestone of a birthday. She’s seen a lot of good times, and some really hard times, watched this world turn upside down more than once. She is concerned for the changes, but she also has faith that things will work themselves out in the end. 90 years of observation have proven it. She is another who is always looking at the bright side. While I thought I was doing something good for her on this visit, turns out she was the one gifting me. More light, still.

If you are weary as you read this, for any of the multitude of reasons this life can provide, I’m wishing you peace in your heart and more light in your life – I promise any light you can shine on another in whatever the ways that are possible for you will reflect back onto you tenfold.

Till soon, friends –

What matters

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner here at This Old House and I hope wherever you spent the day and with whom, you did too. The food was delish, minus the Chocolate Cheesecake flop. King Arthur Flour recipe.. ….shoulda worked… .. but… something went wrong and it was so heavy you wouldn’t want to have to hang onto it if you fell in the water somewhere unexpectedly. That doesn’t really make sense, but you know what I mean. It sucked. Thankfully there were two pies and cookies to fill the gap.

Empty plates at the end of a meal are always a good sign, although Frasier was scoping for scraps, hoping for something different.

In these pictures you’ll notice the “theme” is not Thankgiving at all. Indeed, Christmas swooped in the day before, for no good reason other than a rainy day and a little impatience. That would be mine. Mom said… “but… Fall is such a pretty time of year..” Indeed it is, and Fall has been living in This Old House since September. It was time. At least the food reflected the proper holiday decorum, right? 🙂

Is this the weekend you begin your Christmas/Holiday Season? We are officially Decked. While at the tree farm up the road, we discovered the secret to starting young trees…. plant them very very close together in a big patch where they almost look like a carpet – and then transplant once they’ve grown some. This gives them protection while they grow a little more hearty. Ah Ha! That’s why our first few attempts failed. Those poor babies were out on our windy hill all on their own, too far apart from each other to gather the necessary support. What were we thinking.

We got two smaller REAL trees this year instead of the big FAKE one. I’m so done with fake news, ya know? We’ve got one at the corner of the family room where we can also see it from the Mancave, and one in the kitchen/dining room area. I love the heavenly scent of fresh pine.

Yesterday morning as I looked out over the fields from our kitchen window, I saw two bucks up on the hill, one a juvenile – father and son? Brothers? Donner and Blitzen scouting for Santa, perhaps. I managed a few blurry shots before they darted off…

… and was reminded again how very grateful I am for the opportunity to live here on this little farm, for as long as life will allow it.

Gizmo (my new grand dog) is also very grateful he has landed here with us. Oh, how I love this little scruff.

Till soon, friends…

Let there be Light

The Mr. wasn’t particularly fond of the pendant lights we had over the kitchen island, so we started looking at other options. There are SO MANY!!.. just browse Pottery Barn (my favorite for lighting) or Bellacor or Seagull lighting websites and you’ll be amazed and confused. After a significant search and a little bickering, we did settle on globes we found on Lamps Plus….

Out with the old..

In with the new…

I like them! I have found the glass globes are a bit of a pain in the ass because Smudges*smears*streaks*dust, but I do like the overall look.

The blank spot on the wall over the sink used to display three of my small paintings. I found a fairly local craft person on Etsy who makes rustic old wooden signs for a very reasonable price. She’s doing a farm sign for me and it will go right there where the paintings used to live. I’m a big fan of changing things up around the house now and then, and it doesn’t have to be much at all. A change of throw pillows on the couch to reflect the season, moving a painting to a different room, adding a plant or two, etc. And the best decorating tip of all – get rid of clutter noise. I tend to be a knicknack collector, and sometimes it becomes too knicknacky so I pick through and simplify. Cleaning up a disastrous closet or counter, folding that mountain of laundry that’s been building in the (fill in the blank) can give you a feeling of renewal. All those shoes that accumulate in the bottom of the coat closet.. some that haven’t been worn in three years? Out.

My guy is very type A – he is not fond of clutter and on the island we go back and forth with his love for -nothing at all – on it, and my love of decorating to create *cozy*. Sometimes I do a big decluttering around the house and he is in love all over again…. only to come home a few days later with the now familiar words… “Uh-oh.. I see clutter forming again”… tumbling out of his mouth. I’m just redecorating, that’s all.

The big glass hurricane candle holder thing we had on the island didn’t look right with the new pendants, so I went up the road to a local shop that sells wonderful things, so many wonderful things you can get in trouble quickly if you have to answer to a husband who balances the household budget in the aftermath.

This was yesterday’s score…Simple.. and I can leave it there all winter, change out the greens, etc. for other seasons.

Have I told you lately about our new granddog, Gizmo? We are all in love with him, hard to imagine someone dumped him on the side of the road, where he was found matted and afraid and wondering what the hell happened. He’s house trained and so loving, just wants to be up in your lap kissing you. He’s good to his brother by another mother, although he tries to herd Rex when they’re outside. I think he’s got border collie in him, Shih tzu border collie, that’s my guess.

Are you hosting any of the holiday meals on the horizon? We will have both Thanksgiving and Christmas meals here with the extended family and I’ve begun planning the menus – below are some awesome cheeseboard ideas, I plan to use these photos to create something similar here at This Old House.

I hope all is well in your world – Till soon, friends.. OOh.. and if you don’t already follow Susan Branch’s blog.. she just published a lovely Thanksgiving post.. worth the click over to HERE… where you’ll find lots of lovely things, including her uplifting spirit.. and this recipe below, which is also her artwork.

Morning Commute

After 31 years of the same old grind, I still love my morning commute. Although this is our fourth small farm in those 31 years, this one in particular, of which we hope and plan to retire on, is the most extensively “farmed” – we hay our fields, raise chickens for eggs, my horses adorn the fields as lawn ornaments for the most part but they do get use, sparingly. (those spoiled, spoiled horses).

We used to have a huge vegetable garden, but with enough produce yield to feed a lost continent full of folk and a weed war we could not possibly win, we downsized eventually to a two-raised bed configuration 1/8th the size of the original, now located in our back yard. We also have a small young apple orchard with peach and plum trees, blueberry and raspberry bushes, and a Christmas Tree lot in a back field. (haha..hahahaha… I’ll ‘splain later in the post).

So.. my morning starts with breakfast for the two of us around 5:30 a.m. for no good reason at all other than that’s when the Mr. and I religiously wake up. And we aren’t religious. We’re just *UP*. The dogs are let out to do their business and then fed. If it’s chilly, like this morning, I put on my outer layer of barn attire and Miss Sally waits by the door because she knows the routine and she loves OUT. And OUT with MOM is the stuff dreams are made of.

We head out into the frost coated everything to begin the rounds. Sally stays within the dog fenced area, but it allows her to follow me up the driveway to the barn area where she waits around while I feed and muck.

Side note: (I’m a little ADD, I’m pretty sure of it ) Peering over to the left in the backyard, my daughter’s home is in sight. We are absolutely loving our new neighbors 💖. Her new family member, adopted adorable Gizmo has blended very well with their dog Rex, and all is well in their new little kingdom in the field across the way.

Back on track we go – morning commute… The chicken coop comes first – I let the girls out into their coop yard and refresh the water and feeders, rake the chicken yard, and once a week the whole coop gets an overhaul of fresh shavings, swept out cobwebs, new hay in laying boxes, etc. This year’s babies have already been laying for months and they’re beautiful! The two shown here are Light Brahmas. They have feathers on their feet! They are part of my GOT flock. Winter and Ghost , with Arya on the right. Cersei died early on of a deformed beak ( if only that had happened in the series! ) Sansa and Daenerys are doing well.

Once the girls are all set for the day, I head up to the barn to feed and water the horses and turn them out for the day.

The two old boys.. Max1 and Max2.. are let out into the fields after they’ve finished their morning grain. They’ve just started wearing their fall sheets to keep the chill off on these 30 something degree mornings. Older horses have trouble keeping good weight on due to teeth that are ground down with time, so we give them a little help with special grains for seniors and blankets for added warmth.

The mini horses are little cherubs, chubby little cherubs. Their weight needs to be kept reasonable and so they are not allowed on the big grassy fields with the larger horses as they’d eat themselves to oblivion. So we keep them in a smaller dirt paddock and give them the appropriate amount of grain and hay for their size.

Once feed is done, I usually muck stalls. On Sundays our boarder does stalls to give me a reprieve, so this morning I walked about the fields and took a few pictures instead.

Our little orchard on the hill behind the house. The apple trees on the left are a few years old and have produced very little so far. It takes a few years for trees to establish themselves, and we’re still learning about proper pruning and fertilization – must be enough, but not too much. The blueberry and raspberry bushes will get a netting cover once berries appear, lest the birds and squirrels get them all. Yep, That did happen, lesson learned.

In the field behind the horse barn is a tree lot … where for three years, we’ve planted 100 Christmas trees. The first year we had a wicked winter and the wind chill was awful, killing most of the trees. *ah, crap. We replaced them with slightly bigger ones the second year… of which we lost more than half to a grub infestation. *crap again. And why does it seem so many have just planted a ton of trees and lo and behold, a tree farm was born – like, super easy. I mean it was such the infestation that when you walked among the saplings the ground crinkled and crunched for all the grubs squirming around just below the surface. BLEH.

We’ve planted the new little baby Christmas trees in this third year of tree farming, with a fence around lest the deer eat them up, ( can you imagine?) the ground is treated for grubs and we’ll cross our fingers for a not-so-terribly-cold windy winter, shall we?

With the walk about done and checking for downed fence rails, I walk back down to the house where Miss Sally has joined me along the fence line and up onto the porch where she waits to be let in while I shuck off my muck boots. We then get on with our day.

It’s a dirty business sometimes, this job of mine, and never is it glamorous – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and then some.

Another Side note: Have you been a Downton Abbey fan? I hadn’t paid any attention to it for all these years, how did I miss such a gem? – just got hooked on Amazon and within three weeks I’m almost done with the six seasons, looking forward to the movie! I love it! Fantastic actors too – What a different world. Living not far from Newport, I’ve toured some of the old “cottages” and saw first hand their elaborate lives preserved for all to explore. These are not the estates of Europe, of course, but the summer colonies for some of the wealthy elite Americans of the late 1800’s early 1900’s.

Till soon, friends –

Welcome Gizmo!

For years I’ve been a volunteer at shelter dog adoption events here in Connecticut, and was a founding member of Homeward Bound CT. Due to my hearing loss I stepped down from the Board eventually, as it became increasingly difficult to hear conversation at meetings, etc. I no longer work the events as a conduit between the adopters and the dogs on three day stretches for the same reason. I didn’t want this damned hearing loss to squelch my shelter dog assistance efforts, however, so I contribute in other ways that don’t require conversations in the crowded busy barky affair that is an adoption event. I bring food for the many volunteers, photograph and advocate for the dogs coming to the event, and donate money to the rescues to help them accomplish their monumental tasks.

Two of my three current dogs are rescues, and my daughter also has an adopted pooch, Rex. Well.. she did, but now she has two. K and D adopted Gizmo this weekend at Homeward Bound CT’s latest event, and I can honestly tell you I have not ever seen a more grateful dog. Gizmo just absolutely loves everyone. As soon as he locks eyes with you, if you don’t melt, you don’t have a heart in your chest cavity, I’m telling ya. He was picked up by an ACO as a stray in Georgia, where he landed at a kill shelter – and was quickly pulled by a rescue friend of ours, who vetted him, fostered him, and brought him up here to Connecticut with her other saves. A more loving, cuddly dog does not exist. We don’t know what his circumstances were that landed him in a kill shelter, but he’s out of those woods now.

Welcome to our family, Gizmo!

We took her boyz for a walk around the property yesterday to help Gizmo learn what home is to him now.

This picture shows the relationship between our two homes – It’s so awesome to have our girl and her little family right nextdoor. This old farm has truly become our family’s haven and I can’t begin to express appropriately how grateful I am.

I remember vividly passing this place on our way to visit my aunt many years ago. As a young girl I would glance at the overgrown fields behind the viney overgrown roadside and the ancient peeling sinking house…. and dream a little dream of living in the country on a place such as this. Never would I have guessed I’d call it home someday. It all started with a desire to live in the country with horses and dogs, and a big leap of faith to make a bold move when I was 19. The support of family and the love of a good man was the glue that kept the dream together.

Both in Vermont and here in CT, the fall foliage has been oustanding. What is fall looking like in your neck’o the woods?

Till soon, friends…