About this and that...

Fred gets a bath and immediately does what any self respecting mule will do.
Roll in the closest dirt pile to replenish the dirt.

Here are some of the projects I've been working on. I used an old milker to plant some petunias in.

This is part of the East Garden just before I put the milker in. I needed to make a straight edge to mow a bit easier. I used landscape fabric and planted some petunias and marigolds...then added the black mulch.
I need much much mulch!

View after the mulch job. Be warned, this garden goes through many phases of re-arranging as the summer goes on. The bricks are there in place until I get some nice rocks to replace them with...

Hubby brought loads of black dirt for around the house. The ground settled after the remodel.

So I used a rake and a shovel to move the dirt to where I wanted it.

It took another day or so to get some plants transplanted around in the dirt. I don't like landscape fabric as a rule. I just crowd out weeds if I can with plants.
We will see how that works! Not too sure!

Then I found another new project. Another old chair found in the red shed.
I started this weekend with painting it. I'm not exactly sure how it will turn out.
It will be a porch chair or a chair for inside when we have company.
Last year I made the Happy Chair.

Perhaps I can make another chair ... Naughty Chair?
Lazy Chair? Thoughtful Chair?

Photo of the Happy Chair I worked on from last summer....

Here is a sample of what I've been doing.
Before....

 After...
It need improvements all around, but I like perennials. These all have come from other areas of the yard where I 'stored' them while I was waiting for the remodel to be done and the ground to 'settle'.

And speaking of gardens.
I am just about ready to start the vegetable garden.

Last but not least!
Tadah! We had too many cattle for me to take care of and last year Rich decided we should sell 6 head and keep two for eating. Another few could stay as our forest gleaners.
Rich kept putting it off and off. Part of the stroke issues is an inability to get certain decisions made.
I hooked up with a farmer friend and he arranged it.
We moved the cattle Wednesday afternoon to a small fenced in paddock with metal 'catch pen' gates.

The farm friend showed up as well as the trucker and we loaded up the little Dexters and sent them on their way.

The others tiny group is busy working at mowing and keeping the weeds under control.

And now I think I've caught up on farm work for a bit.

Have a wonderful weekend. I have company arriving tonight to prep for.....

Whirlwind Activity

I like dawn. I like it even better with a pal. In this case my pal was not just a mule or one Charlie.

I took Ariel on her first 'rough' ride in the woods. This photo was after she and Siera did a mule slide into the creek. A big deal for Siera as she is pretty sure she doesn't want to do it and a big deal for Ariel who had to convince her it was okay.

Everyone survived and Ariel got to test out her 'muleman ship'. Ariel didn't seem convinced that she did fine. I was on Sunshine who is rather ho hum about mud, muck, and sliding into streams. Siera is sure it is mule-eating mud. She will do it though.

We rode two early mornings and what can I say? It is fantastic to have a riding partner. We beat the heat, got wet from dew laced leaves and got to see the fog coming off the creek into the warm air. The trails we followed were deep in the woods and along the creek. We simply followed the 4 Wheeler's trails. [Apparently they are not allowed in there!]

I rode Mica the second morning. We took the 'tough' trail out to the valley bottom and then used an old logging trail to head back home.

On a nice open trail like this Siera is the dream ride. Mica gets bored and seems to walk in her sleep.
No matter, we made two early morning rides and enjoyed them.

When I got back, I asked Dennis if he'd like to ride and brush up on his skills. He said yes. I gave him a boost to get on Siera and let him ride in the yard area.

The kids are pretty darned good riders on well behaved mules of course. I wish I had a buddy that would come ride with me often.

Morris always used to run alongside Badger and I. Later after Badger passed over the rainbow bridge, Morris would come with Siera and I. He even rode with me on Opal.

We'd had a very busy weekend. Stepdaughter's husband had wanted some wood to cut and load so he was busy during the blistering heat on Saturday. We grilled hot dogs and had a nice supper in the air conditioned house.

And...
of course Charlie makes for sweet moments. MIL thought he was so darned cute and Rich held him for her to pet.
And...
then there was this other Charlie Moment with Angel, the beagle. They grew rather fond of each other.

I've been working my fingers to the bone on the little gardens I have around the house. So much great dirt to work with! I'll catch up on that later.

Our farm friend stopped by, and yesterday I had to move the Dexters we are shipping to auction. We just can't afford to feed them and take care of them as they deserve. I kept the 'good' ones as forest foragers and they are just the right number of cattle to help keep the pastures in order.
More on that later too.

This morning I will see them off. Yesterday was an all day extravaganza of me pounding posts with a heavy post pounder, stringing electric lines and testing them.
The effort was worth it even if my hands hurt like the dickens this morning along with my arthritic sternum. The cattle are ready.

As soon as they are loaded and up the drive, it looks like I have MIL duties to tend to.

Tomorrow my Kenosha Gang will be arriving for the weekend. Charlie can get over his doldrums, I can wish that my house were clean after such a whirlwind weekend with the in laws and grands...however.
So much to do and it is delightful outside.

The locust trees are in blossom and the air around the house smells delightful.

And that is that....
Until I catch up on my garden stuff, yard stuff, ... and ... well, you get the idea!

Meanwhile on the farm

Well, it seems the gals and Fred are doing quite well this winter. I often see Mica or one of the bays sleeping on the huge old hay pile in the sunlight, soaking up the warmth into their heavy winter coats.
We have had wild swings of temperatures. Two weeks in a row we had warm temps that got up to 50 degrees and made everything into mush.
Then someone turns the thermostat down and we get onto a freeze.
Pools of water turn into skating rinks and the mules and cattle tip toe around the icy spots.

Morris and Dixie have had a few days where they could get out and play together.

Morris won't go too far before he decides it is time to go home on our walks.
Dixie is good and doesn't complain, she defers to the elder dog and is always submissive to him.

Winter afternoons are for sitting on the porch and watching the stock tank fill with water.

Dixie has no idea that she is not a lap dog/puppy anymore. I am so glad I trained her not to jump on me, or not to try to sit on my lap while I am in a chair. She knows it is okay to 'cuddle' if I am sitting on the ground. That is a lot of dog to have in one's lap.

I put a large dog crate in the back of the Subaru and wanted to see if Dixie would go in it. When she was a pup, she did have a crate for a time in the tiny house. She was very good about 'crating' up. I showed her the crate, she put her paws on the bumper of the car and I encouraged her with a slight lift.
She was in. I gave her a treat and she practiced getting in and out. She learns new things so fast.

We are set to go on a Trail Challenge Hike together. It will be nice to have company. Dixie is very easy to talk to. ... And she never reveals what I tell her in confidence.

Morris's appetite is waning again, the vet says we can keep infusing him with fluids once in a while but his blood work is heading south...slowly. He spends 90% of his time doing this:

Once he starts showing pain we will make a decision.

Stella and Hank are doing well. I've decided to keep cleaning their 'stall' and keep them in until the weather breaks. I don't want them dealing with the wild swings of temperatures at this time.

10 large square bales were delivered by Hay Man Daryl to the ridge top. We have 10 more coming before mudseason. Those were stored in the round pen.
I've made plans for selling the culls of the Dexter herd at auction this spring.

By the end of spring, we will have the mules, 15, and 6 Dexters which will include Stella and Hank.

I've been doing a work out each day. One hour of hiking equals about a mile in our hills. Dixie accompanies me most of the time.

Rich is not doing well with the colder temperatures, it is very hard on him.

Our motto is one day at a time.

This ends the Farm Report.

Stella and the rest

Stella. My favorite little Dexter heifer. She is just down right adorable and sweet.

I think this is Belle. Not as Sweet. She likes to chase Stella.

Bunny. Our first born on this property. Grumpy Bunny. Always looking to be lead heifer.

Vanessa. Queen Cow. Three time mom. She has attitude. And she runs the lot of them.  She is an original.  I didn't get a shot of Beauty. But she looks much like Belle. I'm not sure I can tell them apart.

Oh Garden and Fences!

This is about the time of the year that everyone is making the transition from winter/spring to thinking about a garden. Oh and I am thinking about the garden!

I even tried to inspire myself by looking up planting ideas. Then I proceeded to even draw out how I want to plant my vegetables.

Instead of hand digging the garden up again this year, I am investing in a small tiller that I can operate. I will be able to till and cultivate with it. I am hoping that is will save me a bit of work.

I made my list of vegetables and I am going to include sweet corn again this year. It was nice to freeze enough corn to use through this past winter along with green beans, beets, and canned tomatoes.
I went down to the garden spot in the evening yesterday and noted that the area that I planted parsley in last year, had plants coming up. I found three large onions too. The garden is a mess, it is full of weeds.
I abandoned my weeding when I pulled the last of the squash out of the garden.

Good thing I am getting a tiller!

It is way too early in the season for planting now, so I will get out my drawing of the garden and redraw the places I want to put rows.

In the mean time I am going to put the Creeping Myrtle around the east side of the house and transplant more hostas and iris plants. Everything I moved away from the house last year can now start coming back. I won't get it all done this year.

There is fencing to take care of. All of the electric lines near the creek have to be replaced. The briers have to be cut down. I need to retrieve the posts that are hanging mid air above the creek.

This is a look at the mess hours after the flood waters ravaged our creek bottom, once again changing the fence line.

Since no animals were in this area, we left it. This year we plan on moving the Dexter cattle into the forest above the creek. They do a very nice job cleaning up the land.

It is much easier to fix and replace fence early in the spring before the plants again become overgrown.
Well, that is my plan and we all know how plans work out!

It looks like a busy spring for me. Gardens, planting, moving plants, fixing fence, putting up new fence.

Am I happy that winter is over? I guess so. Compared to what I want to get done around here winter must have been a time for leisure!

I am a Wander-er

Yesterday I had to go and change the SD card in the trail camera and put new batteries in it.

So Morris and I decided to just wander around a bit. I brought some snacks and we took a nice long hike through our creek bottom.

I found some huge coyote tracks. Rich said they could have been the 'wolf' that had been seen earlier this year. I'm not worried much about a wolf except when I have Morris with me. I'll bring a tape measure and see exactly how large the prints are and photograph it next time.

Then there was some quiet time where Morris wandered around close and watched me stack some rocks.

Rock Stacking. Rock Balancing. 

It isn't something I'd do on another person's property, but it is a nice calming thing to do. Plus it is fun. 

Or you can use it to mark a trail or spot you want to visit again.

My visitors last 2 weeks ago left some stacks for me. I enjoyed it and it made me smile when I came across it yesterday.

This stack left by my friends. It makes me smile!

Eventually I took Morris back home and deposited the SD card near the computer to look at. I went back out to explore the area in the back of our property and check out the deer stand back there.

A word about these deer stands. I think someone crazy invented them.

However, I went way way back to the second deer stand on our property.

Hmmm. I made sure my back pack was secured properly and then checked to see how secure the ladder felt.

Not too bad!

Once I was seated I took a look around. I really felt that I should have been facing the north, but then I suppose if I were sitting up there and a cold north wind was blowing, it may not be a good idea.

I thought that this was a new and interesting perspective. I'd have to keep this place in mind this winter. It would be neat to climb up, get safely seated and take some interesting shots.

I sat and listened to the woods. I really wished I could see one of those large bucks walk through. That would be fun to 'shoot' with the camera.

A squirrel ran up and down the trees close by and was too quick for me to actually grab a shot of him. However some gold finches were kind enough to alight on some berry briers.

The shot isn't great, but it was fun trying to 'capture' them.

I decided about an hour before sunset to go back home. The air was cooling off and I needed to check on all of the stock tanks. Hubby had gone to get a check up for his upcoming surgery on his eye lids, so I was 'in charge'.

Some girls met me on the way through the summer Dexter pasture.

My camera battery was dying so I whipped out my cell phone and took a shot.

One mule, one horse and lots of sky.

Belle and her gang were lazing around in their bedding. 

I noticed their water tank was low.

My day of Wandering was done.

Time to get to work.

Calgon take me away

Sunday ends a brutal work stretch of odd hours and many many hours.  I'm not complaining about the hours and the pay mind you, I just got a bit overwhelmed.

The house remodel is coming along.  I have to call the General Contractor and ask him to come and take a look at things.  Seems the plumber and the concrete people see a problem that the excavator didn't/couldn't take care of and since it isn't their job to fix it...the drain and the drain tile work stop about 15 feet from the basement.

The floor is ready to go in...but...well, there you go, that is why we have a GC, it is his job to take care of the little details.

In the Merry Meadow, the wild apple trees are starting to show buds, well...they were on Wednesday.  I'd like to go out and wander around a bit today and take some spring photos.

Hubby hasn't felt well most of the week due to a med change and error in his part of not taking his meds properly.  
Of course with my heavy work load this week, I haven't been able to help out as much as I like to.  Plus I felt guilty of leaving hubby on his own for some meals.
He is terrible about properly feeding himself.  
I leave him a meal and he eats cheese and crackers.

I'm also getting tired of dreary skies.  Apparently the sun will shine tomorrow while I am at work.  

I was able to grab a few moments earlier this week to do my weekly Still Life photo.  Last Saturday while I was running errands in town, I was able to pick up a china cup and saucer for $1.  I thought it would look nice in a photo and it was pretty.  I also picked up a Chicken Cookie Jar for $2.  It will look very nice on my new kitchen counter!

Here is the new cup and saucer.  I photographed it on the concrete floor in the living room.  This spot used to have bricks on it which we have removed for the remodeling.

I also was amused to find a photo from February that I'd taken of a pair of gloves.  I was going to toss them out, but I still find them useful.

I am wondering if I can use the wooden pallets that the concrete guys have left behind for something useful.  I'm already thinking of how I can take some old wood crates and re use them ... oh
the 
mind is 
wandering!