November 13

Well, it's my day off again and people probably wonder how I spend my time off.... Not that it's exciting but it does come under the heading "my life with animals".
This morning was starting the Christmas shopping on line. I sometimes put it off too long and then things can't get here by Christmas. So at least I've started! Then I talked to Mom while watching a DVD we made from an old VHS tape. It was so fun seeing the kids when they were little. Such happy times! I have to transfer all the old VHS tapes to DVDs' so we don't lose them. Already you almost can't find a VHS player to watch them on. I also need to send some old old 8mm family movies in to be transferred. We don't even know what's on most of them!
To Albert Lea to fill up my car (the empty light went on as I pulled into the station), pick up some dog food, and meet Jacky for lunch. We went to Taco John's where they make an excellent meat and potato burrito. I can't ever finish mine - wish we could just order one and split it but it isn't enough for Jacky then.
When I got back home, I figured I'd better start on the horse stalls. It's been cold and night, and blowing, so the horses have gotten to come inside at night. They love it, but I'm always reminded the next day why I wish I didn't have animals...each stall has to be 'picked' of manure. I use a wheel barrow and have to dump it in the manure piles outside each barn. By the time winter is over, the manure piles are quite large! There's two 'stalls' in the pony barn, and 5 'stalls' or areas in the horse barn. You're talking 3 wheel barrow loads today. This is the door we get to use for the wheel barrow. The animals like it when I have it open too!

We also haven't quite winterized the barns. In the horse barn the water buckets were freezing up. So I dumped four buckets of water and ice, and replaced them with heated water buckets. May not have to plug them in yet because the horses body heat warms up the barn somewhat. But at least everything's ready. Oh yes, also had to throw new bales of hay down from the hay loft. They eat about a half a bale a day right now but that will go up to a whole bale in about a week or two. The llamas have to eat twice a day as there is no grass left in their pen.

The cats are getting more hungry now too. Every time someone goes out, they all run to the bowls to eat. What a life!

Bryn has have her  herding instinct satisfied as well - but with cats instead of sheep. At least she doesn't try to bite them like Willy does...

Had to stop just now and feed the dogs and kittens. They certainly eat better than people do - a balanced diet made just for them without any junk food or fillers, including no grains. They love it - a natural raw meat diet. Traeh, who was diagnosed almost a year ago with Degenerative Myolopathy, has been doing fantastic - in fact better than when she was diagnosed. I certainly attribute her well being to the new diet as well as not getting any vaccinations or heart worm prevention (which sets up an inflammatory response in the body).

Jacky accomplished something big this Sunday. He finished putting down the dining room floor!!! It looks beautiful. All we need now is the molding at the bottom. But we need to paint those first. So I can't put anything back in the hutch yet. Just look at this!...

One last Pic. Saturday we were in Rochester picking up a few more boxes of flooring. In the Wal Mart parking lot guess what we saw...

New Post!

Someone who shall remain nameless has reminded me that I have not been keeping up my blog like I'm supposed to. So this is is semi-catch up post with lots of photos and few words....Lets go backwards, shall we?
Yesterday was voting for our next president. This is not a political stand so all I want to show you is where we have to go vote. It is out on a farmer's property which is REALLY hard to find. From the blacktop that takes you to Clarks Grove, you go north on a gravel road, take another gravel road west, then turn north again on a third gravel road (none of which have road names). We have witnessed other people getting lost trying to find the place to vote (are they trying to keep people away??). I myself always have Jacky take me because I can't remember how to get there!

After voting, there was the farrier. I already have pics of him and the horses so we won't go there.

Last night Teddi and I went to the City Arena. Teddi got to take his Canine Good Citizen test again. There were a lot of people and dogs there we didn't know but Teddi did ok. He passed his test! That was after a LOT of hard work to get him to trust people and not bite them1

 Here we are after the good news...

I also got Tracy and Sharon to help me take pictures of Teddi so I can register him with AKC. If he gets an ILP number, I can compete in obedience events with him. That could be a lot of fun!

Last week we celebrated our 30th anniversary. Monday we went to Wabasha and the Nat'l Eagle Center...

Tuesday we went to the Minnesota Science Museum.Playing at the Omni theater was a tornado film that we watched being make on a Discovery Channel show. That was really good. Here is the TIV vehicle that they drove around in...

Also at the museum was an Egyptian exhibit. Jacky and I had fun taking a 'ride' on this gentleman -

I think I have the more 'natural' seat, what do you think? I also can see Mom and Dad's camel saddle on this guy!

One last picture. The kittens are growing. I haven't been taking them to work...Beth really doesn't want them and will only throw them outside in the barn. These little guys wouldn't last a week at this age. Guess I'll keep  feeding them for a while. By the way (BTW) they really don't help when you're trying to type up a post... Oh yes, there isn't any good pictures of the kittens because they never hold still long enough!