Update

Hi all! We are still here, still alive. I figure 2.5 months is a long blogging hiatus to take for the time being. I have been active on Facebook and Instagram if you want to follow us there for more updates.

I figure it's time for an update on how things are around here.

Spring is here at the farm. Even though it is has snowed at least once a week since the official beginning of Spring last month.

Squinty faces and a drool bubble during a late season snow. 

Though none of them really act like it, I feel as if I run a senior pet retirement home. Both Juice and Noelle (my cats) are 12.

She really is 12 years old.

Bruce is 8.5, Neeko is 8, and Faolan is the young one at 6.5.

While Winter has seemed to last a while, there are some signs of Spring around. We have had some nice mild days, in which to enjoy hikes, mud, and the creek.

One sure sign of Spring (at least to a northern breed owner) is the annual blowing of the coat. As usual, Faolan is the first to start here, and so far the only one.

Over the course of two long brushing sessions, I completely brushed out his undercoat. I made another dog in the process, and he appears to have lost 10 lbs. I only wish Neeko were that easy.

The chickens are enjoying the new vegetation, bugs, and longer days.

One thing they are less thrilled about is the addition of 12 new chicks.

I got these babies about 7 weeks ago, and kept them inside with their Brinsea EcoGlow Warmer for the first 5 weeks here. I moved them outside into a small, enclosed coop setup near the regular coop. They can see the big girls, and the big girls can see them, but no mingling yet. I am hoping this acclimation system will work.

I am 99% certain one of these babies is a cockerel, so we will see how he turns out.

So that's what is going on with us. Nothing earth shattering, simple day to day life. But it's fun, and I like it.

I See Dog People

I went to my cousin's baby shower today. She is my mom's sister's daughter, and only two months older than me. We essentially grew up together.

It was a lovely event, hosted by her friends, at a gorgeous historic church.

Delicious food, good conversation.

I sat at a table with my mother, the wife of another cousin (she is hilarious, and I love her), and three ladies whom I had never met.  These ladies were all nicely dressed, in their 50's-60's, and all seemed to know each other very well.  They were fun, funny, engaging, and well-spoken.

I did learn that these ladies were the mother and aunts of my cousin's husband. We spoke about nursing, as one of them has a daughter who is a Clinical Nurse Specialist. I inferred that two of them are educators.

Somehow, of course, the topic of dogs came up. For once, it wasn't me who brought it up. I learned that they are all self-described "dog people."  I could not have been more tickled.

One mentioned how she leaves the TV on for her dog, to keep it distracted from squirrels and everything else. I recounted the story of Bruce breaking a window at 9 pm on a Sunday night in January because of a possum. My cousin's wife started asking me about how to put weight on her dog, Stanley.  One of the ladies asked if anyone knew anything about a raw diet. My mother's face lit up. (She and my stepdad recently switched Sully to raw, and he is doing fabulous.) My mother of course directed attention to me.

I was more than happy to share a little information on raw. My mother directed them here. (Thanks Mom!)  One of the ladies told me of her 13 year old diabetic dog to whom she injects insulin and feeds an expensive prescription dog food. I told her to look into an appointment with a holistic vet, and that the dog could likely get off the prescription food. She was glad to hear it.

Prior to the baby shower, I volunteered at an adoption event. I posted a photo of a dog I was handling. A friend of mine saw it. She does not have dogs, but her significant other has two. She went to a different adoption drive and adopted a senior dog. I considered her a dog person prior to this, but now she is official.

Dog people.  They are everywhere.