New chores, new fun.

Conni finally got something she's been wanting for a long time...goats.

Two of them.

They are dairy goats - French Alpines.  Mother and daughter, Sibyl and Saxony.

We fenced them into our overgrown garden, hoping they would do some serious damage to all the weeds.

It's pretty amazing what they won't eat.  They really aren't grass eaters - they like to forage in the woods more.
We took a lovely little trip up to Madison county to get some hay.  We fit 21 bales on the truck - should last a couple of months.

My farm girl animal lover.

 Putting in some hard work.

A few days later, during school, we saw a goat and a dog go flying past the schoolroom window.

Of course, school came to a screeching halt.

We ran outside to see what was going on.  The goats had knocked down our temporary gate in the garden and gotten out.  Obviously, Bear had to give chase.  Fifteen minutes later, goats were in their pen, we had our dewy, goat poop crocs in the laundry sink, and we were back to school.

Ah, the joys (pains) of owning animals.  I'm glad we can do it though.  Glad this girl can do what she loves.

Here's hoping we can keep the school interruptions to a minimum!

Life just got better.

Now I feel whole again.

Tim surprised me and came in a day earlier than planned.  So happy.

We picked Abe up Thursday morning in Palm Springs.  I'm so glad to be getting my family back together.

We got back from the airport just in time to play water volleyball.  It was so much fun and my volleyball cronies loved having some new teammates.

Smit and Janet came up in the afternoon.  We had one last evening together.  Played volleyball, had a cookout, played pool and shuffleboard, and visited.

Please excuse my son's manners.

Smit, Janet, Ashley, and Jacob Smith.

My family on its way to being like it should.  Two down, two to go.

Unhooking and stowing all hoses, pipes, cords, and cables.  Time to roll again!

Our first stop...In and Out.  I've been waiting to go here until Abe got back.  Conni doesn't like burgers.  I've heard so much about In and Out.  Some people rave, some people say it's no different than any other burger joint.

Tim's Double Double.

 Our verdict.... In and Out is an okay burger.  Nothing to write home about, though.

So now, we are rolling!  Bear is chilling on the couch.  It took him a couple of miles to remember that this "house" rolls.  He was a little jumpy and nervous at first.

I'm glad to be on the road again.  Looking forward to more exciting adventures on our trip.  Can't wait to pick up the girls in a few more days.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

I could just cry.....

We haven't been here 24 hours and Conni has found this.

A stray chihuahua. She saw it running through the park and dashed out to catch it.  Apparently, no one here owns it.  So.....does this mean we'll have a little bug-eyed kick dog with us the rest of the trip?!?

She got on her bike with the little pooch and went to the office to report a lost dog.  They are thrilled that she's keeping it.  :(

So, anyone want to adopt a long-haired chihuahua?  Pleeeeease?????

By the way, Bear thinks it's a chew toy. Go Bear!

20 year old wish comes true.

I live in the woods.

Have lived here for 23 years.

I've always thought it looks kind of "beary" here. Bears have been sighted in our area many times over the years, but never here. Never.

I'm always on the lookout for wildlife. My kitchen windows give me a wonderful view of the woods and mountains. I see lots of deer, foxes, deer, groundhogs, Canadian geese, deer, and squirrels. Never a bear.

That all changed last night. My wish came true.

We were having a lovely dinner with Smit and Janet Smith. Just sitting there visiting and enjoying some Down Home Chicken and Rice, green beans, salad, and rolls; catching up on the years gone by. The peace and laidbackness of our dinner was shattered when Bear, our miniature poodle, suddenly went crazy barking.

He almost never barks. I'm serious. He really doesn't.

He dashed back and forth between windows barking his fool head off. I was a bit embarrassed at first. Why must the dog bark when company is here? We sent Conni from the table to go see what was wrong with her dog. I really didn't care what it was...just wanted him to shut up and disappear.

Conni left the table and conversation kept going like the rude interruption never happened. All was good.

Then from the other room:
"Oh my goodness! It's a bear! It's a bear!"

Then Bear (the dog) went crazy again.

You've never seen a table full of people evacuate so quickly!

We had a bit of a traffic jam trying to get all 9 of us out the door at the same time.

(I was so excited. I so hoped Conni was right and it was a bear.)

And sure enough! There it was right beside the house where we park. A black bear! Not out in the woods; not over the neighbors fence; but right in my yard!

As we all gathered around, it ambled off into the woods. We watched it for a few minutes until it disappeared into the underbrush.

I don't know how old, how big, how heavy the bear was. I know it was not a cub. Probably a young adult. Tim said it was a good size bear for here. Down on all fours, it would've come up almost to my hip.

As we went back to our dinner, I smiled and felt pretty smug.

I have now seen a bear in the wild here at my house.

See? Wishes do come true. Some just take a while.

My Pets

This is Chic. She was our pet chicken, and lasted until late spring/early summer of this year.

   We have a minor fox problem. We bought Chic along with 24 other chicks. She lasted the longest.

She was super tame! She liked to randomly hop up on people's heads, follow everyone around, and jump up to places where she wasn't allowed to be...

Crazy bird!

Chic was a real sweetie, and she got along with everyone-even Bear! They hit it off really well-they did everything together...

(: She kept him groomed pretty well too.

Chic really loved people!

I really miss her. ):


Meanwhile, Bear has been enjoying posing for some pictures himself. He especially loves the ones in which he gets to look melodramatically out into the middle distance!(:

He is a really special pet.

He is four years old, and I got him in 2007, when he was about 6 months old.

I love him so much!

Random things that happen when Mom leaves the schoolroom...

This morning when I left the schoolroom, I gave Conni a five minute break.  When I came back, her school desk had been transformed into a veterinarian clinic table and a minor operation was under way.  Bear had a cut on the top of his head and she was taking care of it.

Shaving the site of the wound.  Her Red Cross training is getting put to use!

Bear is so calm and still.  He lets her do anything!

Bear with a bandaged head.

He promptly tried to shake it off, but was unsuccessful.  Since he couldn't get it off, he just laid down in a corner and suffered silently.  His dignity was injured.

By the way, we think he cut his head this morning when he tried to jump up on Abe's bed.  He got a running jump, slipped on the wood floor, and "owned" the side of the bed.  Pretty funny, actually!

Caught in the act!

Bear knows he isn't supposed to be in this chair! Mom has to put the stool in it to discourage him from taking a nap there... so instead, this is what he does. :) That can't be very comfortable.......

Fall time...

Just a little update on what we are up to this week...



The view from our dinner table





The first frost a few mornings ago


We've got lots of projects going on around the house these days. Marci and I are each making a patchwork quilt. Here are the beginning stages of mine.



(Aren't my socks awesome?)



Fall time at our house always means lots of yummy food...



Broccoli and cheese sauce




Whole wheat gingerbread



Drying apples

Beef Stew


And of course, fall time means basketball season begins...

First practice

And last but not least, this is Conni's lastest random torture she has invented for Bear.