Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Buttons Trio


Look how fat Buttons is getting. She is due the end of March. I am so excited I can hardly wait. We haven't had any kids born here in over 7 years.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Chickens Of Minter Bay


The chickens have reluctantly moved to a new home. I had noticed that their coop would make a good kidding stall. It is right next to the feed and supply room. Too close for chickens but just perfect for a kidding stall. So I made the girls another pen. It has their food dish and their waterer. It even has their ladder. I coax them with a scoop of grain toward the new pen every afternoon where I lock them up and they fuss and complain. Most times I get them to cooperate but tonight I had two that really wanted back in their old pen.

One, of course, was Ramona the Brave. She is a very smart chicken.


I felt sorry for them and opened the door to the old pen.
They dash inside.
I shut the door.

Really, what's a kidding pen without a couple of hens....beside clean?

As I fed the other animals I listened to Ramona and her friend cackle about the pen's lack of accommodations. No food. No water. And most important of all at this time of the afternoon....no ladder.
They paced.
They squawked.
I opened the door.
They ran as fast as they could around the corner. I followed them wondering where they were going so fast.
I heard them before I saw them. They were making that soft little clucking sound as they settled for the night.
In the new pen.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

My Boy








Has It Really Been That Long?


Twenty-five years. That's a long time. Before I knew it a quarter of a century had flown by.
Twenty-five years ago today I had just completed 47 hours of labor and was presented with an 8 pound baby boy. What a journey that little boy would take us on.
Happy Birthday my son. We love you.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Birthday Girl


Happy Birthday Goldilocks. We love you.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Kid Art



I love kid art. How could you not? But this particular boy has a style that I really like. So I commissioned a picture of Cora Belle.


It makes me feel like smiling.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

New Arrivals


Buttons is a grandma! Her son, Rock, has his first kids on the ground. Here is a picture of the doeling, Adidas, (isn't that the cutest name?).
Another new arrival is my website Minter Bay Dairy Goats
Check it out. I must get ready for the new arrivals that are coming this spring. With a flip of a coin, Alice was bred so we may have MiniManchas in June.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

He Is The Dog For Me



I have been missing by dog showing buddies so I peeled myself out of bed at 5:30 this morning to ride along to the dog show at the Puyallup fairgrounds. They would be showing in obedience, mom in one class and daughter in another.
You don't know how happy I was to see this...


If you have never been to a dog show it is a fun outing for all the family. Between classes I decided to take a look around. There is a breed of dog for everyone's taste.

There are big dogs,



and really big dogs.



Medium dogs,



and small dogs.



Fluffy dogs,



and smooth.



There are faces only a mother could love.




And some that prefer to keep their face hidden.



There are trick dogs with snoods,



and dogs with bibs.



Tough dogs,



and not so tough.



Dogs having a bad hair day,



and dogs having a good one.



So no matter what you fancy there is a dog for you.....or one that looks like you.



After a long day of showing, shopping, and taking pictures, my friends and I got up to leave when a nice lady walked up to me with the sweetest smile on her face.
She said, "You don't know me but......"
I waited.
"Did you know that there is a huge split in the back of your pants and we can see your underwear?"
It took a minute for it to register.
I reached around and sure enough there was a huge 10 inch split in the back of my jeans and indeed my underwear was hanging out.

"Thank goodness I'm wearing underwear." I replied.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Willoughby Wallaby Woo


One of the things I like about my job is that you never know what you will be doing on any given day. I could be dancing, singing, going on a field trip, or chasing a loose goose around the playground. The principal and custodian still talk about the time I chased the goose down, grabbed it around the neck and then tucked it under my arm so we could secure it between the portables until its owner could come claim it. I also chased a policeman down that refused to show me his I.D. as he was sneaking around the building but that's a story for another time and I'm not sure I can even tell it because it involved an internal investigation.
So I never know what the day will bring. One of the reasons I stopped dressing up for work and now just wear jeans...my favorite item of clothing after my Keens.
So with that being said it should be no surprise when right in the middle of my math group a teenage girl came walking down the hall with a big dog crate. She set it down in front of the class and unzipped the top. Out popped the sweetest face I have ever seen. It was her pet wallaby, Mia.
Let's just say, there went the math group for the day. One of the little girls, who was complaining of an earache and just didn't feel like doing her math suddenly brightened up. She told me that seeing the wallaby made her feel better. I said it's a funny thing about animals, they can make you feel better...and get you out of doing math.
We petted and played with the wallaby a bit before it went into the classroom. Once in the classroom, the wallaby hopped around the room and let all the kids pet her. At one point the teenager wanted to show some pictures on the overhead so I was recruited to "wallaby sit" for awhile. The wallaby came with treats so I spent a few minutes going through its tricks. If you hold a treat up she will jump up on those big back legs and grab the treat out of your hand. I also had her jumping up on the small couch in the room. You know me, I was in love...with a wallaby.
When I got home from work I told Hubby about the wallaby.
He said,"Oh no, are you going to want a wallaby?"
I said," No I don't want one. I mean really what do you do with a wallaby?"
His answer- "What do you do with a pot-bellied pig?"

Picture courtesy of the internet. One of those times I was wishing I'd have brought my camera to work.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Batman and Superman


My two great nephews came to the farm on Christmas. The older one calls himself Superman and his little brother Batman. One time I called him by his real name and he said, "Don't you mean Superman?" It was priceless.

Armed with bags of carrots they went down to the farm to meet the animals.


Somehow the pigs ended up with all the carrots.





Where's my carrot?



Follow the leader.



Batman

Superman

It was a treat to be visited by superheroes on Christmas Day.