Back In The Saddle

Mourning is officially over, for everyone except Pony Boy. He usually just carts around little children and gets rewarded with buckets of carrots and sweet feed, but he was a good sport today. He even put up with lots of hugs and kisses.

nothing like that pony/puppy smell

His bridle was dusty and needed a little polishI needed to walk over to the mounting block to climb on my 12 hand steed.

Double wide

I thought it would be fun to round up the Longhorns, but changed my mind…..

git along little doggies

After 14 years of smiling for the camera, our little pony has it down pat.

Smile for the camera!

Fast Eddie the super tortoise wanted to join us on our trail ride.

Wanna come?

We rode the fence-line and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Flower power

Miss Piggy was content to hear all about it when we got back to the barn.

what did I miss?????

Everybody got extra treats to celebrate the awesome day……once again I feel like I am living the dream.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

 

I promise I will bring plenty of cookies!!!!!

Any one who has pets knows how difficult it is to be away from them. I had a panic attack before we left the last time, imagining all sorts of afflictions that they would suffer, not to mention the possible trauma they would inflict upon their caretakers. The four dogs were in heaven at their grandmother’s house running in and out of the house and barking non stop for five days. The goats, sheep,tortoise, ducks, cats, horses and Miss Piggy were in great hands here at home with Tiffany our priceless vet tech house sitter. I think they just might be a tad bit spoiled, though, I don’t know how this happened, but I didn’t want to burden Tiff with their usual feeding schedule.  A typical morning starts off with either waffles,pancakes,bagels with cream cheese  or all three for Miss Piggy and the sheep and goats. The horses get their sweet feed and manage to drop a few crumbs on the ground for the ducks and Miss Piggy. The cats get fed every time I walk out the door and I always put a few handfuls out for  Miss Piggy. By then it’s time for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Miss Piggy shares with whoever wants them, followed by carrots for all the critters. So you can understand why I wouldn’t expect anyone to stick to this routine when I am gone and this is just the morning ritual, dinner time gets complicated. I realized how much they  missed me the first time we left for a week. I went out for a morning run our first day back and looked behind me to see all four goats/sheep jogging along behind me. A few paces back, Miss Piggy was doing her pot bellied best to keep up. I figured they would stop at the gate, but they stuck with me for over a mile. I decided to turn around and take them home. Later in the day, I planned to take just a quick trip into town, but my efforts were useless when a herd of ponies surrounded my  truck. Every way I turned they were there herding me back towards the feed room. Was I paranoid or was it  a conspiracy to keep them  from missing a meal.  I was a little leery  when we returned from our trip to Chicago in June. This was the longest time that we had left them in quite a while, what were they going to do this time? As I learned last time….they have ways to make us stay! I jumped into the truck and promised them that I was only going to the feed store, possibly the bakery and then I would be right back. Thinking they were convinced I started to drive away, Bridgett was smirking at me from beside the barn, the horses were grazing and trying to look nonchalant. What is up? I thought. I soon discovered why when I realized my left rear tire was flatter than the pancakes that Miss Piggy had for breakfast…..I didn’t need to see dental records to identify the perfect underbite marks that pierced the rubber…….

Welcome to the Ranch

Well, the best way to welcome a stranger is by serving up a home cooked meal, but it’s too hot to cook and I suck as a cook anywaybut you can’t go wrong with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some cold french fries. This is one of Miss Piggy’s favorites, so we thought it would be a hit with our week-end guest, Baconcito.

He definitely loved it! 

He kind of reminds me of a chubby Labrador Retriever. We actually have a deed restriction that excludes pigs from the neighborhood, but he is a Lab….that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

 

Velvet and Sunrise

Velvet and Sunny have been racing around the barn like they’ve never seen a pig, I mean dog before. I’m sure they will be great friends in no time. After all they only have “a few days” to get to know each other!

Being that he is such a handsome dude and Miss Piggy is such a cute puppy herself….I have a feeling that if they do have the good fortune to meet, this is what they are gonna see!!!!

 

Happy 4th of July 2009!!!!!

Let’s celebrate our butts off, America!!!!!!!   Today is a blessed and awesome day ! Happy 4th of July 2009

Mr. Piggy

Miss Piggy always wanted a friend, even a bucket or ball or any object that was her shape would hold her interest until it sadly rolled away. I’m sure she has forgotten that she is a pig. I was just making her yummy pancakes this morning when Eddie, one of Peyton’s best friends called. “It’s Eddie” Peyton said. “He wants to bring bacon over. They are on their way” How sweet, I thought, but why would he be bringing us breakfast. ” Remember, Mom, “Bacon” the pig that he asked you to keep “for a few days” until they can build a pen?” Oh, right. I went to feed Miss Piggy, there was nothing I could say to prepare her for this, but I needed to tell Tom and I wondered how many times he had heard the  line “just for a few days”. A little while later Eddie and his dad drove up pulling a short little trailer with an adorable squealing, large hog ready to bust through the sides. “Well we agreed to take this pig, but Eddie was expecting a cute little Babe or Wilbur” his dad confided. We opened the trailer not knowing if he would bolt for the hills, but he walked right into the barn and as they say in those sappy love stories………..right into my heart. Now after a welcoming treat of carrots and cream cheese coffee cake, I think that he loves me, too. If the name Bacon has any literal meaning, he will be staying here until pigs fly and I know just where to hide him if they start planning a luau.

Feeling down? Talk to the Clown

Yeah, it happens to the jolliest of us all.  Even living in paradise on earth, sometimes you just need to go somewhere quiet and be alone. I was trying to escape  the other day and hide out for a few minutes, just to absorb all the ups and downs of the last few weeks, without upsetting the dogs and Miss Piggy.  So I blinked back a few tears and walked over to  the barn to be in a crappy mood for a while. As usual our resident clown saw me coming and was prepared to uplift my mood and make me forget anything but his silly self. Here he was herding our 80 pound tortoise across the pasture

Move along little doggie

When the farrier came later in the day to trim hooves, he felt obligated to hand him his tools and accidently dropped a heavy metal object on his foot. When I had securely locked a filly into her stall, he managed to set her free to run around playing hard to catch for the next 30 minutes. I swear it must be a conspiracy to make me happy!!!!! I LOVE you RUSS!!!!!!

Miss Piggy

I’m not sure how old our Miss Piggy is in people years, but I think she must be a teenager around 15. She is still sweet and polite, but she is sporting a radical new hair style, a MOHAWK and I am wondering what comes next. I’ve read that even these innocent little pot-bellied pigs can transform into feral hogs in a matter of weeks! Has she met her dream Javelin while rooting around the fields? Will I see her with a family of marrinitos? No, I think she is happy to slop here at the Rockin’ P. Besides she would never give up  her treats from Grandmother……

Duck Weather

The Mallards are loving this rain and so are we! The fields are green and ready to harvest plenty of hay!!!!! Yeah!!!!

Swining and Dining

We are taking all precautions to insure that Miss Piggy does not get exposed to the flu of any kind. We wash our hands and sterilize the plates before we fix her slop. We tried to get her to have a sip of red wine for the antioxidant properties of “resveratrol and the flavonoids” but she opted for a sandwich with organic peanut butter and grape jelly. We added some vitamins and flaxseeds and she is limiting the number of visitors until further notice….

less chance of a Canine or Feline outbreak here, either.

What Ya Been Doin?

Our dogs four little faces greeted Tom, Peyton and I when we got back  from the Stock Show on Sunday. “Why were you gone soooo long, where were you and what did you do?” They all started sniffing my pants and didn’t hear me say  oh, nothing……Smells don’t lie and these nosey guys figured out that unbelievably  we had left them to see other dogs, horses,and the least forgivable was a quick visit to the petting zoo. “What could you possibly have seen in there that you don’t already have here at home?” They wondered. True, we saw sheep and goats,chickens and ducks,pigs and ponies. The only animal that we saw there that I doubt we will ever have here at the ranch was a kangaroo. Sky being an Australian Shepherd picked up on that scent right away. “You should have brought that one home, Mom, then I could really learn to jump!”  I don’t think so.  We have just enough crazy here to keep us happy.

Green Acres Is The Place For Me!

  Our bedroom  has french doors that overlook a beautiful,  serene landscape with lush pastures filled with docile sheep and goats grazing quietly along side chubby ponies and sleek horses nickering to one another. It is so wonderful to wake up to the soft sounds of contented animals when the sun comes up. BUT….at midnight……NOT so much.

This morning was one of those days that made me want to go back to bed, preferably in a hotel far, far away, or better  yet an uninhabited island. (I KNOW what you’re thinkin’ Villa Rosa) Even Tom can not name every little wondrous creature that calls this place home, so I am going to give a cast of characters just to illustrate today’s events. 

KIRBY-female kitty -white with black spots (named after Dr. Dan Kirby )                                        NEGRITO-black and white male kitty

Bridgette-Boar goat (named after a favorite DJ)                                    Cactus Jack and Mesquite Joe-  young Longhorn  steers 

Kidd Rock- a pygmy goat (named after another awesome DJ)                                       Miss Piggy- a so called MICRO-MINI pot-bellied pig                                             

Bailey- Welsh pony   (bay with socks and a blaze)                                                                                     Okie- Pomeranian (black and white)

Noche – Sheltie (tri-color)                                                                                  Francie – beautiful bay Arabian mare

Sky-Australian Shepherd (blue merle)                                                                            

  OK I exaggerated  about the serenity of the pastures, but that is what I was dreaming about this morning when I heard an ear splitting banging noise  in the back forty that was the all too familiar pawing of Bailey  with his hooves against the metal feeder looking for the last morsel of sweet feed that may have dropped between the cracks. He finally gave up and just before we drifted back to sleep, we hear  banging on the metal outside our bedroom. “Damn goats” We both assumed that they were banging their horns against the side of the house when they scratched, but flashlight in hand I could see them laying next to Francie by the barn, sharing her blanket. This time  the racket  was coming from Miss Piggy  rooting out a snuggly place in the sand where the heat from the house would keep her warm through the night…The kitchen was closed by then, but the weather was freezing so I tossed her a peanut butter sandwich. Thank you “Uncrustable” people! I stumbled back into the bedroom and  found  a bare spot on the bed with Okie and Spooky next to my feet and Sky had stretched out next to Tom. Kirby was taking a bite of her food that was on the bedside table safe from the dogs and  I gave her a little massage as she curled up next to me. Her purring lulled me back to sleep for maybe 30 minutes. We had our next rude awakening when Sky jumped over us and splashed through the water bowl by the bed. This got all the dogs barking and I could see that  Bridgette had pushed the door open and was sticking her head inside. The door would not stay closed, so I wedged a towel in the door frame and threw another one on the floor. Kirby was swishing her tail in my face like she does when she wants a back rub, I tried that but she wasn’t purring. I could see her face in the half light and just when I thought about putting her on the floor, she threw up on my pillow…..That did it!  Maybe I could take a nap later. I got up and checked my e-mail and decided to post this blog. 

   I let the dogs out so that hopefully Tom could get a few hours of sleep, but they were on a rampage barking and chasing who knows what. Probably Kidd Rock who likes to sneak into the yard to torment them. Jack and Joe were thinking it was time for breakfast and they started mooing….but it seemed so LOUD at this time of the morning! I looked out into the pasture which had been empty of cattle for months, but of-course, here were my neighbor’s cattle trotting around in the darkness and edging up to the fence line to meet Jack and Joe for the first time. By now it was light enough for me to see their bull pawing and being Mr. Macho while our guys tried to do the same. Being new to the cattle business with my herd of two steers, I wasn’t sure if they would tear down the fence or what would happen next. I filled a bucket with cubes and thankfully Jack and Joe were more interested in food. Relieved, I came back to the computer and so far it looks like it’s going to be an awesome day!