i guess we raise hams????

i have come to the realization that my animals possess a sixth sense when it comes to paparazzi. i whip out a camera and they instinctively turn their heads and pose.

lady dinky

the boot

choppy cheese

"weddy for my cwose up"

even the goats do it!

thanksgiving update

thanksgiving came and went. our turkeys are still walking. they lucked out. being heritage breeds, they have a longer growing period. so they get to enjoy this nice weather a few more weeks. also still walking are the pigs. the weather has been in fifties. and not suitable for pig harvesting. i'm kinda glad. i've grown attached to those clowns. dagmar told me he's gonna try and hold out 'til christmas.

dinky dog came by for thanksgiving. she has a lot to be thankful for. a home, food, and a killer outfit.

dinker

ralphie, the remaining puppy from a recent litter at mother in-law's got adopted. but he's staying in the family. jason's brother & wife fell for the cute face.

ralphie

and me, i'm just trying to snap the winter blues. this time of year always does it to me. hopefully my eight foot tall wild cedar christmas tree will do the trick.

jason got a chainsaw

dinkerbell update.

dinky came to visit on sunday. she's lookin' good. sportin a new collar, a few extra pounds, and her natural charm. she reminisced about her days convalescing at the rook farm and said she'll never forget us, nor the good times at happy joe's....

basil bouquet & the ballad of the sad mini pin

i harvested my basil. the plant served me well this summer. it's a great feeling to walk out to the garden and pick a few fresh leaves to season a meal. i divided the final harvest into two bunches. one for drying. and one to make fresh pesto.

basil bouquet

meanwhile del ray has been working on his pitiful dog look. he was jealous of dinky for getting all the attention last month. dinky, by the way, is doing splendid in her new home and is well on her way to being.... dare i say it... fat!

i am so sad.

like a ghost thru the fog...

"and to those that i love, like a ghost thru a fog, like a charmed hour, and a haunted song..." - s. nicks

susan and kristi came to visit. it was so good seeing friends. catching up. sipping wine. being happy. jason made wonderful meals, fresh bread and wild berry cobbler. we bought antique hats, made an entrance at an art show, invaded a local winery, ate rita's chili, toasted a 67 yr old survivor, sent dinky dog off to her new home, and watched the sun set while the fog rolled in.

now they are gone. the bottles are empty. the sink is full of dishes. the dogs are sleeping. and the fog lingers as it has and always will. old timers say that for every day of fog in late summer, a day of snow that winter. it's been foggy for 30 days. i'm afraid.

me, kristi, emily (a 67 yr old survivor we picked up at the 12 west martini bar), and susan

kristi & me

amber adopts dinkerbell

mmm... bread!

odds & ends.

floods came back. for a day at least. we were lucky. not much damage. our ponds filled once more. makes for happy cows & pigs.

painted my kitchen yellow. "dandy yellow" to be exact. i don't know what i was thinking. it's so bright. maybe we'll be able to save on electricity.

dinky dog is doing well. she's (dare i say it) probably the best dog in the house. doesn't bark. she's housetrained, sweet and very grateful. looks like she might be going to her forever home this weekend. she deserves it. i will miss her.

and tomorrow i pick up my good friend, kristi. she's flying in from new jersey. then, on friday we will be joined by our equally good friend, susan. we're all sistahs and have known each other since we were bald. wine and trouble will no doubt be forthcoming.

this just in.... dinky dog loves chicken!

yesterday was a big day for dinky dog. she got a bath, got introduced to porkchop & del ray and discovered the magical wonders of kitchen-land or as choppy calls it "happy joe's." she stood by jason's feet while he fried some chicken and baked scalloped 'taters. the look on her face was priceless...

"happy joe's is awesome!"

how can people be so thoughtless?

how can people be so cruel?

a couple days ago we were taking a load of scrap metal (still leftovers from the previous owner) to the dump to recycle. while we on our way, we saw something strange. a little dog in the middle of the highway trying desperately to get into someone.. anyone's car. now we usually don't stop for every stray dog. you don't know how many we see out here. loyally waiting by the side of the road where they were obviously dumped by their heartless owner. we've tried before to stop. to help. but as soon as you call the dog, they get scared, run off. and then you are more worried they might run off in traffic and get run over. but this time we were both so shocked at what we saw. this dog. if you could call her a dog... she looked like a walking skeleton. she was at an intersection of two highways and was frantically trying to get people to pull over. we saw cars slow down as to not hit her. and we watched as she clawed at the doors in sheer panic mode. but people just pointed and drove on. we didn't. we turned the car around. opened the door and she climbed into jason's arms. we were afraid she wouldn't even make the car ride home. i had never seen a dog so thin in my life. it was utterly disturbing. in addition, she had scars on her, fleas, mud, her feet were raw from running. probably had mange. worms. and who knows what else.

after two days of food & water

we brought her home. she is quarantined in our shed. i've treated her fleas. and have given her ointment for mites. or course she is getting plenty of food and water. and lots of rest. our plan is to nurse her back to health and find a good home for her. she is a sweet heart. and looks to be a pure-bred rat terrier. we are calling her dinky.

dinky dog

yes, it's a lot of work. but our mr daniels has been missing now for six months. i would hope if someone saw him and he looked hurt or sick or hungry, they would take him in and show kindness. animals don't need to suffer.