Happy 2013!

These Wonderful Things…

…are the things we remember all through our lives.

Merry Christmas from the Wesleys!

A Happy Reminder

One of the biggest things dogs do for us is remind us.  They remind us to pet them, feed them, give them water and play with them.  They also remind us of emotions like compassion, empathy, hope, trust and love.

Years before I met GGMark, he took two-year old Charlie on a road trip to pick up a young basset hound that needed a home.  They surprised Max with the floppy eared dog after his first-grade class was done for the day.  The three of them decided that a dog that had this face:

just begged for the name Happy.

Happy’s life was mostly uneventful.  When he was a young dog and Mark lived in town there were a couple of escapes to the local car dealership.  Only a basset nose could tell why he chose that destination.  He was promptly retrieved both times and brought home to his backyard where he bellowed at the fence at passersby.  He was never one to miss an opportunity for a tasty handout.  Evenings found him under Mark’s feet for a good old fashioned massage and curled up with Max for a good night snooze.

After Mark and I met and we moved to the property, his short aging legs followed me on the dog walks around the property.  His nose led him in a zig-zag and the poodles and I could easily lap him.  As the slope in the back got to be too much for him, he would wander around the front yard.  Mark and the kids would gently rake his body with the shedding blade.  He’d groan and grunt unabashedly, rolling around and giving them access to his most itchiest parts.

Last summer it became clear to us that it would be Hap’s last season.  He could no longer make it up and down the three steps in the garage.  Mark carried him three or four times a day, every day, all summer, outside.  There were a few times we thought the day would be his last.  But Hap would rally.  The dragging ears would come forward, the thick tail would sway back and forth and the voice boomed, “Nope.  Not yet.”  His chosen spot was right by the back door where we stepped over him to enter and exit.  He was not to be counted out.

The week came when Hap stopped eating and Mark made the appointment for a Saturday.  All too often, we lose our pets in the midst of busy schedules and planned events.  That Saturday I bid a hasty good-bye to Hap and rushed back to the kitchen to get ready for my Cookie Girls to visit.  In the midst of that busy afternoon, my strongest memory is Mark’s return from the vet.  Standing in the kitchen, entertaining a room full of friends, I watched the red jeep drive across the front yard, past the dining room window heading for our little pet cemetery.

Supposedly, there are seven major life event stressors:  marriage, divorce, death of loved one, selling a house, buying a house, loss of job, new job.  Through stories and histories of these events there is always a good dog as a discreet witness:  Cindy, Laddie, Molly, Bo, Duncan, Faith, Luther, Cricket, Max…the list is long.  Happy was Mark’s companion during a time when he hit each of these events in matter of a few years.  Never unobtrusively, Happy would shove his head under Mark’s feet and say, “Hey!  Forget your troubles.  I have my own.  I need a scratch!”

Happy will have his stories again and again.  He was one of the good ones.

Summer: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly – Reversed

I like to save the best for last so let’s start with the ugly first.  Absolutely the worst thing about summer is the flies:  deer and horse.  The minute we set foot outside we are kamakazied by deer flies.  They swarm in unbeatable numbers around our heads.  They are slow so relatively easy to catch.  But seriously, who wants to swat one when it lands on your arm?  I’ve opted for a swipe/swat manuever to avoid the bloody splat on my skin.

I can’t walk the dogs anymore as we are dive bombed with every step.  When Mark comes in from the garage, he will often feel one crawling around in his hair.

Ugly enough for you yet?  How about this picture?  I’m sparing you a close up.

The black mass in the jar are hundreds of dead flies.  When the wind blows just right, the smell is putrid.  The traps are only a minor defense.  See poor Marigold?

She came out to say hi to me but then beat it, bum and elbows, as fast as possible back to the barn!  We have an electronic sprayer in the barn which seems to provide some relief for the girls and I don’t have too much of a problem when I clean their stall.

Luckily, the addition of the goats has not added to the fly problem.  July just happens to be the worst season for deer flies.  We’ve always had them and they begin to diminish at the beginning of August.

Add the one inch horse flies which pester us in the pool and I’m ready for spring again.  We’ve made the horse flies kind of a game while we’re in the pool.  When any of us spot a fly, we yell, “Dunk!” and we all go under and come up splashing.  Hey, sometimes you have to improvise.

Now for the bad:  thunderstorms and fireworks.  I used to love listening to distant echoing thunderstorms.  Now they are a source of stress for me and panic for the dogs.  Especially Audrey, one of the poodles.

This is what she did to her brand new crate:

Audrey’s fear takes hold at the slightest rumble be it thunder, gunshots or fireworks.  She trembles and shakes uncontrollably.  She is actually a good weather forecaster.  We usually know about an hour in advance of an approaching storm.

However, when we are at work, things get dicey.  She had recently destroyed two crates so Mark replaced one.  When he arrived home the other day, she had broken free of her new crate and scrambled over the dutch door into the main house.  Fortunately, she had just broken free and hadn’t had a chance to do any damage to herself or the house.  The medication I was using for her anxiety did not work.  I had to get something stronger.  So far, through two more thunderstorms and some fireworks being shot off near our home, she has been mellow and the new med seems to be working.  I hate to use the drugs but it seems, in Audrey’s case, the kindest thing to do.  And maybe I can go back to enjoying the milder thunderstorms.

Max and Charlie have heavy work schedules at  a nearby golf course.  Max cooks and Charlie does dishes and salads.  We’ve only been seeing them about once a week and we miss them.

But even with the flies, things that go BAM in the night, and busy schedules I do love summer.  The heat doesn’t even bother me.  And hot it is in Michigan.  We are having quite the heat wave.  Ninety to one hundred degree temperatures.

Mark does not like the heat.  He has been working in the garage everyday building the milking stanchion and the chicken coop.  The birds are getting restless and big so Mark is in a time crunch.  And much like when he was building the barn the weather is not cooperating for him.

On the good side, Mark and Jess take lots of swimming breaks.

Since it’s been so hot, I’ve been able to join them on a number of occasions.  I will spare you a picture of me in my swimsuit as that would not fit in the “good” category.

The heat brought a surprise visit from DGG Karen this week.  Her power went out so she stayed overnight with us to beat the heat.  Jess even got Karen in for a swim.  It was fun for us girls to chill out.  We watched Oklahoma, ate hot dogs, talked and snacked.  Best day this week!

Other goods?

I can bathe the dogs outside with the hose.

It’s a much easier process then hauling my cookies into town to the Dog-O-Mat.  I save time and money.  Although, I do miss my friend, Beth.  She is the owner of the Dog-O-Mat and we have great chats when I’m there.

Another good was watching Jess learn and play softball this year.

Hit.

Safe at First.

Second.

Third.

Heading Home.

The girls rotated positions in the field but they all loved to play catcher so they could wear the armor.

Jess played coach pitch this year and her team did well.  She had a great coach and the moms were a fun crowd.  It was a good kick-off to the summer.

Jessie also went for a hair cut and on the spur of the moment, giving up her Rapunzel dream and without any prompting from me, donated her hair to Locks of Love.  I’m one proud mommy.

It didn’t hurt that Charlie promised to get Jessie ten presents for her birthday if she would cut her hair.  I think that was a motivating factor for Jess.  I make out in the bargain as well since I don’t have to spend ten minutes in the morning brushing her hair.

Summer has only just begun for me.  I’m looking forward to Jess’s birthday, taking care of all our new additions, painting the coop and stanchion, and a few vacation days spattered here and there.  It’s a busy season for sure.  Summer brings the plans set in motion months ago to fruition.  It’s a season of progress and preparation.

And a sense of peace from a day well done.

What is your summer good, bad and ugly?

Fly Away, Stork! You are One Too Many!

About two weeks ago, the post office called again in the early morning.  The stork had made another visit.  This time he brought 26 chicks of several varieties: Anconas, Black Australorps, Pearl Leghorns, New Hampshire Reds, Columbian Wyandottes, and two Speckled Sussex cockerels.  In addition, the hatchery sent one Buff Cochin as an exotic breed “bonus”.

Mark has since sold nine of the chicks and one of the cockerals.  We are down to a total of 22 birds, including the five keets.

To say Mark has been busy is an understatement.  I believe he added 20-30 minutes to his mornings.  Let me add that while I was more than willing to help with his goat project, I’ve been less so with the chickens.  I will hold and pet and coo but I would rather not clean their boxes.  Nor has Mark asked me.  It is one big YUCK.  Mark is very faithful about it but it’s pretty much a losing battle.  They poop a lot!

We have three brooder boxes.  Each box, which is a actually a plastic tub, is covered with a wire screen which Mark made.  On each screen he placed a lamp with a 75 watt bulb to keep these babies warm.  Mark opted for the lamp and 75 watt bulb because heat lamps are a fire hazard.  So far, his set up has worked very well and we haven’t lost any chicks.

Each day Mark changes the bedding and gives them fresh water and food.  Their bedding is pine shavings covered with paper towels.  The paper towels keep things a bit cleaner and make it easier to wipe out the boxes.

Mark chose these chicks for their egg laying ability, disposition and their cold weather hardiness.  Some of the birds are Heritage Breeds such as the Black Australorps, Columbian Wyandottes and Anconas.  Heritage Breeds are those listed as threatened, recovering, critical or watched.  Eggs  from the store come from commercial hybrid chickens.  The commercial birds are bred for their ability to produce eggs fast enough to feed the American public; basically egg laying machines.

Our chicks are two weeks old now and beginning to molt.  They are looking a bit bedraggled.

Remember the guinea keets?  They’ve grown a lot in three weeks.  Here is our first born in the front:

You can see the vulture-like head starting to develop.  All I can say is they better get gorgeous plumage and eat their weight in deer flies because that head is just a bit freaky.  I’m not sure I want them hovering over me while I walk the dogs or take a swim.

Here is Rooster Cogburn.

Rooster Jake Cogburn because I like the name Jake but Mark came up with Cogburn and I like that, too.  He is a Speckled Sussex and will get deep mahogany feathers.  And a loud voice.  Sigh.

This is Palma and Fuzzy:

Little Palma was touch and go for awhile.  She had problems with her poo caking up on her bum so we gave her some ground up oatmeal and electrolytes in her water.  Mark wipes her bum everyday.  When she peeps it kind of sounds like, “Wiiiipe meee oofff!”  We also separated her from the rest since she is small and needed to gain some strength.  I named her Palma because she will sit so nice and sweetly in your hand.  She seems to be on the rebound now so we put Fuzzy in with her.  Fuzzy is our “bonus” Buff Cochin and Jess’s pet bird.

All the birds move to a coop in two more weeks which, translated, we have two weeks to build a coop.  As it is the girls are starting to test their wings and make a flapping fuss when they realize they are going to be fed.  I hope they/we can make it two more weeks.

We have heard that there is nothing like a farm fresh egg.  The girls should start laying in November.  Let’s see, sixteen chickens laying one egg a day.  Yikes!  When you visit us bring your egg cartons.  PLEASE!

Father Hen

Happy Father’s Day to all the GGs today!  I hope you get your golf game or breakfast in bed or bar-b-que or all of the above.

My GG Mark got five more babies for Father’s Day.  Here they are:

Do you know what keets are?  I didn’t either until a few days ago.  Keets are guinea fowl babies.  Guineas are an exotic bird similar to peacocks but smaller like a chicken.  I won’t show you a picture of an adult because the head will freak you out a bit.  They look, to me, like a cross between a dinosaur and a vulture.  But the feather colors are gorgeous.  We are having fun trying to determine what colors these little guys will become after their molt.  So far, we’ve identified royal purple and lavender.  Two of the keets have us stumped.

Mark started this project about 4 weeks ago with an incubator and twelve eggs.  The incubator is just this little styrofoam jobby-do.

Mark set it up a day or two before the eggs arrived.  They came by mail and the post office called about 6:00 one morning to tell us they were waiting to be picked up.  Who knew eggs come from the post office?  A whole new birds and bees scenario.

The temperature and humidity have to be just so.  Mark  kept a log and recorded the stats each day.

Guinea eggs take about 28 days to hatch versus 21 for chicken eggs.  The automatic egg turner continuously and very slowly turns the eggs.

On or about day 18, we “candled” the eggs.  Jess is practiced at this.  Her class hatched chickens this spring so she showed us how to do it.  You shine a light through the egg so you can see what, if anything, is growing.  We had three empty eggs.  The rest were full and Mark and Jess even saw the some of the babies move inside the egg.

Monday morning Mark got his first baby.  The big guy in the center:

Actually, we don’t know their sex.  When they feather out we should be able to tell.  Or when the keets start calling.  Right now they peep.  As adults the hens make a sound like “buck-wheat, buck-wheat”.  The boys make a call like peacocks.  Yes, the neighbors will love us.

Tuesday brought another keet.  We thought that was going to be it but then Wednesday two more hatched.  Thursday morning Mark found one hatching in progress but the little thing was struggling.  Mark had to make a decision between losing it or helping it.  All the books say don’t interfere with the hatching process.  There is a membrane that is attached to the shell and keet that  is difficult to separate.  Mark went online to see if he could find a way to rescue it.  He painstakingly worked about 15 minutes very carefully removing the shell bit by bit.  The baby was very weak and we were worried we were going to lose it but, miraculously, it survived and is doing well.  It’s the little cutie in the front:

Mark paced like a new father all week.  He hatched five keets out of twelve eggs.  Actually, not a bad success rate for fertilized eggs in the mail.  They are all living in the brooder box for the next six weeks until they get feathers and can live outside in a coop.

Don’t worry.  The one on the left is just fine.  It’s a little disturbing how they look when they are asleep.  Sometimes they have their legs stretched out behind them.  I still have to tap on the box to wake them up to convince myself they are alive.  Kind of like Shirley McClaine in Terms of Endearment when she pinches the baby.

And why guineas you ask?  They supposedly keep your property free of rodents, snakes and cut down on the insect population.  If they can reduce the deer flies I will be one happy camper.  (I will have to post a picture of my dog-walking outfit.  It’s basically deer fly armor.)

But why guineas for Mark?  I think he just likes being a dad.

DGG Goat Song

J-J-J-Jessie, J-J-J-Jessie,
She’s the only g-g-g-girl that I adore.
When the m-moon shines
Over the goat shed,
I’ll be waiting at the
k-k-k-kitchen door.

 

Got Goats? We Do! (or DGG…Divine Goat Girls)

Dannon and Marigold are home.  And, on a side note to the DGGs, it just happens to coincide with DGG Jessie’s first pointing picture.  I have to tell you, she pointed of her own free-will with no prompting from me.  Notice the casual, relaxed manner of the point…very DGG.  I’m so proud.

Ah, but you are here for the goats!  Well, we brought them home on Friday night.  No riding on the roof of the car (a la Romney style) for these girls.  Oh no, they rode in DGG style inside the van in dog crates.  However, they were very sad to leave their herd mates and bleated most of the way home.  An hour and a half of sad goat song is something everyone should experience.  Like a good ol’ country song, it made my heart bleat.

So we think they’re adjusting well.  They’ve grown a bit since we last saw them and we’re enjoying getting to know their personalities.

I expected Dannon to be the dominant girl but it appears Marigold is the boss.  She butts Dannon away from the hay so she can get first choice.

Dannon is very affectionate and loves to be petted.

Marigold is also very affectionate and wants her fair share of the attention.  Both true DGGs.

GG Mark and Jess have been spoiling them with attention.  See why I married this guy???

In fact, these girls are getting so spoiled they bleat at the fence anytime we go in the house.

I’ll share more pictures soon.  Mark did a fabulous job on the barn.  Mostly by himself but we all pitched in here and there.

We’re learning a little goat song in the morning is a very sweet sound.

They Had Me at “Baaaa”

We will soon have two new members of our family.

Introducing Dannon…

…and Marigold.

They are two days old in these pictures and the foundation of GGMark’s dairy goat project.  I’m afraid I’ve fallen deeply in love with these kids.  Sadly, we had to leave them on their Ohio farm because they are not old enough yet and because we don’t have anywhere to put them.  So I guess a structure and pen is the first part of the project.

Dannon and Marigold are Oberhasli goats.  Well, Dannon is an Oberhasli.  Marigold is 1/2 Oberhasli and ½ Alpine.  Oberhaslis are a medium size goat and are known for their gentle and affectionate nature.

I have to say I was sold as soon as we walked into the barn at Ober-Ridge farm.  There were approximately ten little kids lined up along the fence furiously wagging their tails.  (I really should have snapped a picture of that!)  They were just like little puppies so how could I EVER have resisited?

Paige, the young lady who has charge of the goats, plucked Dannon and Marigold out of their pen so we could see them in action.

And action is exactly what Dannon gave us…

Marigold tended to be more on the calmer but curious side.

This is Paige with Marigold and their dog, Stella (don’t you just love that name?).

STELLAAAAAA!  Sorry.  I’ll stop clawing at my tee shirt now.

Paige hovered over her kids and kept an eagle on on them.  She patiently answered all our questions.  If Dannon or Marigold felt Paige wasn’t giving them the proper amount of attention, they let her know.

Goat butt.

Get it?  Goats butt?  Get it now?  I knew that you would.

We were there for about an hour.  We watched the babies drink their milk and, the next time we turned around to look at them, they were gone.  They all disappeared into their teepees for a kid flop.  This is similar to a puppy flop in which they are so tired they need a nap – immediately.  Again, I missed a photo opportunity.

We learned a lot about goats from Paige and her mom, Mollie.  Paige started in goats at age 8 for a 4-H project.  She shows her goats and has been successful in the show ring.  We have a lot more to learn but it was a good start.  I guess experience will be our guide.

So I don’t know…can a poodle exhibitor find happiness in the goat show ring?  Can the poodles find happiness as goat herders?

Stay tuned.

A Slope and a Sled

Well, we are home today.  Jess has a cold.  She is on the couch watching Sponge Bob and eating breakfast so while she is otherwise occupied, here are some pics of our snow play last weekend.

Michigan had a little snowfall last Friday and the snow stayed the entire weekend.  It was “good packin” so Charlie, Jess, Mark and I took advantage and went outside.  We started with a snowball fight.  I seemed to be the main target.  I should have kept my camera with me as a force field but I was counting on pelting some family members.  Mom’s revenge for dirty dishes, t.v. arguments, and messy bedrooms.  Unfortunately, I have very poor aim and not much distance.  Jessie, on the other hand, does not throw like a girl.  We were all lucky she had a visual bull’s eye on our bottoms.

As the kids moved on to sledding, I dusted off the snow and grabbed my camera.

We have just the tiniest slope from the garage entrance down to the backyard.  It’s just enough for Jess right now.

Up…

and down she went…

only pausing to shake off the snow.  Do you think maybe the lack of a hat contributed to her cold today?

Charlie turned the sled into a snowboard.

And, of course, what Charlie tries so follows Jess.  She kept her hat in the back of the sled for quick action when Mom and Dad said, “Jess, put your hat on your HEAD!”

The dogs had a great time.  Sagey came in low and took Charlie out but she apologized.

It’s possible that all this activity was the catalyst for Jess’s cold.  But for a few sniffles, I think it was worth it.

Just one last picture.  Isn’t this the cutest kid?

A day old baby goat.  Beth, my sister-in-law, has a sister with a small farm.  She sent us this picture since they know we are considering getting goats and chickens.  This makes it hard to resist.