Mother and Baby

 

This is Little Shy, named after her mother Shy, and her first baby.  Though she's older now and no longer giving us kids (baby goats), she still nurtures every baby as if they are her own.

Allergy Heartbreak

 

We'd been waiting for this moment.  Now, our daughter was old enough and we were finally ready to get a dog.  I grew up with a family dog.  You can see a picture of her on my Diabolical Baby Brigade blog as the infamous Puppy.  My husband also grew up with a dog, so we thought nothing of it when we started searching for available dogs.  

The local humane shelter recently took in some puppies.  They knew from the mother that the puppies were part Husky, which meant I was instantly sold.  I love Huskies.  LOVE!

With a prayer beforehand that it be obvious which dog we should bring home, we set off to try our luck at picking out a family dog.  We'd narrowed it down to two options.  The Husky, Julia, and a Great Dane mix.

We met the Great Dane first.  Danedy was sweet, but had absolutely no interest in us.  For someone who has always viewed herself as an animal person, it was interesting watching a dog running away from us like we had the plague.  

Then, came Julia.  To say she showed interest in us would be a major understatement.  This girl, at ten weeks old, was jumping on us, giving us kisses, was wagging her tail like she was going to turn into a helicopter and take off.  

Needless to say, we adopted her.

From the moment we brought her home, we were ecstatic.  This is a farm, we have chickens and goats.  Julia, even though she would perk her ears and raise her head like she wanted to play with them, sat down as soon as I gave the command and touched the tips of my fingers to her back.  (This without any prior training)  And there she stayed!  Patiently sitting and watching the chickens cluck like a bunch of ninnies gossiping about the new member of the family.

House training was something we had to keep on top of, but guess what!  

She was so wonderful that she was house trained within twenty-four hours.  24!  That's unheard of for a puppy.

Julia was perfect!

Then, it happened...

The first night I felt like I was struggling to breathe, but that had happened to me before.  I was nervous, we hadn't taken care of a puppy before.  Nothing but nerves.  Right?

RIGHT?

The second day my eyes itched, then they burned.  By that evening, I was having trouble swallowing and my tongue had swollen so much so that I couldn't even talk properly.

Somehow, between when I was growing up and now, I developed dog allergies.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Nothing helped and, finally, we decided we had to bring her back to the shelter.  They were so understanding and were able to find Julia another home quickly, where she is still happy and enjoying herself.  

I've only ever made my husband cry twice in all of our marriage.  The first time he saw our daughter on the ultrasound and now.  Our daughter cried until she ran out of tears.  We all cried.  

How did this happen?  How did I develop dog allergies?

Diabolical Baby Brigade

  The Mission Log of the Diabolical Baby Brigade has a new post:

 

A Diabolical Trick or Treat

As Logged by Agent West:

 

Mommy’s dressed me as a bunny

And I don’t find it all funny.

Sure, the legend sounds really cool,

But did she have to go so old school?

Cousin JimJim thinks he can laugh

Even though he’s dressed as a giraffe.

How would he like some worms in his bag?

Watch out! He’s starting to gag.

 

How does Agent West pull it off?

Find out in:

A Diabolical Trick or Treat

I love hay!

 

Snuggly Baby Goats

There's nothing more adorable than newborn babies snuggling!

 

Here is a newborn snuggling with her mom and grandmother:

Temporary Barn Idea

 

When we first moved to the farm, there was only a small pole barn.  At 30 foot by 40 foot and with a cement floor, we decided to use half of it for hay storage and placed large, rubber mats on the other end for the horse stalls to go on.  That meant, there was no room for cattle to lodge.  

Because we mainly had Highlands at the time, their heavy, long coats did mean they were more comfortable outdoors during the winter.  However, heavy, long coats don't keep cattle out of the mud and Ohio winters are often a spectacle of mud.

To spare our cattle's hooves, we found this used wedding tent online at less than half the price of a new one.  That was a nice deal, but then we needed to find a way to make sure the cattle didn't rub up against the metal posts or rope ties.  A string of electric wire (which you can see in the photo above) just inside of the metal posts fixed that.  

What was really nice was the continual addition of bedding (old hay or straw) eventually elevated the area underneath the tent so that it was never muddy and, as an added bonus, the deep bedding created a warmth that kept the cattle comfortable even on the cold nights.

A great perk was that that spring was a very wet one.  However, as you can see in the picture below, the cattle never had to worry about the mud then either.

Diabolical Baby Brigade

 

 The Mission Log of the Diabolical Baby Brigade has a new post:

A diabolical toot and a cute kick, too

As Logged By Agent Rose:

  

A girls’ shopping trip sounded fun,

Until Mommy put my diaper on.

I know how to use the potty!

Is she afraid I’ll make a squatty?

No, I don’t want any manicotti!

I want to show you my karate.

Watch out! Here comes a great big toot

Right when she’s putting on my boot.

 

Does Agent Rose find a way to get rid of her diaper?

Find out in:

A diabolical toot and a cute kick, too

I'm terrible at hide and seek

 

I thought my hiding spot was genius.

GENIUS!

But...

I guess two overturned chairs with a gaping hole in the middle that shows someone is obviously underneath was a bit of a giveaway.   

Yummy Gingerbread Cookies

 

Nothing screams fall like gingerbread cookies.  Well, fall and winter.  It could go either way.

This recipe is easy, which is one reason I love it so much.  That's really all I have to say, apart from the fact that they're super delicious, because the farm has been really busy the past week and I'm too tired to write anymore. 

Here we go:

Yummy Gingerbread Cookies

Prep time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours rest     Cook time:  8-9 minutes

Makes:  Roughly 3 dozen depending on size of cutter

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup molasses

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup hot water

Decorations - optional

Directions:

Mix both flours, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl.  Set aside

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat and add brown sugar.  Stir to blend and remove from heat.  Add molasses and egg.

Add baking soda to hot water, stir until dissolved.  Add to butter mixture and stir well.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Form into a rough disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Get dough out of fridge and let sit for a few minutes, a maximum of five.  Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out into desired shapes.  Use flour on cutters to keep dough from sticking to them.  

Place on baking sheet and bake 8 to 9 minutes.  Transfer to racks to cool.

Decorate.

You should get around 3 dozen cookies UNLESS

Oh, no!

 

 

Blaze and the monster machines got too excited making cookies!

 

What will they do?!

Peek-a-Boo

 

Meet Walnut.

She's our shy girl, but so beautiful.

Diabolical Baby Brigade

 The Mission Log of the Diabolical Baby Brigade has a new post:

A Diabolical Reminder

As Logged By Agent Chase:

The question recently came about

Of what started me on this route.

Here's a reminder for you all

To know why I became diabolical. 

Oh, how grand.  I look like an old man.

Is it my smile or nose?  It can't be my tan.

Is it my cheek bones?  My jaw line?

Tell me now or I'll threaten to cry and whine!

 

What turned this baby into a diabolical mastermind?

 

Find out in:

 

A Diabolical Reminder

Close encounters of the cutie kind!

 

This is what happens when you have a super affectionate calf who won't hold still long enough for a picture.  All he cared about was getting another scratching.

 

HA!  Got one!

Unexpected Companions

 Like two peas in a pod

Meet Rosemary Chicken, aptly named because I first caught her laying eggs between two rosemary plants, and Kitty, aptly named because he's a kitty.

Rosemary Chicken likes to jump the chicken's netting and come to the garage to lay her egg, then get a treat.  Her favorite being doughnuts or bread.  To get her to start laying her eggs in the garage, we made her her own, personal nesting bed and prompted her with treats.  After a few months, Kitty discovered that Rosemary Chicken's nesting bed is quite comfy.

Of course, she wasn't too happy.

"Squawk!"

Not one interested in getting scratched by the cat, I decide to wait and see how this played out.  The next day, Rosemary Chicken and Kitty were sharing the bed.  Now the two get along as if they've been friends forever.  They even share their food with each other.  Of course, when Kitty does finally decide to get off of Rosemary Chicken's nesting bed, she has no problem reclaiming it.

Diabolical Baby Brigade

 The Mission Log of the Diabolical Baby Brigade has a new post:

 

A Diabolical Truce

As Logged By Agent West:

 With the Puppy!

A diabolical plot was hatched

One that could never be matched,

Because the Puppy is coming over today!

But, now, I’m too tired to play.

Agent Chase’s truce may have ended,

I think I’ll make mine extended.

A simple truce to get some sleep

As long as no one makes a peep.

 

How does this truce go?  Does someone make a peep?

Find out in:

A Diabolical Truce

I don't think they fit

 

That's what I call a tight squeeze.

The burning fires of God's sunrise

 

Sheer beauty in its finest!

This is why I wake up so early.  

Yes, there are chores to get done.

But, nothing compares to taking that pause to look up.