Meet Hazel

So. I'm really not a fan of outdoor cats. Predators, disease, cars, dogs, people can wreck havoc on their lives. They bother neighbors, birds, mess and stink up garden beds, and on and on. In the city.

In the country, however, it's a whole new world. Yes, it can be even more dangerous for them. But, they have their place.

Where you have animals you have feed.  Where you have feed you have mice. Where you have mice... You need a barn cat! 

I'm still not a fan but, if you happen along a good feral mouser that's been spayed and lets you pet her and pick her up well... You consider it for a few weeks then bring her home of course!

Meet Hazel, Lazy Dog's first mouse hunter...

She looks so sad here but I wanted you to see her side. She's just arrived and is still wondering what's going on and where she is and if she'll be stuck forever in this tiny kennel.

Henrietta caught Hazel's attention for a moment here.

This one is my favorite shot of her first few moments here at Lazy Dog. You get a glimpse of her tail, striped black and gray. She's been very sweet allowing me to pet her quite a lot. She offered her tummy once but I know better! Maybe someday.

The barn is really too far away to have a cat yet. Although there are mice, the food will be moved and, they won't be around for much longer. (Until I have cattle and pigs out there. Yes, I said pigs.) I wanted one to control whatever is attracted to the coop though. So, Hazel will actually be a coop cat... yard cat, whatever you want to call her.

She'll hang out in a suite of kennels in a protected corner of the patio for a few weeks for a transition period (all those prepositional phrases!). Once I feel like she knows this is home we'll find out how good she is at her job, hope she stays close, and doesn't have a desire for chicken dinners!

Craft project?

Definitely the largest, but not most time consuming, craft project I've ever worked on.

Since we got our first chicks in March of 2013 I've talked about building a coop. We had a small cute prefab coop in the backyard but small is the key word there. When I first saw the dog kennel here, that would never be used as a dog kennel, I new that would become The Coop.

First came security. Done. Roosting done. Next came nest boxes. Done. Clean auto filling water done. Finally, they needed protection from winter weather. Michael built channels to slide stacked fence boards into. These can easily be removed in the sumer to allow for more ventilation or even spaced for partial coverage as seasons change. Of course this was my cue for fun ~ paint! I then kept going back and forth on what I wanted it to look like. Two trips to Home Depot and lots of little sample cans of stain. One and a half days of painting. Rachel and I are done! Well... for now. I dream of an automatic door so the girls don't have to wait on me if I'm out feeding the horses at dawn or in town at dusk and a myriad of other reasons.

You've previously seen photos of the nest boxes, coop, and so forth. Here are a few of our painting. Now, the finished project isn't posted here because it's not cold yet. I only put a few boards up to get an idea of what it's going to look like. You'll get a photo of it when all the boards are up. Promise!

There will be space left at the top for ventilation ~ always need ventilation no matter the weather. There won't be boards on the doors but there will be year round boards above the doors. It's not at all what I've been thinking of for two and a half years but I love what we came up with! Can't wait to put all the boards in and show you!

And, one last cute touch, lanterns:

Now I can concentrate on an enclosure for the turtles. No, I'm not posting a photo of their current habitat because it's just not aesthetically pleasing. Just be assured they are well fed and comfortable :)

Ramblings (and photos) on the third day of steady rain

Rain from the west coast dumped on us Friday. Afterward, Hurricane Patricia moved up settling over southern portions of Texas along the coast and decided to stay a while. We've been on the northern edge receiving steady rain for two days from her. The rain gauge has been emptied out twice. So far we're at 11 1/2 inches. Nice! Much welcome since we've only had one shower since last spring's deluge. We needed it.

Of course, I have to include a photo of the barn....

 ... if only to show that the pond is full again. Yay! It has reached maximum capacity as it has drains that keep it from getting any higher.

We have a few areas about 2" deep in the yard. Nice thing about all this rain ~ it runs off into the pond and seeps down into our well!

The boys have a nice hill to avoid slogging around in puddles all the time. The rain had cleaned them nicely until they rolled around to cover themselves once again in grass and dirt. I think they're happy out there :)

 I like the cute prints the girls leave behind :)

I was feeling sorry for the gopher as several of his holes were washed out. Down by the coop there is one that has water gushing out like a rain gutter. A new mound was apparent today so he hasn't drowned much to Michael's dismay. He promises to wage war on them in the future. I just wanna see one pop up and dance!

Rainy morning

It's been a little dry after our very wet spring this year. Not as many storms here but we should get plenty of rain. Rain is always welcome wherever I am!

Pine trees mean pine needles in the gutter and that means rain pouring over the sides.

If I were a chicken in Autumn....

I'd stay in the coop all day! Unless I was Henrietta, then I'd be okay. Here are photos of the poor girls strutting around with no tails and half naked. 

All lined up. Henrietta still has her tail feathers and hasn't molted much. Or she just hides it really well.

Lillie Mae spends a lot of time preening, pulling the old feathers out to make room for new ones.

Look at all the pin feathers coming in on Reba's neck! Looks really silly when she stretches it out.

And, poor Lillie Mae...

I think her coloring makes it look worse than it really is, but, no, it's not a pretty sight.

And, another shot of skinny neck, tailless Reba.

Just a few more weeks, girls, and it'll be over. You'll be full of new fluffy feathers and a warm pretty coop to call home! (Better get back to painting!) 

Happy Jack

Happy Jack is the reason we already have these marvelous creations on our ranch. A true sweetheart, always alert, quirky, a big goofball, foodie, huge love, and lots of fun! Rachel absolutely adores this big boy. If I have his history correct he's done ranch, police and, of course, therapy work. The loss of sight in his right eye and being at the bottom of the pack doesn't seem to bother him. He often takes off across the pasture and the other guys happily follow along. His smiley face marking on his shoulder makes me smile and beautifies this otherwise multi-scarred babe.

Reading

Classics were my choice of reading material at the beginning of 2015. The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, among others. Some were really good and I will to get back to them... at some point. Currently my reading is focused on the ranch - all the things we hope to have, or at least try out.

Anyone that has ever discussed reading with me knows I do not read how to books. Yep, these are how to books but they're not quite so boring as how to organize your life, how to make and keep friends, how to pray, how to blend oils, how to eat right, how to deal with (fill in the blank), how to raise your children, how to budget, how to make money... 

I read a couple of chicken books back when I got my first girls. Lots of great websites and blogs as well. I'm on my second horse book. Donkeys come next, then I'll go back to the guinea book I was reading before the move. Two Farmer's Almanacs for next year, and an Acres magazine are on the trunk in the great room. Oh! There's a book on canning in the pantry as well ;)

Okay, I'm off to deliver breakfasts and start today's project which is finishing yesterday's project, power washing the windows and cedar posts on the house. Next comes staining the slates Michael cut yesterday for the coop! Oh, and cleaning the inside of the windows I'm currently cleaning the outsides of. 

Before I sign off ~ I realized yesterday I left off a couple of things seen all the time here: crickets and daddy long legs.

Always and Sometimes....

So, we've only been here just shy of 6 weeks but these are things I've observed that you'll see or hear on the ranch, outside and likely a few inside:

Always:

quiet **
dust
dirt
sand
chickens
feathers
grass
bluebirds *
dogs *
hair
horses *
stars *
beautiful sunrises *
boots
beautiful sunsets *
cardinals
pinecones
pine needles
chicken poop
gopher mounds
scissortails *
spider webs
dirt dauber nests
trucks
flies
trees
tractors
cows
fog rising off the pond *

Sometimes:

piles of feathers
cows mourning the separation from their babies
smoke from burning brush piles (or trash)
random dogs
cattle trailers
squirrels
woodpeckers
deer
hogs (although we haven't seen any yet and they'll be eliminated when we do)
people
frogs *
toads *
lizards *
trucks hauling chickens

Someday *:

a donkey
goats
our own cows
a cleaner version of the acreage
trails in the back 70
more trees
planted garden
rockers on the front porch
swing on the back porch
visitors
barn cat
who knows ;)

* denotes favorites
** denotes most favorite

Moving day for the guineas

Today was exciting for the itty bitties. The guineas are 6 weeks old and growing faster than weeds! They're already larger than the Bantams that are just over 7 weeks old. They've been in the run from our old coop since we moved here. It was getting a teeny bit crowded in there so it was time to move the guineas on up to their permanent living quarters. There was lots of carrying on during that process! I guess that means they'll make good security birds :)

The three chicks, Lucy, Carol, and Phyllis (think comediennes) will stay in the run until they are close to fully grown, somewhere around 5 - 6 months of age. Bantams are a smaller breed of chicken so it is necessary for them to be fully grown when introduced to the flock. The initial establishing of pecking order can be rather rough. Another reason I like my docile breeds ;) As for now, they are either feeling a little lonely, or relishing the extra wing room! My money is on wing room. 

We converted the old dog kennel to a coop for our girls. It is divided down the middle with a rather large pass through. One side is for night time roosting and the other is for eating, drinking, and nest boxes for laying eggs. I'm sure there will be changes made along the way as we observe and learn what works best for our flock. It's been secured from large critters. Next step is to add removable siding that will provide warmth and protection from the winter weather. We can then remove them to allow good ventilation during the hot summer months.

Guinea fowl roost up high while chickens roost on lower branches. I've arranged various branches found around the yard at different heights to accommodate everybody and keep the bottom girls poop free. The guineas will be confined to the roosting side of the coop until they are about 6 months old. This will help reinforce the coop as their home so they will return every night after foraging in the yard. I placed the guineas on the top branches and they were maneuvering up and down on them in no time. All my girls are brought up on water bottles because it prevents messy water bowls that can also cause health issues. You get a glimpse of our new Chicken Fountain toward the bottom right. It automatically fills and I'll be able to add apple cider vinegar to it also!

Currently the pass through is closed off because my older girls need access to their next boxes during the day so I keep that side open. We then let them in the roost at dusk. 

There are 6 pearl and 2 lavender guineas. They've just been put in their new home and aren't quite sure what to think. They're keeping an eye on the lower one who has decided to check out the food and water I've shown them. They'll all follow her once they figure out what she's found. BTW, she seems to be top guinea. The lavenders also seem to be the smartest. It'll be interesting to see which ones are girls and which are boys as they mature.

And, here's one last silly shot of a guinea :)

Who needs a pasture?

The "yard" from the boys point of view:

Troy:

Went on a field trip today. Actually it was a walk around the house in the "yard". Quite a bit smaller than our new pasture but interesting none the less. Some other animals are up there but I was just interested in observing. The dogs were nice once the two of them stopped barking.  Pi was being a goofball and Happy, as usual, only wanted treats.

Happy Jack:

The chicken coop was very interesting. Such a disappointment since the food was all securely contained. Never saw the girls. Rachel says they were avoiding us because we're so big. I walked along the front porch until Rachel shooed me off. Oh, hey! Got any treats? No? I'll go shove my nose in Letha's face again. Maybe she has some.

Pi:

Well, apparently the really good smells at the coop aren't for horses. I'll have to find a way to get in that container some day when nobody is watching. The dogs kept barking like we were aliens. I got interested in Sierra but she just turned tail and ran. We finally became friends. She comes out to the pasture to check on us and hang out for a while now. I think we'll be good friends.

As for photos...

Troy

Troy

Pi

Troy and Pi

Toys

When you're living on a ranch you need a few implements that are a bit larger than a trowel, rake, or lawn mower. So, of course, we had to have new toys. 

First need was to mow the "yard" that hadn't been touched for a year except by the realtor who kindly ran over it with his shredder/brush hog/whatever you want to call it. By the time we'd moved in it had grown another foot and still had the mowed year's worth laying around. So, you claim about 2 acres of land around the house as yard and only crazy people would choose to mow that with a push mower. We chose a zero turn mower to cut it in record time. Boy is it fun! Everybody ought to get on one at least once in their lives :) After 3 mowings and piles of hay laying around.... Yes, I said hay. It's coastal bermuda up at the house too so when it's cut, it's hay. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah... I was really glad once the tractor arrived because then we spent half a day moving the hay that I could only move so far with the mower out of the yard into other pastures. That was after a day of moving old hay bales out of the barn. BTW, I know I mentioned cleaning out the barn a couple of weeks back. Well, I didn't take before and after photos. We didn't end up putting the horses back there because we got three rather than two and there just wasn't enough room and when they moved the cows it got all messed up again... long story. Below you'll see a photo of Oliver and Tucker in the yard before, Sierra with piles of hay near her, and Merlin laying in a nicely mown yard. There were quite a few long piles spread all over the place. I was attempting not to kill off too much grass....

It'll look GREAT next year!

When the tractor was delivered I was watching him back it off the trailer and realized: I had always wanted a tractor and now I have one! It's really cool! I might add that when you're out there riding either of these for a few hours, it's work. It's not like just driving down the road in a car. Anyway, it's been put to use clearing the garden area, including using the hay fork to lift out some really stubborn tomato cages, and hauling hay, baled and cut. Mostly. And, over time it'll be used to clear trails in the back 70, etc. Not sure we'll ever cut our own hay. The equipment is very costly....

We also needed wanted a UTV for getting around. Okay, maybe we did need it. We carry stuff all over the ranch to work with that would be ridiculous to carry by hand over multiple trips. I get enough walking around here as it is. I'm sure if I hadn't lost my fit bit months ago it would be very proud of me on a daily, if not hourly, basis. It's actually lots of fun. Not exactly a smooth ride but the ground isn't exactly smooth either. Tucker loves to ride next to me or in the back. He's a pro after a couple of uncertain short slow trips in it and now doesn't like to be left behind. Actually, he and Oliver both ride with me a lot. Sierra and Merlin just run along beside following us.

So, that's it for today. A few people have asked for more details on the move, reason, etc. so I'll work on getting that together and sharing it soon. Have a blessed day!!

Meet the Boys!

Private Import aka PI
16.2 hands
age: 23
breed: Westphalian
formerly: Olympic champion dressage and therapy horse

HAPPY JACK
16 hands
age: 21
breed: Quarter horse
formerly: ranch horse and therapy horse

KING OF TROY
16 hands
age: 21
breed: Trakehner
formerly: cross country jumper and therapy horse

A little girl's dream....

Like many girls growing up I always dreamed of having a horse. My sister owned a few, barrel raced, and worked with them on and off when she was younger. I remember her taking me to "test ride" them. She figured if they were gentle with somebody that didn't know horses they were good potentials for her. Such abuse... Ha, I got to ride horses!

Although we weren't able to raise our kids in the country we attempted to expose them to the outdoors and animals as much as possible. At the Keller farmer's market one Saturday years ago I talked with a lady from a nearby therapy ranch. A few months later Rachel started volunteering once a week. Over the next five years I could count the days she missed and still have fingers left over. It was her therapy to spend time with horses and helping people with special needs. We've witnessed her passion and encouraged it. God willing she'll be a physical therapist and manage her own therapy ranch some day.

She had a favorite horse from the beginning, Happy Jack. When the purchase of a ranch became a reality she let them know she'd love to be considered for his retirement home. They seemed more than happy she would be able to do this knowing he'll be loved and well cared for. We then discussed a companion for him and learned that Troy was also on the list of retirees. We learned we would be receiving the boys earlier than we thought AND they wanted to know if we'd be interested in a third horse. 

Later today you'll get to meet Happy Jack, Troy, and Pi. 

Our very own herd of horses, a little girls dream!

Abundance of Creatures

So many living things out in the country! I've yet to identify many of the birds we see and hear. I know we have cardinals, blue jays, plenty of bluebirds, and one of my favorites, scissor tail flycatchers. Of course, crows, buzzards, and a few hawks as well. And, I finally heard a woodpecker but never found him.

Many leopard frogs called the yard home until the grass was cut. I'm assuming they moved on to the front pasture, except the two Lillie Mae devoured. Gray and Cope's gray tree frogs galore. Praying mantis, walking sticks, huge daddy long legs, wolf spiders, and the ground is covered with the funnel webs of grass spiders and, one of my favorites, the garden spider. Oh, I can't forget the nasty velvet ant aka cow killer that I promptly killed while mowing a couple of weeks ago. They're actually a wasp. We've seen a lot of dead asps as well... bah!

Garden spiders eat mosquitos, aphids, flies, grasshoppers, and wasps. The large female spins a large orb web while the smaller male will spin a second smaller zig zag web at the bottom of hers. She'll spin an egg sac for her hundreds of eggs that will hatch in the fall. She dies soon after. The babies will spend winter in the sac and leave in the spring. One of their predators is the dirt dauber.
This means I'll continue destroying the dauber nests all around the house! There were a dozen or so garden spiders on the front porch alone the first time we looked at the property. Somebody cleaned them up and I was happy to see I've got one that's still here. Sadly not for much longer, as she just spun her second egg sac...

Here are a few photos I've been able to take...

Praying Mantis (male)

Praying Mantis (female)

Gray tree frog

Walking Stick

Wolf Spider

Cope's gray tree frog - this is the greenest we've seen him.

This Woodhouse's toad hangs out on the side porch at night.

Tiny grass spider web

I found a grass spider hanging out at the edge of her funnel web! Look closely and you'll see the funnel going down into the pine needles.