chicken little

Yes folks that is a huge flock of chickens spelling out EAT BEEF w an arrow pointing towards the cattle in the back ground.....

Finally Saturday

I realize, much to my horror that I am up at 3:34 am , meaning that the coffee is not ready. I do not want to reset the pot timer to 330am as I will then start getting up at that hour. yikks! I do not sleep enough as it is. I know the reason I am up so early , my sister (Sonny) is coming to visit... My parents have not seen or met her baby boy....My sis lives in Spain with her hubby, daughter and new baby son. So today will be very busy. I spent most of last week cleaning the ranch from all the wind damage and getting the new chicken coop up. Here in the Pacific Northwest we tend to have flies when you have livestock.... I hate chemicals, mostly due to my allergies so we use chickens to combat the bugs...And we do love fresh eggs. I am tired of going to the chicken lady three blocks away for her eggs at a whopping $2.50 a dozen.. So I drove to Lake Stevens to Carlton farms and met up with Reed and we picked out three nice hens...At a cost of $3 each, two Black Banties and a Red. We normally start off with five but I am waiting to get a couple more from a friend. Anyway the house has not gotten my energies the last week and I have to get it cleaned...Unlike my sister we do not have maids...Sonny has told her daughter that her Auntie and Uncle have a zoo. I could understand ranch or farm but zoo? Well I figure that they have seen Alpacas at the zoo and that is why it is referred to as a small zoo. Dinner is at 2pm at mom & dad's and my younger sister Randie and my Auntie and Uncle and the boys will all descend on my parents house. No one would dare to not come for my mums divine cooking. The fact is my mother is the best cook ever. I have never had a bad supper at home ever.... My husband thanks her for teaching me to cook...Hubby informed me I was the second best cook next to mom.... Anyway the day will be crazy for me .......But I will be rewarded by a wonderful dinner and seeing my sisters.....freezing still, snow a few flurries and raining...

430 Am

So here it is 430 in the morning I had hoped for more sleep maybe 3 more hours. I could only hope that it would come. I am to go get a massage ( a Christmas gift from hubby) this morning. I would think I will fall sound to sleep on her table and snore...The pass is closed and I will not be able to go see the the hubby...so it will end up being a few weeks since we have been able to see one another... well I am going for a second cup of coffee....I have gotten the freezer stash of java down to a mere 4 pounds. Who am I? What have I done with the coffee freak? Need 2nd cup!!!

Mother Hildagard

Mother H came to school yesterday...She raises sheep, llamas and alpacas on 300+ acres at the monastery... Being raised across the street from St. Pius I enjoyed the nuns and their humor..They are especially funny... Anyway the class has lost the advisor as the sheriff has called to inform her that all her horses were loose....( I wonder now how the sheriff had her phone number) well then Mother Hildagard has arrived at the very moment that the advisor is flying out the door. Mother H is so funny, she had the whole class roaring with laughter about how to breed the llamas....It seems that one has to tape the tail of the female prior to allowing the male into the pen. Once the male starts his task at hand you apparently can do just about anything. Now the reason this is all so funny is that our nun is giving a blow by blow description of what the male looks like at this time. Mother H has eyes rolling and her head going back and forth as well as her habit swirling around. The whole class can not keep from laughing it took most of us several moments to regain our composure... Most of the class is not Catholic and their idea of a Catholic Nun does not resemble what they are experiencing in class... I on the other hand know many nuns. As a little girl I would beg the nuns that lived across the street from us to let me be Catholic ( all the kids I knew were) and that I knew God had put Sister Maria and Mother Superior on those steps just for me to become Catholic.. Sister Maria was young and kind, beyond words....She would allow me to sneak into the church on a regular basis as well as teaching me about Saint Francis as I had a habit of showing up with my newest rescued animal in hand. I would spend the better part of my visit begging and insisting that she take it to get it blessed with holy water... Tears would stream down my face as I passionately explained that I knew God would let them live under my care if they were blessed. I would bring my babies to the church on the day that all the animals would be blessed.Insisting that they were all good Catholics even if I was not yet... Anyway Mother Hildagard was a wealth of info as well as incredibly funny...I am certain she would have taken me in under her wing if she had been around when I was little...I still have the small cards that the nuns would hand me as well as a very large painting of The Virgin Mary that I was lucky enough to get while visiting Peru several years ago....My poor husband just rolls his eyes at the piles of Catholic stuff that he finds in our house...He has informed me several times that I make a better Catholic than his mother...I am certain none of the nuns would agree with him. But I am certain that poor Saint Francis was very busy trying to keep up with me....

News Paper

Click to get it big...The guy on his knees welding is my great HUBBY!!

Can't Move

Alright, yesterday I spent nearly half the day vegging out watching T.V. And with TiVo I did not just watch one movie but two... ( Meet Joe Black & A walk inThe clouds) TiVo is my friend!Yes, I know very chickie for me...But I was in no condition to move or think! And besides hubby told me again to take it easy... So I did, rare obedience on my part.... Today is yet another not much to get again...hoof trims from the horse spa fairy and a trip to bank and gas station....Ranch chores are Never a choice...So they too are done....Grey and yukkie day in the Pacific Northwest... Rain, mist and some snow flurries and the grey clouds that never seem to go away this time of year.... At least the Alpacas keep me laughing

Is She Pregnant?

Well now after a dozen people have asked if Shadow is expecting I took a good look at her. She is as wide as tall....No she is just plain fat... I know she is rather happy about it and spends at least 10 minutes butting everyone out of the way and climbing the fence to eat the Alpaca grain.This is an on going thing each night. I tried keeping her out of it only to be reward by getting a face full of Alpaca semi chewed grain splattering all over my face. Charlie Brown clearly did not appreciate my attempt to keep the little pair of PIG GOATS out of the grain... I have resorted to chasing her off but she returns the moment my back it turned. At some point I will have to feed her out side away from everybody like we do with Jezzy. The horses have taken to going bonkers now that the can smell the sweet mash and the Alpaca grain.. As now I have to walk past them....I have reversed the order, feeding the horses first but they still go mad when they smell the molasses..For the first time I was a little worried that if I went in there they might trample me... I had to take a stand and make sure they all knew I was the BIG DOG..I am awake but barely and I dream of going back to bed...I need cup # 2 and will feel as if I can face the day with gusto.... Well maybe...

Alpaca Army House

The shack completed.... 

Kitchen Door

The stairs to the kitchen door...Where boots live. 

Leave me alone

But I like you! 

Sunday

Blue sky & pussy willow tree

Could life get any better!