Leah has been working King, yesterday she did figure 8's with him and he really seemed to enjoy the workout. My boy is so good, and Leah looks so good riding him, she's quickly becoming a pro!

As I sat under my shade tree I hear a horse behind me...and I bet you can guess what I turned around to see...Leah and My Boy taking a cooling off walk in the yard. Several cars were rubber necking (as if they have never seen a barn animal in a front yard - with us there is no telling what animal we are gonna be playing with in the yard anyway!)

Water is slowly draining in all the flooded ares. Today Norm was able to get some more hay put up, he got to feeling sick (his blood sugar I think got too low) and came on in. Yesterday evening we took the 4-wheelers out for a couple hour's and rode around the farm...here are some of the farm, YES I take my camera everywhere!
As you can see the garden is coming a long:

Even my Hummingbird/butterfly flower mixture is coming to life...I planted the seeds just a few days ago and already they have come to life, I cant wait until they bloom!!! A lot of them are perennials and a few annuals in the mix.

Path through the woods

There isnt much that is prettier than fields of Daisy's! And they were full of them!!!

Now - this is the flower Norm and most all farmers hate THE MOST...I think they are so pretty! But they spread like wildfire, once they seed if you dont bush hog they multiply like rabbits and soon you have a full field of thistle..they choke out the other grasses...so I defiantly understand why Norm hates them...but they are still pretty and take a great picture.

I havent altered any of these pictures...but the next one you will swear I did...promise - I didn't, I couldnt get it this green if I tried:

I think that is such a pretty picture!
And no farm documentation would be complete without a farmer checking his crops coming up:

lastly we had a nice setting sun this evening, the camera just picked up the sun as being white, but it was as red as the rays and bright as can be......A great day here on the farm!

Finally Friday and a look around the farm this week!

Hello! I'm back...I sure have been behind in blogging lately. Much has been going on around here this past week and I've come out of my fog after not feeling well and having some bad medication reaction! Yea! I think thats over! I feel very good today....so thought I'd show ya whats been happening around here! We have had rain off and on all week, nice little downpours and showers. But when its not raining the sky has been so beautiful! This is the view from my little spot under the shade tree.

One day we even got a glimpse of God's promise!

Sure wish the rainbow would have come out better, but with my camera and no special lenses, this is what I got...Douglas has had a good week! Last week of school - yea!- and has been up to his Elmer Fudd ways....He got this Momma Groundhog with one shot, and we were all pretty amazed, the groundhog was in a bunch of pallets in tall grass with just her head showing, and Dead-Eye Doug just walked right up to her and killed her with one shot! He will make an excellent hunter and marksman one day! Which is good, he wants to take shooting when he gets into middle school, they have a great shooting and archery program for the kids.

This above picture is Douglas "hunting" pigeons after he shot the groundhog...and a nice close up of his "kill".

A very fat and pregnant groundhog! I wish I had my camera yesterday. I drove over to the shop (which is where Doug was "hunting" to pick up a bag of ice from one of the other freezers, and took Levi along for the ride. He loves to go anywhere..even if it is just down the street. He is becoming such a great dog, doesnt leave my side for a moment...anyway...I brought him over to where Douglas killed the groundhog into the tall grass seeing if he would be able to flush out a rabbit. He immediately got his nose onto something and was tracking toward the tall grass, he paused not sure if he could go in or not. I told him to "get it" and he took off making a beeline toward where the groundhog was that Doug killed and right up to where one was just poking his head from a hole under the pallets, and he went nuts digging! He tracked the groundhogs movements all over...I was really happy to see the hunting instinct that he has and all the work Doug has done with him is beginning to pay off! Doug did have to go dispose of his "kill"....

He wasnt satisfied with just the groundhog...had to rid the shop off all the pigeons nesting too.

I felt sorry for the pigeon. Norm and Neil did work on the planter getting it ready for this week so Norm could continue planting corn. This is Neil giving a helping hand. He's pretty handy and really learns quickly. Neil is pretty mechanical and as I've said before he is such a huge help to us. Norm and I think of Neil like one of our own....I dont know if he really knows how much of a help he is and just how much Norm relys on his work.

So with all that said lets take a look around the farm where the shop is, since I had my camera with me when Douglas shot the groundhog...here is a few looks at what I saw...

(oh one more of Dougs victims...a bumble bee..split in half...told you he was a dead eye...killing bee's and wasps in flight...impressive!

hmmmm...evidence of visitors.

Wild vegetation

I've missed feeling up to being on the computer the last couple weeks, hopefully my slump is over and I'll be back. I missed visiting with each of you! Hope you have been well!
God Bless you all!
~*~Rachel~*~

Mondays Farm Update and a Prayer Request...please read!

I have a prayer request for you all that is very important to me. I found out today that my Uncle Dale passed away on Tuesday March 10Th. PLEASE keep my Aunt Pat in your prayers. Dale and Pat have been married as long as I am old. She says she feels lost and I imagine she is completely lost right now, being as it was unexpected. They have had the type of love that many only dream about. This will be a rough time for her and she is far from the rest of her family. We haven't kept in touch like we should have through the years, though I loved both of them and thought of them A LOT. I have my own regrets now...but that isn't near as important as her needs at this moment. Pray for her to have guidance, support, love, and to find peace. She needs God with her right now and every prayer that can be said. Pat - I love you, I wish I could be with you right now, you say the word and I'm there!

Yesterday our calf count is at 71. I'm sure there will be a few more baby's to be found today! I tried yesterday to get some good videos of them playing..their antics are just too cute for words! But they were all being lazy hanging out with the babysitters and we must have come to check on them during nap time. Here is Torro this morning after I fed him. He was trying to break out of jail, but since he runs full speed ahead through the barn, I had to keep him in his stall while I worked with the horses.

Pepper was let out of the coop today, she immediately began to bathe...she has no modesty whatsoever. Funny little bird...I wonder how she will deal with several more poultry friends coming to the farm soon?
My dear boy - King is just worrying me too death with his feet! Farrier came and all his feet looked really good, he opened up the abscess which began to drain again. Norm had gone today to some people about buying Georgia (the mare who gave me my little Radish for 3 days). He asked her about the abscess and she said that the course of an abscess goes like this: Act like they are 3 legged for a few days...get better and back on 4 legs..then revert to being 3 legged again before it clears up. Norm picked up some more antibiotics, she suggested 3 days on and 2 days off and repeat the meds that way.

See how he is standing with his weight focused on his rear legs? He just moved forward a bit to change footing when I took this, but you can still see. My poor boy is hurting and I just wish I could make it better! But we are doing all we can...I just hope this doesn't get him down for good! I am a worry wart, and this is my first abscess experience so that doesn't help not knowing what to do and look for. What are your experiences with abscesses?

Here is a little video of my boy King eating some hay....I undid his lead and he wont move until I tell him too apparently....LOL he stood there for me to go to the house, come back, get his pen bedded down with fresh straw and put feed in his bucket, even nickered at me like "come on mom untie me so I can eat!".....he was....I had to lead him over to the gate..silly, but good boy he is! (well except for when he leans on me lately when I pick his hooves....grrrrrr.) I imagine though it hurts to have me pick them up when he stands on sore feet, and I'm sure his muscles ache like crazy. What is a good lineament to get for those achy muscles that you have found that works? The local TSC is full of different brands...hard to know what to choose!

Here are some videos of my boys this morning.....King and Jackabo aka Jack.