We got a Big Barker!!!

I'm so excited! We got a Big Barker!!! And I'm not talking about Bubby's big boy bark..... We finally got off our wallets and got the super fancy, super luxurious, very expensive orthopedic dog bed from Big Barker. 

It's here!

My Most Excellent Good Dog has been showing his age lately and we decided he needed a really, really good dog bed. Normally we just buy whatever is big enough at Costco and call it good. But we wanted something better for Titan. I asked around and my big dog friends recommended the Big Barker. So I went and checked out.

When I first saw the price I sucked in a sharp breath and thought... nope. There is no way. But then I did a little digging and I was sold. The Big Barker beds are made for big dogs...not just any dog. Big ones. Big, heavy, hard working dogs like my crew. They even make one especially for Great Danes. Sorry, little dog people, these bed are not for you.

If you have big dogs then you know they are really just cats in wolf suits. My Dog Horde can easily sleep 18 hours a day... or more. So when they aren't out on patrols, warding off the terrors that stalk the nite, or helping me with the farm.... the dogs are sleeping. And they are getting older so we need to have good beds for them. The Big Barker beds were just the ticket for lots of reasons.

First, I love that this is made by a real company and real people and not just some big box store. They actually seem to care about their customers. I was wow'd by how much information they provided in the box. They also have a rare five star rating on Amazon! I honestly don't know another product that gets this good of reviews from its customers.

But what I really liked is that there is a 10 year warranty on their beds.... and it's American made. Crappy third world foam? Nope. These beds are made right here in the USA. It might not seem like a lot but I know folks who could use a good job. So even tho I don't know these people personally... I like how they run their business and that they care about more things than just their bottom line.

And finally... you just know that I loved that I could order this from Amazon! Free two day shipping with my Prime, baby, YEAH! So I ordered this one. I didn't entirely think that my crew needed, or would use, the roundy pillow end of the fancy model. So I got the sleek edition in khaki as it would show the least amount to dog hair.

There was a lot of excitement. The other box is a different order... my new shoes!

Two days later, right on time, the UPS guy showed up. Me and the dogs were out there to greet him with the Bacon Wagon of Doom because I wasn't sure how big the box would be. Turns out they already solved that problem. The beds come vacuum sealed and shrunk down for easy handling! But I was still glad to have my trolley because it was still a little hard to wrangle. I yelled to the delivery guy to just drop the boxes where he was and back away from the fence slowly. He did. When he was safely out of the drive I went and got the boxes.

There was a lot of excitement. And smiles.

We all rushed inside and opened the box. As I mentioned, there was a lot of information included in the box. I also had received an email from the company so I knew what to expect. Much to the barking delights my of Dog Horde...and a lot of over interested cats.... we ripped open the plastic and the bed sprung to life!  Well, it slowly opened but Kai gave it suspicious looks and some woofs.

Once the box...I mean.. the cat trap...  was deployed we immediately caught Pepper.  

Our Pepper is a normal sized cat. You can see that the box wasn't too big and it held the entire bed! The cover, also in the box, is super easy to put on the bed.

That smile says it all!

They recommend that you wait 24 hours to let the bed fully fluff up. So I did but not before Ti jumped right on his new bed. He was thrilled.

The past week or so has been about everyone getting used to The New Thing. Mostly they have been excited that I have been laying on the bed so that automatically makes it The Best Spot. Everyone wants the best spot but in our dog pack Ti usually claims the best spot. We have been laying on it together.

I have to tell you... that bed is super comfortable. I'm not a person who lays on the floor...but I really like snuggling with my big dogs on the Big Barker. It's like a real person bed. Only better because it's easy to move around and you can take the cover off and throw it in the washer.....say if one of your cats immediately pukes all over the most expensive purchase you've made in months.

This is over 240lbs of dog. They fit just fine and this isn't even the biggest bed the company makes!

We got the Extra Large bed which comfortably fits two 100+ pound German Shepherds, or just Zander,....or me and Zander snuggling together without a lot of wiggle room.  Technically if I curled up a little I'd fit on it just fine to sleep on it all nite. Don't ask me how I know this....

For his part, Ti is spending more and more time on it. There is a full time musical bed game of who lays on it.  Kai is the only one who doesn't want anything to do with it. She doesn't like new things.

Lucky can't get all the way up on it because it's so tall.. but he makes this face when he lays on it....

Peaceful cats sleeping with sad dog nearby....

... I should say 'when he gets the chance.' Because you just know who lays on it the most, right?

Nicholas!!! 

That shadow is the ears of a dog not laying on the bed due to cats.

It took a while for us to noodle around to convince ourselves to actually pay all that money... but we are really glad we did.  We'll be saving up our change so we can get more of these beds.  I want to give a special 'thank you' to Logan's mom and also Frank's mom for their recommendation. We are THRILLED with our Big Barker and can't wait to order more!

Happy Thursday everyone! Do you have a big barker? Do you need one of these beds!?!


Editors note: Your attention please! This is a sales post with affiliate links!  Do you need anything Amazon? You can support this blog by just clicking one of these links. Or using the black Amazon search box on the right side of this page. I'm supposed to tell you that if you order anything using these links than I get a tiny percentage of the sale and doesn't cost you once cent more. If you like this blog, or if I've helped you at all in your farming efforts, just make a purchase from Amazon from one of the links, my store, or the black Amazon search box on the right side of this page. You can order anything you want and need to purchase anyway. I never know who orders what. THANK YOU for your purchases! 

 Editors note2: I know I never do this...but if you were the person that bought something very very expensive not too long ago from my page... I want to thank you so much. Really. Have no idea who you are as I do not see any order detail.... but a thousand thanks for thinking of buying it thru my affiliate link. *gives hugs* 

The Great Shed is upon us....

Zander and Kai are both blowing their coats at the same time......

....it's a LOT of dog hair. 

Sooooo.... sooo much dog hair.  I could probably make a new dog with this.

It comes out in big Bub chunks. 

Kai does a funny wiggle when I'm brushing her out. The rake makes a lot of noise but it doesn't hurt her. Ti is the one panting and he's just mad that Kai is getting all of the attention.
#dogpolitics

Pretty much the entire world is covered in dog hair right now. I use one of these to get their coats brushed out. I think they look funny with out their under coats. I've been giving Kai funny brush outs... it's kind of like having a topiary.

Of course I'm gathering up all the fur to take out along the property line. We need to defeat the evil Bunny Empire. 

Happy Monday everyone! Are your dogs feeling the heat? Are they losing their fur in big hunks?

Nine chicks, lemon cake, and a Bubby-bee....

It's been an adventurous last several days....

 Just a few of the new peeps. They are a hoot!

We ended up with a bunch chicks under the garage hen... they are doing great and the momma may, in fact, be part piranha. I was able to snap a few pix before she fluffed up and charged me.

Since we are supposed to be reducing our poultry numbers we were surprised to find there were... nine. Ooops. This news was not met with wild enthusiasm.

So, of course, we made lemon cake because that fixes everything. I'm sure I'll be making a trip up to the livestock auction.

The cake was really good. However, I frosted it a bit too soon and the cake was still too warm. So we had a cake-valanche and the top slid off. We had a good laugh, I put it all back together, and secured it with toothpicks. It's now in the fridge. Even tho you aren't supposed to refrigerate cakes... I gotta tell you, a cold lemon cake is extremely refreshing. 

And then we had some of this. Really, little slug? Get out of my salad.  Ew!

We also had a minor crisis here with Zander. It's always something..Poor Bubby got stung in the face by a bee. His poor face started to swell up and his eye was almost swollen closed.

My handsome Zander before he was done in by a Bubby-bee.

Good thing I have the vet on speed dial. They always answer the phone, "Hi, OFG, what now?"  I told him to either give me the right dose of Benadryl or to tell me when to start driving to them. We got the dose and I fixed my Bubby right up. One of my friends said that he got stung by a "Bubby-bee." It was very funny.

Bubby was back to rights the next morning. We walked the Dog Moat to make sure there wasn't a nest of mean ground beez... but I think the sting was from Zander always leading with his nose.

We've been having some hot days so I've been working outside early. I really love this time of year... the long days are so fantastic. The garden is growing....and I think The Loud Bugs are starting to die off. What a great week!

Happy Friday everyone! Do you like lemon cake? Did your biggest dog get stung by a bee?

Woe to you, Varmint!

The Dread Commander Zander Hannibal BoneCrusher. The Black Death. The Foe Hammer. 

The Night Fears Him.

A Psalm to The War Hounds of These Good Lands.

Woe to you, Varmint! Woe to you!
Did you think you would come here to these Good Lands and steal from us?
Did you think you would bring your malevolent putrescence here?
Woe to you! I say again, Woe to you!

My Most Excellent Good Sir Titan did spy your filthy form.
My Fighting Uruk-hai did run you down.

And then, like a storm, The Black Death did thunder across the field on flashing feet
and did wrest your miserable soul from your now stinking corpse.

Did you think you would test these Good Dogs?
Did you think you would try these Good Lands?
Nay, Varmint, Nay!

Feel you now the full weight of my VengeanceBringer!
Feel the grip of My Right Hand!
Learn ye now the full measure of the name BoneCrusher!

Get thee hence to your miserable death, Varmint, and trouble these Good Lands no more.

So say we all.

An April Fool's Day delivery - no joke!

Under the heading of "there are two kinds of people....."  You are either gonna snicker immaturely at this or wonder, "What is so funny?" If you are the latter, than bless you, good and decent person... you are a rose among thorns. The rest of you sons-o'-golly-whats.... well. You know who you are. Shame on all y'all for your impure thoughts.

Isn't Bubby so handsome in his new collar?

Friday happened to be April Fools Day. I don't particularly like that whole concept but whatever. I was also expecting a package so I was keeping an eye out for the new delivery guy. I had ordered some cleaning products and a new dog collar for Zander. No big deal, right?

So the delivery guy - who is new - snuck in for a drive-by instead of honking for me. I suspect this was because the last time he showed up we mighta scared the crap out of him. You know in the cartoons when someone comes around the corner carrying packages and is startled? And they stop short and throw the packages up in the air? Yeah well, he pretty much did that last time he was here when he was greeted by the Dog Horde and their Mouth and Teeth Show.

"Just leave the packages there, honey." I called to him over the barking dogs. He did and then drove away as fast as he could.  That guy will be very glad when we finally get delivery drones to come to our house.

So that's why we are now getting sneak deliveries.

Zander gets to wear the 'good dog necklace' while Titan is in a snit. Dogs.

So Friday, me and the dogs went outside when we finally saw there was a package hastily tossed over the gate. It was here! Finally! My cleaning products and the new dog collar! I was gleeful as we all ran out there.....

...until I realized that my April Fool's Day delivery was an extra large, heavy duty choke collar....and a feather duster.

My steps slowed as my mortification grew...... "Oh my." I thought. We are good and decent people. We don't tend toward shenanigans. We lead a rather monastical life. We don't even have cable. There in front of me lay the box...of what could be considered ..... something untoward.

I urgently felt a need to explain my purchases to Amazon. Then the sinking feeling really hit - what kind of ads was I going to get now? What mail list would I be added to? What exactly would my movie recommendations be based on... based on that particular combination of items.

Eeep!

As it was my purchases were entirely respectable. A pal had recommended the duster to help with all this dog dust that gets all over the house...and Zander needed a new collar. That was it. No shenanigans here. The dog gets the collar and no one's fancy is getting tickled. It is for cleaning.

As I stood in my embarrassment the dogs were hopping around wondering what we got so I ripped the box open right there in the drive way. As expected Zander immediately bit the fluffy end of the duster. Believe me, in this house full of predators I'm making sure it always gets put away. Nicholas also has his eye out to kill that thing.

The dogs all gathered round while I took the collar out of the box. They all began hopping from foot to foot. They all knew it was a "good dog necklace" - the only question was who got to wear it.

We don't collar anyone here - not the dogs, goats, or cats. We think it is unnecessary, can be dangerous, and is largely ineffective. But what if I have to grab someone? Son, if anyone is so out of control that I have to snatch you up - then it's gonna be by the hide - and you and me are gonna have a problem. Everyone knows this. We don't have any issues with this. At all.

Also, when they were little Kai and Zander figured out that a collar was just a handle to grab your opponent by and throw them to the ground. We gave up trying to make that work. The only time the collar comes out is when someone gets to go somewhere. They were all very excited - some lucky dog was going to go in the car with me!

Recently I've been taking Kai down to the local dog park - she loves it. We put on her harness and a collar and we do laps around the park. We are doing this for a couple different reasons - including that the walking path is flat so it's easy on my wonky hip. Being stuck inside for winter had driven me nuts and walking around our uneven property was not working at all. So we found a fun park for us to walk laps. It's good exercise for everyone.

We also want to teach the dogs something new. Smart dogs need to be kept on their toes so this is a great skill to teach them.  Kai is doing great and has become a celebrity down in the park. The older folks like to oooohh and aaaah over her and want to hear about her progress in "learning something new." Kai is perfect in her "heel" and happily trots along side me like a pro.

I've been wanting to take Zander for park walks too but we didn't have a collar big enough for him. What about his working dog harness? He wears that also - but the collar is so I can keep him pointed in the right direction. It's how I steer him.

However, I couldn't find a collar big enough for him locally so I ordered one from Amazon. (Since someone is going to ask this is it.) I fished the collar out of the box and held it up for all to see - the dogs fixed their eyes on it and all looked as demure as possible hoping they would be lucky enough to get the 'good dog necklace.'

Then there commenced the slow motion big dog shoving match to determine who got to wear the collar. In the end Titan won the rights to wear the 'good dog necklace'... and he promptly went and pounded on Zander. After a scolding everyone took up their position in the dog parade, led by Ti, into the house. Ti went and laid on the best bed while everyone else glared. Eventually they all got a turn to wear the 'good dog necklace.'

Yesterday was Zander's big day. We put on his new collar and then he hopped right in the car. We drove down to the park and he did the walk like a champ. By the time we got home, tho, he was exhausted and pretty much slept all day. Little does he know that he is going to be my new running buddy.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Did you get an April Fool's Day package? Were they completely innocent - just a dog collar and cleaning supplies? Did you feel the need to explain your purchases to Amazon? Will anyone actually believe you?



Editors note: Sorry to interrupt a funny post - but I need to tell you that there are affiliate links on this page.....and that I get a tiny portion of the sale when you click on one of the links, go to the Amazon page, and purchase something. It can be anything - books, movies, or something you need from Amazon anyway.  Do you need anything Amazon? You can support this blog by just clicking one of these links. Or using the black Amazon search box on the right side of this page. It doesn't cost you once cent more but helps me with the "cost" of this blog. If you like this blog, or if I've helped you at all in your farming efforts, just make a purchase from Amazon from one of the links, my store, or the black Amazon search box on the right side of this page. Thanks!

TL:DR Bubby Bedkiller disemboweled Ti's woobie.... it was an offal day.

Nothing but dog drama here.... Ti is much better but it's hard keeping a working dog off his feet.  We had to double down on our effort to keep Ti on strict rest. He's a tough guy so a little pain isn't enough to keep him from running around. It's been nothing but sitting around with short walks outside.

 Back in happier days when Ti had his favorite bed. Now in the trash.

All of the dogs are in fits because our routine is so disrupted...and they are all bored. To try and rein everyone in we've been doing a lot of dog shuffling. That is, we've been moving the dogs from room to room in different combinations trying to keep everyone entertained. This works. Mostly. But the rain is also putting a damper on everything so being stuck inside is not helping.

To make it worse, Zander destroyed Ti's favorite dog bed. To be fair, Zander started ripping up the bed and Kai kind of made it worse. But it's been extremely sad to see poor Ti, still in pain, trying to gather up the shredded remains of his favorite snuggle bed into a pile and try and get comfortable in the fluff.

Of course, there is also the cat factor... every chance she gets, Bitty, attacks the sad pile of dogbed fluff and it was getting dragged all over the house. I finally had to go around and gather it up and throw it away. 

The betrayal in Ti's eyes as I was throwing away his favorite bed was almost to much to bear. So it's been very very sad here. 

I tried to soothe it over with extremely fresh chicken hearts but that didn't even work. It's pretty bad when not even organ meat will make your dog smile.
 
TL:DR Bubby Bedkiller disemboweled Ti's woobie and I threw it away because I'm The Worst Momma ever. It was an offal day.

The Big Dog Avalanche of 2016

This past week has been really something. For the last couple of weeks I've been in recovery mode from my wonky hip that laid me low. I really thought we were on the upswing and everything was going great. Until Sunday when The Big Dog Avalanche of 2016 happened.

A little derpy but getting his smile back. And no, I will not throw the ball for you. NO RUNNING.

That's right. It was a Dog-valanche right down the stairs. Me and 470 lbs of dogs took a tumble down the steps on the way outside. While no one, including me, actually face-planted it was pretty bad. It happened fast - Ti and Kai got their feet tangled up on the way down the stairs and we all ended up pretty much in a heap.

Kai was the one who cried and held her bad back leg up....but it ended up that Titan got the worst of it. It was pretty bad - and older shepherd with bad hips taking a nasty spill is bad business. To make it even worse he is the most stoic of our crew. He does not show pain. Ever.

One time I watched Ti get a horrific cut on his paw, shake it off, spit on the ground, and say, "I ain't got time to bleed." That recovery was bad enough. But this hip thing has been much worse. For the first time My Most Excellent Good Sir was in pain and showing it. He couldn't get comfortable and I couldn't fix him.

There is too much detail to cover but suffice it to say there were a bunch of calls to the vet, a trip to the vet, several more calls, and a lot of futzing around until we got the pain medication right. I'm telling you, Titan is one tough dog. With direction from our Good Vet we gave him enough prescription drugs to knock the legs out from under a buffalo - and it didn't even phase Ti. All it did was make him mad. Or dizzy. But it didn't work at all.

Then there was the horrific "wait-for-that-drug-to-clear-his-system." That went on for almost a day. It was horrible. My poor big dog could not get comfortable and would not lay down. For 12 hours straight. It didn't help that Ti and I were giving each other a nervous breakdown. He was upset so I was upset. I was upset so he was even more upset. It was so bad that The Big Man just took Ti downstairs to sleep because we were just spinning each other up into fits.

I had an early morning alarm set the next day so we could switch to the next pain medication... within 30 minutes Ti and I were laying on the same dog bed. We were exhausted but it was working.

So that's what has been going on. A lot of me hovering. A lot of Ti fussing around. The rest of the pack going bananas because two of their leaders were completely nuts. So it's been a tough go for the last week.

Fortunately tho, we are on the upswing. I'm better, Titan is better, and we are getting the pack back to rights. I want to send a very special thanks to all my dog-pals who were so supportive. When a big dog falls he goes down hard. It was exceptionally tough to watch but having everyone's good wishes and checking on us really helped.

Happy Friday everyone - I hope that you have had a MUCH better week!

Princess Wiggles DuckFinder

Dogs really are amazing. Really, really, really amazing. My Fighting Uruk-Hai Princess BearKiller is one of the most amazing of all dogs. Kai is my best hunter, our best killer, she is a relentless and exquisite predator. She's also really good at finding ducks. Who knew?

 Princess Wiggles DuckFinder. 

Our dogs earn names and titles for valor and deeds of bravery but I'm not sure that Kai will be officially titled with Princess Wiggles DuckFinder...it kinda takes the shine off that whole VengeanceBringer thing.

No, that is not her stick. Yes, she is teasing Ti. Yes, he is totally annoyed with her. Ha!

Despite being one of nature's most perfect killers our Kai is ridiculously silly. We've always called her Wiggles because of her funny personality - and the way she shakes her bonbon, double curled tail. She is a very very funny dog. She likes to play tricks and we are surprised at her advanced sense of humor. She loves to tease her brothers and has always been The World's Most Annoying Little Sister. We think she is perfect.

Our baby Kai when she first got here. She started out cute and she is still adorable today.

We have recently been riddled with predator attacks. Yesterday we went out to find one of our laying hens dead-by-hawk. We were mad. Real mad. There isn't one thing to do about it but get a feedsack and take up the shattered remains of that poor hen.

Then we looked around and realized we were missing a little duck - one of the runners. She is a good layer and funny little thing. The drakes were upset and confused. We walked the property looking for the duck - or a body. Nothing. We looked again. Nothing. Dang.

Whatcha doin', Kai? Goofin'? Good dog.

I decided to try one more time and went and got Kai. I showed her when the chicken had been killed hoping she would get the idea to find something similar to that scene.

"What do you see?" That is our command. It's kind of like "find it" but is more broad as in - look around and if there is anything unusual you should let me know. It's also a preliminary command to "get it" if hunting is required.

Kai put her nose to the ground and started patrolling.

 She has always been beautiful.

We made our way up to the garden where the ducks had been hanging around on the off chance that she had made a nest in the bramble. I pointed, "What do you see, Kai?"

But Wiggles had walked a few steps away from me with her nose down. "No. Here, Kai." I pointed where I wanted her to look in the brambles, "Here." She looked at me and grinned and shook her bonbon tail, nose down... facing the other way.

I'll be damned. Right there. There was the duck. I was practically standing on her. I didn't even see her and that duck hadn't made a sound. Kai pointed, smiling. Good girl.

The little duck was pretty bad off. It looked like someone had scalped her with a dull spoon. The geese. It had to be. They had been aggressive lately and OD has always had it out for the ducks. He wants to be the boss of them. Geese are mean, friend. Not only to people but also to other poultry. This little duck had really been worked over.

I picked her up. Apparently she had gotten tangled up in some netting so she was a sitting duck for goose abuse. I didn't think she would make it.

Kai and I carried the little duck back to the house. I yelled for The Big Man to call Kai in and give her treats. The duck and I went out to the garage. I fixed her up as best I could but did not have high hopes. At least she wouldn't die outside alone in the cold or killed by whatever stalks in the night.

This morning I went out to see if the little duck had made it - she did! Not only had she recovered but she found a few chicken eggs and sat herself down on them. Well, maybe that will give her something to do while she recovers. Thank heavens! And thank Kai!

For her part Princess Wiggles DuckFinder got extra treats and then went and ate everyone else's food. She might think that she is the Top Dog now and it's gonna take a while for that to settle down. But we were very proud of her. Not only for finding the duck but for finding-and-not-hunting.

It's a huge win for Kai - the difference between hunting and working. Some people will wonder if it was 'just lucky' that Kai found the duck? Nope. That's what a hard working farm dog does. It was intentional - not by happenstance. Did I set out one day to train Kai to find ducks? Nope. But I did train her to be a good dog and help me. It is a lot of effort but it's worth every minute.

To be absolutely clear, if I put Kai outside with the poultry alone it would be a massacre but she knows when we are working and what is expected. More than anything she loves to kill ducks. I was there the day she put it together that those loud flappy things were full of meat and blood. The look on her face was priceless, "You are KIDDING me?" So she knows what ducks are full of... but she also knows what it means to be a hard working farm dog.

I couldn't farm without my Dog Horde. Every day - every single day - I'm glad I have them and that I put the effort into training them.

Happy Saturday everyone! Did your best killer find a beaten down duck? Do you call her Wiggles?

Ti's Baby Pictures

I was going thru some old files and found a treasure trove of Ti's baby pictures. He was so little! You'll remember the story about how we got Ti and Lucky.

 This is one of the first pictures of when we brought Ti home. He was just a little baby!

Why don't I have a ton of pictures when Ti was a baby? Well, I was a reluctant dog person when I first got here. So the dog thing was new to me. I had no idea I would end up with a house full of huge dogs. I couldn't understand why people would want big dogs.

At first it was just our old lady Shady and Ti. They were a terrific team.

Looking out for adventure.

But then I found out that working dogs are terrific. And so we grew our pack....and I found out I really really really love puppies. So that's why I have tons of pictures of Kai and Zander. Plus, I have a better camera now.

 He was so small in his big dog bed... now he barely fits on any of them.

 He started to grow into it. 

I was also busy shutting down my old life so I really didn't have a lot of puppy time with him. We got Ti when he was more toward the 12 week mark... it was very different than when we got Bubby as a very young pup.  Not everyone loves puppies - they are a lot of work but I just adore every second.

 He's always been a hard working dog and my best helper. Those ears tho..... ha!

Ti has alwasy been a very serious dog - he was never very really silly like our Wiggles aka Kai.

We were so excited to get him that big bone...but then Shady took it and buried it. 

We never saw it again. Ha!

I also found a few pictures of Lucky when he was little and his funny ear almost stood up straight!

Our first picture together.

This is my favorite picture of My Most Excellent Good Dog, Wolfgang Titan Big Bear. My Right Hand. First in Command. The Other Half of My Sky.

Happy Friday everyone! Did you find some baby pictures?

What a snow! And Bubby blows his coat.

Sometimes this blog is about my personal record keeping - like today. I need to note that we had a ridiculous snow over night.... so bad hat we have been under a "Level Two Snow Emergency." This means that pretty much everything is shut down.

There be dire wolves here. My Zander's paw print.

Our roads have been plowed but it's still a disaster out there. To make it worse it's a big ol' heavy, wet snow that is bending over all the trees. We had some flickering lights earlier. So far so good... for now.

Foolish me. I shoveled off half the deck so the dogs wouldn't have to sit in the snow. *sigh*

Of course the dogs love it. My crew can't get enough of mushing thru the snow. As you can see from the above pic.... that whole "If you are cold, they are cold. Bring them in..." thing is  a bunch of crap. Ha! Not my crew. They are happiest in the snow. I'm the one that gives up first and makes them go inside.

And as luck would have it, over the last couple days with our coldest temperatures of the year, Zander is blowing his coat. That means he is shedding all at once. There is fur everywhere. EVERY.WHERE. The local birds love it - there are a lot of nests being lined with Bubby fur. It's hilarious to find them. But pretty much the vacuum started crying when the fur started flying.

We are calling Zander, "Patchy" for the foreseeable future. 

Today will be about brushing out my Bubby and hoping the electric stays on.

Happy Tuesday everyone - are you getting a snow day?

Ruined day improved by stuff in skillets.....

I probably should have made more of an effort to watch the news last nite. No one was more surprised than me to find out about all that snow this morning......

The dogs were overjoyed. Kai's snow smile says it all.

Yesterday's snow could have been described as The White Malaise.... today it was The White Death for sure.

The Black Death loves The White Death and immediately shoved his big face in it. Oh Bubby!

Chores were tough. All of my boots now leak... but we are more than halfway past the point where buying a new pair of winter boots make sense. The winter mocks me.

Even My Most Excellent Good Dog got all derpy over the snow.

I had no choice but to make my attitude improve with stuff in skillets.

Yesterday I made this skillet cake. It improved things tremendously. Today I had to bring out the big guns....

...bacon. This is the before. There is no after pic ... other than an empty plate.

This is our home cured and smoked bacon. I love it because it's more like a tiny, little bacon steak instead of what store bacon is like. Even the stuff from our butcher is not really bacon-steak-y. You need to eat it this with a knife and fork... and maybe a drizzle of home made maple syrup.

The winter storm continues to rage against my good nature.... but I resist Snow Rage with stuff in skillets.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Are you making bacon? I mean like... marching out there and butchering a pig? I know someone who is today! Good luck! Yay you!

Another Snow Derp Day....

Get BearKilers, they said.....

They are regal animals, they said.....

Majestic in all ways, they said.....

Yep. Just another snow derp day.....

Bubby!!!

Princess Wiggles!! 

And so it goes...... yep.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Happy Gotcha Day, Kai!

Actually Kai's bring home day was a few days ago... she was such a little wiggler! We can't believe she is now five years old.

My beautiful Kai. 

We got Kai because we knew our old lady Shady was at the end of her good and long life. We really needed a hunter - and boy, did we ever get a good hunter with Kai.

Where you goin', Kai? To kill stuff? Good girl!

Kai's favorite thing? Killing stuff. She could kill stuff all day and half the nite. If we need a varmint rooted up and killed - we get our Kai. She is officially off the "farm chores" duty and is entirely on killing stuff.

Recently Kai earned the name, "The Chickens Eat What She Kills" after she dug up and slayed a nest of rodents. It was glorious. Actually it was gross and I ended up with a shovel full of ick to toss to the chickens. My good girl Kai dropped them on command and we went and got a handful of dry cat food which is infinitely better than half dead rodents. "Kill them, Kai, kill them all." VengeanceBringer takes these words very very seriously.

That is not her stick. She doesn't even want it. She's just teasing Titan who doesn't think she is funny.

Kai's personality is a tough mix of stubbornness, independence, and absolute joy. She is always happy. Kai lives her life with a wolfish grin and a glint in her eye. She loves to tease her brothers. Mostly she likes to tease Titan who takes our games of fetch very seriously. Kai does not and likes to try and trip him. Every once in a while she'll fetch a ball but mostly she just loves the running when we play.

That grin. She's fixin' to kill something.

She is very very smiley - but kind of in a polar bear way. The kind of smile where you aren't sure if she is glad to see the UPS guy ... or if she is just waiting for him to get a little bit closer.

Kai is very funny and likes to joke around. We have a game called, "What if my foot was on your foot?" where I put a foot on top of her paw. Then she puts her paw on my foot. And we do this for a while and she thinks it's hilarious. 

We've had a lot of adventures with Kai but the funniest was when I found a lost helium balloon in the driveway. It was listlessly floating about 2 feet off the ground... it's smiley face just a little sad. So I did the only rational thing. I got the dogs.

They immediately charged the intruder.  All four of Dog Horde surrounded the sad little balloon and give it the what for - all dogs equidistant from each other like four points of a compass barking like mad. The poor balloon just floated there at a standstill. Until Bubby booped it with his nose. The movement made Kai pounce and she grabbed it in her jaws, popping it. Then she gave it a good shaking and spit out it's ruin upon the driveway. Zander was the one who snatched it up and ran away with it.  And yes, Kai got a handful of dry cat food for her valor.

My Fighting Uruk-Hai Princess BearKiller. The Shining Light of the Realm. VengeanceBringer. She Hunts What We Cannot See..... we are so glad we gotcha!

Happy Saturday everyone!