What A Difference A Week Makes

From snow and single digit temps

to raking leafs and burning limbs

to a day warm enough for swimming

while Blue birds make housing plans.

Dog Tired

from yesterday.

Kinda like The Little Red Hen except I had no seeds.

No one was helping me.

Lizzy rested in a freshly raked pile of leafs.

Ki-Anne wondered what was so great about what I was gathering.

Lil just wanted me to throw a stick.

See that TINY stick by her fore paws? 

I guess this was a dog day afternoon.

Find The Hidden Object...

I always loved those puzzles in Highlights Magazine and other places. Sometimes I would go cross eyed trying to see a picture.  Here's the farm version of Find the Hidden Object.  Actually bad photos that I wish were good ones.  Some are from the afternoon sun, others are hidden by reeds.  You may have to guess what it's SUPPOSED to be instead of finding the Dog...there's your hint.

Lil and Bonnie

Bonnie and Ki-Anne

Bonnie, Ki-Anne and Lil

Now wasn't that fun?

The dogs thought so.

Playing With Dogs

Lil had to play stick

Having found a spot over their heads

They weren't sure how to cross.

Bonnie tried to clear it

but

She could never make it across with a jump.

The water normally is clear.

Doesn't take long for a pack to stir up the sand.

The pack looked for squirrels

and underground monsters.

They will rest well tonight.

The Pack

playing with sticks and each other

 Gathering around Hubby for some love.  Maggie is his Border Collie with Bonnie and Ki-Anne.

Ki-Anne and Bonnie...I believe Bonnie is gonna to outweigh her soon.

Everyone loved the sunshine.

Lil patiently waits for the stick to be thrown.

Walking With Dogs..

Ki-Anne climbing some bales of hay.

Lil, with a stick, of course.

Ki-Anne watching.

Playing in muddy puddles:

Lizzy, Ki-Anne, and Junior.

Playing With Sticks...

Black And White...

picture

of black and white dog.

Invaluable Farm Team and Treasures...

The rain and thunders storms rolled in and out all day.

We had uninvited visitors.

Not ours!

Why do ours stay in but we can't keep these out?

Lizzy and Junior

Squiggs, Junior and Ki

Add Border Collie Diamond Lil 

and you have an unbeatable team to move cattle.

To see stock dogs work is a thing of beauty.  Each dog is trained by the one above them.  Lil is a head dog, the smaller ones are heelers and movers.  

When the strangers arrive Marcy can clap her hands, I yell "Yhaw!" and the team moves like a well-oiled machine.  Itty-bitty Lizzy and Squiggy gets them moving, Ki and Junior separate the strangers from our cattle and Lil takes the head. 

I've never had the herds completely blended until today.  Squiggs (not twelve pounds) cut out our cattle and headed them back to their spot while Junior, Ki and Lizzy curved the strange bunch back out of our pasture.  It was simply amazing. I face an oncoming wave of half grown calves.  For a second, just a second, I doubted the power of my team.  I raised my arm and I pointed.  The dogs take our cattle one way and the strange ones are herded the other. As they hit the divide, Lil picks up the chase and takes them totally into their home pasture.

Pure dance and art when they work.  A motley crew of Border Collies, a tiny Cairn mix, a Jack/ Rat Terrier,  my hot pepper Ki-Anne of unknown origin and her son Junior moved together like a well choreographed Broadway musical.  

I am proud of our little pack.  All were throw aways except for Lil.  They fit perfectly together and make a fantastic irreplaceable farm team. Not only with herding but also on protection and patrol detail.

Between rains I took a short walk and discovered a few treasures the farm had to offer for my pleasure and enjoyment.

Border Patrol

doing their job...patrolling.

Diamond Lil...

What's wrong with this stick?

Can't you see this wonderful stick?

 Okay, I'm holding here.

Come and get it.

Do I have to do everything?

The perfect stick is delivered.

Lil says, Now, throw the blooming stick!

Rhabdomancy...

Witching is a fascinating art.  Something I've witnessed proven over and over mostly in finding water but also in finding pretty much anything. 

I have read a few books since July 2011 when I witched for a cave.  I marked the spot.  Recently I returned.  My stick remained and the hole was larger.  Of course I did not return prepared, I just stopped in Fern Gully when I was on my way to another project.  Just me and dogs, no tools and other work to do.

Lil still swollen from killing a copperhead (Good Dog!) the night before started digging.  Now this is not a varmint tunnel.  This was one spot of two I witched in Fern Gully when I was cave hunting. 

After pointing Lil at the small opening she begins to dig.

When digging is involved Ki-Anne and Junior always join in.  I notice this is solid dirt they are digging.  Lil is pulling live tree roots out.  I have nothing with me to help dig and I am kicking myself.  I find a machete in the back of the Ranger and chop vines and briers out of the way.  I even misuse the machete a little and cut some roots and remove some dirt. This was going to be a special project and I had side-tracked to essentials instead of following my dream of finding a cave.  Of course I had excuses this past summer was too hot and too dry to dig anything.

As I leave Lil is as hesitant to abandon her project as I am.  Another day, maybe when we have the proper tools we will return.  I hope.  It's been almost a year and a half since I first witched this spot.  Calling Lil away so she can cool in the creek I'm hoping it's not another year before I return to this spot.

Sometimes You Bend, Sometimes You Break...

Saturday Centus prompt by Jenny Matlock  

Every week Ms Jenny gives us a writing prompt.  The rules are the same only the prompt changes. 

PROMPT: "Sometimes you bend. Sometimes you break."
WORD COUNT - Not to exceed 106 (including the prompt)
STYLE OF WRITING - Any
PICTURES - Any Additional

Once upon an autumn day

Harry Tarantula came to play

Border Collie noticed the arrival

Didn’t consider it a threat to survival

As he reared to scare her away

Lil turned another way

The lesser experienced arrived on the scene

Had a discussion and thought Harry was mean

Lil tried to convince them to just stay away

But it’s a danger, Lil said, “No way”!

They jumped back with fear

While Lil just watched with upright ears

Her job was to train the upcoming team

"You need to assess what’s good and what’s mean.

Sometimes you bend, sometimes you break

Important thing is don’t make mistakes."