Corn Dog Critters

Corn dog defined my way is meat on a stick.

dog on a stick

Dragonfly on a stick

grasshopper on a stick...

Corn Dogs?

Good Fences on a Hot Summer Day

Far from fresh water the dogs followed me

Here's the fence I crawled under to help find water...

in a dry creek.

Lil, the oldest in this pack, not counting me,

 thought the water should be here.

Lil was walking where water used to be.

I'm not sure she trusted me to find water.

but I did!!! It was a short walk for me...a long run for them.

Every dog was thrilled.

We celebrated and thanked God for leaving us such a treasure.

We headed home.  The pack leader (me) knew some secrets the dogs didn't know. These "dry" creeks carry the run off from rain and wet weather springs but are empty when it gets really dry.  We're not REALLY dry... yet.

Joining TexWisGirl for Good Fences.

Protecting Your Friends.

At the new pond

the pack was cooling when danger was spotted.

JR screamed, Something's out there!!!

Ki-Anne and JR conferred and decided to send Bonnie...

Nothing bothers her.

JR says, I'll help,

then swims for high ground.

Bonnie has the monster in her jaws.

and saves the day

by delivering the "killer" log for all to inspect.

Up A Creek

With sunshine and shadows we checked out the creek.  Actually this would be called a branch.  It carries the over flow from one pond and is feed by wet weather springs along the way.  As the weather turns dry the levels lower but the beauty remains.

Junior with reflection and Ki-Anne explores the opposite bank.

I ditch the shoes to feel the power from the ground and the water.

Difficult to read JR's mind

but I know Lil is considering this log for it's possibilities of becoming her stick.

The water slows but the moss still grows

A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House says, "God's Creek was a pretty place that held noise within its closeness like a voice in a cupped hand."  I listened to the beauty in the noise and though our creek or branch has no name, it is plainly God's Creek.

The water bugs danced in celebration.

Moss Walk

We followed the sandy road

Lil wanted to play stick

Ki-Anne made splashes again and again.

Checked the May Apple crop

and traveled through the old orchard that was a hundred years or more.

The walk was up hill and hot.

Lil found a treasure...a water hole behind a terrace doing its job.

The trapped rain water felt so good and cool

even prissy Lizzy had a sit down.

I gathered moss,

with low environmental impact, 

 to add to my water garden.

It makes an amazing natural filter

and it grows! 

Snake Alert! Retraining The Dogs

Farm dogs have certain jobs.  Sometimes those jobs are sad but necessary for the continuance of life on a farm.  Can't have 'possums, skunks or 'coons in the chicken house and can't have armadillos digging holes for stock to break their legs in. We can't have poison snakes close to the house to bite unaware children and busy adults.  It is what it is.

The trained farm team choose snakes by smell.  Poison snakes, or pit vipers, have a very distinct smell.  The dogs eradicated the dangerous and left the harmless snakes alone.  Last year the dogs cornered a huge non-poisonous snake consuming all life available in my water garden.  This snake made the mistake when cornered of striking out and biting one of the dogs.  It was over in seconds. They didn't care about my rules one smidgen.  Their rules in that moment...if it bites my friend, it's gone.  I was not happy but you can't reassemble a snake.

Yesterday I found a harmless young snake about three feet long.  It was terrified.

Lizzy inspected as I told her no.

Poor snake was horrified and frozen in fear...good thing for it.

The hardest one to convince was Lil, our matriarch of snake watch.  Oh, she wanted to do her job so badly!  I kept saying, No, Lil.  It's a good snake.  Lil didn't like it but the dogs got a good smell and left it.  I'm hoping this will redirect them to eliminating only the poison snakes once again.

Jumping Into Spring

with all feet in our neck of the woods.

Flexing those winter slow muscles, 

joyfully playing in the dirt,

and tracking down jobs.

 Things are going swimmingly

even with all the sh**.

The Creek

ran clear when we began.

A rousing game

of tossing sticks

stirred things up a bit.

The dogs

didn't mind.