Tag Archives: animals

Let Me Introduce You to————-

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Tommy!

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Tommy is a Royal Palm Turkey!

Isn’t he beautiful?

Tommy is also a rescue turkey.

He isn’t my turkey, he belongs to Shannon.  Our oldest daughter that has the two Rottweilers and Princess Houston the Mountain Cur.

Shannon also volunteer’s (with me) at the Animal Shelter as a dog walker.  Although, she has been known to be a kennel cleaner and a vet runner.  She likes to be there to just love on the dogs and cats so winds up doing many other things.  (She does have a full-time job, just to let you know)

But this is a tale about Tommy.

One day, when Shannon and Buddy were driving around in the countryside they saw a sign that said turkeys for sale.  Not ever having a turkey (or three) they thought  a cool thing would be to get a live turkey.

There were many turkey’s , you could pick out what you wanted, pay for it and go.  As they were looking around they saw Tommy and two hens in a very tiny, itty-bitty wire cage.  It was so tiny they were stacked in there together–hen, tom, hen.  The feathers were wore off of Tom and his chest was bare of all feathers, the hens were scrawny.

When asked why these three were in such a tiny pen, they were told there wasn’t enough room for all of the turkey’s so he had them in this pen until he could make room for more birds.

So….for a price– the cage and two hens and Tommy came to live in animal heaven with the three dogs, two cats, 8 hens and just found rooster-Jethro.

Sadly the hens didn’t make it.  But Tommy did!

What a wonderful turkey he is.  I have been around very mean turkey’s, but Tommy isn’t one of those kind.  We all pick him up, carry him around, the little kids pet him, and he even walks over into the onion fields and drums from the workers over there.

We do have to go get him and bring him home because Tommy is never destined to be on someone’s table.

So, as you can see, he is now a completely healed and a very magnificent bird!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Dog Walks

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We now have jobs!!!  All of us…Shannon’s two Rottweiler’s, Balau and Rock, and her Mountain Cur, Huston,

plus Hank, and Boomer and myself….Fuzzy “The Dude” McDoodle Brown, Fuzz to my friends and Dude to my Mom.

Anyway, we all have jobs now.

We are dog walkers.

Mom and Shannon volunteer at the local shelter to walk dogs —we all knew something was up because the NEWS on their clothes when they came home WAS SOMETHING ELSE!!!! Let me tell you!

So Mom told us last Sunday…you boys have work to do and it’s to help shelter dogs have fun.  What is going to happen is some of the shelter dogs are coming out here to play and socialize and learn farm skills so when they are adopted the new family will be really pleased at all their new dog and do.

The first to come was a baby…he is cuddly and sweet and cute and get got really tired the first time going around the farm…so we only walked two miles instead of what we could have walked.  The next time he did better and didn’t have to stay on the leash but walked with us as pack.

We walked around and looked at the corn.  He saw some great birds to bark at, although he didn’t bark.

 

This is a female Redwing Blackbird.

The two pit bulls are STRONG…Mom says they need to work as a team for sled dog race, they are really work well together.

They walk at the Confluence Park

 

Where lots of Canada Geese have flown back too.

They like other dogs and love to play, although the girl can be a bit bossy and wants to take over…I sat her in place.

Yes!

I am the head dog…no one forgets it!

Hummphhhhf!

So that is what our new jobs are since farming is over…we are volunteer dog walkers.  Who would have ever thought!

Boom and I talked about it after everyone went home.

The energy of the whole thing rather tired me out, but HEY! I’m game!

We decided that this is a good thing — since we are ‘found’ dogs, we know how they feel and can help them have joy in their lives until they get a forever home.

Here’s our 4 O’clock photo…a storm is moving, going to be a wet cold one my old bones tell me.

Anyway, back to our job…here is a thought— Boomer and I really enjoy paying it forward.  As you go about your day, try to pay it forward at least once — for one good thing brings on another good thing and before you know it all the dogs in the world will have a good home.

OOPPS, what I wanted to say is one kindness always brings on another kindness which makes the world a lot better place.

Fuzzy

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Fall Bath

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Mom said it was time—I didn’t believe her so I pretended that I didn’t hear—then she said—“Come on Fuzzy, it’s TIME!”

So Boomer and I had to go!

And it was EARLY IN THE DAY!

I mean, like really early.  9:00 in the morning!

Well, too early for me for what we had to go do!

Shudder, shudder, tremble, and shake!

Of course Boomer didn’t have any trouble with going.

He never does!

Just the word GO gets his attention and he is ready.

I’m usually that way, but I just had this feeling this time that Mom was up to something.

I pretended not to hear her.

Finally, I came and we went.

Yep!  I was right!

We had to go GET A BATH!!!!

I HATE BATHS!!!!

I HATE BEING AWAY FROM MOM!

I don’t cry or bark or try to bite, I just shiver and shake until Mom shows back up.

Now Boomer, Heck He Enjoys The Whole Experience….the drive there, the new smells, talking to the other dogs, rolling in the water and getting shampooed, his ears cleaned, the doggie blow-dryer, the WHOLE EXPERIENCE!!!

Now me…I LOVE when MOM comes.  I then whine and bark little happy yippy barks and RUN to the truck!!

When it comes to going HOME from the GROOMERS I’m first to the truck, you can bet you it!

Fuzzy

The Hills Come Alive

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The storms playing around on our mountains are just beautiful!

Linda

 

In My Spare Time

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In my spare time I go help our oldest daughter with her volunteer job.  We walk the dogs at the City Pound/CAWS.

We go Tuesday and Friday, it takes some time.  That’s okay.  We enjoy the dogs and they enjoy us.  We walk them to the dog park and then let them run and run and run!

So much fun!

If you would like a wonderful dog…these dogs are perfect.  They are all house broke, past the puppy stage and socialized.

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Of course there are other dogs there than just these three  —  I just wanted to give you an idea of great dogs for a small price.

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — What is a Farm

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When I first got here I didn’t know what a farm was, I didn’t know what a ranch was, and I didn’t know how to ride on a four-wheeler or in the back of a pick-up.

See I had always lived in a house and when they were gone they put me in a garage.  I didn’t like the garage!  I still don’t go into ANY of Mom and Dad’s garages…..they can have the doors wide open and be in the garage and I still won’t go in there.

I didn’t make any noise when I came here either.  The vet told Mom that was weird because a happy Beagle likes to express him/herself.

I also don’t like some men or boys with caps on either….I get very, very fearful and try to run away from them.

Now that I’ve been here TWO years…TWO REALLY WONDERFUL YEARS…I can ride on the four-wheeler with Mom, or run beside them, I love to ride in the back of the pick-up, and I talk…..lots!

So when those men and boys with caps come on the place (I never bark at Dad), but I will Blade IF he has a cap on….I BARK!  I bark warning barks!  I bark until Mom comes out and pets me.   Then she feels me trembling inside and gives me lots of hugs and love.

Anywho….

A farm is not a ranch.  Nope, No Sireee.

A ranch grows grass…lots and lots of grass and has animals that eat grass living on it.

A Farm is crops.

A farm is ground where the soil is worked up to hold a seed, then the seed is watered until it becomes a plant, and then the plant is watered until it produces something eatable to someone or some animal.

Here on our farm (YIPEEE I LOVE LIVING ON A FARM!!!) Oh, hum, well, yes, I got sidetracked a bit— Here on our farm we grow alfalfa to turn into hay for people who feed it to their animals, we grow corn —the kind that is ground into chicken and cow feed…it could also be ground into meal for people if you wanted to have some, and we grow pinto beans.

Dad does all the ‘tractor’ work, but Mom and Fuzzy and I help Dad water the seeds, then the plants until harvest time.

I LOVE IRRIGATING!  That’s what we call watering.  If you live in town or just have a house and some yard, you water, on a farm you IRRIGATE!

That is so much fun.

We ride (sometimes I run alongside) out to the fields on the four-wheeler —with Mom.  Dad always makes us run long side.

Fuzzy doesn’t go with Dad any more, he says he will wait for Mom.

I know it’s because his joints don’t work like they used to, that’s okay.  I sometimes stay with Fuzzy; I would never want to hurt his feelings!

When we are out there, I check out the burn area….everything is still burned, but has lots of weeds growing.  The guy who started all three farms on fire just keeps saying he’s sorry, but he really doesn’t know what to do.  Dad says the guy will stall everyone out and never fix anything so he will get away with ‘lighting fires’.

Makes my people rather sad, I know how they feel.  I was always sad when I had to stay in the garage and got in trouble for talking.

Dad says we will have to fix fence this fall before the cows come, and the bad man will just have to live with his conscience, whatever that means.

Mom’s been painting stuff outside…she said everything was starting to look old and tired, like her! HA!

So what once was blue is now white.

Fuzzy and I and Sam the Cat hang around while she paints.  Monkey the other cat stays inside all the time so she misses out on lots of cool stuff.

Mom’s friend, Robin, stays close, but not too close when Sam the Cat is laying around next to Mom.  (But still there).

One of the cool things out irrigating are the smells…I learn soooo much!  Like what the birds are doing, we have three new ground squirrels and there is nest of Killdeer, not to mention all the bunnies living next to the equipment.

The coyotes have moved someplace else…which makes all of us happy.  The fire did that to them, now they could come back……

But we hope not.

Oh and a Momma Skunk has a nest next to kids barn down there…Hank found that and told us about it.

Mom told HANK “You stink, Hank!”

Hank said he thought he smelled really beautiful!

Anyhow….sometimes I forget to come when they call (I always think I have time before I have to leave my smells) then I hear the four-wheeler….and I know it’s too late.

Since I have to run in any way I go ahead and finish reading the news…then I

RUN

IN!!!!!

Hope you have a GREAT DAY!
Boomer

 

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Dear Diary

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Dear Diary—

I finally have a few minutes to write a few notes to myself!  Boomer and I have been extremely busy this week.

The water is finally starting to work right.  It took a while.  The ground was so hard and dry and the air so full of hot wind and dirt, oh, yes, and the amount of irrigation water so slim, we had to go change water ALL the time.

But everything is coming together now.

Dad goes out and checks the water often, but we only have to CHANGE the water twice a day, which is normal.

That is because the ground FINALLY got wet.  That’s how Dad and Mom talk when they talk about the water…they say: something, something, something now that the ground is Finally wet.

Dad wastes nothing with the water. He sets up a series of dams so nothing is wasted.

The water at the end of the field goes off our farm and back into the canal so then next farm below us gets our water, it goes on like this clear to the Gunnison River.

Pretty cool!

Sometimes Hank goes with us; he likes to check the tubes for mice.

Boomer is off smelling the news somewhere….he reports back what he finds when we all get home.

Me!?

Well, I help the folks out.

I stay right with Mom and make sure the water is the right height in the ditch, (I really like catching the water bubbles, but I don’t tell anyone, they would probably not let me get in the ditch if they knew)

I just jump right in and show them I’m good at irrigating.

Dad has cut baled and hauled hay.  The first customers came last night.

That is always cool…..we like to bark the customers into the yard, and then we like to lead them to the haystack with our barking signals—

Bark, bark, bark…THIS WAY—

COME ON–  We will show you!

Bark, Bark, Bark!!!

Boomer and I do a really good job of getting them to the hay yard.

By the time we get the truck and the trailer there and all backed up and lined up, Dad is ready to load.

We are a gooood TEAM!

Sometimes Hank and his family walk over in the evening.

Boomer is terrified of the goats!

Terrified!

Did I tell you he is terrified!

Boy is he ever!

Hank and I laugh at him.

Boomer doesn’t care…every time he gets around them one of them tries to butt him so he gets real nervous and barks at them.

Hummmmm

Maybe I would be afraid also if they would try to butt me.

But they don’t.

I get that look on my face and I crouch down and slink close to the ground and they stop.

They look at me and I give a warning growl.

They walk off and I go my own way.

Bullies never like courage!

I tell Boomer to do that, but he says he just can’t.

One day going to town, we saw a devil – a dirt devil.

I thought it was pretty cool.

Boomer said he had never seen one!

Well, Diary.  There you have it.  Just another day on the farm!

Like I say…changing water is always the best part!

Fuzzy

P.S.  Oh, yes!  My fur is starting to come back in.  I really like having fur.

P.P. S.S.  Mom says I have to go to the groomer again NEXT WEEK (SHUDDER) But she said I won’t get shaved.

{{{SHUDDER}}}

Chickens and Mice (do not proceed if you like mice)

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Mice in the chicken house are a pain.  They are nasty, dirty and (if you don’t take care) EVERYWHERE!

But one nice thing about chickens…..

They are very good mousers.

I was raking around the wood pile and the chicken house when suddenly a mouse ran right by me, followed with a very determined Lucky Hen.

She grabbed the mouse and ran over to the trash pile (will get it cleaned up soon, I promise!) making sure the other hens don’t follow or Sam the Cat.

Whereby she proceeded to ‘take care of the nasty little vermin’.

Just like I do with the mice in the mouse traps I disposed of it.

Good Hen!

(Hens do not eat mice, or at least I have never seen one do it.  But I do find mice that have been very flatten with lots of peck holes in them.)

Linda

 

The Day From H#%%

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A neighbor of ours (2 miles away) decided that today (with 20-30 m.p.h. wind and gusts of wind) was an excellent day to burn one of his ditches.

Well, he got the ditch burnt that is for sure, and the neighbors farm and our farm.

Terry and I are just sick!  Sick, sick, sick!

It took the Delta Fire Department, the Olathe Fire Department, the Cedaredge Fire Department and the Lands End Fire Department from Whitewater to put the fire out. (If you get out a map you will see how far some of them had to come to help)

The fire reached our place at 2:30 that afternoon with fire jumping and running over all of our pastures, hillsides and into the corn fields.  THANK GOD!!! Terry had disked the ends of the corn or it would have ran right to our house.

The fire also ate it’s way right up to our kids’ barns and chicken house….we had to load up and move out all the goats, chickens, dogs and cats.  One of the next door neighbors took Tally, the other kids were in school for part of the time.

The sheriff department had all three roads blocked off from traffic as the smoke was so thick seeing was next to impossible.

The rancher and his daughter and her boyfriend came up and rounded up the cows and calves to keep them out of harms way.

The fire was finally put down at 6:30 that evening.  Terry’s equipment was saved, the buildings were saved and no animals lost their lives that we are aware of.

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Terry and I are sick about the loss of the centuries old Chico and Sagebrush, the ancient cactus.  What will happen now is the invasive weeds will take over.

Sigh,

Linda