Oreo Cows!

Finally, a picture of the oreo cows that I keep talking about! These are Belted Galloway cows. They originated in Scotland and are very hearty and docile little cows. We are going to get a cow calf and a bull calf from this herd. Right now our calves are just a couple of months old and not ready to be taken away from mama yet. We will wait another month or two to bring them home. We want to have them get as much good rich nutrition from their mamas as possible but still bring them here while they are small enough for the kids to bottle feed them. They are COOL!

Goin' to count the hay...

We went on a hayride on Poppy's trailer pulled behind one of his tractors. We had to go count the hay bales in one of their hay fields. Everyone around here are putting up amazing amounts of hay this year. Ah, the country life is GREAT! :)

Baby Peepers

We've started seeing little eyes watching us from the barn swallow nest in the corner.

Spider Frog!

Each evening we have this herd of little "spider frogs" that show up on the windows on the west side of the house. They come up after dark and we have turned the lights on. They are on the french doors in the living room and on the Joe and Katie's bedroom windows.
We watched them for a little while to figure out what they would possibly be doing hanging out on second-storey windows. We realized they are eating bugs that come up to the glass, attracted by the light shining through it. These little tiny green frogs grab mosquitos and moths that come up near the glass. It is really fun to watch them hard at work.
This is one of the little frogs that came out the other day as I was watering a flower bed on the ground down below the windows.

Dog and Cat Diaries

My niece sent this over to me and my kids got such a kick out of it. In honor of Rufus, Titus, Gunny and Meatball I have to post it here....

THE DOG

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!




THE CAT

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are
fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for
the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in
order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.
In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their
feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it
clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending
comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was
placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.
However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that
my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what
this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my
tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try
this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and
snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly
released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is
obviously retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate
with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every
move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an
elevated cell,so he is safe. For now...

Our neighbor...

has been working on this great big boat for quite a while now. We figured he just wanted to have a bigger boat than anyone else out on the lake. A couple of days ago we noticed lots of animals around, walking by, usually in pairs. Seems they're all heading towards the boat. Now, where in the world did this guy find a lion in Missouri?!!!

It's flooding out here like crazy. We're so lucky to be up on a hill so all we have to do is just watch it (except we're also watching our road wash away). So many folks around here are having trouble with it. Many people couldn't make it in to church yesterday because roads and highways are flooded and they couldn't get across. Many men from church left early yesterday to go out and help pump flooded basements and get some people moved to higher ground.
We walked our pasture yesterday. Fortunately, much of our pasture runs downhill so most of the water runs off. However, the spots of level land in the pasture have several inches of water just standing on it as the ground cannot absorb any more moisture. Our ponds are very very full and the air is filled with the song of happy frogs.
The town where our favorite WalMart is at (about a half hour from here) received 21 inches of rain in one day. As of last night they were expecting rivers to crest at 46 feet past flood stage. River surfing anyone?!