Working, Playing, Living

Now that I’m adjusting to working, I promise to get better at blogging. I have been slacking a lot. Of course, it doesn’t help that Brent has been working a lot, and we just don’t have time to get out and see things. So, I promise bigger and better things from here.

This week has been great. I am enjoying my schedule, I enjoy my work, and I especially enjoy the work environment that I’m in. It’s less like work, and more like hanging out with friends, with work mixed in. Okay, even I know that doesn’t make sense, but the bottom line. It’s fun.

In addition to work we’ve just been having fun on the farm. It’s always entertaining here. This week we’ve had quite a bit of rain which of course means wet and mud. In addition to that our satellite works, or doesn’t work, depending on the amount of moisture in the air, or the cables, we have 1-100 channels. It’s just great! (insert sarcasm here). We are really hoping to find a new place to live this weekend, and hopefully we’ll be moving in August. Yet another perk of working for a real estate company. LoL.

We are growing increasingly impatient. There are so many little things adding up to our move towards moving. The best is the toilet. It seems that somewhere along the way someone decided it would be best to take the bolts out that hold the porcelain god to the slowly rotting floor boards. In addition to the cold sweats it has in 50 degree weather it also wobbles, bobbles and pivots as you sit, or stand. It’s GREAT! Sometimes in the middle of the night when a person is particularly wobbly and hits the seat too hard it will even growl at you! Last week I was convinced that something was living in the bathroom because I swore I heard something growl. Well, I did. It was the toilet. You might be a redneck if… I’ll let you fill in the blank.

As of tonight we’re playing farm. The neighbors are out of town so we are doing chores for them. I lack the equipment it takes to be a farmer, that equipment being the snazzy rubber boots of my youth, but I substituted my snow boots instead. I hauled feed, cleaned out water dishes, watered the horses, scratched the pigs heads, made wallowing holes, and got covered in mud, and whatever else there was in it.

It was fun except for the mud (poop) portion. When I looked in the mirror to see speckles of said mud on my face I had to remind myself that some snooty chick in NYC would pay gobs of money for that kind of spa treatment!

After I cleaned the mud (poop) out from under my newly growing nails (aren’t you proud Mom?) we scrubbed up a dozen freshly gathered eggs and headed to a friends house for fresh baked carrot cake. Oh, it was heavenly! We enjoyed a fresh made organic carrot cake made with spelt and cane sugar. They served raw milk on the side, and I don’t think I’ve had that wonderful of a treat in a long time!

I haven’t had raw milk since I was a youngster romping around in Grandpa’s barn, trying not to get hit by flying poop from the Holsteins. Of course all that flew out the window when I landed in a gutter full of poo in my poo brown snowsuit. OH WHAT FUN!

Brent is working tomorrow so I plan to do a little cleaning, a little cooking and a little baking. Then hopefully we’ll get out and SEE something to take pictures of! Have a happy day!

Dead Puppies Aren't Much Fun...

Before I start I want to say that everyone here is fine. No dead puppies. But that might only be because they're not much fun...

My brothers, uncle, cousins and I attended bible at Camp Indianhead. We had a camp counselor who introduced us to the awful, morbid, hilarious song about dead puppies. Yes, at bible camp. Ha. It is one of my favorite memories, and I wish I could remember the words. It was hilarious.

My day started out in usual fashion. We had trips to the woods for the dogs to do their duty. Then feeding time at the zoo with the normal chasing, shooing, growling and gulping of food. After all of that hoopla, the frozen water, and getting Brent off to work, I managed to sneak back to bed for a couple more winks of sleep. And man, someone is glad that I did.

I started the day thinking that it was a beautiful day in the low-mid 40's. In the late morning the sun came out and it was glorious. I tied Willie out in the front yard, and had Ches in the yard taking advantage of the quiet farm, and the sunny day. I decided since Willie had gotten stuck under the porch I would bring them in for a little break.

Willie comes in and was rambunctious. He loves to run around the couch. Around one end and under the round table on the other end. The table with the floor length cloth that he always gets stuck in. As he makes the corner for the second time I see him pull the cloth, causing the table to wobble, spilling my Diet Coke all over. Soda goes every where. Ev. Ery. Where. Insane.

I strip the cloth off, grab a few more items and head to the laundry room. In the process I let Ches out to run in the yard, sniffing and exploring. When I come in I decide to let Willie out to play again. I head to make the bed and hear a vehicle outside. As the van pulls up I step out onto the porch to see what they need. The driver steps out asking my name, getting Ches's attention as she bounds toward him barking like a raving lunatic, he lunges for the truck, and I try to wrangle her back inside. Once Ches was securely inside, he brings me my package, I sign in someone else's scribble, and we hear the most desperate yelping and yipping from under the porch. Willie is stuck. Again. 10 minutes later red-faced we're all inside and ready for a nap.

A little later in the afternoon I decide to let them out again. I go about my business, opening windows, letting in the fresh air and I realize that I cannot see Ches. So I go outside, notice Willie all tangled up, bring him in and he dashes for the back bedroom. I think to myself, "hmmm, that's odd." I go back out to get Ches and as she comes toward me there is the most horrid smell. POOP. Good heavens, she is covered. As I head in to grab paper towels to hook her to the tie out it hits me that somewhere hiding in my house is a mini-me also covered in poop. Oh. My. Heavens.

After much yelling, some gagging, crying (done by me) and a lot of shampoo they are clean and go into hiding. It was possibly the quietest afternoon I have had. I washed everything. Three times. And it still stinks like poop. I am done with poop. Seriously.

When Brent got home I told him the story and he laughed himself silly. Nice Honey. Next time I think I'll save bath time for him... lol.

This is Ches in hiding. I was drying her off and told her to go lay down. She did. And she didn't move for hours. At least she listens...

This is Willie thinking I can't see him. Even he was smart enough to hide in the corner, far away from me. (See that mark on the wall above him, that's where he gnawed the paint off the wall.)

On another note, this is a lovely spring sunset. There is water, orangy-red water, everywhere. I'm assuming it's the minerals (?) but the water runs red in these ditches. Since the ground is still frozen it all sits on top causing much mud and chaos. We will likely need our four-wheel drive to get in to the driveway by the end of the weekend.

Hope you are enjoying spring!

Have a happy day!

Spring is Springing!

Spring is springing! I would say that it has sprung, but I'm not quite sure that winter won't sneak back up on us and zing us one last time. I will say, however, that despite today's gray skies, the past few days have been delightful. The temps have been hanging out around the 40's and we hear a constant drip, drip, drip. Delightful. We still have not managed to escape the frozen well pump though. It's a mystery to all...hopefully we'll be rid of that nuisance soon.Buddie has taken up residence at the Squirrel Buffet that Brent brought to our backyard. I have had no current incidences of chasing little Buddie from the porch, and while it's for the best, I miss the little percocious little girl. I would snap a pic of Willie's buffet, but I'll save you all that disgusting photo. The little varmint kept me up for most of the night with the runs. I was not happy about 2:30 a.m. and I was flabbergasted as to what he may have gotten into.

This evening when Brent and I took him out to play the little scamp ran from pile of poo to pile of poo devouring his weight in feces. UGH. Seriously, I do not have a weak stomach, but I about lost it. So, now I don't know what I'm going to do to keep him out of the poo piles. We live on a farm for pete's sake! Poo is everywhere. Everywhere.

As you can tell by the pics he's growing like a weed. He's getting big and it's fun to watch him mimic Ches and her ways. Here they are searching out the next big thing in spring time mining. I just hope it's not more poop. Good gravy! What have I gotten myself into?

And here's that cute little baby face. Awwww. Today I scolded him for something, I cannot recall his every transgression, there are a lot of them, so I shooed him. He rebels by jumping up on the spare bedroom door and busting in. Apparently I didn't hear him whine to get out, so he pulled my jacket off the rack behind the door and decided to take a nap.

So, my day is coming to an end. I need to pack a ham sandwich for Brent's lunch tomorrow. He has a big day and has to be to work by 4:30 a.m. Since I am not in the business of getting up at 3:30 I'm packing it tonight, and then hitting the hay for a much needed siesta.

Hope you are warm in your world!

Happy (almost) Spring from Alaska!