The Mia sized version of the Boudreaux sized blog. This is mostly a BACK UP BLOG and a smaller version for smaller screens if the main blog is too hard to navigate. For complete posts, giveaways, corrected grammar and punctuation, the "rest of the story" and any additional posts that might not make it over here for some reason, please check the BOUDREAUX SIZED BLOG :-).

IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, PLEASE USE the main blog.


Monday, May 26, 2008

Counting Sheep....part 2

Well, it's um,...well,...it's like this, see...let me explain.



You didn't let me explain!!!



Hey, no fair! Popcorn PP Pants has been living in the barn for 3 years now!

Okay, I'll give you that. It is a number that would keep you up at night.

321.

NOT counting PPPP.

(I guessed 225 - oops :-) and Cityboy won with his guess of 367. Janbaby gave me a 500 number to aspire to and Saint Tim was just living in denial at 125.)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Chicken Slappin'

City Boy and Janbaby, visiting from Chicago, went with us to pick up some new chickens last night. Farm life is always an adventure! We were supposed to be picking up 4 Welsummer hens and a rooster. Welsummer's are a pretty "wild" colored bird and are known for their large, dark brown eggs and we were excited to find some on a nearby farm.



Of course, when we got there, we found one more chicken we had to have (are you seeing a trend here?). This tiny hen is quite the character and has Adventure Chicken written all over her, don't you think?



This morning, City Boy asks "Have you been up to slap the chickens?"

Saint Tim and I stare at each other.

"What?!?"

"Yeah, don't you have to slap the chickens? You know, feed them?"

"Oh...yeah. We'll get right on that." :-) And, NO, we are not getting any hogs!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Counting Sheep....part 1

My brother and sister-in-law drove down from Chicago last night, arriving in the wee hours of the morning. After 7 1/2 hours in the car, wired from driving, my sister-in-law couldn't fall asleep and started counting sheep.



Actual sheep she could see in the room where they were supposed to be sleeping.



This morning, as she was telling me this and laughing, wondering exactly how many sheep I had, we decided to count them. But to make it interesting, we added a little wager. We have all made our guesses - even I don't have any idea how many there are - and Saint Tim says "winner takes all!"



If you'd like to make a guess, "Saint" Tim is pulling for you.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Thank You

Sending out a big thank you to all the hard working sheep, dogs, horses, people and even the weather for yet another fabulous weekend at the Bluegrass Classic Stock Dog Trials.

The hours, weeks and months it takes to prepare to host such an event, and the hours, weeks, months and years spent preparing yourself and your dogs to come here from all over the US and Canada to compete is just staggering. While I have never stepped onto a trial field, I have put in long hours working and competing with my horses and so feel a little kinship. From that perspective I can't help but think, when I see a good handler with their dog, when you get to the heart of it, that this might be really why you have worked so hard.



"Thank you. You did a good job!"

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Don't Forget

The Bluegrass Classic Stock Dog Trials is this weekend. Grand fun and fascinating to watch. Sadly, I won't be bringing Ewen McTeagle with me this year, but come and visit anyway!



It seems like just yesterday he was sitting curled up next to me watching the dogs and sheep.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Hmmm - Needs A Little Something



We have the best porch. It has everything we need and then some. Shelter in bad weather, a good breeze and shade in the summer, a swing, comfy chairs...



It's right off the kitchen, the perfect size for the hammock and even has a ceiling fan to speed dry freshly washed wool.



The cats love it, the dogs sleep on it, the bottle lambs play on it...



Yet, it needed something.



A sheep fan pull!

It's fun to be a crazy sheep lady, especially when your good friends are sheep enablers, because you know, you can never have too many sheep ;-).

Sunday, May 4, 2008

The Dance

Killdeer are well known for their defensive broken wing dance - an ingenious way of drawing attention away from their nests to protect their babies. Here are some pictures of our "momma bear".







I'm happy to announce another "momma bear" won the notecards. Congrats Tonia!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Roadside Assistance

...or how I was bossed around by yet one more animal on this farm.

While out mowing the front field the other day - and I'm not talking about walking around pushing a tiny lawn mower - a Killdeer attacked me. I immediately knew why, but it took me a minute to find it.



I marked the nest with a couple construction flags and while it's hopefully far enough away to keep our punk cats from finding it, it is in the middle of a fox path. However, I'll give any bird willing to take on a 48 hp tractor a better than average chance of backing down a fox.

Let's have some fun. What in the world is this?



Submit your guess in the comments section by the end of the weekend, say Sunday evening, and if there are more than one correct guesses, I'll draw a winner who will receive a set of Equinox Farm notecards, courtesy of Punkin's Patch.