It's been snowing all morning and is supposed to continue through the night. It will be down to 11 degrees here, and I cannot get that poor dog out of my mind that is outside under a trailer after his owner was taken to a care center.
I've decided to plow my driveway, get out and go to where he is and at least take an igloo dog house with blankets, food and water that isn't frozen until I can actually catch or trap him. He's got to be so miserable and cold and who knows if there's any food left in that bag that cut open for him.
The dogs under a year old act like this is an indoor dog park!
Wolfie, the 6 month old today, female German Shepherd, Siberian Husky, Malamute and 10% Gray Wolf is getting huge. We are having a cracker snack together. She really is a sweetheart, a bit aloof, not at all needy, cautious, incredibly intelligent and gorgeous. And....what about those ears!
I really need to place her because she will make a wonderful companion, but all rescues are full these day. She's completely. house trained and gets along with all the dogs. She sometimes goes to feed with me and stays right by me.
As you know I’ve been snowed in for several days now because of the last storm that dumped so much snow on Rancho Ridiculouso, and it’s been so cold it hasn’t melted. David always plowed the driveway when he was able, and we hired someone after he wasn’t.
Before the storm I brought down enough hay for the horses and donkeys to get them through the week. My driveway is 1/4 mile long with a hairpin curve and a 500 foot drop in elevation. The hay barn is up at the top of the drive, and the horses and donkeys are near the bottom.
The bulls are in a field at the top by the hay barn so I’ve been walking up daily to feed them which is quite a trek.
Because I was now out of hay for the horses and donkeys I had to get a vehicle up the driveway to get more from the hay barn. With so much snow and such a steep driveway I was afraid to drive the pickup because it slips and slides so much in snow. I didn’t want to get it stuck so I started thinking about the tractor.
I have a Kubota 3150 tractor that has a blade on the back that David used to plow the driveway with. That tractor was his toy, and he never wanted me on it or to show me how to drive it. Because of his Alzheimers and physical condition I had to figure out on my own how to drive it during the past year because it comes in handy on a 40 ac ranch. But I had no idea how to use the blade. For some reason I found it very scary.
Again….desperate times call for desperate measures. The driveway needed to be plowed! Fearfully I went outside and it took a while just to get all the snow off the tractor. Then I looked at all the levers and knobs to try and figure out what was connected to the operation of the blade.
I got on, started it and began moving levers. Eventually I figured out what lever lifted and lowered the blade and that the numbers were depth markings so I backed the tractor out onto the driveway. I lowered the blade, put it in drive and began driving. It took me a while to figure o
Prince the Schnauzer/Chihuahua/Terrier mix is crazy this morning! He acts like he's going to bite me, never does or has but is always testing me. He's a funny little guy that has no idea he's little. He will not back down to bigger dogs and is always trying to cause friction in the pack lol.
At night he settles in my lap till I go to bed. He was chained for most of his first 3 years of life with no shelter. I don't know how he survived, and maybe that's why he has such a strong personality.
He's almost 6 years old and is a good age for the Silver Whiskers program, but his personality does NOT fit a program dog because he's so bratty lol!
The red dog at the end of the video is Biko Junior the son of Daisy. He looks just like his father Biko the Rhodesian Ridgeback who weighs 120 lbs. Junior is only 6 months old and already huge but beautiful.
After feeding the horses, donkeys and bulls now I'm all wet. It's a mix of rain and snow, and most of the dogs are soaked. I can hardly stand the smell of a wet dog much less so many of them. Guess I'll pop the champagne cork so it won't bother me so much lol....it's 5 o'clock somewhere.
Wow....woke up to lots of snow. The dogs are loving it....especially Rufus the Blue Tick Hound!
I'm sitting here in the kitchen contemplating whether or not it's the right time to go visit my daughter Nicole in California when something caught my eye on the other side of the fence out the window.
It's the gorgeous and huge fox I've been seeing for about a year now. She's the biggest fox I've ever seen and has a beautiful white tip on her tail and one on her neck and body. I've never seen white on a fox before.
Since the two irrigation ditches were piped underground she has to trek all the way down to the river just to get a drink of water. I've seen a fox den on the hillside on our property, and that's most likely her home.
I see her often with her young one that looks exactly like her. They never run when they see me they just calmly walk away. It's worth your time to watch this video to completion.
This place is at times like living in a National Geographic documentary. I'm taking this as a sign, for now, that I need to settle down, relax and unwind in this gorgeous and special place I'm blessed to live in.
Today I took Tig to meet the man that recently lost his wife of 61 years. He has no family that lives in the area, and he lives in a very remote area. He was so lonely his out of state children felt he needed a companion. Of course Tig has also been very depressed since David passed and stays in his bedroom most of the time.
Tig is a dog that prefers humans over other dogs. He craves one on one attention and desperately misses David. I was anxious this morning thinking about taking him there. My stomach was in knots all the way to Whitewater, CO because Tig is a connection to David, but I convinced myself that Tig would tell me if this was right or not.
I’ve been talking to the man’s daughter that lives in Florida all week now. She was on FaceTime with her dad when I arrived, and the woman that does the man’s grocery shopping was also there.
This man was caretaker for his wife for several years, and he had photos of her everywhere. On the frig, on the front door….all over. When he talked about her tears welled up in his eyes. He really doesn’t know what to do with himself now. I told him I am in the same place as he is, and that I completely understand what he’s feeling.
I have to tell you though…..when Tig and I walked in his home a huge smile was on the man's face. And Tig jumped up on him as if to say, “Hello! Who are you my friend?” It was seriously an immediate connection.
I stayed for a while and then told him I had errands to run. I would return in a couple of hours to see how things were going. The man still had a smile on his face and was so taken with Tig and visa versa.
When I returned the man and Tig were alone. When I knocked on the door I could hear Tig bark. The man answered, and I could hear him talking to Tig. They both looked so happy and it was obvious they had bonded so I brought in Tig’s food, bowls, tennis balls he loves, treats and a bed. I told him I would call tomorrow to check on them and als
