I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

Snakes, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails—- is what the Land is made of.

We have been enjoying the great Spring weather.  The mornings are crisp, the noonday warm and the nights are pleasant and clear.

We are not the only ones enjoying the weather.

We were working around the land and this fellow appeared.  Blurry well….because I really wasn’t wanting to get to close.

They are pretty in a way….but…….

This thing was like 6 feet long when it stretched out.

Billy doesn’t mind holding them….he won’t kill one if it isn’t poisonous.  They do help with insects and all that.  So they won’t hurt you….I told Billy that was fine…one wouldn’t have to be poisonous to kill me……I would probably just die from fright!

He released it in into the rocks so it could go grow another 6 feet…….yikes!

I’m brave too…I held this little guy.  Even the snails are enjoying the goldfish pond…..

And speaking of puppy dog tails…..

Last week Lindsay and her family were gone for Spring Break.  We kept Bailey, thinking wow this will be great.  She can stay in our new fence and have all the space a puppy needs to burn up all that energy.  We have the field fence or what I call critter fence that has graduating  widths, the grids get wider as it goes to the top.  Bailey quickly discovered that if she found a good size rock to stand on then she would be at a level in the fence where the grid was wide enough to squeeze her body through.    In a matter of seconds after putting her in the fence….poof….she was out!

So she didn’t get as much freedom as we would have liked her to have had.  When we were home, she was able to be out with us.

Sometimes she would sit still long enough to get a hug……

Then she was ready to be put down so she could run around.

She found a book to read…….

She got to go on long walks with Billy and Ellie, every morning and evening.

She had her own little spot to sleep, complete with her cushion from home…….

Well….. she is a puppy…..I sure hope Lindsay can sew.

Bailey went home on Sunday…..

and yesterday….Max came to stay the week with us.  This is Holly’s dog.

After a walk and a swim in the lake…..still lots of tail wagging to do…..

but eventually….two milk bone treats gave way to two tired dogs,

Yep that’s what the land is made of.

Oh….and Max hasn’t escaped from the fence ……………………………..yet.

This is Toots the day after she was born.  I always take Mama a sweet feed treat after birth.  I suppose it is an equivalent of us getting a box of chocolates!  She  surely deserves  it.

I find it amazing how the Mama’s and the babies communicate.  If you listen carefully in the video you can hear Mom give a little moo almost like a hum sound.  She actually does it twice in this video.  I am not sure what Mom is telling her baby…hopefully, she was letting the baby know that it was alright for me to be around.

When a cow is about to give birth they tend to go off, away from the herd.  Once they give birth, they take the baby and have some time to themselves.  Eventually the Mama wants to join the herd again, she usually hides the baby and I guess tells it to stay….because it does.  The baby doesn’t disobey unless it is scared, then it will come out and start mooing for its mother.

Here are the two of them, by themselves the morning after birth.

I gave Punkin her sweet feed…Toots just watched,  she is too young to eat feed right now.  Since she is only a day old, she is still a little wobbly on her legs.

Those first few days, the calves are usually pretty laid back.  Most of the time I have been able to pet them.  I just love that part.

Punkin went back into the pasture for a while and I took advantage of some one on one time with Toots.  She rested her little head in my hands.  She liked me petting her.  I kinda liked it too.  I savor these moments, they are few and far between.

Day two was a little harder for me to spot them.  But across the field I saw Punkin grazing by herself.

I gave her some sweet feed… if you look closely you can see a black spot in those trees….that is Toots.

I walked up to her, and she stood up.  She isn’t too sure about me.  There was no way to pet her that day.  She was nestled in pretty good with vines and sticker bushes.  It doesn’t seem to bother them.  It is protection from predators.

When I started to leave she laid back down.

Morning of day three.  Punkin was with the herd and baby Toots was laying in the pasture in the open, but she was on the opposite end.  However, she was still in view of Mama.

She didn’t jump up when I approached her, so I was able to pet her for a second.  Then she stood up, I had to hold onto her to be able to pet her for just a minute.

It didn’t take her long and she wiggled loose.  She is very strong.  Billy said he thinks she weighed between 80-100 pounds when she was born.

Of course you know what she did….she called for her Mama.  She took off through the pasture towards her.

Punkin was looking up at her.  She recognized her baby’s cry.  She began walking toward Toots.  She Mooed at her and Toots started walking to the tree line.  I suppose that is where she told her to go….because

Punkin met Toots there… at the tree line…. and proceeded to take her deeper into it.

I’m pretty sure that was my last time to pet her.  Except maybe a little here and there on her head.

The next morning Toots was playing in the pasture while the herd was grazing.  Just like a typical kid, jumping around running here and there.  It is fun to see that just comes natural.  She came close a time or two and would stop and look at me…then like a puppy she would go play again.

She seems really happy and I am very glad that this time Punkin is able to enjoy her baby.  Last year was sad when she lost her first calf.

She is a good mother.

Yesterday was one week since Toots arrived.  They both seem very happy and healthy, and I am very thankful for that.

I just wished she would let me pet her all the time!

As I am driving down the country roads, I find myself getting ready to read quickly when I see a church building ahead.  I like reading all the different signs.  I even get a little disappointed if I pass one regularly and they haven’t put something new on it.

Once I read the signs I usually have plenty of time to think about them as I meander through the countryside.  I think about how they apply to my life.

One of my mothers favorite verses was ….Faith is the substance of things hoped for…the evidence of things not seen.  Hebrews 11: 1.  Matter of fact the whole 11th chapter of Hebrews is the faith chapter.  It talks about many that walked in faith and the promises God gave them.  Often they never saw all of the promise in their lifetime.  Yet, they continued to walk in faith their entire lives.  Believing and trusting in God.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.      Romans 12:2

So many things have changed through the years, even since I was a child.  Some people may not have gone to church on a regular basis, but they believed that the Bible was God’s Word, that it was true and there was a respect for God.   However, these days that doesn’t seem to be the case.  The world has different views and opinions on Truth.  Scripture tells us not to follow the pattern of this world.  If we read the Scriptures and follow Christ, we will be renewed.  We become like new.  We become new people.  The old selfish human nature is changed.  Instant angel?…. no…not hardly. It is a constant work in progress.

I know that I can go to the Bible, read it and it guides me through the situations I face each and everyday.  It gives me direction and purpose.  Through reading and studying God’s Word, it changes me, it makes me a better person.  That in turn makes me a better wife, mother, sister, Aunt, Grandmother, neighbor, friend and citizen.

Personally, I believe God’s Word is True.  My Mom used to have a magnet on the refrigerator when we were growing up.  It said….God said it…I believe… and that settles it.

I think we all have things we struggle with.  For some people it is doubt.  Doubt…about the Bible, about Jesus about God.  One of the disciples was even called doubting Thomas because he doubted that Jesus arose from the dead.  And he was a disciple. But he was also just a human….trying to understand it all.

I think it is really neat the way God put all different personalities in the Bible.  Most of these people have the same problems that I have had or will have in my time on earth.

Like David, he was a man after God’s own heart…. he did some terrible things.  Yet, he also came to God and told Him he was truly sorry and he quit doing those things. God forgave him….and he was able to experience some major accomplishments in his life time.  David wanted God to be involved in his life.   I like that, because I have messed up terribly many times, and I still mess up.  However, when I tell God I’m sorry He forgives me too.  I know that God can still work in my life…if I choose to let Him.

This is one of my biggies….I am a “fraidy” cat.  Ever heard of that.  Not sure it is even a word…but I have battled fear all my life.  Interesting thing about fear is…..you can get over one thing that you are afraid of, then another thing will take its place.  God reminds me in scripture that He is in control.  That I shouldn’t fear anything.  I constantly have to rely on God about the things I fear.  I know that when I give into the fear, it paralyzes me.  I end up not getting much accomplished.

If I truly trust God to get me through the things I fear, I have an amazing amount of freedom.   Then I think, next time I’m not going to be so fearful.  But, I find myself doing it over and over.  It is a real weakness for me.  As I have gotten older though I have realized that fear affects most all of us on one level or another.  Fear is usually behind some reason we don’t accomplish something we originally set out to do.

I like it that God has the power.  I can look all around me, with all He created and see His power.  That helps me know that He can help me through whatever little or big thing that I am going through.  I just have to let go.  I have to stop trying to do it all by myself.  Do you remember a time when you really realized that you were limited?  Oh I can do a lot of things, I am not helpless, but there are some things I have absolutely no control over.    It is humbling.

I heard a celebrity one time tell about having surgery and how he had to take off all his clothes, his jewelry, his glasses, everything that wasn’t necessary.  He said it was just him and God.  He found that he had a false security…. in his belongings…. in the status of who he was.

If I do not stay in God’s Word regularly, I get weak Spiritually.   It is food for the soul.  It is necessary to read daily to renew my mind with Truth, so I can make wise choices and be strong when the hard times come…… and they do come.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

This used to be a regular thing you saw taking place. Revivals….not so much anymore.  They used to have huge tent revivals.  Revivals that would last a week or more when I was a kid.  I suppose some places like this one on the sign still have them, but they are rare.  When I read the scriptures though, I do feel revived.  I feel energized, and I like that.

If we like to believe it or not, there is a limited time that we are on this earth.  We plan for everything else we do all day long.  How much more important could it be to plan for where you will be for eternity.

I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I am exercising the verse in Hebrews 1:1.  The Faith in what I have not seen.  I have not seen Jesus in person.  I have not seen God in person.  But I know that Jesus is the way to heaven, because the Bible tells me so.  No, that is not just a cute little song, I trust God’s Word.  I believe it is true.  I trust it with my life for now and for eternity.

And because of what Christ did….we can and should celebrate each and every day.

I heard on the radio that  fear is why most Christians do not tell others about Christ.  Fear that they do not know enough, and fear that they will be rejected by their friends, family, co workers, etc.

I wonder why it is so hard, it is hard for me too.

I should be telling everyone I meet.  It changes our lives while on this earth…it changes our destination for eternity.

I certainly am glad someone told me.

My little sister Debbie and her daughter Jacqulin have come for a quick visit.  This morning we headed out to see the new babies.  All the goats greeted us when we entered the gate, except baby.  We all looked for her, but didn’t see her or hear her.  Mama goat was calling out, but I don’t speak goat real well, so I wasn’t sure if she was upset or just calling to her baby.  I got a little concerned, she is sooooo tiny I was afraid that possibly something may have gotten into the fence and harmed her.

My sister said…oh there she is…..whew….she’s alive.  I knew then that I wasn’t the only one who was afraid that something was wrong.  There she was, all nestled into a rock crevice without a worry in the world.

Pearl knew where she was the whole time.  I should know by now that mothers are just that way.

Jacqulin had seen pictures, but there is just something special about seeing it in person.

To actually hold this little creation, brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.

Maybe it warms both hearts!

Debbie looks very natural holding her….especially since she is a “City”girl.

I think little Miss Hoot n Nanny is very content.

Jacqulin drove me on the golf cart to check on Toots.  Time flies, the kids are growing up.  It is a golf cart now….a car in just a few short years.

This is another great thing about being out where you can have a little space.  Kids get to be kids.  I remember when I was young and we were able to learn how to drive things like go carts and stuff.  It was a pre curser to driving a car.  I think it can teach you responsibility and provides awesome childhood memories.

Toots really didn’t want to cuddle today.  But I made her let me pet her for just a minute.  You’ve heard the expression “big as a cow”.  Well, after holding little Hoot n Nanny, Toots is …big as a cow.

I headed to work…and the girls went for a “spin”.

They brought us some lunch at work with Ashley and Layla.

Of course it was Chick fil A….I love the cows they use.  When people ask us what kind of cow we have….sometime that is the best way to describe them.

We have Chick fil A cows!

The girls had to head back.  It was a whirlwind of a trip….but I sure enjoyed the visit.

Ya’ll come back now…ya hear.

This is Spring Break for our school system, I am working a few extra hours at the office so our daughter could be with her family this week.

O.K.,  So I didn’t have to work Monday or Tuesday because we were out of town ourselves , but I did put in a full day yesterday and will the rest of the week.  Since our daughter is gone we have her puppy, Bailey, visiting with us.  Billy and I hurried home after work yesterday… made a pit stop at the pasture to check on “Toots” the new calf and the other animals in the pasture.

Next stop was to get the dogs and walk them to the lake and back for some exercise then head to church.  This meant a speed walk due to time restraints.  That is just what we did, but we didn’t have time to check on the goats except to just see them through the woods.

On the way to church my neighbor called.  She asked me if we had a baby goat?

Soooo.  Long story short….SURPRISE…..we have a baby goat!

She was showing her nephew Logan the goats when they spotted the baby.

My neighbor laughed and wanted to know if anyone else was expecting….she said maybe she shouldn’t look at our animals anymore.   HA HA… It is rather ironic that two days in a row she would be the one to find new babies.

There again I couldn’t wait to get home and check out that baby.

It was dusk, but here is a picture I took late yesterday.  Hoot is Logans nick name, yes, these two relatives have had the nick names “Toot and Hoot” for years…so it is appropriate that since we have “Toot”…we must have “Hoot”.  We will probably add “Nanny” to it since she is a girl.  So I suppose Nanny Hoot it is!

I believe she is about half the size Jethro was when he was born….and I thought he was tiny.  She is so petite, and is just gorgeous!

AWWWWWW………

Of course Billy and I ran to check on them this morning…….

And give her a little kiss…….

Then it was my turn…..

I just love surprises like these.

What a cutie…..Pearl is the Mama…and she and baby seem to be fine.

I love living this farm life!

Billy and I had to go out of town Sunday.  I went to the pasture before church to do my normal check on everyone.

I was really hoping she wouldn’t deliver while we were gone.

BUT…….

Today while we were on our way home I received a phone call from my neighbor.  She saw Punkin in the pasture, away from the herd, and thought she might be in labor.

She offered to go in the pasture and check on her.

If I had not been in the car….I would have been walking the floors.  I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

I was so glad that she was with her, just in case she had trouble.  Once again, like last year, she had that baby a little after one o’clock  in the afternoon.    Just minutes after being checked on.

Mama and baby seem to be doing fine.

And our neighbor, the midwife, well she is fine too!  She did a great job.

We had 4 more hours on the road before we were able to see that baby.   We couldn’t get home quick enough!

She is a beauty.  Wow….that man is good looking too!!!!!

Punkin was sweet to let us come up and check on her baby.   She is a nice size calf.

I think it is always so special to see the Mama’s love on their babies.

What a sweet little face.  In honor of our neighbor we have named her “Toots”.  I think that looks like it fits her perfectly.

It is neat that they are pretty steady on their little legs so soon after birth.

It was time for Mama and baby to rest.  Punkin  gave a little moo and the two of them slipped into the brush and laid down.  I find it interesting that an animal as big as a cow can almost disappear in just a little tree line.

So until Morning….I will let them rest.  Whew….I sure am glad Mama and baby are alright.

With Spring comes the rain showers.  Friday we had a good bit throughout the first part of the day.

Ellie is our Weather Alert System.  If she finds a closet door open, she hunkers down until the rain lets up.

It wasn’t even storming this time……

We went on with our day, she eventually came out of the closet and joined us.

Billy gave her a milk bone.

The rain was gone, and she was a happy camper again.    She is so funny.

We were at the farm around sunset, the sky was just gorgeous.

Saturday started off like most everyday….I went to check on the girls.

This is Punkin and Brandy.  I think I interrupted their conversation.   SORRY…..

Punkin knows the drill by now, so she stood real nice and pretty and let me get a good picture.  She sure is round!  LOVE IT!!!!

Actually she has been really sweet the last couple of days.  She has been coming up to me, without me having to go to her.  If I didn’t know better, I would think she understands that I am concerned and she appreciates it!

Shortly after this photo session, we got more rain showers.  Billy and I tried to dodge them all day long.  We kept having to change our plans due to the rain.  Finally we both ended up in the sun room until it let up.  We enjoyed watching the goats in the Fence.  They sure like climbing on all the rocks.

I was able to get this picture before the rain set in.  I find that Violet blends into the surroundings very well.  She is gray, the others are white, I can always spot the others in the woods before I do her.

After one of the showers I saw these on the fence line.

There is just something special about the rain.  Everything  just does better, the flowers all perk right up.  They certainly enjoy the drink straight from heaven instead of treated water out of the hose.

This is one of my flowers that has come back this year.  It is a clematis.  I planted two different kinds.

This is the other one.  I alternated them up and down the split rail fence by the house.  I had to alternate them…well…because I caught them on sale and there weren’t enough of one kind.  I think they are really fabulous looking.  I hope they will do well, but only time will tell.

These are cyclamen plants.  I have never tried them in the ground before.  Mama gave me one years ago that I kept in the house.  But, I have this little spot that I decided I would see how these would do.  They really are a striking plant.  And the pin wheel…well, the grandkids love to give it a spin…so I try to keep it where they can reach it.

And last but certainly not least is Billy’s plant.  I came outside one day and saw that Billy had put this arrangement together in a pot by his side of the garage door.

I think he did a really good job!

So the fence is finished.  It looks good and I know that everyone that has worked on it is really really really glad it  is complete.

The terrain is very rocky and hilly which makes it a lot of work to put fence post in the ground.  Pulling the critter fence is hard too.  The rolls are very heavy.  I bought and carried  it from point A to point B via truck.  Luckily that is all the carrying I had to do.

The other day we tried it out.  Ellie got to go into the fence.  About an hour later, Ellie greeted us down the road.

I think she was really Houdini’s dog and he taught her all his tricks.

A trip around the perimeter, a few spots were fixed and then she got to try it out again.

She stood at the entrance for a while and whined.   She continued to stand there like….o.k. ….really guys….the jokes over….let me out.

I would talk to her as I passed by and tell her to go stretch her legs.  Oh….Ellie…..look at that nice fence daddy made for you!

Eventually she just laid down….and decided to wait us out.

She has several acres to run and play in. But this is where she stayed….ALL DAY!  Right where we had let her in.

Doesn’t she look pitiful.

I would think that too if I didn’t have such fresh memories of her running away all the time.   We would like for her to be able to enjoy being outside  on these pretty days even when we can’t watch her every move.

Yesterday we moved the goats into the fence.  The underbrush is already growing quickly, that is right up their alley.

We are hoping that this year it will stay nicer with the goats there to bush hog for us.  They loved the farm too, but if the ground stays too wet after a heavy rain they can develop feet problems.  So maybe this will be a good change.

Here they are checking it out.

They seemed to settle in nicely.  I noticed they started eating as soon as they entered the fence.

I gave them a couple of hours to settle into their new surroundings.

Then Ellie and I went for a walk.  Being a red bone hound, Ellie smells things before she has really even seen them.  She sniffed and walked that fence line with her nose hugging the ground.

Then she saw them….she thought she was tough stuff….because she was on the OTHER side of the fence.  Where the grass is always greener.  FREEDOM!!!!!!

Now the goats were taking it all in.

Here they are back at the gate where we put them in….what is up with that?

They were watching Ellie so close.

Don’t they look cute!

This is Punkin.  I believe she is going to be the first one to have our next calf.

I like the look in her eyes….like she is saying, there she is with that camera again.

Punkin and Brandy have similar markings.  From a distance it is hard for me to tell which one is which.  Clementine and Cupid have there own look, but these two are really alike.

This is Brandy and her calf Lee.  Isn’t it crazy how tall she has gotten, she is just 6 1/2 months old.

My brother and sister in law are who we bought these cows from.  She told me that Brandy had a tear drop on her face.  That made it a lot easier.

I do not have a lot of  current pictures of Punkins face.  I have been taking pictures from behind in order to tell how big she is getting.  Also, I am trying to get familiar with how a cow looks during different stages of the pregnancy.

I have kept a log, entering names and dates of any new animal joining the pasture and when they have babies.  I hope to get better at being able to accurately predict due dates.

Just like humans though, every pregnancy is different.

From our experience so far, the babies tend to be born in the early hours of the morning.  I have been fortunate enough to see a couple of births this past year.  It is truly a miracle.

Last year we knew Punkin was expecting, but she surprised us by giving birth sooner than we thought and in the middle of the day.  She lost her baby.  She must have had difficulty, my neighbor found her and had to help her to her feet.  It was tragic. We were blessed that he found her, we could have lost both of them.

Looking back on my log, I have a good idea of when the baby should be born.  However, since she surprised us last year, I have watched her like a hawk.

My neighbor has been around cows all his life.  He says we have two more weeks.  Poor Punkin, she has a few more weeks of me snapping pictures.  Actually it will be longer than that.   When that baby calf comes…there will be a whole lot of picture taking going on.

This is Punkin on March 6th.

This is her just a minute later, after the baby repositioned.  Pretty cool… huh?!

Billy gets a kick out of me running to the pasture every morning.

We walked through the pasture together the other afternoon.  He got to see the baby really move.  He was shocked.  It was probably one of the hardest kicks I have witnessed yet.   So I decided that I would try to see if I could get a kick on video.

The baby calf cooperated, it was a pretty good kick.   This was taken March 19th.  It is a 21 second video.  Watch carefully or you might miss it.  Enjoy!

Oh boy!  I can’t believe it….Spring is here.

Our weather has been amazing.  It is a little warmer than it usually is this time of year, but I am not complaining.

I have been scouting all the flower beds for signs of returning plants.  You see…I love plants, but they don’t always love me back.  So, if I see one returning from the previous year….I get all excited!

This is some phylox…this really decided to show off for me this year!

Please do not get the mental picture that my whole flower bed looks this good…..this is just one little corner.  But THAT corner sure looks pretty right now.

I love that they have done so well, I bought them after the blooming season last year.  I am a real softie for plants that need a home.  If I see they are on sale….then they go home with me!

I have to get them on sale because I have a lot of area to plant, and I have to factor in the re-planting when one decides not to like me anymore.

This is a return one too…it is called Darla Diascia.  It won’t be long and it will be full of those beautiful orange flowers!

I love all the colors and the different shapes of all the flowers this time of year.

This is actually a topiary azalea I bought last year.  It is called an Autumn Starlite.  I love it.  A lot of Azaleas bloom in the spring only.  This one is called an Encore Azalea.  I learned that in keeping with the name…Encore…they appear up to three times a year!  These are White single blooms with pink flecks and an occasional stripe.  They are so pretty.

This is a Hibiscus that I have had for several years….she is one that decided that she really loves me.  I brought her outside from the sun room and she immediately blessed me with two beautiful blooms.

This is a hosta plant that we planted last year.  My daughter Holly had these at her  house, she was redoing the flower bed and no longer wanted these there.  We dug up about 4 or 5 HUGE plants.  They had been in that flower bed for about 6 years or so.  Billy and I divided them up.  We were able to get about 5 plants out of the original ONE plant.  So I ended up with a lot of them.  Which is good, because they little guys usually do well.  I have seen them popping their little heads up everywhere.  Even in a couple of spots I had forgotten I had planted them.

I planted some pansies, they won’t last a real long time, but they sure make you smile while they are in season.

If you look closely you can see all the fine pollen that has settled on its petals.  Everything has had a touch of GREEN pollen dust on it lately.  Even the cars from just sitting out at work in the parking lots.  I can say that I am not the only one who sounds like a frog around here.

This is a viola…I suppose it is a miniature  pansy.  It is really dainty looking.

Well I just have to show you one more plant.

This is a Golden Euonymus shrub.  It is so pretty right now with the yellow in the leaves.

I went to the pasture this morning and I saw the sun slowly rising from behind the mountain.  The pasture just shimmered with the dew.

I was checking on the animals.

I saw Gumby and Pokey.

Zippy and Moses.

I love the fact that now they are enjoying the pasture again.  The grass is greening up nicely and all the animals are happy.  They really prefer it over the hay.

And the cows… all spread out.

I spotted two canadian geese the other day at the farm.  It was the first time we had seen them on our land.

But today, it looks like they decided to go for a swim with a friend at our neighbors pond.

Yes, I would say that I am not the only one who is excited that Spring is here!