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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Four Legged Fur 'Babies' And Other Farm Stuff


See this face?
Look at that sweet droopy bottom lip.
This is Hope enjoying a nice warm sunny afternoon.



She's such a sweet girl.

But this sweet girl bucked me off yesterday.
Right on my BUTT!

I'm fine...didn't break anything (that I know of)
but I'm stiff and sore today
and I just know I'm going to have a big
bruise.

Good thing I'm not a BUTT MODEL!



It was my own fault.

Hope is a well trained horse who
competed in Western Pleasure
and English Pleasure
but her young owner went onto barrel racing
and Hope wasn't fast enough...so 
she was put out to pasture.

She had only been ridden twice
in a year and a half. 

My mistake was to get on her
bareback without exercising her on the ground
first to burn off that excess 
energy.

I won't make that mistake twice!





 Anyway...
...we've had some good weather
here in our part of Kansas so
we have been enjoying our time outside
with the critters.

Our neighbor who owns the land on 
3 sides of us has finally put
cows on his winter wheat.

I love the cows being around us
and when they first arrive...they're
all pregnant.





One by one they give birth
and now we have a bunch of new calves 

all around us...they are SO cute!


The little ones have a ball
butting heads and playing
with each other. 




 This is Rosey above ...she was sound asleep
and didn't hear hubby walking up to her.



She's around 20 years old and had been neglected
by her previous owners. The people offered to give
her to us when we went to see Hope. 
Rosey had such a sweet personality that 
we told them we'd take her.
She's gaining weight but still has a long 
way to go.

She gets all the hay she wants night and day
plus some senior feed and vitamins.
Thanks for the suggestion
Misha !




Hope finally got up to get her
'scritch' from hubby.



She loves her 'scritches'. 



Chelsea was having fun hunting
for rabbits in the pasture...
it's hard to believe that she is a
Shih Tzu.

She's certainly no 'hoity toity Shih Tzu...
no...this little girl is 'farm dog' through
and through.

In fact when you call her a 'farm dog'
her tail starts wagging.



 Lizzy the tigress
smelling for mice in the hay.




Shep....our Akbash (LGD) enjoying the sunshine.

In case you're wondering..
LGD stands for 
livestock guarding dog.

He's a good boy and makes me 
feel safe as he guards 
the perimeter of the farm
throughout the night.


Bubba or 'Chubba Bubba' as we call him 
 is our other Shih Tzu.

He's not really a 'farm dog'
as he likes the comfort of his bed
near the fire more than running around the farm
but he's a good boy.




This is our Henry all grown up.



Lizzy doesn't like Henry very much and
is always running him off.
The poor  boy lives in fear
of Lizzy's bad temper so he's always 
on the alert for her.

I really don't understand why she's like
that with him since her brother
Olly get's along just fine with Henry
and all the dogs love him!



The winter wheat and the warm weather make it 
feel like spring and it's wonderful to be outside.
We're surrounded on all
4 sides by GREEN but I have to remind myself
  that we've still got another month to go
before winter is over.

Let's hope it goes fast!








31 comments:

Deb said...

Beautiful photos, Maura. This is great that we will now enjoy seeing the horses on your posts. Love that. As far as Lizzy and Henry, may I make a suggestion. If you give them treats together (call them to the same area and be ready with treats in hand)each cat gets a treat in front of each other, this may help them to get along better. They will look forward to the treat (or kibble, whatever) and relate it to being with each other. I know it works in houses and it may work in your barn or outside, also. Deb

Catherine Holman said...

We now have three dogs and one cat. I did a post on them the other day. We are in Missouri and i hope this weather continues right on into spring. I am a little concerned about the bugs this summer though without a freeze. Stop by and check out my giveaway on my blog.

Janet said...

I enjoyed meeting all of your critters - thank you ! especially your horses-they must feel very safe and content to let you get near them when they are lying down-Hope you don`t stiffen up too much over the next few days Jan x

Julie Harward said...

What a pleasant post...hope your bottom is better soon! I have a stripped cat just like yours and a white ST just like yours too! We also have 2 horses, except mine has never bucked me off, reared a bit at a snake once though! Yay for the good weather, her too, we have yet to have a real snow! ;D

My Little Home and Garden said...

My mom grew up in the country. You make we wish I lived in a place surrounded by fields. Fortunately, there is farmland not far off.

Kath said...

lots of lovely animal pics! Hope your derrière is better now Maura, you do wear a hard hat don't you? XX

The Bear's Blog said...

Hi Miss Maura,

Oh, I love this post - I love all your fur persons. Sorry about your sore butt - but (giggle) it wasn't Hope's fault.

I know they are both so happy to have such loving "parents" now.

Heaps of Hugs,
Prudence

Muffy's Marks said...

I enjoyed meeting your fur babies. You must have lots of excitement with all those animals.

Bee Haven Bev said...

Maura....your horses are lovely...be careful. A broken butt will keep you off of them for quite a while!!..so, don't take any chances!! So glad you are enjoying them. So very sweet....those horsey lips!

Anonymous said...

it's been a very mild winter here in southeast Missouri, too... been in the 60's all week.

Beautiful horses, beautiful animals! =)

Jeanette said...

Great! Love your fur family!!

Jeanette said...

Great! Love your fur family!!

LANA said...

What beautiful creatures! How lucky they are to have loving owners such as yourself. Give them all a kiss for me.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Thanks for sharing pictures and comments about your furry animals. I can tell you love them all.
Baby calves are are so cute. My friend's son raises cattle and they are so fun to watch.
Enjoy your beautiful weather.

John Going Gently said...

I love your farm...... and could live there in an instant x

Sherri said...

Maura, I so enjoyed all the pictures in this post! Thanks so much for sharing them with us!! I had horses growing up and it brought back lots of memories for me see your horses! Those little calves were so cute!! Enjoy your lovely weather!

Anonymous said...

This a sure a pleasure today - going through this blog post and meeting the "family." Everyone is just a precious as her or she can be. I have two shih tzus, one black and white and one white just like you. They are not hoity toity either. I think that comes from living on 10 woody acres in Missouri. They used to just love wander about. Now we are in Arizona and live in a regular neighborhood. They don't understand the block walls dividing the homes. They hear other dogs and don't understand why they can't see them. So, unfortunately they bark a lot. I never had to keep them quiet back in MO, but now I have to worry about the neighbors. But I have to pay for this wonderful weather on these old bones somehow. Hope you feel better very soon. Loving your blog.

Tina@WhatWeKeep said...

Maura, I'm so glad you didn't get hurt. I've been thrown once...never got on a horse again. I know I should, but I'll live vicariously thru my family!
I loved seeing all your furry friends...what a cast of characters. Your farm seems like such a wonderful place to live.

Pat said...

Very interesting and pretty post. Loved seeing all your animals. I like that you are proud of your farm life. Kansas farmers rock!

❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ said...

Lovely farm animals and I enjoyed meeting each and every one. Isn't it wonderful to have such a "family" around you enjoying the country life right along with you?
It's the same here except we don't have as many four-legged creatures as you do...one dog, two cats (maybe three), a donkey, two horses and a whole slew of cattle! I love this life!

Anonymous said...

Awww....Love seeing all your critters, all so sweet and cute! Aren't animals the best kidos ever....our lives as empty nesters would be so dull and boring without them all. We to are having great weather here, don't you just love it??????

Finding Pam said...

Maura, I enjoyed seeing your beautiful fur family. I often think that no one can love us as much as our pets do.

Enjoy that warm weather. We have been enjoying warm days also.

Kerin said...

Love this post!
Loved seeing and getting to read about the sweet animals that call your place home.
You must have a big ol' heart to take on so many critters :)

Have a great weekend!

Tina said...

Your animals are beautiful. Isn't it amazing that the horses feel secure enough to fall asleep outside... Every dog, no matter what breed, can be a real dog if he just gets the chance...
Enjoy the warm weather, it has gotten cold right now over here, like 10°below freezing point.
Have a nice weekend,
Tina in Germany, off to take a picture of the garden now

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

I loved this post. I've come realize that the posts from the blogs I enjoy the most are usually about farms and animals. I loved meeting the farm animals. Lets hope February is as mild as January was. Hello Spring!!!!

Suburban Girl said...

Sorry about your butt. ;) That's why I stay off horses.

TexWisGirl said...

thanks for coming by! such beautiful animals you have (except for the getting bucked off part!) :)

love that last fence shot!!!

Beatnheart said...

So beautiful...you are two kind hearted souls..and the fact that you care so deeply for animals means so much...love you.

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Is there anything better in the world than animals? I think not! I adore all your animal photos. They always leave me smiling. I do a lot of animal rescue work so I have a deep love and appreciation for all the critters. I grew up with cows and horses and dogs and cats all around but now I live in a city so it's very different. I love your photos!

GardenOfDaisies said...

I enjoyed catching up with all your critters! Sorry you got bucked off of Hope, and glad there is nothing worse than a bruise. Poor little Rosey, it just makes my heart hurt when animals are neglected. So glad she is living with you now and regaining her health.

Scufty said...

What wonderful pictures of the animals! Love the hubby giving Hope her "scritches". All your pets seem so content ... obviously loved. I'm glad you were only bruised but can just imagine the colors you'll create! Thanks for this awesome post! Love and miss you... Scufty xoxoxoxoxoxo

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