Yesterday the Haus Frau Farmer's Daughter had a long and beautiful day to spend outside. She spent it out there with the former "bear cub" puppy, 'Mate. 'Mate has grown into a ruggedly handsome aussie-teen. He's tall, sleek, and has just enough puppy left in his face to call him "adorable" as well.
The Haus Frau Farmer's Daughter has been teaching him not to jump up on anything...
this is a huge ordeal for this breed. The instinct of the Australian Shepherd is to stand and lean on cattle to move them, if that doesn't work, they move to the front for the nose.
Interestingly enough, no one wants a dog jumping up on them after the rain with muddy paws, or on a Sunday morning as we make a mad dash for the van to get to church on time! Nor does anyone want a dog nipping them at their nose if they aren't doing what it wants. So, training was necessary on this level.
'Mate has been doing great!
He also has instinct to herd the animals to a location where he can see them all. This means every chicken that goes behind the garage, the house, or in the woods is getting flushed out and driven home. 'Mate is quite the task master, we've watched chickens pant because he won't stop.
Of course, the Haus Frau is finding that 'Mate demands her attention at all times. There's no downtime for a working dog-until the sun goes down. He loves working all day! Doesn't matter what the weather, doesn't matter if the Haus Frau has sniffles, or would really rather go to see a movie.
Responsibilities always come first on a farm!
The Haus Frau Farmer's Daughter is doing good at training her first farm puppy/dog. It hasn't been the "cake walk" she thought it'd be, but she's making it a sweet time anyways!
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Buying Fencing...or...The Reason Dear Farmer Takes His Wife Shopping
So off to the local farm supply store Dear Farmer and the Wife go! It's date-night!
On the list: goat oats, new collar for polar bear(she's chewed off the other), and...fencing.
About three seconds outside the store the Wife realizes...she forgot her phone at home.
"Ugh!", says Dear Farmer, "Why do you even HAVE a phone?!"(This is a mute argument, everyone knows Wives have phones so they can leave them where they are not.)
The Wife says to Dear Farmer, "Don't worry. I'm a big girl! I can handle the farm supply store. I'll get what I need for the goats and the polar bear and I'll meet you in the fencing supply."
And so off they separate.
Dear Farmer goes off to the fencing supply.
The Wife detours to the kitchen gadgets, then rounds the corner to the canning supplies, over to the shoes...boots...children's boots...looks for all the sizes for the children who are needing shoes, realizes the boots cost more than she is willing to spend...over to the clearance racks for clothing..., down past the baby clothes(that are so darn cute! do we know anyone that is having a baby???), through all the garden supplies, checking out the seeds, meanders through the paint department(to grab some colors that she'll never get to paint, but wouldn't it be nice to dream), through the hunting section, over to the bikes, and the books, and the dog toys....picks up the collar for the polar bear, picks up the goats oats, and turns to the fencing...
where she finds Dear Farmer.
It's been an hour.
Dear Farmer is staring at a computer screen.
This is where he's to order the fence.
There's no one around to help him work the computer.
He looks at the Wife and growls, "I hate technology! I've been messing with this screen and I can't get it to the stuff I want!"
The Wife has two choices: Do it herself or find an associate.
She opts for the associate.
Over one aisle she finds an associate and explains a farmer needs his help.
He doesn't look surprised.
Dear Farmer tells the associate what he needs. The associate finds it, makes the screen work just fine, asks Dear Farmer if there is anything else he can help him with, and prints out the needed papers for the check out. Dear Farmer laughs with the associate about the "good ol' days" when a person spoke to another person and they handed them what they needed. The associate smiles and nods, then walks away...Dear Farmer figures the associate must be about twelve, "Had no idea what I was talking about.", he says.
Dear Farmer and the Wife go to the check out.
The cashier checks them out, she's about twelve as well.
They hand the cashier cash.
She looks at Dear Farmer almost sympathetically as she asks if he would like to open a credit card with the store.
Dear Farmer replies a solid, "No."
The cashier has to inspect the bills, draw on them with a marker, and then the computer tells her exactly what change to hand back.
She didn't have to do any math.
Dear Farmer and the Wife drive away with everything on the list. Most importantly the fencing...
On the way home the conversation is about how young everyone in looks these days, and how young the police officers are(do their mothers know they carry guns?!). They laugh about the not having to do math, and the credit card offers. They giggle about the computers that aren't Dear Farmer's friends.
It's the fun of the evening...it's the lighter side of a boring activity...it's life...Dear Farmer's life.
On the list: goat oats, new collar for polar bear(she's chewed off the other), and...fencing.
About three seconds outside the store the Wife realizes...she forgot her phone at home.
"Ugh!", says Dear Farmer, "Why do you even HAVE a phone?!"(This is a mute argument, everyone knows Wives have phones so they can leave them where they are not.)
The Wife says to Dear Farmer, "Don't worry. I'm a big girl! I can handle the farm supply store. I'll get what I need for the goats and the polar bear and I'll meet you in the fencing supply."
And so off they separate.
Dear Farmer goes off to the fencing supply.
The Wife detours to the kitchen gadgets, then rounds the corner to the canning supplies, over to the shoes...boots...children's boots...looks for all the sizes for the children who are needing shoes, realizes the boots cost more than she is willing to spend...over to the clearance racks for clothing..., down past the baby clothes(that are so darn cute! do we know anyone that is having a baby???), through all the garden supplies, checking out the seeds, meanders through the paint department(to grab some colors that she'll never get to paint, but wouldn't it be nice to dream), through the hunting section, over to the bikes, and the books, and the dog toys....picks up the collar for the polar bear, picks up the goats oats, and turns to the fencing...
where she finds Dear Farmer.
It's been an hour.
Dear Farmer is staring at a computer screen.
This is where he's to order the fence.
There's no one around to help him work the computer.
He looks at the Wife and growls, "I hate technology! I've been messing with this screen and I can't get it to the stuff I want!"
The Wife has two choices: Do it herself or find an associate.
She opts for the associate.
Over one aisle she finds an associate and explains a farmer needs his help.
He doesn't look surprised.
Dear Farmer tells the associate what he needs. The associate finds it, makes the screen work just fine, asks Dear Farmer if there is anything else he can help him with, and prints out the needed papers for the check out. Dear Farmer laughs with the associate about the "good ol' days" when a person spoke to another person and they handed them what they needed. The associate smiles and nods, then walks away...Dear Farmer figures the associate must be about twelve, "Had no idea what I was talking about.", he says.
Dear Farmer and the Wife go to the check out.
The cashier checks them out, she's about twelve as well.
They hand the cashier cash.
She looks at Dear Farmer almost sympathetically as she asks if he would like to open a credit card with the store.
Dear Farmer replies a solid, "No."
The cashier has to inspect the bills, draw on them with a marker, and then the computer tells her exactly what change to hand back.
She didn't have to do any math.
Dear Farmer and the Wife drive away with everything on the list. Most importantly the fencing...
On the way home the conversation is about how young everyone in looks these days, and how young the police officers are(do their mothers know they carry guns?!). They laugh about the not having to do math, and the credit card offers. They giggle about the computers that aren't Dear Farmer's friends.
It's the fun of the evening...it's the lighter side of a boring activity...it's life...Dear Farmer's life.
Monday, February 15, 2016
The Thrill of Discovery!
Winter is a gigantic treasure hunt on the farm. Things that were supposed to be put away the night before are covered by a white blanket of snow in the morning. Chickens are hiding in the hay bales to stay warm. Goats are burying themselves under hay to stay warm. Dogs are burrowing bones and toys to keep away from chickens and goats who might want them.
Often through the day we use these opportunities to be treasure seekers. Sending the Farm-boy Trio to find the shovels...was it really an accident they were left out? Perhaps they were hoping that the snow would make the shovels melt-away? That glove that the HausFrau Farmer's Daughter let the puppy hold...he's now burrowed it away to insure she returns with him later.
But the absolutely most wonderful discovery is the EGGS!
As the cold gets colder our independent chickens like to hide their eggs, if they lay one. So eggs become like "gold". There are many things that we simply won't make in the winter due to lack of eggs. Eggs for breakfast is the first to go...Eggs in recipes are counted. Happy are the days that we find more than four eggs! Exciting are the days that we can have a full dozen in the fridge!
We talk about the days of having eggs as though they were years ago, with wars and children between them. Really...it was a short two months ago...
It is something that we look forward to returning to...the day we find TWO DOZEN EGGS!
Often through the day we use these opportunities to be treasure seekers. Sending the Farm-boy Trio to find the shovels...was it really an accident they were left out? Perhaps they were hoping that the snow would make the shovels melt-away? That glove that the HausFrau Farmer's Daughter let the puppy hold...he's now burrowed it away to insure she returns with him later.
But the absolutely most wonderful discovery is the EGGS!
As the cold gets colder our independent chickens like to hide their eggs, if they lay one. So eggs become like "gold". There are many things that we simply won't make in the winter due to lack of eggs. Eggs for breakfast is the first to go...Eggs in recipes are counted. Happy are the days that we find more than four eggs! Exciting are the days that we can have a full dozen in the fridge!
We talk about the days of having eggs as though they were years ago, with wars and children between them. Really...it was a short two months ago...
It is something that we look forward to returning to...the day we find TWO DOZEN EGGS!
Friday, January 29, 2016
The "Polar Bear" puppy and Farmer's Daughter
The Farmer's Daughter became the caretaker of the the "Polar Bear" puppy-a Great Pyrenees- the moment she saw it. The puppy, at nine weeks, was the size of our full-grown Australian Shepherd. She was instantly in love. Affectionately referred to as the "Polar Bear" this pup is playful, smart, and a self-thinker.
The Farmer's Daughter has been taking her for regular walks around the perimeter of the farm property. The two have a grand time. As the Polar Bear is so large, her strides are pretty big as well, so she keeps up with or exceeds the strides of the Farmer's Daughter, the walk is done in a relatively short time.
Currently, because it is wintertime, the fields are damp enough to have created ice intermixed with the snow. The Farmer's Daughter, while on the walk today, slipped on the ice and landed flat on her back. The Polar Bear saw the Farmer's Daughter down on the ground behind her. The Polar Bear stopped, picked up the end of the leash that the Farmer's Daughter would hold, walked it over to the Farmer's Daughter(still on the ground), and licked her face as if to say "Get up and let's keep going!" The Farmer's Daughter is thrilled! This was proof positive for her that there is a relationship between the two(girl and dog) and that the Polar Bear will be a good guardian dog for the farm. Ahh, if we only could all have a Polar Bear in our lives...
The Farmer's Daughter has been taking her for regular walks around the perimeter of the farm property. The two have a grand time. As the Polar Bear is so large, her strides are pretty big as well, so she keeps up with or exceeds the strides of the Farmer's Daughter, the walk is done in a relatively short time.
Currently, because it is wintertime, the fields are damp enough to have created ice intermixed with the snow. The Farmer's Daughter, while on the walk today, slipped on the ice and landed flat on her back. The Polar Bear saw the Farmer's Daughter down on the ground behind her. The Polar Bear stopped, picked up the end of the leash that the Farmer's Daughter would hold, walked it over to the Farmer's Daughter(still on the ground), and licked her face as if to say "Get up and let's keep going!" The Farmer's Daughter is thrilled! This was proof positive for her that there is a relationship between the two(girl and dog) and that the Polar Bear will be a good guardian dog for the farm. Ahh, if we only could all have a Polar Bear in our lives...
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Dear Farmer is "Old Fashioned"
I know that title surprises you, doesn't it?!
Dear Farmer spent the day battling the weather. Freezing snow and rain mix pelted him all day. Add to that the loveliness of high winds and biting cold, it was perfect winter weather for the North. That is what Dear Farmer worked in all day. Walking back and forth between hay feeders, with hay and without hay to get more hay. Opening and closing hydrants for water tanks. Carrying feed buckets for the chickens, watering the chickens, gathering eggs, building pens for the goats and "polar bear"-puppy in the barn, so they were sheltered from the weather, and chasing calves (who were jumping through the feeders) back into the barnyard. That was all Dear Farmer did, all day, twelve hours.
Now when Dear Farmer walked in the door to the house(frozen) he relaxed in the warm room next to the woodstove...and picked up a book. Totally oblivious to the bug-eyed teenage Farmer's Daughters sitting on the couches in the room. The girls had a crazed look in their eyes. The look that said, "I haven't talked to anyone but my family ALL DAY!" There were dolls on the floor mixed with legos and pattern blocks, a nice array of board books and wood chips decorated the area directly where he sat thawing. But he didn't notice. Suddenly, as if the veil had been lifted from his face, he saw everything. The Farmer's Daughters, the mess, the twitching eyebrow on the Wife's face.
"Eh?" , said Dear Farmer
He was answered (enthusiastically) by all the Farmer's Daughters all at once. Though it sounded like dull humm of an outboard motor in water, there was one common thread he could understand from all the girls..."The storm has taken out the internet!"{GASP!}
What that means is on this particularly miserable day, while all the children had off school-work, they were cooped up inside and not one of them could stream a video, not one could text a friend, no one could check out the blogs, the news, or social media of any kind. It had been a day where all they can do was read a book or talk to eachother. They played games together, they painted eachother's nails, they drew pictures of animals, we had conversations. It was a great day! But quite frankly the Wife was ready to have everyone go to bed, her ears had begun to ring from so much interaction. (thus the twitching eyebrow).
But the internet being gone was no big deal for Dear Farmer. He was glad it was gone...we had an old fashioned evening. All was quiet, the Old Fashioned kind of quiet.
Dear Farmer spent the day battling the weather. Freezing snow and rain mix pelted him all day. Add to that the loveliness of high winds and biting cold, it was perfect winter weather for the North. That is what Dear Farmer worked in all day. Walking back and forth between hay feeders, with hay and without hay to get more hay. Opening and closing hydrants for water tanks. Carrying feed buckets for the chickens, watering the chickens, gathering eggs, building pens for the goats and "polar bear"-puppy in the barn, so they were sheltered from the weather, and chasing calves (who were jumping through the feeders) back into the barnyard. That was all Dear Farmer did, all day, twelve hours.
Now when Dear Farmer walked in the door to the house(frozen) he relaxed in the warm room next to the woodstove...and picked up a book. Totally oblivious to the bug-eyed teenage Farmer's Daughters sitting on the couches in the room. The girls had a crazed look in their eyes. The look that said, "I haven't talked to anyone but my family ALL DAY!" There were dolls on the floor mixed with legos and pattern blocks, a nice array of board books and wood chips decorated the area directly where he sat thawing. But he didn't notice. Suddenly, as if the veil had been lifted from his face, he saw everything. The Farmer's Daughters, the mess, the twitching eyebrow on the Wife's face.
"Eh?" , said Dear Farmer
He was answered (enthusiastically) by all the Farmer's Daughters all at once. Though it sounded like dull humm of an outboard motor in water, there was one common thread he could understand from all the girls..."The storm has taken out the internet!"{GASP!}
What that means is on this particularly miserable day, while all the children had off school-work, they were cooped up inside and not one of them could stream a video, not one could text a friend, no one could check out the blogs, the news, or social media of any kind. It had been a day where all they can do was read a book or talk to eachother. They played games together, they painted eachother's nails, they drew pictures of animals, we had conversations. It was a great day! But quite frankly the Wife was ready to have everyone go to bed, her ears had begun to ring from so much interaction. (thus the twitching eyebrow).
But the internet being gone was no big deal for Dear Farmer. He was glad it was gone...we had an old fashioned evening. All was quiet, the Old Fashioned kind of quiet.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
The "Dog-days" of Winter
I know that the "dog-days" are in summer! I know all about the stars and WHY it's called the "dog-days" of summer...but on the farm we have experienced a new phenomenon. Maybe you have as well...when it rains it pours...dogs.
The Hausfrau has for months been wanting to breed our farm dog (a purebred Aussie) and sell puppies. Part for the money, part for the want of a puppy, part as insurance that when/if the farm dog dies...there's a replacement. Searching for another purebred Aussie (unpapered) within the Wife's required hour travel radius has not been easy. Search has been limited.
Meanwhile, the farm is purchasing a Great Pyrenees puppy to guard the meat chickens we produce in the summer...keeping the predator issues at a minimum would be maximum. The search for the farm (as the Wife is not the one driving) has been much expanded.
Wouldn't you know the two would be found within days of eachother?! Isn't that just the way it works?
On one end of the farm we have housed in a chicken pen a "polar bear" puppy. She's nine weeks old. She's absolutely adorable and squeeze-ably soft. The Farmer's Daughter is in love. She's announced she'll never get married or have children, just this one "polar bear".
On the other end of the farm we have crated in the house a "brown bear" puppy. He's seven weeks old. He's absolutely fluff-ably soft and roly-poly cuteness. The Hausfrau is in love. She's announced she will have the cutest puppies ever and the best herding dog on the farm.
The farm dog we have has been the "Queen Bee" of the farm for five years. She feels totally inundated with puppies from every angle. Of course, the Hausfrau has plans that she will have her own litter of puppies... but to not have even been pregnant and all of the sudden have puppies...everywhere, puppies!!! She's a little discombobulated. She feels as though the sky has been falling. Or maybe...it's that the "Dog-days" of winter are here.
The Hausfrau has for months been wanting to breed our farm dog (a purebred Aussie) and sell puppies. Part for the money, part for the want of a puppy, part as insurance that when/if the farm dog dies...there's a replacement. Searching for another purebred Aussie (unpapered) within the Wife's required hour travel radius has not been easy. Search has been limited.
Meanwhile, the farm is purchasing a Great Pyrenees puppy to guard the meat chickens we produce in the summer...keeping the predator issues at a minimum would be maximum. The search for the farm (as the Wife is not the one driving) has been much expanded.
Wouldn't you know the two would be found within days of eachother?! Isn't that just the way it works?
On one end of the farm we have housed in a chicken pen a "polar bear" puppy. She's nine weeks old. She's absolutely adorable and squeeze-ably soft. The Farmer's Daughter is in love. She's announced she'll never get married or have children, just this one "polar bear".
On the other end of the farm we have crated in the house a "brown bear" puppy. He's seven weeks old. He's absolutely fluff-ably soft and roly-poly cuteness. The Hausfrau is in love. She's announced she will have the cutest puppies ever and the best herding dog on the farm.
The farm dog we have has been the "Queen Bee" of the farm for five years. She feels totally inundated with puppies from every angle. Of course, the Hausfrau has plans that she will have her own litter of puppies... but to not have even been pregnant and all of the sudden have puppies...everywhere, puppies!!! She's a little discombobulated. She feels as though the sky has been falling. Or maybe...it's that the "Dog-days" of winter are here.
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