Watch Cat

Remember this guy? If you ever watched Looney Tunes much I'm sure you do. I think his name is Sam. Remember how he would sit and watch his herd of sheep?

Remember how he would clock in every morning along with his nemesis, the coyote? I loved how he would cleverly and stealthily protect his herd. He never got overly excited or upset, he just simply did his job.

Well, I have a sheepdog too! Only they come in the form of cats. Two of the weirdest, most eccentric little calico cats I've ever known. (I hope Rain doesn't read my blog because I might get a good head butting for posting this picture of her underside)

So, these kitties hang with the goat herd. I've never seen them clock-in in the morning but they are diligent and consistent none-the-less. Sometimes I wonder if they just think they are, in fact, a goat, or if they actually have a sense of responsibility and are doing their job.

One thing is for sure, they like their job.

Or they are just really confused about their inherit nature. They are mice catchers and, unfortunately, bird catchers. So I figure the goats are safe from any rabid mice lurking about or a goat-eating bird of some sort. It just warms my ol' heart to witness little things like this and even warmer still to get to share them with my friends.

Distractions

Ok, so imagine your busy doing household chores. Your actually getting a few things done, a little laundry, some dusting, even some organization. Then imagine you are casually strolling through your living room, you glance over at your couch and see this..

And now, your heart is welling up, your knees grow weak, you feel flutters in your tummy and are of no use to anybody anymore.

For a person with a raging case of A.D.D., a puppy can do more than just interrupt your life, it can bring it to a screeching halt. 

The roll of skin under his neck is enough to make me melt into a puddle. And now I must get back to what I was doing, what was it anyway?

I went and did it again

Well, after about 6 weeks of thinking I was just going to be content with my Schnauzers and forget about having a big-outside-guard-walking-dog...I went and got me another one. The thought of doing this was frightening and I just about talked myself out of it, wanting to keep my life simple and secure. Simple and secure turned out to be boring and so I started researching possibilities for a new recruit to the farm staff. Let me introduce to everyone my newest critter, Eddie. Eddie is  Boxer and I'll explain why I decided to go this route. 

First of all, look how cute! This picture makes my heart hurt. I researched the boxer breed quite a bit and this is what convinced me to get one. The first word in the description I read about them was HAPPY. Well, I don't know many dogs that aren't happy, except maybe the homeless ones, but lets not go there. They are highly intelligent, high spirited, playful, curious, energetic, loyal and affectionate. What else could you possibly want in a dog??

Here is a good example of that high-spiritedness. But wait, it gets better. They are excellent watch dogs and noted for their courage and are very athletic. Their smooth, short coat is easy to groom and they are very clean and groom themselves like cats!! I was very excited about the cleanliness aspect. 

And, again...look how CUTE!

Eddie and Charlotte are already becoming exceptional playmates...and I love this photo! When I uploaded this batch of pictures to the computer, this one made me make an "awww, gasping" kind of noise, that is always a good reaction. 

The only reason I added this picture is so I could pick it apart in a public platform. Ok, I look at this and think, I need to mow my lawn, I am still sporting nail polish on my toes from the pedicure I got in January, the goats are still IN MY YARD and I'm sitting in the grass with my camera playing with my puppies. Eh, Oh well. 

Journey Update 4-23-09

I was sitting here trying to figure out how to make you all think I am really progressing but so far this week has been very challenging as far as the weight loss goes. Monday was my only day so far this week to walk. Tuesday I was in Texarkana ALL day with Mom and Dad and the last two days I've been working with Dad at the construction site in Gillham. I thought I could get up early enough to walk before we left for work...I figured it up and, with the time it takes me to walk, I would have to leave my house at 6:00 am. 

Gosh I sound like I'm making excuses. The exercise program I'm on this week is called "work in the heat like a dog and sweat your butt off". I don't know if it's working yet because I have resolved not to weigh myself for at least a couple of weeks. The evenings are slowly changing into more active ones but I forgot about how the longer days make it hard to eat before 7:30. So, I've switched my cut-off time to 8:00. The goal is not to punish myself but to set reasonable limits and attainable goals. I have a quote I want to share that has given me much encouragement. This is from Kim who is a contestant on "The Biggest Looser" and she said..."losing weight didn't make me happy — getting healthy and happy helped me lose weight." 

A New Direction

I've decided that I'm going to include all of you on a very important endeavor of mine. I am on a mission to loose 25 pounds and I need some sort of accountability so I've deemed my blog as my platform to do so. Along with my updates and antics about farm life, I will be posting my progress. My reasoning behind this is not to bore you all to death with weight-loss melodrama, but hopefully to try and inspire anyone who wishes to join me on this quest. 

I have been very successful at weight loss in the past but have been so caught up in the captivity of activity that my health and weight have taken a back seat to everything else. 

So, here is my plan and what has worked for me in the past. This is mainly information that I've gleaned from Bob Greene, Oprah, Jillian Michaels, and many other experts. 

•  First of all, and I know I will be able to hear groans and sighs all the way from Texas on this one...but number one is EXERCISE. My plan is, rain or shine, I will walk my 2.8 mile loop 5 days a week, maybe 6. 
  
• Second is...no white stuff. This means no white bread, no refined sugar, no white rice, candy, anything with corn syrup in it. 
• Thirdly, I will give myself a cut off time. This means no eating after 7:30. Not a grape not a nut - nothing. 
• Number four is drinking plenty of water. 
• Five is finding time to do something fun every day. Ride a bike, color in a coloring book, pick a fresh bouquet of flowers, take some pictures, do yoga, anything creative and cathartic that will bring me joy. 
• Lastly, I am planning on changing my evening routine. Right now it consists of plopping down in the living room with a glass of wine and staring at the TV for hours. I have a bow-flex and a treadmill (and several other pieces of strength-training equipment) in my room that could be put to use. Not to mention that I could keep up with my house chores a lot more consistently if that box in my living room were not a constant distraction. 

I won't give you my starting weight because, well I'm sure you know why. I'm sure I will be posting any and all successes as well as what I'm struggling with and what I find most helpful. Like I said, my goal is to inspire and also to have a platform of accountability. My prayer is that this will be a jumping off place for any of you struggling and that hopefully we can support each other. Now, I'm off for a walk. 

A major inconvenience

I have a vision in my head of peering out at my pastures and lovingly watching my goats graze, somewhat like the picture above. The major problem that I have is that I don't have an adequate fence to keep them in the pasture and out of my yard. We have plans for fencing off the yard with a goat-proof fence it is just a matter of finding the time to get it done. Meanwhile, my yard is occupied for several hours a day by munching, destructive little goats.

The buck, Mo is by far most aggressive when it comes to destroying things. He head butted this poor planter until it was good and demolished. The good news is that he seemed to enjoy himself. I would much rather it be full of flowers than cascading rocks and dirt down my back steps. 

Speaking of flowers, I have none. Not even my shrubs have had a chance to leaf out much. 

I am questioning whether or not this hydrangea bush will even be able to survive this violent an attack. 

There are no leaves on my trees below goat height. Peach tree leaves must be especially yummy. 

This is the worst thing of all. Now I've always appreciated that goat poo comes in tidy little nuggets but when stepped in, it is still just poo, and it is everywhere. 

But look how cute! I'm so torn. By the way...that is my new bunny in the cage. I love to put her in this little portable kennel so she can graze on the fresh grass too. 

The baby goats find her interesting. Sometimes I wonder if they could be whispering things to each other. 

We will get our goat fence up soon out of necessity and not just convenience. I really love my goats but not quite this much. They love me too and follow me where ever I go. I think they would come right on in the house and have tea if I let them. 

Just look at him. No remorse, no pangs of conscience as he nibbles on my rope swing.  

I have to pause for a moment just to say how completely adorable bunnies are. Their ears, their soft fur and if you look at this picture long enough, I know you will find that furry little belly almost irresistible, or is is just me?

I've always said that when I get to heaven, I want a little cottage in the country and not a mansion. Except in heaven, the critters running around my yard will refrain from eating the flowers and will find a more appropriate place to poop. 

A Mighty Spirit

Taylor went to the prom on Saturday night. Sigh...when did she become this person? I spent about 2 hours with my hands in her hair and was thankful that she appreciated it and was happy with the results. This chore also got me out of some of the chicken house work which I was not ashamed to admit I was happy about. 

The process of getting a woman ready for a formal event is quite a production. Thankfully, we don't have that many formal events in our neck of the woods which keeps these affairs far from routine. We don't even get too fussy in our preparations for Sunday school. We keep it pretty simple around here, at least as far as our attire goes. So, getting to play dress-up with Taylor for a few hours was quite fun and indulgent. 

I have always admired Taylor's flamboyance. She has a remarkable ability to balance feminism and strength, pretension and power, elegance and backbone. There is no questioning how beautiful she is, all she has to do is smile and the room lights up. The most enchanting thing about Taylor, is her spirit. I've never been around anybody's spirit with which I feel more attuned. She carries it in such a way that it is almost visible to the world. So bold, so brave, so unashamed. 

I remember when I realized that she was completely different from me, the first time she expressed her own opinion with such force and tact that I couldn't even begin to argue with her. This occurred soon after she had the ability to speak. It was almost a bit shocking but quite admirable. One thing my mother told me when Taylor was just a little bitty thing was, "don't ever do anything to break her spirit". So, I have very carefully thought through every discipline I've ever had to place upon Taylor, asking myself, "is this going to break her spirit?" Thankfully, there have been very few times that she has ever needed stern discipline because she is harder on herself than I ever could be. Taylor gets a lot of her gumption from her Granna. My prayer for her is that she is always this strong. As careful as I have been in my endeavor not to break her spirit, I pray that no one will be so flagrant as to try and wound her. I'm afraid they would soon be picking themselves up off the ground, dusting off their knees and saying, "what hit me?"