Life on a Bison Farm

Dragonflies

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:12:45 GMT

I know this guy isn't a dragonfly ~ but I love his little face!

It's About Time..

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:24:45 GMT

Hello friends...it's been quite a while since I did an entry. I have a few minutes before my new dryer arrives. My dryer died on Tuesday. I called an appliance store Wednesday and a new one is on its way as I type. I have a mountain of laundry calling my name.

So what's new...well it is hot as blazes here and very humid. Keeping everyone cool & comfortable has become priority number one. I just got back from doing a "fan check".

What's a fan check you ask...seems our farm hand doesn't grasp the concept that a fan needs to be ON and facing the subject to be cooled. She either forgets to turn them on at all after cleaning or she faces them against a wall and doesn't return them to their position. Ugh, it is so tiresome following after someone all the time. I turn them on in the morning, she turns them off....same old thing day in and day out.

So everyone is inside with fans blowing on them from every direction. I am going to try to get the buffalo girls showered off this afternoon, they love a nice cool shower when it is this hot.

I stopped in the cat house for "a minute" which turned into 15 minutes. They all came over and wanted attention and I noticed some needed groomed so I started brushing. They push each other out of the way to be brushed, some of them just love it.

Socks...well I've been spending ALOT of quality time with her, much to the chagrin of the others. She is mingling more with the gang and actually playing quite a bit. She greeted me twice, which she never does. Her messes seem to be slowing down so maybe she'll stop completely once she starts to feel part of the gang. She was with 7 of these cats in a tiny room at the shelter so she shouldn't be feeling out of sorts about that. She was checked by the vet and she is healthy so he feels it is behavioral. Thanks for all your tips ~ some of them were very good.

We had quite a big incident last week. A (former) farm hand...demolished my moms Polaris Ranger. He parked it on a hill and it rolled down the road and dropped over a 15' bank and flipped & rolled several times.

He didn't feel he should be fired over this "little" mistake ~ (these are $12,000 machines!!. He also became very irreverent to my mom and said and I quote..."Well Ma'am I don't take orders from women."...not the smartest thing to say to my mom. She gave it to him good after that and he left with his tail between his legs. He was a lazy no good bum anyway but for some reason my stepfather just adored him and insisted he stay against our wishes. I couldn't stand the sight of him & had no contact with him at all so good riddance.

Turns out he hadn't fed the buffalo or watusi for two weeks! Don't worry, they have about 50 acres of prime pasture and he did give them hay but he didn't grain them. Good Ol' stepdaddy doesn't have too much to say about that now and isn't so warm & fuzzy about him. Geesh, my mom kept saying he wasn't feeding the animals.

Hubby took a vacation day today and Monday so he's pottering around in the garage working on his bicycles for resale. Thank goodness he isn't working out in this heat today.

Well this is long enough....take care everyone. I'm a little slow in getting to everyones journals lately but I DO get there eventually...it's such a busy time on the farm right now.

Tuesday Tails

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:39:22 GMT

Today is an interactive Tuesday Tails.

I am frustrated with one of the residents of the Cat House. You may remember Socks. Briefly, she came from the shelter and her chart read "behavior problems". She seems like such a poor soul and I really pity her and spend as much one on one time with her as I can which she likes.

She doesn't have any cat friends, Annie tolerates her and would be the closest she could call her friend.

Well now for about the past month she has taken to NOT using the litter boxes. Yes, each day there is a mess from her, both poop & pee. She pees on everything, beds, chairs, the floor...and poops in certain areas. I know it is her, I've caught her in the act.

Keeping the cat house clean & tidy is time consuming but with this going on it is downright WORK. There's alot of mopping & disinfecting going on.

Not to mention it takes quality time away from everyone! I could have spent my hour & a half grooming, playing or cuddling but instead most of it was cleaning up. And let's be honest here, walking in and seeing messes to be cleaned up each time is not pleasant.

Sooooooooooo....what to do??? I am NOT going to even consider giving her up. I went into this with the thought once they are here they have a forever home and so it shall be.

She won't do well outside on her own (her chart says she is strictly an inside cat so that must mean something).

I could crate her for a few weeks but I am afraid it will make her worse with her already skitsy & frail mental state.

I am putting up a poll and welcome any comments & or suggestions.

BabyDoll Sheep

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:07:07 GMT

Sybil asked about the BabyDoll Sheep...so here you are Sybil! These are the BabyDoll Southdown Sheep.

They originated in England and have become popular in the States since they are smaller and require less pasture as well as their charming personalities. They are sweet little teddy bears. Here is a link if you would like to read more about them http://www.nabssar.org/index.php

Here are some pics...you will notice "Big Mister" is in most of the photos, he is a ham and loves to be fussed over & have his picture taken and besides...he IS a dollbaby. ;)

I will take some pics after they are sheared again, they look soooo funny right after they are done and we usually have two or three huge trash bags of wool!! Any spinners out there want some wool??

Tags: Babydoll sheep, Southdown Babydoll Sheep

Happy 4th

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:45:18 GMT

Happy 4th of July to ALL!!

Happy Birthday to KAREN!!!! 29 and holding, right!!

I couldn't ask for a better mother in law. Enjoy your day little firecracker.

Buffalo Girls

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:21:15 GMT

The next one is just for fun...not a great shot but Bella is sending a message!

Tuesday Tails

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:21:12 GMT

I bet you can guess who is this weeks Tuesday Tails. None other than the newest arrivals of course ~ Jingles & Jenna. Notice I said Jenna as opposed to Jenner. They are both females so I opted for Jenna. Besides, it felt wierd calling out Jenner's name so I am happy with Jenna.

My mom is convinced one of the farm hands brought them here. They were tucked away in the Judges Room and this gal had been yakking to my mom about her neighbor who had a litter and couldn't get rid of all of them. Oh it irks me when people say they "can't get RID" of animals, like they are just some useless piece of nothing. Grrrr.

It would have been pretty odd for these two to find their way into the barn, walk up the big steps and hunker down in the room. Besides the other barn cats are not happy they are here and they would have most likely chased them off.

So they had their first vet visit yesterday. They both tested negative for FIV and had their boosters. They both have nasty ear mites so daily ear drops are in order but other than that are two healthy little girls. They weigh 2.9 & 3.1.

They will stay in the judges room until they are spayed and fully protected from FIV/Leukemia since there are so many strays wandering around. They are much safer in there for now.

I had forgotten how much fun kittens were to have around. It's been a few years. As you know, I usually take in older guys so I am having alot of fun with these sweet gals. I've already fallen in love with them...of course.

Thank you for the condolences about Jenner's passing. I am doing okay with it ~ I am more at peace with his passing since he died on his terms and I didn't need to make that decision. He was peaceful when he passed. Of course I miss him and the cat house seems different without him but I did right by him and he knew he was loved, what more can I ask.

Here is a little (less than a minute) video and a few pics of the babies.

Jingles

Jenna

Strange Twist

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:03:11 GMT

Rest In Peace Sweet Jenner. You will forever be in my heart, I love you & miss you already. Thank you for allowing me the honor to love you and returning that love ten fold. See you at the bridge baby.

Jenner lost his battle with cancer and passed away this morning.

Seems fate, God, luck ~ whatever you want to call does indeed work in mysterious ways. When my mom went to the barn this morning she found someone had put two kittens in one of the rooms. I closed up & put everyone to bed at 8:00 last night and didn't see them.

So, despite the fact that I am feeling low and heartbroken over losing my Jenner, these two little ones have made me smile.

Life goes on I suppose and as one chapter has closed a new chapter is beginning.

Making their debut, meet Jingles and Jenner-2. We thought it fitting to name him after Jenner since they "appeared" the day Jenner died.

Jenner-2 has mighty big shoes to fill to live up to his namesake.

Jingles is a little more reserved and quiet.

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 19:25:17 GMT

Look at the lower right corner of the picture above....I wonder what this little guy is thinking.

Below is another baby, there are baby frogs all around the pond...thousands of them.

So it's been a while. My cats are finally feeling better. I have never seen a cat as sick as Buffy was ~ the vet gave him a stronger antibiotic and yesterday he finally turned the corner and is now sleeping with me again :) but more importantly, eating.

Darby had 9 teeth pulled, I thought it was 7 but when I reviewed the bill I saw 9. He is doing good, better than I would be.

Jenner isn't so good. He's not responded to any of the medication we are trying. I'm afraid it may be a tumor or cancer.

The horses are about the same. The beat goes on.

My half brother & his family were in town from Colorado for a few days. It was pleasant to see them, geesh, he is soooo much like our Dad it is startling sometimes. Considering Dad died when he was two this shows genetics are truly valid. I met his kids for the first time, it sounded funny to be called "Aunt Lisa". Eddie, (my brother) and I are also quite a bit alike. He moved when he was 5 so we didn't grow up together but there is a bond there for sure. It was 2 years since his last visit.

Doug & I threw caution to the wind and went to Hershey Park last night. We had a blast and were actually out until 11:00...wow.

We rode the new coasters...I love roller coasters! The one goes 0-72 in 2 seconds, it is crazy. We went on that one twice and the inverted one twice and then once on a couple of the others.

I was too chicken to go on the newest one...it just looks insane. Maybe next time! I can tell I am getting older, I would have never been afraid to get on a roller coaster before. Guess I just think too much now.

Well I am making my way around and catching up on everyone, slowly...if I haven't gotten there yet I will.

We are draining & cleaning our spa today so between that and the normal stuff I am pretty busy.

Take care all and see ya soon!

I could just cry

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:58:55 GMT

Well, so much for the strong woman theory...I feel like I could just breakdown and cry right now and I am NOT a crier.

I usually try to keep my entries short as I know everyone is busy but I have so much to let out today.

I stayed home from work today. I had two hours sleep last night and feel like crap physically and emotionally I am a wreck. You know how when you worry so much you actually feel sick, that is how I feel.

Late last week my Tuesday Tails boy Tony developed a bad cold. His one eye & nose were weepy and he was lethargic. I've been through these things enough to know what to look for and since he didn't have a yellow discharge I figured it would take its course. It has and he is feeling better, with only a small sneeze left.

Now Buffy is really sick. He is so congested he has to keep his mouth open to breathe, he looks pathetic and is wheezing. I immediately started him on Amoxicillan. I also just gave him "Little Noses" nose drops (for kids) and it did seem to help his nasal congestion a tiny little bit.

I kept checking on Buffy through the night, I could hear his labored breathing and was so worried about him I couldn't sleep. He usually sleeps with me but he chose to sleep in the laundry basket last night.

This morning Bobby started sneezing and pawing at his nose, exactly like Buffy is doing. Geesh, now he is getting it.

So now all three are on antibiotics.

Jezzy is now quarantined to her own room 24/7. At her age this will kill her if she contracts it.

I spoke with my vet and he assured me I am doing everything right. Had I taken Buffy to the ER they would have done the same thing I've done and possibly a chest xray.

Since my cats never go out and are always in the house with each other I guess it's easy to see why they all got it.

My vet is coming tomorrow to pull all of Darby's bad teeth. He'll do a chest xray and exam then on Buffy if he hasn't turned the corner. I'm worried about Darby going through general anesthesia for his dental work...he isn't a young cat, sigh.

Jenner's bloodwork came back and he is anemic. We don't know why but his red blood cell count is 10% lower than it should be. We are doing a few more tests tomorrow. I've bought three kinds of supplements for cats and he won't eat any of them! So right now it is a wait & see kind of thing. He is up and eating but we need to know what is going on.

Well folks, now I may cry for real...my mom just called and Charcoal (horse) blood test results are poor. Her cushings has reached a severe stage and at her age she most likely won't recover, she is 27.

So this means we may soon have to say Goodbye to our sweet Charcoal girl. It is heartbreaking.

Billy is not having the shoes put on after all, the vet thinks it is the wrong thing to do. The horse doctor is coming tomorrow or Wednesday to see Billy & Charcoal.

I'll be around later to try & catch up on all your lives, thanks for listening.