Thursday, April 30 2009

Good spring weather for the early vegetables. High temperature today was around 68, with late day rain showers. The peas are happy again, they like the cooler weather. And the lettuce and spinach should be sprouting soon.

My seedlings in the peat pots have suddenly sprung to life. Since the night time lows have been above 45-50, I have gained better control over their environment. The rain showers have also helped. As my friend Isabelle says, watering will keep a garden alive but rain makes the plants grow and thrive. This weekend, I hope to transplant some of the herbs directly into the beds, and a few of the larger seedlings into bigger pots. We won’t set up the vegetable garden until mid or late may. Late frosts are very common here. I speak from sad experience.

The daffodils are still doing very well! I love to have fresh flowers in the house.

Although I am starting to get the itch to buy annuals for my window boxes and flower pots, I need to wait a few weeks. The same late frost worries as with the vegetables. I may buy a couple of flats of marigolds. I plant these around the perimeter of my gardens as well as in the outhouse garden. Marigolds are favorites of mine and hb’s. Funny how we both like the same type of annuals.

Puff has been calling in a number of his wild friends in the recent weeks. One evening last week, hb took some great pictures of one of the encounters. Most of these turkeys are young males, the picture of the lone turkey is a female. She seems disinterested with all of the boys and their noisy gobbling and strutting around. More pictures are on the Photos page on the Feathers page.

Wednesday, April 29 2009

Everything is in bloom!  There are three ancient apple trees that hb and I rescued from the thorns and weeds, and all have beautiful blooms coming out all over their smaller branches.  The asparagus is doing great (and needs weeding again), the orchard trees have buds and the blueberries are flowering. 

I mowed the grass again on Monday.  The lawn looks great, and with the cooler, rainy week ahead should grow too fast.  I put down milky spores on the gardens and some of the lawn areas, 5 minutes before the rain came down last night.  Perfect timing.  Today the nematodes arrived.  They are waiting in the refrigerator until I get time to add them to the garden.  Milky spores attack Japanese beetle grubs, while nematodes go after a host of other soft grubs.  Both are natural defenses against garden pests.

Today, I picked up 10 flat, fake rocks to make a path through the strawberries to get to the asparagus.  The asparagus patch is at the far end of the perennial garden from the gate, I hope to remove the straw from the strawberries this weekend.  I also plan to mulch the blueberry bushes with newspaper and straw.

This evening I am sitting on my favorite chair, with a cat on either side of me, watching my most favorite tv show, The Dog Whisperer.  Cesar has just transformed an abused, scared rescued dog, named Howie, into a healthy, happy companion.  I love this show!  It is the only thing on tv that I watch consistently.  Cesar is absolutely amazing in the way he handles traumatized and aggressive dogs.  Sissy has benefited in many ways from the techniques I have learned from him.  We put her bad past behind us and focus on today, with happy walks, full food bowls and cozy safe doggie beds.  Just like Cesar says.

Sunday, April 26 2009

I have uploaded pictures of the completed bridge are on the project page.  Here is one that I liked . . .

Our rhododendrons are blooming, on the photo page are some pictures of the flowers.

Soon I will be posting a number of pictures from a visit of 6 young toms and a hen to Puff on evening last week. I was not home to see the dislay, but hb caught all of the gobbling and posturing between the males, and the amused look of the hen.

Right now, I am watching the National Geograhic show on the frozen baby mammoth. The scentific parts of the discovery are really interesting. She was found, lying in the tundra and is about 40,000 years old and perfectly presevered. Very cool.

Saturday, April 25 2009

Summer is here, the high temperature today was 87!  Too hot for April, but better than snow.

About 10 days ago, the first asparagus popped up in the perrenial garden. Now, the first asparagus are tall enough to pick, so I cut a small basketful.  Picking will encourage more sprouting, which is my goal.

And the big news of the day, Sissy’s first grooming appointment was this morning.  Sissy did so well, she is definitely a road trip dog.  Riding shotgun in my jeep, she either sits and looks at the sights or lies down and listens to the music.  The groomer just adored Sissy, marveling at how sweet and happy she seemed.  Here is one picture of Sissy’s new do . . . look on the Photo page for more.

Hb and I finished the bridge today, (pictures will be posted tomorrow).  The bridge turned out better than I ever imagined.  Hb bought a farm jack that was capable of lifting 2 tons, much more than either of the logs weighed.  He found this cool tool at the tractor supply store.  We lifted the ends of both logs, blocking them with cinder blocks.   Hb used his chain saw to flatten the logs so they were almost parallel on the tops.  We cut 1x6 decking pressure treated boards into 2ft widths, and screwed these across the logs, leaving about an inch gap.  The result is a completely secure, totally artistic (in the log building sense) foot bridge.

Thursday, April 23 2009

The weather is changing for the better!  60 for a high today, 75 tomorrow and 80 by Sunday, with nothing but sunshine . . . awesome!  Today, I put compost around the rhubarb, then mulched with newspaper covered with straw.  My good friend and neighbor, Isabelle, taught me that trick.  The newspaper and straw keeps the weeds down and the ground damp.   I planted another row of lettuce and one of spinach.  The snow peas are doing well.  All four short rows are up and the plants are about 2-3in high.  

We received our milky spores and nematodes in the mail today.  Milky spores are a natural fungus that kills Japanese beetle larvae.  Nematodes are microscopic worms that kill a number of grubs.  We had such a problem last year with grubs eating our squashes and cucumbers that this year we are on the offensive.  All natural of course . . . I try hard not to use poison on the food gardens.

Over the last month, we have been using up much of the frozen food in the chest freezer.  Tonight, the supply was low enough (we have virtually no food in the house J ), that we moved the remaining items upstairs to defrost the chest freezer.  By this weekend, there will be plenty of wide open freezer space for new supplies.  I hope to freeze more vegetables this year.

Tuesday, April 21 2009

Not too much new today.  The weather is cool and rainy, good for the garden.  Sadly, thunderstorms have not happened as the weather folks keep promising, I love a good spring thunderstorm!

I finally purchased a memorial statue for Blacky’s grave marker.  This past weekend, I selected a nice large, flat rock from the creek for the base. The sleeping cat reminds me of Blacky. I think he would be pleased. Last year, I bought a ceramic mushroom and metal bird for Josie’s marker. So now that Blacky and Josie have a proper memorials, all I need to find is a turkey statue for Hilda.  If I ever find a chicken statue, I would probably replace Josie’s marker too.  Josie was my one-footed bantam hen.  She was the happiest chicken ever.  I would dig up worms and catch crickets for her to snack on and she would cluck and make happy chicken noises.  I really loved Josie.  She died of old age, two winters ago.

Mama has been spending a lot of time inside.  I think she misses Blacky and enjoys the company of the indoor cats, as well as the heat.  All winter we tried to get her to come indoors, and just about a month ago she suddenly decided being inside was fine.  She has become so comfortable, that now I have to chase her around to catch her.  Look at the picture I took of her today . . . she is so comfortable that I checked to see if she was still breathing! When I finally get her, she kicks and squirms the whole time as I put her outside.  I have not yet determined if she uses a litter box, so until I see that, she will be outside at night and when I am not home.

Sissy Update

Sissy’s fur is going in nicely.  In addition to vitamins for her joints, I add ½  of a sardine to her food each meal to improve her coat.  I feed her twice a day, and in the last week, she has been much more animated at meal time.  She now stands up when she sees her food coming, and noisily licks the bowl clean (Sissy eating pic).  At mealtimes, I feed the 5 cats and Sissy at the same time. Today, after giving everyone their bowls, I went into another room for a few minutes. When I returned, Sissy was in the dining room. She scooted back into the mudroom right away, but I was pleased to see her exploring. Then I noticed that three of the cats bowls were licked clean and shiny. Cats do not eat like that . . . . Sissy had conquered her fear of the dining room to lick cat bowls. Too funny!!! And very dog-like and a very, very welcome sight! 

I made an appointment for her first grooming on this coming Saturday.  She may have to stay there a few hours, so I hope she is not too traumatized.  Her coat really needs evened-out, and her nails trimmed.  A friend recommended this groomer. I have spoken to the groomer twice and am sure Sissy will be in good hands.  I am excited to see her all pretty and sweet smelling, I hope she enjoys the attention.

Sunday, April 19 2009

Another busy day today, starting with outdoor activities and ending indoors.  We cleared some more of the acreage in the morning, taking advantage of the still hot coal bed from the fire yesterday.  I gathered up some old carpet remnants, and our paper trash in the back of my jeep, drove down to the creek bed and added these to the fire.  While hb cut logs and brush, I put on my tall water boots and headed into the creek.  I moved rocks around in several places to increase the amount of flow and direct the water to the middle of the creek.  In several places, built-up rocks had caused erosion and small muddy areas.  I moved rocks from the middle of the creek to the sides, creating a small wall in one spot and covering several rock-less, mud holes.  I love “playing” with rocks, on land or in water.  Each one is unique, like snowflakes, and landscaping with them is like solving a big puzzle.  I am always amazed how random rocks will naturally fit together to make a stable wall or path.  Finding the perfect grouping is fun and satisfying.

In the afternoon, my attention had to turn back to the house.  I mowed the lawn and fed/watered the animals.  Homer had preventative drops put into his ears, which he really hates having down but he gets a large carrot as a reward.

Then, I moved on to indoor chores.  I finally re-potted my jade plants into larger pots with fresh soil and watered my still-sad-looking-but-improving Monticello boxwood.  I gathered the spring curtains and linens from the attic, washed and hung the spring curtains in the bedroom.  I will get to the linens later.  I love to replace the curtains in the spring and fall.  The whole atmosphere of the room is affected.  In the fall, the winter curtains gives the room a cozy and warm feeling, while in the spring, the white, lace curtains makes the room airy and light. 

Of course, the laundry was screaming to be done . . . with all of the outdoor work, the clothes practically jumped into the washing machine on their own. While I was busy with the laundry, hb ran to the grocery store for some basic food supplies, then started dinner.

Weekends go by so quickly. 

Saturday, April 18 2009

Today was absolutely beautiful!  72 degrees, sunny with a light breeze.  Hb and I spent the entire day working on the lower 8 acres.  We cleared another ¾ of an acre from the briars and fallen trees, building a fire that burned all day and will still be smoldering tomorrow.  We cut down and burned at least 8 dead trees, one hemlock that took us two hours to cut and burn.  It was a huge tree that had fallen years ago.  We used the tractor and chains to pull it completely to the ground so hb could safely chainsaw it into pieces I could carry to the fire.

After clearing a path and getting the fire burning strongly, we turned our attention to constructing a bridge, the basis being two large fallen trees. Over the past couple of weeks, hb and I had been discussing various plans and options about the best method to obtain a solid, natural bridge. What would be the best method to move these 30ft long, 16in diameter logs across the creek in an orderly, safe manner.  Just this morning, we decided to push the logs along rollers to move them into place. The creek bed was too muddy to support the tractor so our initial plan of pulling the logs was not an option. To start, after hb made some inital cuts, we chained each log individually then lifted them in the air with the tractor.  The logs were very large and the first time I tried to raise the logs with the tractor bucket, the tractor's rear wheel lifted off of the ground, threathening to roll the tractor. Scary, but nothing bad happened. hb moved re-positioned the chain and all went smoothly. While the log was off of the ground, we laid smaller logs perpendicular to the bridge logs at intervals of 8-10 ft.  We positioned the Kioti at the end of the log, pushed it along the roller logs, until the end reached the opposite shore.  We laid two large rocks, one under each end of the log on the higher bank side.  Our next task will be to lift up the lower end and build small rock piers under each one.   Lastly, I will install pressure treated deck boards across the logs to create a walkway . . . safe enough for Sissy to walk across!    I love the new bridge!! See the complete pictures of the bridge construction on the project page. 

Of course, Murray loves the bridge too.  He was the first to try it out, visiting us in the afternoon. For a cat, he is actually very brave.

During the workday today, we suffered only minor injuries.  Considering we used chain saws, the tractor, log-lifting chains and a large fire, this was good! Hb has a rather large burn on his arm for a cinder out of the fire, and I jammed my thumb throwing a log on to the fire.  We both enjoy outside work so much that the wounds are more nuisance than anything.

The daffodils are in full bloom. We have so many that I cut a few for inside. The varieties look and smell wonderful!

Tuesday, April 14 2009

We “planted” the morel spores yesterday.  In addition to dirt and compost, I added some ashes from our acreage-clearing burn area and some dried tree leaves.  After stirring in the spores, we watered the bed well to get it going.  From the information available online, we may not get any mushrooms until next spring.  Seems like these morels can be finicky with respect to soil and weather conditions.

My seedlings in the cold frames decided to emerge while we were away, and then promptly dried out.  I watered them as soon as I noticed on Sunday, but think I have probably lost many of them.  I never realized how difficult starting seeds in early spring could be!  The 3 blueberry bushes that I have been keeping in the cold frames are doing well, getting new leaves and hopefully putting down better roots.  But the seeds have been nothing but trouble.  They took weeks to start, and seem to dry out very quickly.  Raising the plastic to water lets the warm air escape and then they become too cold during the night time hours.  Bottom line is that we need a proper greenhouse!  Not a huge one, one about 8x12ft would be nice.

The temperatures have been down into the mid 30’s too often this last month.  Obviously, I took in the heated water bowls way too early.  I have had to replace Frodo’s frozen water almost 3 times a week.  Sigh.  Spring was not just around the corner in March.  At least Homer’s heated container is still plugged in and staying liquid. 

A group of wild Tom’s have been roosting in the lower acres, straight across from Puff’s coop.  I hear them flying into the trees in the evenings when I am putting Puff inside his coop, and flying out of the trees in the mornings.  We pulled out the binoculars and watched them one Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago.  There were 4-5 Toms, all strutting around, tail feathers up and wings dragging the ground.  Then on Sunday evening, we watched one get very close to Puff’s coop, teasing him.  Turkeys have amazing eye sight.  This Tom caught sight of us and hustled off to the woods before either of us could get a picture of him.  He will be back!  Puff calls to them all of the time.

Monday, April 13 2009 

Hb and I took a small road trip this past weekend.  And we were able to take Sissy along with us.  She did so well!  The car ride went very smoothly, Sissy panted more than usual, but stayed in her bed in the back seat.  We stopped twice to let her potty and stretch her legs.  We stayed with friends who had a small dog too.  Sissy and Jessee got along very well.  In fact, Sissy seemed very happy having a canine companion.  The drive home on Sunday was even smoother with Sissy being more relaxed and smiling.  I am so excited, I have a road trip dog!

Because we would only be away for a short time, and the weather was cool, I kept all of the birds in their coops.  The chickens were fine, and Puff only mildly irritated.  The cats of course were completely annoyed at having only dry food for the weekend, and litter boxes that were not cleaned twice a day.  But, once I spent a few hours of quality time with everyone on Sunday, the birds and cats were content once again.

Thursday, April 9 2009 

Easter is this weekend.  After visiting with my friend last week, I had a great idea.  She is an artist, and loves all things natural like rocks, and plants and clay.  One year, she used a wood burner to burn pheasants all around a birdhouse gourds as me as a gift.  I decided to give my friend a special Easter basket.  In it, I put an ostrich egg, a rhea egg, an emu egg and one of the eggs I collected from my turkey hen, Hilda.  All of the eggs were blown out and cleaned and absolutely spectacular!  I arranged them in a colorful Easter basket with purple grass. 

I left the basket on her porch as a surprise Easter gift.  She called when she discovered the basket, was super surprised and really loved the eggs, especially the emu egg!  I liked them too and might have to get a few for myself.   I ordered the eggs from an online store that specializes in Emu products, UniquelyEmu.  My order was shipped almost immediately, the eggs were double wrapped and the box labeled Fragile on every side.  Very good company, and their Emu products look cool as well.

Tuesday, April 7 2009 

My poor decision to cut and burn the lower 8 in short sleeves has turned worse.  Not only are my arms covered with scratches and bruises but I have also picked up poison ivy.  There were not any green leaves out yet so I must have come in contact with a vine.  Every year I suffer worse with this stuff.  I am hoping this time the rash stays minimal.

And the weather has turned worse, snow today.  Check out the latest picture I took this afternoon of our resident pet, wild pheasant.  He does not look pleased with the flurries!  He is still around every day, spending most of his time with Frodo but he also walks up and says Hi to Puff.  I put corn out for him by Frodo’s coop, so he is well fed.  One of these days he will realize there aren’t any hens around!

Sissy is doing well.  I bought her a toy ground hog, which she actually likes to lay on.  She is such a happy addition to the farmette.

The tractor is back in the shop to get the final maintenance and going-over before spring.  We had to wait for a couple of parts to come in, and should get it back within a week or so.  Our local Kioti dealer takes very good care of our equipment.  We plan to use the tractor to help clear the lower 8 and build our bridge.

Sunday, April 5 2009 

Hb and I sent most of the day working on the lower 8 acres.  Hard, exhausting but fulfilling work.  The weather was perfect, highs in the 60’s and sunny with almost no wind.  By mid-morning I was down to jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt.  Big mistake!  The thorns were treacherous, and my arms were scratched, bleeding and bruised within 30 minutes.  So I put my long sleeves back on and tried to stay further away from the fire.  Each long length of thorns, or even better, large ball of thorns, that we added to the fire made me smile.  By the end of the day, the huge pile of thorns, cut wood and dead tree limbs was burned down and we had cleared at least an acre.  I love working outside!

We were exhausted by evening, sore muscles and scratched up skin (the thorns cut through jeans, shirts, nearly everything) so dinner was simple.

My cold frames over the herb beds are doing ok, but not great.  The herbs are sprouting but the vegetable seeds are still struggling.  I water them about every two days, and hope things start to grow soon.

The daffodils that I planted last year are doing very well.  Hb took many beautiful pictures that I will soon post on the garden page.  Last year was the second year that I put in daffodils, and they are all either blooming or ready to bloom.  The farmette looks nice with so many yellow and white patches.  Also coming up is the rhubarb.  Last year, the rhubarb was weak and dismal, but this year there are already 6 plants sprouting.  Nice!

Saturday, April 4 2009 

The weather this morning was ugly, cloudy, chilly and very windy.  Hb was gone until mid-afternoon, and I had breakfast plans with one of my closest friends.  My friend and I only manage to get together once every 2-3 months.   Busy schedules and commitments haunt both of us.  So when we do finally align our calendars and meet for a meal, we spend at least a couple of hours catching up.  Our talks cover many topics, including our shared hobbies of collecting rocks, growing plants, reading and celebrating the outdoors. Good friends are good company.

By the time hb came home, the weather had turned for the better.  The sun was shining and the winds lessened.  We grabbed our gloves and chain saw and headed to the lower 8 acres.  Two good hours were spent cutting up trees and moving logs and brush into place for tomorrows burn. 

Thursday, April 2 2009 

One night this week, during our evening walk, Sissy swung by the outhouse garden.  Several minutes later, guess what she found?  The first pig ear!

She was so pleased, I had to work to convince her to continue our walk.  Actually, I took the pig eat and hid it in my pocket.  When we finally turned for home, she practically sprinted, carrying that pig ear like a prize.  Once inside, I washed the mud off of the ear, and although she looked disappointed initially, Sissy got over the lack of dirt and missing smell.  She spent the next 20 minute in dog glory, enjoying a well seasoned, suitably soggy, pig ear just excavated from the garden. 

The daffodils are blooming everywhere now.  In just 5 days, they have gone from buds to full bloom.  And the crocuses are holding their own as well.  My labor of love last fall, planting 200 bulbs, has paid off.  I love looking out of my kitchen window, or pulling into the driveway and seeing the colors of spring.

Sissy made another trip to the vet tonight.  She needed all of her vaccinations, and I was worried about a skin issue she started to develop.  Her skin had some dark patches and she was really itchy.  The vet we saw today was much more interactive than the last one.  Tonight, he looked at her hip xray again, and called me into the next room to see it as well.  He pointed out that her hips looked very good, no apparent issues.  Good news.  Her weight was had not changed and he thought she looked well.  The vet also thought she had an allergy, possibly to the initial flea shampoo I had used on her that first day.  So Sissy is back on antibiotics and steroids.  I think in another month she will be a lot more stable.

The weather today was spectacular, sunny and warm.  Hb worked more on clearing the lower acres.  The woods are looking so much better already.  I can not wait to burn the dead wood and briars, hopefully on Sunday.  We are formulating plans for making a bridge at the house end from fallen trees.  That will be so much fun.  Once we have the walking bridge built, I can take Sissy for walks in the woods with me.  I think she will like that.  I love working outside.  This fall I will plant daffodils on the cleared areas, and hopefully a weeping willow tree or two. 

Sunday, March 29 2009 

A slightly different wake-up call this morning, gobbling turkeys combined with thunder and lightning.  Very cool!

Yesterday, I put down grub killer on the yard.  The natural material I used in February worked, but the moles are back.  Hb and I spent hours and hours last year getting this part of the yard graded, de-rocked and seeded so I decided to use chemicals in my fight against the moles.  I figure the best way to discourage them is to remove their food source, grubs.  I was pleased for the rain so the grub killer would get into the ground and Sissy would be safe walking on the grass.

About mid-morning, the clouds and rain cleared, so I walked with hb to the lower 8 acres of the farmette.  The land runs along both sides of a creek, with most being on the far side of the creek.  Hb has started cutting us a trail, running along the bottom of the creek and then climbing to the top of the property line back to the far end of the field.  Getting across the creek has always been an issue but during a storm this past winter, a perfectly straight, large white oak tree fell across the creek, making an amazing natural bridge.  We plan to add a rope railing, making hb's path across the creek easily accessible, maybe even for Sissy.  After the path is finished, we plan to clear the rest of the acreage, turning the briar patches and dead trees into more of a forest with grass clearings.  I would love to get 6-8 goats to help with the clearing . . . maybe this summer.

Half way through our walk, the rain returned in full force and we got drenched.  The walk back across the natural bridge was even more challenging in the pouring rain, which soaked the moss covered log.  But getting caught in a spring rain during a walk through the woods was unexpected and fun!   Followed by a warm shower, dry clothes and hot tea . . . a great Sunday morning.

Sissy is doing very well.  We took her for another good walk, about 20 minutes.  She was ready for her bed then but was really happy, jogging along the whole walk.  Her fur is growing back and her self-confidence is growing, though probably not as fast as her fur :-) !  She is a little freaked out by the vacuum cleaner, and really frightened by the broom.  Each day brings a new experience for my little rescue dog.

The Boxwood Saga
Last summer, during a trip to Virginia, hb and I spent an afternoon touring Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello.  Neither of us had been there since childhood and Jefferson is my favorite president.  Part of the gift shop was a nursery, selling Monticello specific plants.  I bought a small boxwood bush, about 8in in diameter, hoping to keep it as a house plant.  Once home, both Slick and KC decided the boxwood leaves were fine and tasty cat treats.  After discovering large bald spots around the entire plant, I made a my next error in judgment.  I listened to horticulture advice from a Virginian, who had only seen boxwoods used as outdoor shrubbery, never as house pants and was sure a boxwood would thrive outside.  So, I transplanted my cute little boxwood, now sporting several large, tooth-marked bald patches, in a good spot among the Tetons, where I could see it from the kitchen window.  At first all was well, but as time past, the temperatures dropped and snow accumulated, and the leaves on the boxwood started to yellow.  Finally, a few weeks ago, I did what I should have done last November.  I searched online and found that boxwoods are rated to zone 6 . . . we live in zone 5, closer to zone 4! 

So I dug up my little boxwood, now looking exceptionally sad with bald patches plus numerous yellow leaves and replanted it into a pot.  I built a cover from netting and wire hangers to keep out the cats, and set it on the kitchen counter, to keep a close watch on my boxwood.  At first, most of the yellow leaves fell off, and the poor thing was barely 4in in diameter.  Then about a week ago, new leaves started to form. Success,  my boxwood was saved!  Sadly, I celebrated too soon.  After returning from our walk today, I glanced at my pretty little bush to admire the new growth. The netting was pushed all of the way into the plant on one side, and half of the new leaves were missing.  Looking around, I saw KC lying on the kitchen floor, contentedly licking her paws, and she had boxwood breath! Sigh. The last chance for my Monticello plant is a spot in my bedroom.  Although the sunlight is not very strong there, the temps are above freezing and no cats are allowed.  Sigh.

Saturday, March 28 2009 

Busy day today, as are most Saturdays in the spring.  I am still feeling under the weather, so I took some over the counter cold medicine this morning.  Suffering through a weekday with a cold is one thing, the weekends are a whole different story, nothing worse than feeling ill on a Saturday.   The weather was sunny in the morning, growing cloudy as the day progressed with nice temperatures for outdoor work, the high getting near 60deg.

The day started to the chorus of turkeys gobbling.  Puff and a handful of his wild brothers, roosting in the pines just below the house, gobbled back an forth to each other beginning about daybreak.  Every now and then, the pheasants would add in their two cents, first Frodo and then his wild buddy.  Lying in bed at the first light of day, listening to the calls of turkeys and pheasants happens for only a few weeks every year, a country experience to treasure.

My first project of the day was to download GIMP, a freeware photo editing package that compares apples to apples with Photoshop.  GIMP has all of the same functionality, and is free while Photoshop comes with a price tag of $600+.  I had tried to use GIMP on my Macintosh computer about a month ago without success, because the Macintosh version requires installing X11 first.  At that time, I did not have much time to spend reading about where and how to get X11.  This morning, I finally mastered it!  GIMP is now running on my macintosh.  Soon I will be uploading loads of unique items with images all based on the photos from farmetteLife website.  These ideas have been rolling around in my headfor a while now, and I am excited to be able to bring them to life!

After a yummy breakfast of potato pancakes, made from leftover mashed potatoes, fried eggs and bacon, hb and I headed to the studio to build a Morel mushroom bed.  We used a 12inx10ft piece of cypress.  The dimensions of the frame were 2ft x 2.5 ft with 2in corner braces to make the bed sturdier.  We added a framed top that slide over the sides, stapling hardware wire across the frame.  This top will provide all of the sunlight, rain and air that the mushrooms need while protecting them from critters such as squirrels and chipmunks who find Morels irresistible.  Hb tilled a spot about 50 ft behind the chicken coop, between a couple of pine trees.   After leveling the bed, we add a bag of potting soil, some of the dirt from under the pine trees and a wheelbarrow of compost.  The morel bed is now ready for the spores, which we plan to add in about 2-3 weeks.

Murray thinks he is king of the farmette . . . bad cat!

My seeds in the peat pots have not sprouted yet.  I think the studio gets too cold at night and does not get enough sunlight during the day.  So I built cold frames for the two herd raised beds out of leftover fence wire and heavy plastic.  I stapled the plastic to the wire along the edge of the herb beds next to the wall, leaving the other three sides loose, held in place with rocks.  This will give me easy access for watering and also the ability to raise an edge when theweather gets warmer for ventilation.

Homer’s ears are normal again, so I have reduced his ear drops to a once a week preventive schedule.  Since the weather may be rainy tomorrow, I put his drops in today.  He is getting better about the whole procedure, and shakes his ears afterwards so the drops are getting in to do their mite-exterminating job. 

Both the chickens and Puff got new water, and their food containers filled to the tops.  I put a scoop of corn on the ground behind Frodo’s coop for his wild friend, who is still hanging around 24/7. 

My final task of the day was to plant a few purple and white pansies in flower pots that I left out through the winter months.  I love pansies, and the stores are staring to put them out now.  Hb and I made a quick run to the grocery store in the afternoon for food supplies, and I picked up two sets.  I made sure just to plant them in places where I could easily cover them if the weather turns very cold.

Tonight, we are watching Pitt play Villanova in the Elite 8 March madness tournament.  Sissy joined us for awhile, each trip to a room outside of the mudroom gets easier for her.  She went on a nice long walk with me this afternoon, all of the way to the end of the field past the pine trees (Sissy by the wagon, Sissy jogging).  She is getting braver and more comfortable every day.

Friday, March 27 2009 

I seem to have caught hb’s cold that he suffered with all of last week.  Yesterday I started feeling ill, and just got worse today.  I am hoping tomorrow will bring some relief.

Anyway, when I was in Kmart buying cold medicine, I picked up a second doggie bed for Sissy.  In the evenings, I really would like for her to be in the tv room with us.  She loves her bed in the mudroom, maybe a little too much.  After a nice walk outside, she absolutely sprints back to the mudroom, flopping in her bed like she had been away for days.  So this evening, I planned for Sissy to join us for some family time on her new bed in the tv room.   Another quirk of Sissy’s is her fear of walking across differing floor material.  For instance, going from hardwood to carpet, or carpet to tile, really freaks her out.  She acts as if there is a ledge that she might fall off.  

Getting Sissy to walk from the mudroom to the tv room involved many floor transitions and the trip took us 10 minutes!  But with encouragement and gentle leading, Sissy finally landed on her new bed in the tv room.  Whether she was enjoying the experience, or was just too afraid of walking off the carpet to the wood floor to leave the room, I am not sure.  Sissy did very well with in the new environment, and laid on her new bed for about 30 minutes.  One of the funniest sights was the three boy cats, peering around the corner from the hallway into their former domain which was now housing a dog.  The looks on their faces ranged from scorn to disgust.  Soon enough, I took Sissy back across the dreaded carpet-wood-carpet-wood mile to her wonderful tiled mudroom.  She jogged the last 10 ft and flopped happily into her old bed. 

The tv room was immediately reclaimed by the cats.

Wednesday, March 25 2009 

There are some new pictures on the photos page of the cats, including an especially good one of Mama in the Tetons, and a sunset over the field.  On the wildlife page, I have added five pictures of Frodo’s friend.  Nice looking pheasant who is still hanging around.  I have been setting out corn for him behind Frodo’s coop.  When I took Sissy for her after dinner walk this evening, he was happily filling up.

A couple of weekends ago,  hb saw our resident pair of red-tailed hawks together, high in the tree at the top of the hill.  They were just hanging out, probably near their nest.  Each year, we have a new set of chicks, screetching and darting above the grass.  The hens are forever darting back into their coop or underneath a nearby tree.  Although, our hens are most likely too large for a red-tailed hawk to catch and carry.  Last week, when hb and I were clearing the tree line, I spotted this really cool feather (I collect feathers that are unusual or special) laying on the ground.  Isn’t it great!

Monday, March 23 2009

Sissy’s Weekend Adventure
As I mentioned in my last post, yesterday I made a quick run to the Tractor Supply store.  In addition to various other items, on my list was a new collar for Sissy.  She had been wearing the red one since the day we rescued her.  I had quickly picked it up at the grocery store, and it was dirty from her fur those first few days.  Also, I wanted to get her a lighter weight collar.  I think wearing a collar is new for her and a lighter one would be more comfortable.  I picked out the purple one with white paw prints, and put it one her as soon as I got home.

I also picked up two pig ears, thinking Sissy would enjoy chewing on these.  She has a habit of chewing her front paw, so distractions away from paw chewing are positive.  Sissy’s eyes lit up when she first tasted the pig ear.  She had it in her mouth and stood by the door, tail wagging.  Well, a very good sign that Sissy wanted to chew her pig ear outside in the sun.  Hanging up two bluebird houses (house #1, house #2) was on my to-do anyway, so I gathered up my supplies, and took her out with me.  Sissy is not much of a walking dog yet, so I tied her leash to the outhouse garden fence to let her lay in the sun while I proceeded to the edge of the field to hang the birdhouses.

After about 15 minutes, the birdhouses were hung and I figured Sissy would be ready to go inside.  As I approached the outhouse garden, I saw Sissy’s leash pulled to the center of the flower area.  Well, I thought she was enjoying lying on the walkway amongst the daffodils.  As I got closer, I saw the end of the leash, attached to a beautiful, new purple collar, lying empty and limp in the dirt.  No Sissy in the collar!  I started to hyperventilate . . . I looked to driveway where hb had been power washing the cars and no hb.  I was panicked, trying to decide which way to search, determined not think about the road.  Suddenly, hb appeared from in front of the house.  He had noticed Sissy alone in the yard (rolling around on her back, feet in the air), and safely tucked her away back in the mudroom.  I was so relieved.

I peeked in the mudroom and there was Sissy, lying on her bed, content and happy.  But where was the pig ear?  I searched everywhere, in the garden, on the driveway, in the yard, without any luck.  That silly dog had slipped her collar, sneakily buried her bone out of sight and then happily rolled around in the grass as celebration!  Her new collar is now a little tighter, and the next pig ear stays inside.

Frodo’s Weekend Visitor
Frodo’s friend returned this past weekend.  We had not seen him since early January and were pleasantly surprised that he survived the winter in such good shape.  I will post more pictures on the photos page. 

The male pheasant amused Frodo all day on Sunday, and honestly, is amazingly tame for supposedly being a wild pheasant.  Hb and I were working all around the area most of the day, starting tractors, power washers, pushing the wheelbarrow, picking up rocks and turning the compost.  Frodo’s friend would duck into the pine trees, wait for us to leave the immediate area and then return to taunt, or visit, Frodo.  I even watched the rooster chasing him around.  Guess he got too close to the hens!  Maybe I should name him.

Sunday, March 22 2009 

Our internet connection was down most of the weekend.  Very frustrating for me . . . after calling our provider twice, I found that they had upgraded servers and had compatibility issues. 

As planned, I started readying the farmette for spring this weekend.  The chicken coop was emptied, swept of dirt and cobwebs, and the straw filler in the roof vents removed.  After the coop was clean, the windows finally received a much needed washing.  Finally, I added 3 new flakes of straw to the floor and replaced the heated water container with the 3-gal summer water font.  I similarly removed Frodo’s and Puff’s heated water bowls and replace with summer containers.  I left Homer’s heated bottle because the spout is so thin that it tends to freeze quicker.

Sunday morning, I realized that I might have anticipated spring too early.  Both Puff’s and Frodo’s water were frozen Sunday morning.  Yikes, this will a rough week if the cold overnight temperatures continue.

For our breakfast this morning, we had poached eggs (complements of our girls) on English muffins.  I have a stainless steel English muffin pan, with 4 no-stick egg cookers.  I typically do not have much to brag about in the kitchen, but this little poacher is fantastic.  Makes perfect poached eggs in exactly 4 minutes.  And it is very easy to clean.  With a day of work ahead and the likely chance that we will skip lunch, hb and I try to eat a nice breakfast.

Puff’s is the most annoying container.  It holds 3-gal of water, but is very difficult to operate.  The lid has a gasket meant to create an airtight seal so water is only distributed to the tray as it is drained.  I also have a great deal of difficulty getting the lid of this particular water container tight enough to seal.  Yesterday, by the time the silly thing finally sealed, all but ½ gal of water had leaked out.  Today, the lid was so tight I had to use a broom handle to loosen it.  Way too much work, especially when it will have to be repeated at least once a week.  So, I made a quick trip to Tractor Supply for a replacement with a better design.

Hb worked on clearing brush from the tree line along the field.  I lent a hand by dragging the wood, brush and briars to the burn pile.  By the end of the weekend, the majority of the brush and dead trees was cleared and burned.  A very hard job, but the weather was nice and working outside is always fun.   Everything looked so pretty and orderly that I decided to hang two bluebird houses on a couple of trees.

Hb tilled the garden today.  We have a 3ft tiller on the back of the John Deere yard tractor.  The John Deere can either mow or till, so first, we dropped the mowing deck.  Then my job is to hook the 3pt hitch and drive train of the tiller to the tractor.  We tilled in the compost pile left in the garden from last year as well as a large bag of peat moss.  The soil on the far side has a high clay content, and I am determined to amend it.  On my trip to Tractor Supply, I picked up 3 sets of onion starts.  The garden looked so fantastic that I planted 4 10-ft rows of onions.

The sunset this evening was beautiful. In the evenings, I will often look around for hb and he is no where in sight. I have learned to check out the sunsets, and if the colors are pretty, hb will be out in the fields, camera and tripod in hand. He makes me smile!

I am running out of time tonight, so I will save the Frodo news and Sissy story for tomorrow . . . for now, check out Sissy's new collar!

Thursday, March 19 2009 

Tomorrow is the first day of spring.  We had a little rain over night and cooler temperatures, perfect for the seeds I planted last week.  I bet by the middle of next week the peas, lettuce and carrots will be sprouting.   I watered the seed pots in the studio today and the thyme and a couple of brussel sprouts are popping up.  My three new blueberry bushes look well too.  I will plant those outside in April.

Homer's ears are healing well.  Now when I put in his drops, he shakes his head.  A good sign that the drops are getting in deep enough to help.  I have been using cat/dog ear mite drops and today received the anti-fungal/bacteria drops in the mail.  So I put a few drops of both in his ears tonight.

 I have started to entice Sissy into the dining room during dinner.  I have to pick her up and carry her to the rug next to my chair.  Tonight she sat there while I ate, and seemed fairly comfortable.  By Christmas, she may even work up enough courage to sit with us in the living room in the evenings :-)

Tuesday, March 17 2009 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Sissy still will not cross the threshold from the mudroom into the dining room.  She doesn’t even like when I put her on the rug next to my chair.  Time will help.   She loves her bed in the mudroom!  Yesterday, as Sissy went to take a drink from her water bowl, Slick batted at her with his paw.  Poor Sissy, turned away and laid down on her bed.   After seeing that,  I started opening the windows in the mudroom, enticing the cats to sit on the sills for the fresh air, a treat Slick especially loves.  Hopefully, the cats and dog will bond.

Sunday, hb and I clear the tree line along the field and burned the resulting large pile of brush.  We were both covered with briar scratches and really sore from the half day effort.  However, tree line looks really great!  We will be able to mow an additional 20 feet of field this year.

The weather was so nice that I took the opportunity to clear the top end of my perennial bed and roto-till it with the Mantis.  Then I planted a row of Mesclun lettuce, 3 rows of snap peas and a row of carrots.  The rhubarb is not up yet and neither is the asparagus, but in a couple of weeks both should be sprouting.

I cleaned out Mama’s area in the spring house, as well as Puff’s coop.  Next weekend, I think it will be safe to put away the water heaters and remove the straw from the coop rafter vents. 

Today, the temperatures are near 70, and the sky perfectly blue.  Just an amazing spring day, you can almost see the daffodils growing.

Saturday, March 14 2009 

Hb has been taking so many pictures of Sissy, that I decided to give her a spot on the photos page.  There will be a couple of new cat pics there as well. I hope to have them posted by tomorrow.

Today, we removed the gate between the mudroom and the rest of the house.  So far, Sissy has not ventured on to the wood floors.  I will put the gate up at bedtime so she feels safe, then open it in the morning. 

I found this picture of Mama from the last snow fall.  She easily made it through this past winter, even though the temps were very cold for several months.  The heated cat bed in the heated spring house must have helped.

Busy day today,  Hb and I started our weekend early, heading to a place on the edge of the city, called the Strip District.  Along the strip district are all sorts of ethnic food shops, with amazing selection, good prices and a fun atmosphere.  First, we went to the Italian market and bought specialty cheeses (brie, French goat cheese, English stilton), Tuscan bread, handmade pasta, huge pistachios, beautiful garlic and olives.  Then we bought vegetables at the farm stand.  At this point, we made a trip back to the car to unload our purchases before heading to Wholey’s to buy mussels, sushi-grade tuna steaks and red snapper filets.    Many fine meals await us in the coming week!

After shopping at the strip, we headed to Sam’s club for some basic supplies.  In addition, hb had some film developed and I picked up printer ink.  Our final stop was at Lowe’s to pick up the soil for the herb beds.

Near home, we stopped at Jethro’s, our Kioti tractor dealer and neighbor, to check on the status of the John Deere mower.  Jethro and his wife have two young sons, and guess what?  A month ago, they found a wandering, older Collie dog that is now their family pet.  They are good neighbors and nice people.  We exchanged dog stories, discussed tractor issues and then headed home.

After getting the food put away, and Sissy walked, hb and I finished lining the herb garden beds with landscape fabric, then added the soil. In a short time, we will be growing our own herbs.  Exciting!

Then, we started up the tractor and spent a couple of hours clearing limbs and dead trees from along the field line.

Dinner tonight will be mussels, in garlic and lemon, over pasta with snowpeas, a selection of cheese and bread, with a nice glass of red wine.  Saturdays are the best day of the week!

Thursday, March 12 2009 

Sissy update

These pictures say it all, happy, relaxed, well-fed, wiggly dog . . . nothing in the world like being greeted by a dog when you enter your house.

Homer the bunny was my main focus for this evening.  Hb helped my clean out his ears and I put in drops for ear mites.  Homer lost some fur in the initial struggle, but overall, he looks a lot better.  I gave him some lettuce and a carrot, and put new straw in his pen.  I think repeating the drops each day for the next 7-10 days will fix him right up.  Hope he cooperates and learns to enjoy ear maintenance.

The crocuses are really blooming now.  Everyday, things are getting greener and growing taller, there are buds everywhere.  After the crocuses, the daffodils will bloom.  I can hardly wait! See the garden page for pics.

Wednesday, March 11 2009 

Just when life was running smoothly, and in danger of becoming boring, Homer the Bunny needed attention.  To date, Homer has been very easy and quiet, having the lowest maintenance needs of any creature on the farmette.  Sissy loves to visit Homer.  She stands by his cage, sniffing the edges with her ears at full attention.  Standing beside Homer’s pen for 10 minutes with Sissy caused me to notice that Homer had dirt around his ears.  On closer inspection, not dirt, but lots of gross stuff inside and around the edges of his ears.  Looking even closer, the inside of each ear looked raw from scratching.  Suddenly, Homer needed serious attention.

Now, Homer is not used to a lot of touching.  I suspected a serious ear infection but only had disinfected wipes and first aid ointment on hand.  Armed with these, I finally managed to trap Homer to the ground after chasing him around his pen.  Large rabbits are rather strong.  As I cleaned his ears, he screamed in both pain and fear, just a terrible sound.  I knew I was not really hurting him so I took a breath and continued the chore.  I managed to hold him steady while getting the gunk out of each ear using the wipes and being careful not to push anything deeper down.  Then I smeared the first aid ointment onto the raw scratches.

By the time I finished, we were both exhausted.  Homer had scratched me rather hard on my left arm, so I went inside and washed up with disinfectant soap.  Then I took poor Homer some lettuce.  He already looks a little better.  Back inside, I jumped online and ordered him ear medicine.  Because that will take 4-7 days to arrive, tomorrow I will run to Tractor Supply to buy off the shelf ear care.  Not really looking forward to catching and holding Homer every day for the next 10 to medicate his ears, but that comes with territory of animal care!

Sunday, March 8 2009 

The hens provided us with the basis of an amazing Sunday breakfast this morning.  Poached eggs, over fried potatoes and bacon, yum!  So good that hb and I didn’t have to eat again until dinner.

Sissy update

Sissy was upgraded to the mudroom of the farmhouse.  I put a baby gate between the mudroom and the kitchen, and moved the cat’s food and water to the kitchen.  Sissy was scared for most of the day, hesitant and shaky, but when the dinner bowl arrived, she perked up.  I think she worried that food would only appear in the studio.  By evening, Sissy was almost back to normal.  She is such a sweet dog, and even though her circumstances have been changing a lot, her tail has been wagging more and more each day.

The dark mark on her paw is because she is a chronic paw chewer. The good news is that she never bites through to the skin, her fur stays in place. hb and I have been giving her bones and chew toys to encourage chewing on inanimate objects instead of her leg.

Watching the cats peer through the gate into the mudroom was too funny.  The bravest two were Slick and KC.  They sat by the gate, watching Sissy for a few hours.  Spooky peeked in once then ran into the living room, his curiosity completely satisfied.  Murray has not shown any interest, and Mama has steered clear as well.  I am hopeful that one of the cats will befriend Sissy and keep her company.  Slick is the most obvious front runner for this job.

I spent most of the morning cleaning, before bringing Sissy inside.  I figured running the vacuum her first hour inside the house would be cruel.  The rugs were covered with cat hair and the warmer weather woke up the flies around the windows, both of which needed the vacuum badly.  My dirt tolerance level is actually fairly high, so by the time I clean, well, let’s just say the job takes a while.

Saturday, March 7 2009 

Spotted the first robin of the spring this morning.  Skinny from the migration, but singing and happy.  Here in western Pennsylvania, robins are the best sign that spring is here and I am so anxious! The temperature was all the way to 68 today, cloudy but warm.   The daffodil bulbs that I planted last fall are pushing up through the soil and in the outhouse garden, two of the many crocus bulbs look ready to bloom.  The lilac bushes have buds as do the forsythia.  Just a week ago, there was nothing but snow on the gardens.

My grandmother gave me a number of crocus bulbs right after I moved into my first house.  She was my gardening inspiration from the time I could walk.  Each spring, she would marvel at the crocuses popping up in full bloom, usually with a late March blanket of snow on the ground.  As the weather warmed, usually around May, Grandma would plant a bed of marigolds from the seeds she harvested from the previous years plants.  As I grew older, I helped her both plant the seeds in May and then gather the seeds in September.  She also taught me about using garden herbs, often sending me out to cut a few chives to mix with the scrambled eggs.  Her yard was lined with forsythia, and there was a large, old lilac bush in one corner.  Spring just isn’t as colorful for me without seeing the yellow forsythia flowers and smelling the sweet fragrance of a lilac bush.  I have planted both in every house where I have lived throughout my life, as well as chives, crocuses and daffodils.  Those early memories are so important to me, and I am so lucky that each year they come back to life through the sight and smell of these garden staples.

This morning, I started 64 peat pots of seeds.  For the farmette herb garden, I started two types of basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley.  The vegetables seeds were 12 pots of brussel sprouts.  So many because last summer we had some type of bug that killed most of the Brussel plants.  This year, I hope to grow enough to freeze.  The remaining pots held summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, cantaloupes  and acorn squash.

Wednesday, March 4 2009 

Update on Sissy

Sissy had her first vet appointment today.  She road very well in the car, sat shot gun the entire way without any problems.  The vet checked her out all over, to determine if she was pregnant (negative, thank goodness), spayed, her age, cataract severity and the hip issue.  He took x-rays, ran blood work and did the poop test.  

The good news is that her hip problem is probably from birth so not degenerative.  She is about 10 years old and in relatively good health.  Her liver numbers from the blood work were somewhat high, but not serious and the cataracts mild.  He put her on antibiotics and joint strengthener.  I will keep her in the studio for a while until I get her used to the daily routine, and hopefully house trained. Then she will be upgraded to the mudroom and maybe eventually the kitchen.  She sleeps a lot, but is finally wagging her tail when she sees me.  

A really cute dog, maybe a good starter dog.  Guess I can start getting attached to her now that she is a permanent member of the family.  Although she came to me totally as a surprise, I am actually very excited about giving her a good, permanent home.  She really is so sweet and grateful for the smallest gesture.  Rescuing thrown away animals is totally fulfilling for me.

Monday, March 2 2009 

A new visitor appeared at the farmette last night.  In the glow of the side porch light, hb and I saw this skunk, happily milling around the spring house.  We have never seen such a white skunk, so hb named her Phyllis Diller! There is a definite similarity in looks, isn’t there?  Needless to say, hb was very quiet as he crept around the corner of the spring house to snap these pictures.  Funny, Phyllis had a very strong skunky odor, even though she had not sprayed in the immediate vicinity.  Guess she got some droplets on her tail during a previous spray.  

I think skunks are primarily herbivores, and since Phyllis was eating the seeds under bird feeders that theory seems accurate. My only worry is that the door to Mama’s room in the spring house was close by and I do keep cat food in there for Mama.  I do not believe a skunk would have the fortitude to open the kitty door, as would a possum or a raccoon, but one never knows just how hungry or determine these visitors might be.  For the next few nights, I will keep close watch on the spring house and whenever I go outside after dark, first sniff the air to see if Phyllis is in the area.  I would not want to surprise her on my way to the chicken coop! 

Update on Sissy
Sissy is looking much better since yesterday morning.  She has a little more energy and is eating well.  I am still keeping her in the heated studio, because of the flea issue and also her potty habits are unclear.  I have been trying to have her go potty while on the lead, but she has not done so yet.  This morning, she seemed to want to walk into the woods, I get the sense she is trying to go home.  I am keeping her on a lead because I worry she will wander onto the road and many folks would not stop.  Maybe after a few days, she will relax and settle down to a good routine.

Sunday, March 1 2009

So, on the way home from dinner out Saturday night, about 1 mile from the house, this little dog stood in the middle of the road, right in front of the jeep.  I absolutely had to stop, I had no choice on several levels.  This small ball of matted, dirty fur seemed almost relieved when I picked her up.  She was really scared, shaky but sat on my lap for the ride home.  Hb and I drove to a nearby farmhouse, where I knew the family had some teenage kids, but no one recognized her.

So we took her home and put her in the studio, our heated out building next to the garage.

Today was deal with the dog day.  First, I ran to the store and bought dog food, flea shampoo, a collar and flea medicine.  Then hb and I trimmed her fur, then gave her a long, long bath.  I have never seen so many fleas in my entire life!  After she dried, I gave her some food, which she enjoyed tremendously

We think she is about 10-12 years old and was probably dumped not too long ago by stupid, ignorant people.  Later this afternoon, we took her picture to a local mercantile shop, close by where we found her.  Again, no one recognized her but I added her picture to the bulletin board.  And I also posted a Found listing on craigslist.  

Not sure what I plan to do if no one claims her.  Remember, I was just lamenting how much I wanted a dog, specifically a Rottweiler and a ACD, not a really an old stray of mixed heritage.  And that old saying comes to mind . . . .Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!!!!

I named her Sissy.  Just seemed to fit.  Isn’t she too cute? There are more pictures of her on the Critters page.