A Morning with the Dogs

We had a great time with the Joneses, Carmodys and McElhanys this week.  It was a short visit, but a good one.  Jeff and John worked on the shredder; it was a wreck…literally.  I wish I had taken “before” pictures.  However, after Jeff and his welding equipment worked their magic, it’s as good as new.  We have lots of broomweed starting to bloom, and the guys will be putting in plenty of time on the tractor to get the pastures shredded before the broomweed and other invasive weeds can go to seed.

In addition to working on the shredder, we were celebrating birthdays for the Carmody and McElhany kids.  Noah, Jamey and Laura turned 15, 12 and 9, respectively this summer, and Rachel will be 13 in September.  John fired up the pit and cooked us a scrumptious ribs-and-chicken dinner.  A Gustine watermelon for dessert topped it all off in delicious style!

The Carmodys and McElhanys were going back to Fort Worth this morning as I was headed to Jack and Vivian Christensen’s to work Cody.  They followed me and had a chance to watch Cody and Jack’s dog, Tillie, work sheep.  Jamey turned out to be a first-class videographer and captured some nice video of Cody and Tillie working.  Here are a couple of shots of Cody that he took.

Afterward, Cody got pats from Jamey and Laura while he cooled off.

Tillie got lots of pats and hugs, too, and loved every minute.  

The Carmodys’ dog, Clover, was very enthusiastic when she saw the sheep, but had to watch from a distance.  She does look very sheeplike with her curly, white coat, but is definitely not to be trusted around them.  She had a very un-sheeplike gleam in her eye.  

Clover gets lots of attention, but she wanted to share in some of what Tillie was getting.  Tillie was having none of it, though, and showed Clover her "border collie smile."

The kids got another special treat while we were there.  Jack and Vivian’s four pups from Dot and Zip’s litter were all to happy to get some attention for themselves.  There were lots of wiggles, wags and licks from the nine-week-old “monster squad.”  

Thanks, Jack and Vivian, for sharing your place, your pups and your sheep with us.  It was a great morning.

Snake!

If you have visited us at Goat Hill Farm, you probably know it is prime rattlesnake habitat.  We are usually happy to share our place with the other wild creatures that live here, but we make an exception for rattlesnakes.  At least we have since 2013 when our first border collie, our sweet Nickie, was bitten by one and died as a result.  And we especially do not want to see them anywhere near our house or Allan’s, or the barns.

Unfortunately, several days ago, a small rattler failed to see the “No Rattlesnakes Allowed” sign. As many of you know, Rue loves to splash in the small stock trough we call the doggie swimming pool.  She likes to stand beside the pool and bark until one of us tells her to “Go swim!”  Then, she dives in barking, splashing and biting the water.  It is one of the highlights of her day.  However, when there isn’t enough water in the pool to suit her, Rue just continues to stand and bark until someone rectifies the situation.  

On Monday, Rue barked and barked but refused to jump in and “swim” when given the command.  John went over to empty the pool and put in more water.  As he picked up the trough, he yelled “Snake!” and I came running to help.  There was a small diamondback curled up under the trough, keeping cool in the Texas heat.  While I watched to make sure the snake didn’t escape, John ran for the hoe we keep nearby for just such occasions.  He quickly dispatched it and we have increased our vigilance level appropriately.  This snake wasn't nearly as large as some we have seen, but it could be deadly for one of the dogs or a child.

Sorry, Snake.  Wrong place; wrong time.  

Celebration!

Thursday, August 5, was a special day.  Rue celebrated her ninth birthday today.  There is still plenty of sparkle in her eyes and spring in her step.

She never misses an opportunity to join us for work or play, and keeping John company in the Gator is one of her favorite jobs.

Rue began her birthday with Bible study on the bed,

then went for an early-morning walk, which included digging for mice in the pasture,

splashing in the tank,

and barking at squirrels.

She ended it with supper (one of her two favorite times of the day) and an ice cream treat with Kota and Cody. 

 It was a very good day!