The Storm From My Front Porch

The Big Day

Since Alaska is 8 months old, it is high time that she get spayed.
We don't want any Alaska Jr.s running around.
Yesterday was the big day.
All went well and she is back home,
But of course, there is... THE HAT!She spent the first hour trying to remove it.Then she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide in her favorite stall.And finally, she settled for giving me pitiful looks from the back of the barn.

The Guardians

Yes, the guardians are back home!
They came home with the sheep and are back at work.
Not much has changed with Togo.He's gotten quite a bit skinnier because he gets into trouble works hard when he's at Louanne's.
The good news is that his appetite is up so I'm sure he'll gain it back soon since he spends most of his time sleeping around here.

The biggest change is with Alaska.Of course I expected that she'd be bigger now that she's 8 months old but I didn't expect her to be such a Marmaduke personality.
Really, she's a big dope with a serious obsession for dominating all flying insects and an aversion to having her picture taken. (imagine how thrilled I am with that since I keep a blog with lots of pictures)
She thinks she's quite the guardian but she still has Togo for back up.All in all, she's settling down now that she's back home and I'm pleased with her.Of course, all that could go out the window this winter when her next big lesson will be getting through lambing!

Boys And Their Toys

Every year when we get home from our 2 month Spring trip, we expect to have things a little overgrown.
This year the grass rose to a new high.We've been looking for the right tractor for a while and this year, we couldn't put it off any longer.
When I say "new" tractor, I mean new to us.
Our new farm tool is older than I am.Scott's pretty excited about his toy.Aww, a boy and his tractor.

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

After looking at some pictures taken of me at the Calgary Stampede, I figured it was time to do something about my rapidly spreading thighs (and butt).So, I thought, I could buy a bike and ride it down our gravel roads with the dogs and we could both work on "legging up" at the same time.(please pardon the messy yard - we've been gone for 2 months and it will take a while to get a handle on it)
It was a success.
If you consider the fact that none of us can walk now a success.
My thighs and I will tell you that our roads are not near as flat as they look and the dogs will tell you they aren't as soft either.
Hemp tore more than a few pads.
Caution - graphic photo:It slowed him down to a trot for the first time in his life.
Fortunately, a good friend, Vickie, prophetically gave me a bottle of her new pad toughening formula just this past weekend.We will be putting it to the test this week.
Never fear though, with some booties on their feet, the boys will be back running again in no time. However, when we got home today, they ran ahead of me and showed me that they'd prefer more traditional method of transport.Me too boys. Me too.

Sweet Dreams

Lass isn't much for staying in her puppy pen but she never goes far from our camp.
When we went to bed last night she was in the pen.When we woke up this morning, we looked out the window of our camper and saw this.
Obviously, she had other plans for where she wanted to sleep.

As Seen On TV

VIEWERS!
Do you find that your hair causes you problems when you are guarding your flock in the summer?
Is it too hot? Matted? Full of burrs?
Then try our new, sassy, classy hair cut!Notice, as Harry Rex kindly shows off his new do on our runway, how easily he trots.
He practically floats as the wind blows past him and his mats are magically gone.But wait! If you call now, we will throw in this tail pom-pom at no extra charge!Another happy customer!