Tuesday, August 30

I got in trouble...

Happy Tuesday,
Well, I got into trouble today :(  At the end of our walkabout this morning I ran over the area that poppy just worked up and re-seeded with grass. Won't have been so bad, but we just got an inch of rain this morning, and it was MUDDY!!  Hey, I run over that spot everyday, I didn't know he just planted grass seed, there wasn't a sign "Keep Off" besides I can't read anyway. So now there's a big old fence around the newly seeded area to keep me outta trouble.

Speaking of reading, momma just finished a book and it must have been good cuz it made her cry. It's called "a big little life" by Dean Koontz. Here's a quote from the book, "We took comfort in the knowledge that God is never cruel, there is a reason for all things. We must know the pain of loss because if we never knew it, we would have no compassion for others, and would become monsters of self-regard, creatures of unalloyed self-interest. The trouble pain of loss teaches humility to our prideful kind, has the power to soften uncaring hearts, to make a better person of a good one."  Momma says it's a great book and gave me extra hugs after reading it so, I give it a 4 paws up. Check your local library for the book.  

Great Read

Not the best shot, but love the way the swallows are all lined up on the fence.
 Might need an air traffic controller around here soon.

Gracie :)

Sunday, August 28

Shot of the week...

We had some other guests to the farm this week. Our little hummingbird friends are traveling thru on their way back south. So far we have seen 3 of them at the feeders. Schatzie thinks they are bumble bees!!

Wow, it stopped for a second.


They are so fast!!


Really difficult to get a good shot


Shot of the Week...dinner at sunset!!


We got nuf nuts....we need some fruits on this farm!

 Yes, you read correctly, we've got enough "nuts" on this farm it was time to get some fruits--
fruit trees that is!! This past week we've been busy digging holes and planting our new fruit trees.
 We now have 2 plum, 2 cherry, 3 apple and 1 peach tree growing in our little orchard.



Here are 5 of  7 new trees.

Here's the view of the flower
garden and orchard from my swing

Me, on my swing!!
Me and poppy admiring the new orchard.

All for now,
Gracie :)

Thursday, August 25

DA Boyz are back...

and you know what that means?!?!?! 



The Boyz (Flash and Skippy) arrived late tuesday nite.
They are here til their pasture  grows back and their shelter is built.


Well, I found the horse apples....they smelled sooo good
and it's been so long since I had a good apple, I just had to take a roll on them.
Therapy, I needed therapy...


I call it aromatherapy.

Momma calls it "SMELLY DOG" and said something about another bath...ugh!!
So much for my therapy!!!


Gracie


Monday, August 22

Remember Wilson....

Remember the neighbor Wilson on the show "Home Improvement?" I think we have his dog!!


Momma, you're going regret putting this one on the blog!!


Sunday, August 21

a sunny summer day...

Woof,
Well the party was a great success. There was lots of fun and good fellowship was had by all. The best part for me (besides all the treats) was the KIDS. Yes, kids.....as you can see by the photo, I was the hit of the party. There was playing, snuggling and my favorite, belly rubs, I was in heaven.
This morning me and Schatzie gave poppy our gift...he got one bag of puppy cookies and a bag of licorice. Momma said we had to give him the puppy cookies so he could share those with us and not the licorice. Momma is a party pooper. I really like licorice :(
This afternoon we did our usual froggin and got all muddy then momma took us to a walk about the ranch. Oh my nose was in heaven, so many smells and areas to explore I never get tired of doing our walk abouts. The only thing I don't like is we ALWAYS have to have a bath after our playtime/adventures :(
 Momma had her camera and captured a few shots of us. So enjoy...


My friends..Hannah, Hank, Ava and Shaylee--thanks for all the lovin!


Poppy opening his birthday gifts from Schatzie and me.


I needed a little morning nap!


Schatzie watching  for frogs


Momma said, "who wants to go for a walk about?"
I was so happy.


Sometimes we just like to sit and enjoy the view.

Where's Gracie??!?!?!


"Here I am, I was just checking on the bean crop, and it's looking good"


It's great to be a dog on this ranch...
Momma says she'll post her "shot of the week" tomorrow, till then...

Night,
Gracie

Saturday, August 20

we're having a party...

Woof,
Told you I would be back! My momma is too busy preparing for the party tonight, so once again I will be informing you about what's going on here at the Ranch.  Poppy's birthday is tomorrow so we are having a few friends over for a little BBQ. So far Schatzie and I have helped to monitor the preparation of the meat dishes, we would have helped dig the potatoes but it was raining when momma went out to do that and there was just no sense in us getting wet too!
Most of the prep work is done now so I am going to take and nap until our guests arrive. Here's what we've got on the menu and a few pictures of the mornings work.

BBQ Menu
Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
Southwest Style Deer Steak
Roasted potatoes,onions and garlic from our garden
salsa and guacamole (appetizer)
grilled onions (for Lance)
grilled garlic shrimp (appetizer)
and whatever else our friends bring!!

I almost forgot---- Mint chip ice cream cake for dessert

Think it's going be a great bash...more about it tomorrow.


Fresh Salsa--all from the garden

Poppy cutting up the deer.
 Schatzie and I are prepared to help in case of anything jumps off the counter.

I monitored from this side...(notice tail :)


Schatzie had the other side covered.


as you can see I take meat monitoring very seriously.
 Gracie

Friday, August 19

There's a new Blogger in Town...

Woof,
Gracie here, and I have decided to take over this boring old blog.  Told my momma nobody wants to read about the stupid mouse that has outsmarted her and poppy for the last week. By the way, they did catch one mouse, but that mouse had family and friends too!! So, the trap line has been reset. They've also said something about getting a cat....a CAT!! excuse me...I shall be the only PRINCESS in this house, thank you very much.
Nobody wants to see the beautiful sunsets, garden produce, projects around the house (oh, poppy is in the utility room making a heck of a mess) momma wants him to take out the old utility sink so the washer and dryer would fit properly, so that's what he's doing!! Schatzie and I are staying far away, some words are just to harsh for our ears to hear. 
Okay, back to my blog...yes, I told momma people want to read and see pictures of ME, JUST ME. I've hijacked this blog and as you can see I've made a few changes and improvements--geesh sometimes humans are just so boring. 

So, here's my first blog post... 

We had sweet corn last night, and NO I don't want to share with you!!

I think I do a fine job of cleaning off the cob

                   
                                      
Yesterday I caught 2 frogs...yes I caught them and no they don't taste like chicken!
Momma wasn't quick enough to get the photo
   

I really don't understand why momma thinks I need a bath everyday after I've been froggin, DO YOU??

  

Okay, I've got stuff to do, hope you enjoyed my first post. See you tomorrow.


Gracie


Thursday, August 11

random shots...

....almost every evening I grab the camera and just wait for a photo opportunity.
Here are a few of today's collection. 
It amazes me what I find by just sitting and waiting and watching.



my quirky Miss Gracie


Schatzie, she is such a beautiful dog


One of the frogs the girlz have been chasing


an old barn a few miles from the ranch


My favorite shot today.
 Poor butterfly was stuck in the water.
I took the shot and helped the butterfly out of the water
where he was able to dry his wings and take flight again.


Tuesday, August 9

Two Dogs Chasing Frogs....

The girlz have been keeping cool  by 'froggin" they will spend hours out in the pond trying to capture frogs. It's quite entertaining, Gracie jumps right in, but...doesn't particularly like getting SPLASHED by her horse of a sister.  Baths are usually in order after froggin cuz you get pretty muddy trying to catch frogs.
Here's some photos of the girlz froggin!! Enjoy.

Yes Schatzie, you can go froggin...




almost had one!

Gracie knows you gotta be very, very quite to catch a frog


Schatzie eyes one...

Gracie see it too...

but in the end...the frogs won.
Just wait til tomorrow you silly frogs, we'll get you!!

Sunday, August 7

last week...

So this is what happened on the ranch last week, enjoy!!
Don't forget you can double click to view a larger version.


Swallow babies ready to fledge

Once they left the nest, they didn't know what to do! They
sat on the fence for a long time.


Mom and Pop after the "kids" fledged


We planted 4 new trees, note the supervisor on the left!!


Our little tree frog even had a temp


Ron got a new float tube for fishing. Schatzie joined him for a swim.

Gracie watched from the safety of the shore.


The girlz have discovered Frogg'in...great fun!!


cruise anyone??


necessary farm equipment


The impending storm on saturday night


My favorite shot of the week...our pond at sunset on friday night