Sad Day on the Farm

It's a sad day on Held Farms. Our beloved dog, Queen, has died. I've only known her for about half her life...and on our first meeting, she let me know in no uncertain terms that I was not yet a member of the family. However, after awhile, she decided that if I was going to stay that I would be a tolerable addition to the family. We really became pals when I would give her an egg (usually already cracked) in the evenings. This treat led to some egg stealing, but she never once bothered the chickens. She'd just quietly walk into the henhouse, gently take an egg, and walk it back to her pen and would return to gather another egg until I either noticed what she was up to or she had enough. One evening I found about six eggs.
I was a little concerned when Rachel came along how Queen and Hannah would tolerate her. But from the very beginning they seemed to know she was family and tolerated Rachel's adoration well, even when they could no longer hear or see her coming up to lavish her with pets.
Rest in peace dear Queen. You are a sweet, good dog. I am safe in speaking for us all when I say that we will miss you.

Queen- Enjoying the snow in 2010.

Harvest Supervisor

The guys renting the fields closest to our house arrived today to harvest the corn. Rachel was VERY excited to see the "vroom, vrooms"! Don't worry Melvin. She's keeping a close eye to make sure everything goes smoothly! Woof and Bear were also part of the supervison team.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Today's weather was rainy and gray. A stark contrast to the past few sunny days that were just the perfect temperature.... But the sun did peak through the rainclouds for just a moment today and gave Rachel and I this lovely rainbow to look at as she enjoyed an afternoon snack (Rachel spotted the Pringles can in the cabinet).

It looked as though it ended in the corn field. Melvin is hoping to collect his pot of gold when the combine does it's job in the near future!!

An Evening Stroll in the Pasture

Nick and I had to leave bright and early to go up north for the IEEA meeting. It was early enough that we dropped Rachel off in her jammies and Nancy was still in her jammies too! Then we sat in the car for 3.5 hours followed by several more hours of sitting with even more sitting for 3.5 hours home. Needless to say, I was ready to stretch my legs when we got home. So was Pepper, who also spent most of her day sitting. So, I strapped on the infant carrier and grabbed Pepper's leash and all three of us headed out for an evening stroll in the pasture. The cattle were in the far pasture, so I didn't have to worry about curious cows coming to check us out. We had a lovely time weaving to and fro among the dried cowpies. Pepper thought it was wonderful. She had zero interest in the cows on the other side of the fence. She's not exactly a poster dog for the cattle herding instinct her breed is supposed to possess. Rachel had a grand time watching Pepper. She did notice the cows too, but found Pepper to be far more interesting.
The fresh evening air seems to be a magic sleeping potion for Rachel. Every time we've gone for an evening walk, she's slept really well. She slept from 9pm to 5:30am on Friday night. I've never felt so rested in my whole life! If a little fresh air is what it takes for Nick and I to get a few more winks of sleep, it can become part of the nightly routine...until winter anyway.