Nothing to it but to do it!

The weather has been sunny for nearly a week now which has allowed the ground to dry out a bit. Perfect weather to get outside and tend to repairs. It seems there is always something that needs fixing! Ken found a couple of projects to keep him busy.

Remember the wild pig that appeared on Simply Country? Well, while he was here he did a whole lot of damage to the gate into the pasture which caused the gate to not close properly, plus he broke a hole into the fencing. The "fix it" was to tie the gate together so the goats couldn't escape. Ken decided it needed to be done in a more permanent nature and brought up the proper tools and spent some time in the hardware store finding the replacement parts. With Karah and Jen's help they were able to get the gate fixed.

With some wire he was able to re-weave enough of the fencing together so that the hole is closed up.

All the animals were penned up in the barnyard. Of course the chickens were able to escape under the gate to see what was going on down at the south gate.

I got distracted photographing these pretty birds. They are so friendly and curious about everything . . . especially if there is a freshly dug worm appearing from clearing some of the dirt away from the gate.

They love it that the mud has dried up and the earth is still a bit damp . . . more worms nearer the top soil.

Murray was not too happy about being on that side of the fence. He isn't trusted near the animals yet.

Ken enjoyed having the help of his daughter . . .

And granddaughter . . .

Together they made a great team!

As Karah was digging up the gate-lock hole she found treasures for the chickens in the form of big juicy worms.

And the chickens were right there waiting for her to toss them over!

These are my favorite . . . the Buff Orpington.

This White Leghorn stayed real close to the shovel thinking he would be lucky enough to get the worm before the others.

Life is good!

Only in the Country

I woke up from a nap to the joyful chatter of children . . . special children . . . children who are currently, or want to in the future, raise goats. Jen is the Goat Leader for our local 4-H chapter "Golden Oaks 4-H" and today was a monthly meeting held here at Country Farm. When I entered the room Jen was leading the group in a rip-roaring game of "Goat Jeopardy!" 

An enthusiastic leader, the kids eagerly responded to Jen's questions.

Competitive CD was quick to answer correctly for his team.

To the left is Karah ringing in after she challenged the previous answer.

The kids had a great time at the same time learning more about raising healthy goats!

Life is good!

No time to be bored!

We've been living with Jen and PD for the last month (doctor's orders) to see if getting out of the rig will improve my lung condition. Of course, we don't mind at all, in that we get to enjoy all the goings-on with this busy family. Here is a glimpse of what's been happening in just the last couple days.

SATURDAY MORNING

Ken went on a 4-H field trip, with the "Horse Group" in our local chapter, to learn about a very special horse called the Lusitano which originally came from Portugal. The Lusitano horses are considered as the best suited for equestrian activities like bull fights and in fact it can be admitted without a trace of doubt that the Lusitano horses are the most well-known and eminent among the various indigenous horse breeds of Portugal. They were used by knights in battle because they are quick and agile in that they can maneuver both forward, backward in addition to sideways, enabling the rider to use his sword without hurting his horse.

The owner was kind enough to invite the Horse Group to her ranch where she breeds and trains the Lusitano horses.

She trains six days a week, only to give the horses a day off. If she had her way she'd be out training every day.

Here she is demonstrating the side-stepping maneuver.

Karah working with the Lusitano. She was invited to come and work at the ranch in exchange for training. She's pretty excited about that.

SATURDAY NIGHT

A spontaneous invitation to come up to The Grind in Oakhurst for a Blue Grass concert.

SUNDAY NIGHT

CD's ten years old! He was so excited all day . . . he's finally "double digits!"

Life is good!

Willie in Concert

Tonight PD, Jen, Ken and I enjoyed Willie Nelson in concert at Chukchansi Casino. This is the second time the four of us have seen Willie in concert and we've been amazed at his stamina. He sings, non stop, for nearly two hours —oldies and new songs—he puts on a great show.

He's getting old but sure puts on a great concert.

He had fun throwing a dozen of his bandannas into the front row.

The show opened with "Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real." When they introduced Lukas I didn't catch his last name. When he started singing I said to Ken "Wow, he sounds just like Willie!" Come to find out when Jen said "Who in the heck is Lukas?" she proceeded to googled Lukas Nelson on her phone and we found out he is Willie's son. He is a "chip off the old block," not only a voice like his dad's but he is an awesome guitarist.

21-year-old Lukas Nelson.

This concert was our Christmas present from Jen and PD. What a great gift, thanks so much for a fun evening!

Life is good!

Not One . . . but Two!

What a fun early birthday present for my grandson, CD. He'll turn 10 on the 16th of this month. A friend of the family heard the news of Simply Country's 14-year-old cat dying over the holidays and let Jen know that they had five four-month-old kitties for which she was trying find good homes. As it turns out she sent Jen a picture of two of them from her cell phone (I'm still amazed on technology these days) and Jen just "couldn't separate them . . . can we have both?" Hence, yesterday CD was quite surprised when he went to Mountain Home School to be greeted by his two new kitties. After coming up with several names such as "Tank"... "Ally"... "Sunflower" ... "Tulip" ... "Baby Face" ... "Clutches" ... he has decided to named them "Sunshine" and "Ariella."

Sunshine on the left . . . Ariella on the right

Surprised and very happy boy!

Arielle is less shy than Sunshine. Here she came out to play and meet Murray, the yellow lab.

Murray was so sweet, you can't see it but his tail was wagging 50 mph in anticipation of the playful times to come. He really misses the black kitty, Amy, and now he'll have two buddies to share his domain!

Playing with Karah.

Life is good!

Rainy Day Pastime

It's been raining for days and sometimes we've even been blessed with a frosting of snow. The boys and I decided to have a Snood tournament. By the expressions on their faces you can see how serious the tournament became. 

I'm sure the music JD was listening to helped his game!

Check out his concentration in his facial expression.

Life is good!