Copper Blindsided

I almost had a very bad evening this Friday. I got out of the car by our garage and almost stepped on a 3ft copperhead while wearing sandals at dusk. I jumped back and told my husband to run over it with the car. He did but it still lived. So he got the gun and shot the copperhead 10 times until the head was gone. I do not like to kill snakes but this one is the bad kind to have around the garage and round bales. Plus my dog was around where the snake might have a nest.

I am so glad I noticed this venomous snake before it was too late. From now on I am wearing my hiking boots until the cool weather comes. You can see my husband has his on to show the snake's length in the photos.

Red Roof

Here is the new red metal roof added to our neighbors fixer upper. It was installed over the old roof to keep out the rain on this old farm house. This house is getting restored to be put up for rent. It is turning out to be very charming instead of the scary abandoned farmhouse it used to be.

Window and Door Elves

Our neighbor works so fast building his addition, we said it must be elves doing. We joke but the truth is he is doing it all himself. We did get to help put in his 6 inch wide doors, they were heavy, just ask the spiders. Now he can put in the insulation and drywall in air condition comfort.He can work on the decking he has planned for the addition. He will need the help of his deck elves soon.

Coco Blur

Coco be the name for our new kitten. She is named after a high end cutting horse mare from the stable. Coco is sweet and adores human contact. She talks all the time so there must be some Siamese in her from long ago. She has pink mouth from the antibiotics she is getting for her sneezing. She is very thin and needs fattening up before she can go outside. So for now she is an indoor beast. She had tapeworms so that also caused her weight loss, too. Now she no longer has worms nor fleas. Life is good for Coco on our farm.

Pellet Pickup

Around the Ozarks the old timers are predicting a long cold winter. We used up our wood pellets last winter and needed to stock up. The price went up for pellets this summer. We just now got to get our order of pellets before fall sets in. It was our first time picking up our order in our used farm truck. It worked out and we got it all home safe.

The Fifth Musketeer

My horse trainer is moving away from the facility near my home. The owner is moving back in and my trainer, her horse, tack and barn cats must clear out. So she asked me to find homes for the barn kittens. Kittens are very plentiful here in the Ozarks. Feral/barn cats are a big problem on a farm since they can kill the local wildlife and reproduce very quickly if not fixed. Today was her last day and I picked up one of the social kittens. It is a female, a talker about 3 months old. She looks like a 1 month kitten since she is so skinny and under weight. She will see the vet tomorrow for shots and worming. We will schedule a neutering ASAP so we do not have any kittens. All of our cats are fixed so we do not make unwanted kittens a problem for our neighbors and the wildlife. We need a name for this female kitten. We currently have Tom, Daisy, Poppy, and Pepper used our current adult cats.

Food Matters

We watched the DVD, Food Matters, a documentary about cancer and foods that heal. While I disagree about some of the "detoxifying procedures" they mention. I do agree with the superfoods and vitamins they recommend we add to our diet. They are strong advocates for eating raw foods and I could not agree more. Since I started more eating salads, green smoothies, sprouts and live foods; I have more energy. Fresh foods that I grow or buy Organic are the key. They are full of minerals your body needs to heal itself. I wanted to get the word out about nutrition and your health. Instead of doctors and Rx's you can eat to your health. I know several people who are going though cancer. Yet their doctors never talk about nutrition. These cancer patients eat jello, pudding and bread in the hospital, no wonder they feel bad. They need high quality nutrition and vitamins and not filler foods. This DVD is worth taking the time to watch and learn from. And pass along to your loved ones who might want to improve their health. And this good nutrition is a change in your lifestyle as well. I grow sprouts, wash and process veggies. This means I take the time in my kitchen, evaluate my foods and make room for all these fresh foods. I no longer buy packaged nor canned foods, too many chemicals. I can my own foods so I control what goes into them. I am responsible for my health and well being.

If you watch this DVD please read Politically Incorrect Nutrition by Michael Barbee for a sounding board of reason and facts.

The Breakfast Club

This is what I see every morning on our farm. Three of our four horses waiting for grain. The white one is Luna. The long white blaze is Maple and the short red one is Bean. Bean and Maple are Fox Trotter yearlings. They still have a year to go before we begin riding training. Maple and Bean get ponied along when we ride their moms. They get to see the world beyond the pasture and farm on these rides.

Oh Guinea Me

It was a guinea Monday over at our farm. The high pressure and the cooler air got our five guinea worked up and feisty. They attacked the ducks and the chickens and investigated my camera strap while eating breakfast. The horn on their head is very warm to touch. They have excellent vision and can spot predators better than the dog. They are just very vocal about anything and can make loud calls that make your ears hurt. We have them because they are great foragers. They eat ticks and all other things that crawl or fly around them. They will chase down a snake and ride and peck a snapping turtle. They are brave and pushy birds to have around the farm.