After the milk they all collapse in a pile and sleep it off. It is so funny to watch.
Milk-induced sleepiness.
Mom spent most of her visit watching the pigs, maybe it smelled better in the barn than in the house?
Saturday, March 31, 2012
New Pigs
This year's pigs are not the normal elite group of super-duper-show pigs, rather they are supposedly 'runts', but Craig was hoping that the milk will help them catch up. Honestly, they aren't too shabby looking and after a few days on milk, they are beyond catching on, they sure have caught on, and are on their way to catching up.
After the milk they all collapse in a pile and sleep it off. It is so funny to watch.
Milk-induced sleepiness.
One of the pigs has a hernia, which looks disturbing, but seems mostly cosmetic, since it doesn't bother him at all.
Mom spent most of her visit watching the pigs, maybe it smelled better in the barn than in the house?
After the milk they all collapse in a pile and sleep it off. It is so funny to watch.
Milk-induced sleepiness.
Mom spent most of her visit watching the pigs, maybe it smelled better in the barn than in the house?
Spring Fires
While Mom was visiting we showed her some of the local scenery...
...in this case some tall grass prairie, but as soon as we stood there, the photographer mentioned something about ticks, and I couldn't hold still.
...which was a pretty hot scene, since it is time to burn the grass. We were lucky and watched a neighbor burn from start to finish, which was impressive and (except for a short time of smoke on the highway) went very well, without trouble.
...in this case some tall grass prairie, but as soon as we stood there, the photographer mentioned something about ticks, and I couldn't hold still. 
...which was a pretty hot scene, since it is time to burn the grass. We were lucky and watched a neighbor burn from start to finish, which was impressive and (except for a short time of smoke on the highway) went very well, without trouble.
The fires were out in less than an hour, for about 80 acres burned.
March marches on
This month was loaded with... SUNSHINE.
Our trees and flowers are blooming with impressive results, which makes us worry about a late frost. Well, I worry, Harold has ordered more trees and flowers and stuff from the gardening catalogs, and he is always digging a hole for something, or planting something, or roto-tilling somewhere.
Apple tree
WisteriaThe bees are busy like themselves, and the dogs are bringing us proof that there is always a fly in the ointment, or in their case a tick in the fur.
My Mom visited and while it rained some during her visit (of course) she had a great time hanging out in the pig sty. Really, every time I turned around Mom was playing with those piggies. How she never got dirty doing so is beyond me. I look outside and I get dirty.
It is difficult enough to resist her smiling face.
She is a pepper too... she loves playing with empty soda pop bottles.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Guess who's TWO!
Well, sure.
Of course she is really not there yet. She still has the occasional puppy moment, or a teenage monster attack, although for a very large part she is settling into being the perfect Decibel: Active, playful, happy, alert, HELPFUL, oh ever so helpful, smoochy, especially when there is food involved, smart - way way way too smart, and funny.
Her birthday started with her special treat - meat muffin with cheese candles, then of course came the present, and the party. And it is still morning...
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| Had to hold her back for the photo... |
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| gulp |
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| yummy |
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| What are those? For me? |
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| I'll help! |
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| Oh, stuff on the inside! |
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| Maggie is still helping |
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| playtime |
Where is Ralph in all this?
Patiently waiting... he can count!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Darn Technology
I used to like our first digital camera - a Kodak, believe it or not - easy to operate, no worries about running out of film, and you just erased the flops, no worries at all, really. Ok, so that little thing ate lithium batteries like other people eat popcorn, but except for that little flaw, it was almost perfect. The other problem it had that it was turned on by a little wheel, which invariably turned to 'on' when you put the camera away, so that the batteries would drain even faster. Still, I liked the camera, and thought it took decent enough pictures.
But Harold felt we should upgrade:
The next generation was a complete flop. It is nearly impossible to take decent pictures with that piece of technology. It is made for people with stick fingers, and is too slow. When I push the button, that is the image I want captured. Not something a third to half second later.
Now means NOW, as my mother would say.
So I gave up on the camera, when, glory be, Harold brought home yet another technological marvel. It LOOKS like a SLR camera - old style - and those I can manage, but it only looks like one. It is heavy too, since it is a metal body, but when it comes to image capture, its functions (and there are many) remain completely obscure to me.
You turn it on and it is set to some crazy setting that makes no sense, and occasionally I can even snap a picture with it, but lately it zooms in, then back out, all while I want it to take a picture not make me dizzy with the zoom. It doesn't even take the zoomed in picture, so I don't understand the function. The sad thing is, I cannot find the zoom on it, and often I would really like to get a little closer to my subject, but the camera is set the opposite way.
It has various sorts of focusing laser beams, red and green and shoots those out with incomprehensible logic, but they do not improve the image quality.
On the sports setting it snaps lots of pictures in a row, all blurry and out of focus. Huh, I don't actually need a setting for that...
For a while it would display what it was looking at on the back screen - then it switched (for no discernible reason) to a display of numbers and stuff I don't understand.
I suppose I am to use the view finder then?
However, Harold pushed a button to make it go back to 'live display', but other things happen when I try that same button. Also, apparently it is an either or... if you get the view displayed on the screen in the back, you can't use the view finder. That sucks in bright sunlight, when you can't see anything on the screen, other than dark! and by the time I push the many buttons available, I end up with a confused camera, and no pictures.
So after that preamble, here are a few more dog pics, in sunlight.
But Harold felt we should upgrade:
The next generation was a complete flop. It is nearly impossible to take decent pictures with that piece of technology. It is made for people with stick fingers, and is too slow. When I push the button, that is the image I want captured. Not something a third to half second later.
Now means NOW, as my mother would say.
So I gave up on the camera, when, glory be, Harold brought home yet another technological marvel. It LOOKS like a SLR camera - old style - and those I can manage, but it only looks like one. It is heavy too, since it is a metal body, but when it comes to image capture, its functions (and there are many) remain completely obscure to me.
You turn it on and it is set to some crazy setting that makes no sense, and occasionally I can even snap a picture with it, but lately it zooms in, then back out, all while I want it to take a picture not make me dizzy with the zoom. It doesn't even take the zoomed in picture, so I don't understand the function. The sad thing is, I cannot find the zoom on it, and often I would really like to get a little closer to my subject, but the camera is set the opposite way.
It has various sorts of focusing laser beams, red and green and shoots those out with incomprehensible logic, but they do not improve the image quality.
On the sports setting it snaps lots of pictures in a row, all blurry and out of focus. Huh, I don't actually need a setting for that...
For a while it would display what it was looking at on the back screen - then it switched (for no discernible reason) to a display of numbers and stuff I don't understand.
I suppose I am to use the view finder then?
However, Harold pushed a button to make it go back to 'live display', but other things happen when I try that same button. Also, apparently it is an either or... if you get the view displayed on the screen in the back, you can't use the view finder. That sucks in bright sunlight, when you can't see anything on the screen, other than dark! and by the time I push the many buttons available, I end up with a confused camera, and no pictures.
So after that preamble, here are a few more dog pics, in sunlight.
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| Mo-om I had my eyes shut! |
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| I get the sticks as 'flowers' when Decibel is done with it. |
Afterbath
March arrived with a pleasant afternoon, warm enough even for my temperature requirements, and because this has been a rather mild winter, I decided it was time for a bath.
No, I do take those more frequently than by season, I meant it was time to give the dogs a bath. The ticks will soon be waking up, and I will have to put the Frontline on them to keep those bloodsuckers at bay, and that works better on a clean dog.
So bath-time it was.
Note the enthusiasm this decision produced in Decibel. (Yes, it WAS necessary, Decibel).
I corralled the dogs in the laundry room, where we have a dog shower facility, but you won't see pictures of the actual process, because I tend to be in a state of minimal dress, since getting soaked is a requirement for the bather and the bathed.
The shampoo, rinse, rinse rinse condition, rinse, rinse, rinse cycle per dog tends to wear on me, but when it is over they do all look much better, and smell so much nicer too!
Surprisingly they suffer through the bath time with stoic patience, and I didn't have to wrangle any escaping soapy dogs.
Afterward they got a nice surprise, as Harold came home a bit early and they all got to play in the sunshine with him.
Naturally Decibel is beyond pretty in sunlight. She still has a halo of white blonde hair, but her deep orange-y coat is coming through, and it is burnished with gold in the sun - very pretty for about 3 microseconds. Then she is rolling in grass clippings with Maggie, wrestling with her, chasing Skeeter through the mud, and - well, I did take a picture before I let her out, so that's what I have for my two-and-a-half hours of bathing dogs.
Ralph looked very nice too, but he still has felts that have to be clipped (he hates the grooming, and for legs and undercarriage I rather clip than try to comb those felts out, it is easier on him). The bath made him all bouncy and playful too, happy dogs all around.
Still damp:
No, I do take those more frequently than by season, I meant it was time to give the dogs a bath. The ticks will soon be waking up, and I will have to put the Frontline on them to keep those bloodsuckers at bay, and that works better on a clean dog.
So bath-time it was.
Note the enthusiasm this decision produced in Decibel. (Yes, it WAS necessary, Decibel).
I corralled the dogs in the laundry room, where we have a dog shower facility, but you won't see pictures of the actual process, because I tend to be in a state of minimal dress, since getting soaked is a requirement for the bather and the bathed.
The shampoo, rinse, rinse rinse condition, rinse, rinse, rinse cycle per dog tends to wear on me, but when it is over they do all look much better, and smell so much nicer too!
Surprisingly they suffer through the bath time with stoic patience, and I didn't have to wrangle any escaping soapy dogs.
Afterward they got a nice surprise, as Harold came home a bit early and they all got to play in the sunshine with him.
Naturally Decibel is beyond pretty in sunlight. She still has a halo of white blonde hair, but her deep orange-y coat is coming through, and it is burnished with gold in the sun - very pretty for about 3 microseconds. Then she is rolling in grass clippings with Maggie, wrestling with her, chasing Skeeter through the mud, and - well, I did take a picture before I let her out, so that's what I have for my two-and-a-half hours of bathing dogs.
Ralph looked very nice too, but he still has felts that have to be clipped (he hates the grooming, and for legs and undercarriage I rather clip than try to comb those felts out, it is easier on him). The bath made him all bouncy and playful too, happy dogs all around.
Still damp:
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| Skeeter is shiny too - at least his smile is! |
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