Princess Jasmine

I would be extremely remiss if I were to go any farther along with this blog without introducing you to Jasmine...Princess Jasmine, if you know what I mean! You see... Jasmine is of Shetland Sheepdog breeding, so she believes she is in charge of telling everyone where they need to be, and making sure they get there in a timely manner. That means every creature who lives here...even me. Sometimes, especially me.

Jazzy is also an adoptee...we adopted her from the Mendocino Coast Humane Society in Fort Bragg, CA in January of 2008. We'd been looking for a smaller (smaller than 75 pounds that is...) dog to be a traveling companion, but we also wanted a dog that was good with livestock, and Shelties were on our list. When we ran across Jasmine in Fort Bragg, quite on a whim, we instantly fell in love! We coordinated the rest of our vacation weekend around visiting and playing with her, then picked her up for the long trip home on our way out of town. What a gal...she did a 5-1/2 hour drive home like a seasoned traveler!

There's only one thing the shelter was mistaken about...Jazz has grown much larger than they anticipated. They thought she was fully grown when we got her at 8 mos. and 20 pounds, but she put on another 3 inches in height and another, ahem...10 pounds! That doesn't mean she can't launch herself like a rocket though! She can leap with the best of them!

Jasmine is the Princess of the house, and makes sure she keeps her "brothers" Braveheart (an elderly shepherd cross we've had since birth) and Qannik (a Samoyed cross we rescued from a divorce situation) in line. Jasmine and Tiki keep us amused in the house with their antics... Tiki believes Jasmine is his personal toy, and Jasmine believes she is the guardian of the door, forbidding any of the other kitties admittance to the house.


Jasmine loves the snow...there's nothing more fun! We just have to keep her leashed at all times, because she has this technicolor nose that forgets where she belongs! Her nose gets going and she can't help but follow! When we adopted Jazz, they estimated her other breed to be Eskimo Dog...this shot seems to agree with that!

One thing Jasmine doesn't seem to care for though...water. The boys play in the wading pool...she avoids it. They stand in the sprinkler, she frowns and runs to the porch. She had to have a bath after being in the Lassen Volcanic National Park for a week...she was full of volcanic ash dust! She did NOT appreciate that concept. She tolerated the bath, but she didn't like it...not one bit.

Jasmine is an extremely devoted sweetheart. If either of us leave the house, even to do a chore, she's out the screen door to keep watch. She knocks to come back in. We've thought about fixing a mechanism so she could let herself in...but are afraid she'll bring the "brothers" in too! Jazz sleeps in our bed...she has her own big doggy pillow at the foot of the bed, but prefers to sleep in the space between our pillows at the head of the king sized bed...with her head on my pillow, and her neck, and her shoulders, and her legs...oh heck...she can have the pillow....she's Princess Jasmine after all!

Settling In...

Willow has been with us almost 10 days now. She's really settling in quite nicely. She dropped quite a bit of weight in the first few days, but we chalk that up to her pacing a lot and me not feeding her quite as much as she was apparently used to. We seem to be up on it now. She's leaving some hay behind after feeding.

I'm amazed at how gentle she's become with me. At first she was so timid... I remember her reacting fearfully when I first brought just a brush out to her. Now, as long as I'm not spraying her with water, she doesn't much care what I do as long as I show it to her first.

It's summer, so we're fighting the fly battle. Willow wears a full-coverage fly mask during the day. That took a little getting used to. The velcro makes that nasty tearing sound when it comes apart. She's not as bothered by it now as she was the first couple of days. Willow stands still while I put it on and she appreciates that it comes off at night. I'm sure it's kind of hot and stuffy to have on all day. It's better than having flies in her eyes all day though. Willow tolerates being treated with fly repellent throughout the day well too. She's so good while I rub her legs down and her tummy. Even those touchy spots.

With all the space she has, Willow prefers to hang out close to the house. She's usually in sight of the living room window, or over in the shade beneath the trees along the stream. I knew that was going to be a good spot! Willow prefers to drink from the stream now. She rarely touches her water bucket. She's a sight with her big ol' lips dibbling water... Willow also has a fondness for fruit. Apples, of course, but grapes and even watermelon...

That piece was gone in mere moments...rind and all. She didn't hesitate. She prefers grapes though.

And just so you don't think that ALL the news is about Willow...look what I found in the laundry sink this morning...


The next time I looked there was a cute little calico in there too... I guess Mama decided they weren't safe wherever she had them...so she brought them inside. I wondered why she was being such a protective witch this morning! She was taking all the other cats to task! Even the little ones! Those little ones are teasing Fate playing under Willow's feet...it's amazing that she knows they're there...and even when she's stomping her feet to get rid of flies, she takes care not to put her feet down hard, lest she hurt a kitten. The only way one would get hurt is if she spooked when one was beneath her. Animals are so amazing!

Willow is Home at Last!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post! I thought surely I'd already done this! Willow is home...she arrived Friday morning, July 16th. Tawnee walked her around the pen, put me to work on some paper work, then changed off her halter and turned her loose to graze. Willow was a bit skittish the first 24 hours, but not terribly so. She needed time to get used to the sounds and smells of her new digs, the dogs needed time to get used to seeing her here...poor Jasmine just can't quite get used to that BIG dog! LOL! Not that she gets to get anywhere NEAR Willow... With that herding instinct, I don't think putting the two of them in the same space is such a great idea. Somewhere along the line perhaps...just not yet.

Of course, we have to get used to having a horse visible from the living room window as well! There's been a couple of times both of us have had quite a start at some thing big and red moving around out there too! She tends to hang out about 50 feet from the steps to the front porch, where we can see her easily. I don't know if that's because she can hear the household noises and knows we're near, or just what.

I know she's been really well behaved though. We're taking everything nice and easy this week. It's been hot...no one wants to work too hard when it's so hot. We go through general remembering our manners stuff...walking on lead, taking her fly mask off and putting it on...feeding...grooming...the next big one will be a bath. I need to read my resource material. I don't know that I've ever bathed a horse before...this ought to be fun! She's been so good about most things so far...she loves being brushed out, so getting a good scrubbing might feel pretty good too.

It's been almost a week...I'm getting kind of anxious to get on her back and see how she rides. I need a little more equipment first. LOL! I suppose I could climb on her back with no bridle or reins...we couldn't go very far! LOL! Who knows what kind of mischief we'll get into with one another! If she's really a mellow gal, she may not need much here at home. I do know I'm going to need a mounting block. I'm just too dang short! That's all there is to it! Heck, I need a step ladder just to bathe her!

Finally ready...

All of the fencing that needs to be restrung has been restrung with new 3 ft. welded wire. All the perimeter fencing has been reinforced with electric fence tape. Murphy's law has been alive and well here... A few fence posts were sunk backwards. It didn't really appear to matter much...until I started stringing the electrical tape. The insulator clips only fit on one way... I had to get a little inventive. Fortunately, we bought a bunch of fiberglass posts to carry the tape between the posts...and I had a few extra I could turn into makeshift insulator poles.

My phone is ringing...Yes! It's Tawnee! It's delivery day!! We're confirmed!

Now...out to finish the last of the last of the last little things. Pick up the last of the tools (This will be a never ending chore I'm afraid! Some boys never learn to pick up after themselves!), power the fence, secure the gates, and move the car... Now we're ready...

All that's left is to add Willow, nee "Olive" and we're set! Of course...the off ramp closest to our house is closed for construction this morning. Go figure. They've had all week to do that... Murphy's Law... Alive and well at Rosewood Achers! I think I'm going to go bust open a bale of hay...it helps pass the time!

A little help from Above...

Sometimes God speaks to us in the most unusual ways...

I've honestly wondered if I was being selfish, wanting a horse so much at my age. Pushing so hard... I chose to adopt because it made sense, and once I found out about all the poor horses that are abandoned, or need to be surrendered, my decision was made. Still, it's cost a little to get ready - is that money I should use for something else? And then God answered my question...by sending me a Church youth group to help me get the worst of my problems hauled away, with "many hands" to "make work light."

After just 2 hours of help from this fabulous crew, we had a much safer, infinitely cleaner place to house our adoptee! What wonderful people!! They didn't know us at all, but understood our plight, and willingly gave of their time and efforts to lend us a hand! God touched our lives with so many hands this day; we are so truly blessed! Good grief...look at the trailer-load that left!
Yes, God sends messages at times when we aren't even asking. When Tawnee took Olive-Willow back to the rescue, I knew it was the right thing, but I hadn't even gotten to the "what now" part before a solution came to me. That was God moving. That was God telling me it was ok...and He was going to help me get my horse home!

Thank you, Father God! I truly appreciate your help, and the help of these wonderful folks who came out and helped us! Cold melon and lemonade all around!

Life Lessons

Wednesday was our anticipated delivery day...but that's not the way things worked out. We simply weren't ready to take her yet. I respect Tawnee immensely for her decision.

I'm human...it took a minute to walk off my tears. Disappointment. Frustration. A little anger. While I was walking, I was also looking.

Sometimes we need to see things through someone else's eyes to really have Perspective. Sometimes we see things so often for so long we stop seeing those things at all. They blend into the scenery. It takes someone else pointing out - hey...there's a tiller over there...that really shouldn't be in here! Oh yeah...that's "still" in here! We didn't get it out of here "yet??" What's that I'm tripping on? Tripping on...not good, for one...BARBED WIRE?? Even worse. Good grief. What's that doing in here at all??? Hmmm....that coil of geo-flow shouldn't be in here either...and I think we should maybe move the...oh my. We've still got so far to go. *sigh*

So...Olive-Willow went back to the Rescue for now. It's the right thing, even if it stings my heart. I wouldn't want her to get hurt, and that's what they're looking out for.

Wait...there's a Rainbow and a Blessing yet to come! Before I could even formulate a prayer for help...(partially because I've considered buying a horse, even adopting, a semi-selfish act on my part, and I've wondered if I was being inconsiderate in doing so)...an opportunity to receive a blessing in the form of help from a church youth group came to us. We have no affiliation with the church offering the help, but they'll be here next week with a trailer to help us get rid of some old junk that's just gotten shoved here and there...sadly back where we "don't see it!" I'm still pretty much floored by the whole thing!

Of course, it's kind of a blow to the ego to realize one actually needs help. Assessing our ages and physical abilities at this point in our lives has been quite an eye opener. We worked as hard as we could for several days in a row, on the hottest days of the year so far, and barely scratched the surface of what needed to be done. Granted, we gotten some really big things done, but there are equally big things left to be done. Ouch. No, seriously ouch. I know what my back and shoulders feel like after hefting corral panels and moving things, cutting back berry vines, clearing, cleaning up, and so on. Oy. Ouch.

Now, my heart is light...I feel I've gotten God's blessing on my under-taking, as well as NER's blessing. When blessings like this come from out of left field, before you even think to ask for help, Angels are on your side. So, we're doing our part: preparing the way so the harder parts are easier to achieve; making decisions about where to clear, where to clean, where to trim. Wednesday seems a long way away, but it isn't. We'll all be better off for the wait. We'll have achieved a safer place for her, and received a HUGE blessing in the process, the kids will have a chance to share their love of God with a couple who sure need an extra few pair of hands right now, and a certain horse will be closer to getting to her forever home.