Tag Archives: Coal

The adventures of Coal the cattle dog!

Life with the Red Head…the Cattle Dog Crew

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It turns out cattle dogs have a thing for sharing coffee on the porch! Remember Coal’s adventures at the porch table? Turns out we’ve got another one! I found Red at the table waiting for me this morning while I was making my coffee, all muddy and wet and impressed with herself. Cattle dogs keep life interesting. They’re big time outdoor enthusiasts, so there’s no limit to the muck and mud they’re glad to track through the house. No limit to the wildlife they will chase, dig up, or eat. Remember … Continue Reading…

Being Outside at the Tree Farm All Day…the Daily Farm Adventures {120}

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We were outside all day on Saturday, doing some extended yard clean up at the tree farm and taking a family hike. Mr. Fix-It’s father, sister, and family were visiting for the day as well. It surprised me how much the kiddos have grown. I didn’t pack a ton of snacks, no changes of clothes, no extra hat and gloves…of course, we were right around the corner from home! But it’s amazing to think how far along this parenting continuum we’ve come. They each had a bottle of water, an apple, and … Continue Reading…

Taking the Pup in the Woods…the Cattle Dog Crew

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We have fields, paths, and woods at our place. Not a lot of water, but some drainage ditches, a small (very small) pond, and a lot of big mud puddles. Some tall grass, bramble bushes, and man-made hills from digging out drainage ditches. A lot of variety for a young cattle dog to explore. And we’re blessed to be able to train the dogs off leash from a very young age. With cattle dogs coming “pre-programmed” with a good recall, it’s a great way to start their training. But I … Continue Reading…

Red’s First Snow…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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“Life with Coal the Cattle Dog“…Hmmm…might have to update that somehow now that Red’s with us too. And she certainly doesn’t tolerate being ignored! Maybe “Life with Cattle Dog Chaos!” {smile} Since she’s been with us, we’ve had a false-alarm hurricane, and a for-real Nor’eastern with 3 days of downpours, but this past week was her first really cold snap. The snow started on Saturday and I was the first one up and moving around. Not the normal turn of events around here, but the kiddos have been staying up … Continue Reading…

Washing the Dogs…the Daily Farm Adventures {114}

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Our dogs live in the house with us. That means they both have to be reasonably clean and neat and not smell like they rolled in dead animal or cow patties on a regular basis. It’s been known to present it’s own set of challenges. {smile} Both the four-feets were pretty wiffy after a walk the other day, and I traced it back to some very stiff, suspiciously smelly sections of their neck and chest. If you’ve ever seen a dog roll intentionally in a pile of mess, you know … Continue Reading…

The Cow Shelter…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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It’s been hot, sticky, and on and off rain for several days now around here. The grass is tall and the animals are fat and it’s time for us to start looking ahead for the fall and winter weather. (I’m also looking forward to not breaking into a sweat just standing on the back porch…) Our cows have a run in barn available all the time, but they don’t mind the heat. As long as it’s dry, you’ll see them sunbathing in the middle of the field most of the … Continue Reading…

On the Trail of the Beaver, Part 2…the Daily Farm Adventures {112}

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So on Monday I started to share how we spent all of last weekend scrounging through the woods on the tree farm looking for beavers. They’re damaging and flooding out young pine trees–which is the main product on the tree farm. {smile} But our adventure stopped just short of finding the new beaver hut… Well, here’s what we found–not just a den, but an entire new ecosystem! There are three different dams built to create a two-tier pond system.   Of course, Coal the Cattle Dog had to immediately jump … Continue Reading…

On the Trail of the Beaver, Part 1…the Daily Farm Adventures {111}

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You might think that tree farming is about the easiest farming there is. I did at first. I mean, you’re growing pine trees, and surely they don’t need much supervising…right? Wrong. For crying out loud, sometimes it feels like growing those trees takes more work than raising our human children! {smile} You have to cut, mow, burn, plant, pray for rain…mow, cut, thin, spray…and then the predators…rabbits, mice, rats, voles, disease…apparently everything that doesn’t eat meat loves to eat trees! And now beavers. I wrote before that we’ve found some beaver damage … Continue Reading…

Building, Rebuilding, and Getting Dirty…the Daily Farm Adventures {109}

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Thank goodness after a long round of antibiotics and other meds Mr. Fix-It and I are feeling better. Not great. Not quite back to normal. But definitely better. Because Spring is in full swing around here and there’s just no time to be laying around in bed! The Dodge has been in pieces in the garage for weeks now and that situation had to be corrected. First we had to take it apart to figure out what was broken. Then we had to find and order the parts–from Montana of … Continue Reading…

Being Sick in Spring…the Daily Farm Adventures {108}

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Mr. Fix-It and I had colds. Which we ignored. Because that’s what farmers and busy parents do when they’re sick–they ignore it. Turns out that was probably not the best course of action. After nearly 3 weeks of being “under the weather” we were both diagnosed with low-bar pneumonia. Ha! Serves us right, I guess. After a week of medicine, I think we’re both improving (and back to work) but still a little low in the energy category. That’s hard in Spring, on a farm, but we’re keeping things afloat. There’s … Continue Reading…

Cattle Dogs, Sink Holes, and Sunny Weather…the Daily Farm Adventures {107}

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A cattle dog is like velcro to their owner. This is Coal’s favorite place to end the day, laying with me while I read a book in bed… The problem comes when he spends the whole afternoon before that like this… Turns out he’s a big fan of swimming in sink holes. And drainage ditches. And storm ponds. A sheep troughs. And if I complain that’s he’s stinkin’, wet, and dirty, he likes to clean up by rolling in…dirt. With the best of intentions, I’m sure. So I try to … Continue Reading…

Digging Dogs, Biting Mice…the Daily Farm Adventures {98}

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I see the early side of 5:30am a lot during the week. It’s not my favorite time of day. And I firmly believe that if you have to get up while it’s still dark outside that coffee is mandatory. No one else around here–2- or 4-footed–feels the same. So when the Ladybug burst into the house from chores in tears the other day at 6:30 in the morning, my first thought was “Dear Lord, there’s not enough coffee in the world for this job,  but could I please get just. … Continue Reading…

Cattle Dog in the Hay…the Daily Farm Adventures {93}

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Ok, Coal the Cattle Dog gets into everything. Why? Because he’ll jump over or climb up anything. Point in case… Mr. Fix-It loves to point out that this is totally and completely my own fault, since I taught him to jump up and over and walk on anything–on command–as a puppy. And now that he’s a great big 1 year old, he pretty much doesn’t hesitate to take on climbing anything. I taught him to jump up on stumps and well covers, over tree branches, and to walk along logs, … Continue Reading…

Dirt, Dogs, and Raising Warriors…the Daily Farm Adventures {91}

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Ok, ok, I’m a terrible blogger. I just get wrapped up in living life sometimes and forget to go and write about it! {smile} I miss writing, but not so much that I’d give up the moments I had out in the real world instead of at the computer. Then I’ll have some crazy moment that takes me back to a post I remember writing (like this one) and I go hunt it up, read it, and think, “hmm, I should get back to writing–I have things to say!” So … Continue Reading…

The Roof Incident…Life with Coal the Cattle Dog

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Mr. Fix-It had to work on the roof this weekend. (Yes, he really can fix anything if he puts his mind to it!) To get to the peak of our roof, you have to go out of one of the bedroom dormer windows, onto the porch roof, and put a ladder against the top slope and climb up. The top peak is scary steep. He asked me to come out and hold the bottom of the ladder for him. I asked him to provide a rock climbing harness. He refused. (Rather ungraciously … Continue Reading…