Rain "N" Critters

Today we were favored by the GIGANTIC blessing of cooler temperatures and RAIN! A little rain, not drought ending (we need 12 inches) but definitely a stress reliever for August 11, 2011.

I was going to write about and show pictures of the house building project but I was watching my critters react to the rain and I thought they deserved to be introduced because they are family too.

First we have dear Boston......dear, dear Boston....interchangeable with "oh dear......Boston!!"    He is a Boston Terrier who is 2.  He is getting better with age but the little dear doesn't like to be left alone.  G-O is his favorite word and S-T-A-Y is his most hated word.  That one word stay can send him into a home-wrecking, bra, sock, shoe, and firewood eating frenzy.  Alternatively he is the most loving, snuggle-bug and has so much personality that you can't stay irritated with him.  Here's are some pictures of the darling.

His Dad says he is a Johnny Ranger, Blackbelt, Ninja Warrior because of his superb crime detecting and fighting skills.  Mom says he's cute and cuddly and isn't completely convinced he works for the CIA.  You see he loves riding the 4-wheeler but that doesn't make him a Ninja Warrior.  Just Saying.

Ok, next we have Nellie.  Nellie is actually Daulton's dog. Daulton is gone to Texas for the summer and Will's Mom was leaving for Alabama and taking her chihuahua's with her and asked me to keep an eye on Nellie.  We were having all of that severe weather at the time so I decided to bring Nellie over to my house.  We are forever bonded.  She is my shadow, my angel, my tiny protector.  She goes everywhere I go. She kills rats, fights snakes, protects me from the chickens and can be counted on to snuggle tight every night.  Here's my homely (never let her know that she isn't beautiful) Nellie:

We have three generations of chickens living here.  One-eyed Jack is the oldest chicken.  He and his brother were hatched from a long-dead hen many years ago.  He and his brother were not allowed by any hens because there were older roosters on my farm.  Baldy was my special older rooster and I didn't do anything to right the wrong that was being done to One-eyed Jack and his brother.  I guess one day, the brother rooster had enough and pummeled Baldy and pecked out One-eyed Jack's eyeball.  The brother rooster took over the hens and Baldy and One-eyed Jack were in exhile hiding behind corners and under trucks and trailers hoping to avoid being seen by the brother rooster.  You might be questioning why brother rooster has no name? Baldy was tragically eaten by the neighbor's dog and Baldy and Nubbie (later) had a son who stood up to brother rooster one day and beat him terribly but brother rooster wouldn't give up and was terrorizing all of the chickens so he had to be shot, had to be....can't have terror on our farm.  Remember we are seeking peace and tranquility and one can't rest if one is breaking up rooster fights all of the time.  Nubbie is my oldest hen.  She is the only survivor of a batch of babies I bought to put under a hen and since at the time I was terrified of chickens I failed to get them under the hen (after being badly attacked) and so I raised them in Mom's house (she was in CA) but alas Nubbies sisters had their heads eaten off by a skunk or possom and so only Nubbie survived.  Here's Nubbie and One-Eyed Jack.

On Will's birthday last year, Nubbie hatched 4 hens and two roosters. There is only 1 rooster of that batch (the other was shot) and four hens. These hens are Saltie, Pepper, Caramel and Little Brown Hen. 

Will bought me 20 hens in March and they are my "Babies"  I raised them in a cage in the garage and they are sure I am their Mommy.  They are hilarious.  They follow me everywhere I go and come when I call them.  They like to be petted and carried.  Here are Nubbies and the Babies: