Terriers & Tabbies

Janie & Watson!!

2011-11-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Janie loves to sit on the back of the couch and watch for people on the trail to bark at them.

Watson sleeps and plays. He is so smoochy

Watty and I walking on the train tracks

I sure do love my pups. They're the best dogs ever!!!!

Wildlife

2011-10-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I have posted.

So it is time to get back to it.

It is really nice that Justin and I live so close to his folks,

we get to share a lot of our adventures with them.

The other day the five of us went to Bellingham

to Woods Coffee in Boulevard Park on Bellingham Bay.

After our coffee and bready treat we took a walk along the water.

We saw otters on the rocks at the water's edge.

They were super cute, very friendly with squeaky baby voices !!!!

We walked a little more and there was a purple starfish,

I believe quite a few starfish actually.
It sure was a great day,

I can't wait to show my dad and mom and Bet too.

New Baby Rabbits

2011-05-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

My white rabbit, Jane, had nine babies on 4/26/11.

While I was checking them on Sunday, I picked this one up and said, oh my, you are tiny. It obviously wasn’t getting enough milk.

First, I tried to latch it onto its mommy. He went to each teat like a craved rabid rabbit. Clearly there was not enough milk, so we went to the feed store to get some milk and pick up an eye dropper from the drug store. I came home put some cream in the kitten milk, I fed the hungry bunny.

He is doing much better.

He is the one in the front.

bunnies are for sale

2011-03-31T18:23:00.001-07:00

this the mom.

Rat Terrier

2011-03-20T13:21:00.001-07:00

I found another rat terrier.

Update On Baby Bunnies

2011-03-17T19:00:00.001-07:00

The baby bunnies are three weeks old.

They are starting to eat and drink real food.

They get in and out of the box on there own.

They’re so cute.

Bunnies

2011-03-10T18:10:00.001-08:00

I have been taking a lot of picture’s of the babies.

They are so very cute.

I can’t stop going out to see them.

They look so comfortable.

This morning when I went out to check on

them, one was out of the box.

Here is one of the black ones.

And there is nine; not ten.

I don’t know how I am going to sell them.

Bennett is a good mom.

SNOW BUNNYS

2011-03-01T18:22:00.001-08:00

We got about two feet of snow,

hope you enjoy all of the pics.

The steps.

The car.

Janie just sits on the porch because,

When she went out to play with Watson

he pushed her down.

Watson loves the snow.

Burlington hill.

Green bench.

The dog kennel.

This was when it started to melt.

My first batch of baby bunnies.

I love them so much and I am having lots of fun with them.

They are one week old. I think there are ten babies.

Watson’s Weekend Travel

2010-08-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

Watson says, “Where are we going guys?”

Were going to Burlington, for the weekend.

“Yippee.”

Watson put his head out the back window

since it was so hot that day. All of the people in the other cars were looking at him.

He also slept.

Then back to looking out the window.

Then back looking at Dad’s view, Watson love to travel and we all had a wonderful weekend!

She Is Three Week’s Old

2010-07-20T10:14:00.001-07:00

I made same oatmeal cookies so that she would be friendly, and it worked.

She is very friendly and I am having a wonderful time with her.

We aren’t sure what to name her, my mom is thinking of naming her for her first horse.

She really likes to get close to the camera.

I bet you can’t beat those muscles!

This is Dr. Watson we just call him Watson. Let me tell you he is so so smoochie.

It’s A Girl!

2010-06-29T08:54:00.001-07:00

Holly had her little filly on Saturday at 5:30 in the evening.

She laid down and the baby’s nose was sticking out, but that was it, she wasn’t coming any more. So Dad pulled.

And then…….wa-la.

Here she is learning to stand.

Hooray, her legs are not broken.

Next day.

She’s a little shy still.

She is so so so cute.

Getting her nourishment.

Holly is such a good mommy.

You never run a way from your mommy, because no matter how long it takes she will catch up to you.

Holly’s Huge and Holding Out

2010-06-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

No baby yet.

We think she will have her foal in a week or two.

The signs: Her udder is filling a bit but there is no waxing on the nipples yet. Waxing indicates 24-48 hours to foaling. Her back end is very itchy.

Baby Animals

2010-05-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Lambs.

Pippy's kittens.
Cc's kittens.
My new bunnies, Jane and Lydia Bennet.

One of the boy puppies.

all of the puppies.

Three of the pups with dad dog.

One of the girls playing with the ball.
This little girl has a new home.

She went to her new home on Saturday, we all miss her very much.

More baby animals later, but that is it for now for the four legged ones.

puppies

2010-04-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

The puppies are doing great.

I like when the puppies are at this age, three weeks old, when they just start to play, they are so cute.

There are two puppies that really like to be held and played with. This one,

And this one.

Wouldn't you agree that these spots on this nose are too cute. This one is all white except for its head and a little spot of black above its tail. After I saw a picture of a mostly white pup, I was hoping that Janie would have one in this batch. And here it is!

This puppy put on a funny face for us.

Janie has had to go to the vet so many times that I think she now likes riding in the car. She went to the vet a week half ago to get her stitches out. She went back on Saturday because her incision opened a little bit, so they gave me same stuff to put on her tummy. Janie is doing much better now.

Janie & Her New Puppies

2010-03-18T16:24:00.001-07:00

Janie is fine and has five new little puppies, two boys, three girls. Here is the story of the ordeal. Some pictures are kind of gooey.

Janie went in to labor on Sunday at 7: 30 in the morning. Two amniotic sacs and green discharge came at noon. By one, still no puppies.

It seemed like there was a pup stuck, so we took her to the vet. We were lucky to find a vet on Sunday that was open and in the little local town.

The first doctor, an elderly man, did an ultrasound and he said all the puppies had good heart beats but were not in position. He felt she just needed a little more time, so we took her home. We also thought we found a vet that was close by that we liked and that we would return (we really miss Doc Dale and are having a very hard time settling into a vet).

Then from 2:30 to 3:30 Monday morning she had three puppies: the first one, a really large blue, died; the second one was a chocolate and came out nicely; the third one, a blue, shot out before the second one detached and immediately began howling. We, Mom, Dad and I, had to pull the first one out because it was too big for Janie to get out herself. We’re pretty sure it died when we pulled it out, he was breach, just his tail and bottom, no hind legs. If they are big, sometimes they don’t come before the cord detaches, then they gasp inside for air but get fluid instead.

We thought it was going to go good now that she got the big puppy out, but after the three came she stopped regular pushing, that was just too weird.

By seven she didn’t regain her regular pushing but we could see pups still in her and still moving. Mom called the Sunday vet and they said to bring her in, we were hoping to give her an oxytocin shot that would get her going again. Instead they did another ultrasound, they said that she had three more puppies in her but one was dead.

We wanted them to give her an oxytocin shot but they didn’t want to give it to her because they said her uterus could rupture. We knew that wouldn't happen because Dr. Tibbitts would give it after she had puppies all the time. He gave it too many other dogs that we knew of and had gone through his clinic where we helped. This new vet just wanted to give her a C-section but we wanted to try the shot first. They got upset that we didn’t do what they wanted.

So we called dad to ask him what to do. He called a vet that used to practice with Doc. Dale, we have known her for twenty-five years, and she said that the shot would not make her uterus rupture.

Mom and Bet drove into Tacoma to Dale’s old clinic, to pick up the shots, while Janie and I waited at home with the first two puppies. She warned Mom and Bet that it might not work, she hoped it would but Janie had been laboring for a long time.

We gave one shot and Janie’s labor picked up but nothing came, so we gave the second shot in thirty minutes from the first shot. Her labor picked up some more, but it didn’t work so we took her and her two puppies into Dale’s old clinic to Dr. Sage.

She checked Janie said that she could feel the pup in the way and it was just too large. Janie needed a C-section. At least she let as try the shot, the less invasive method, first.

We also decided to get her spade all at the same time since we had agreed this would be her last batch of puppies, now that this all happened we definitely did not want a repeat, so no more puppies for Janie.

Why she could not get the last three pups out was because there was a forth puppy. It had died a while back, was deformed and green, Dad had actually stopped by the vet while surgery was going on and our new old Doc said he could watch. Dad said it was so malformed and stiff that there was no way she could have pushed it out.

They sent Janie and pups home right away with Dad so that she could wake up at home nursing her new pups.

She was really out of it. We were told to really keep our eye on her, all night, because sometimes when the mom dog is so out of it she can roll on her pups and squish them.

Bet and I traded off watching her all night. We also were to give her small sips of water until we knew she could handle it. We also gave her little sips of chicken broth after she handled the water.

She didn’t move. But let us take care of her and her pups. We made sure they were latching on and we had to wipe there little bottoms with wet cloths to make them potty like Janie would have done if she had been awake and alert.

Now Janie and the pups are doing great. She is back to her normal self, taking great care of her pups but getting up to beg while we all eat dinner. She is her bouncy self, which she wasn’t when she came home from surgery.

Note: Sorry this post took so long to publish, I decided to try using Windows Live Writer. I'm looking forward to use it again. Thanks for being patient.

My First Bunny!

2010-03-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Mom and I had a wonderful day together. We drove to Snohomish and I picked out a Satin Angora bunny to bring home and begin my angora fiber adventure.

These are the younger bunnies, the one that is hiding it face is mom's favorite one. Whenever we took the camera out it would hide it face, it was very funny. It is a good thing these guys were too small and the chocolate one not for sale, or else my mom would have taken it home too.

Here are more bunnies, they like the camera. They're too cute but only five weeks old.

Now for my bunny, his name is Mr. Bennet from Pride & Prejudice it is a great movie. My Mr. Bennet is ten weeks old. He is super friendly and he loves to be brushed.

Here I am brushing Mr. Bennet, he needs lots of brushing right now because his fur is all matted. When I get this all brushed out, I will have to brush him twice a week. The fur that comes out in the comb gets saved in a bag until I have enough to spin it.

2010-03-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Bet and I went out to feed the animals. I looked out in the pasture to see if there were some new lambs and I saw a sheep in labor. So we watched her for a little bit.

She was taking along time so we got closer to her and watched for a little bit more. Another bag came out and it was brown so we decided that the lamb needed to come out right away. I held the momma sheep, while Bet pulled the lamb out. I thought it was going to be too late but it was okay. We left the mom to clean the lamb off, while Bet and I fed the other moms in the barn.

I looked out to check on the mom and the new lamb and there were two lambs! We thought that she was going to have just one because the girl that we had to pull out was so big, we didn't think that another could fit in her.

Here is the girl.

Here is the boy.

We have ten lambs now

We Ride Again

2010-01-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for our third ride of the year.

Here's Bet and Ivan

Me and my girl, Holly.

Abby, Anne, and Bet

Roy, Easy, and Ivan.

Ivan was a good boy that day
and Easy in her old age still wants to run home.

Abby just loves to ride Roy, and he is so perfect for her.

We ride once a week for one hour.

Going back home.

When we were on are way back, we saw the cutest thing.

All done.

Gardening With Janie

2010-01-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

Janie is watching for rodents

We went out to work in the garden the other day, it was a "transplant" day so we dug up the lavender and moved it to Bet's herb garden.

Janie, listening for the rodents

It has been really nice outside so a lot is getting accomplished in the gardens

Fair Enough

2009-10-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

These are our new pens for Bet's turkey's and my quail at the Animals of the World barn during the last five days of the Puyallup Fair.

Mr. Tom seems to enjoy the pens and the roost that Daddy built inside of it for the turkeys to roost on, and this one did for most of the fair. Lots of people took pictures of my quail through the fence but I managed to miss taking their picture.

Down at the poultry barn the day after we set up in the AotW barn we brought our birds in for the Jr. Poultry Expo. Bet's Silver Appleyards won a big award. Champion Heavy Duck.

Birdsmanship duty requires us to clean out each bird's water and then fill it. Kai and Abby did that job.

They took their job seriously and they did it well.

Another duty is to fill the feed cups of each bird, they have a grocery cart for us to make easier to do.

And to lean on.

Anne did great at her first birdsmanship.

I got sweeping duty!

Chicken showing the next day requires cleaning beaks and feet one last time.

Practicing my chicken's best pose for when the judge asks me to pose her in her best position.

It is such a convenient pose, don't you think?

At the show table for us "senior showmen." It helps if you keep your eyes on the judge.

Or it helps to stick your head in the shadow.

Silly bunch waiting for their turn to show.

At least Anne is serious!

Kai is serious too. Just a different sort of serious.

A pep talk from Uncle Mike!

Where is that keel bone?

But it really isn't all that interesting.

That pep talk really worked, now we are just having a good time!

Is there something about showing chickens and being blonde?

Kai told his mom he was leaning on the table so that he could see the judge. It is all about seeing the judge, we told him to look at the judge and he was.

He was so excited to get a blue ribbon, that he tied it on his chicken's neck.

All went well, and we are all looking forward to next year.

To Vacation and Back

2009-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a little wave for you from up at Iron Creek Falls

Sister Chelle wants to make sure you don't miss the beautiful falls.

She wants you to know it is scary up where we are sitting, she thinks grabbing the log will keep her safe.

Okay, now we are all normal, sort of.

Here is Martin, his favorite place is on the floor when we are in the truck.

Heading up to the huckleberry fields

maybe he has another reason he hides on the floor.

The view is worth as much as the huckleberries.

Except it doesn't make a very good pie.

The top of Burley mountain as seen from where we park the truck and pick berries.

Never fear Huckleberries, we will be back next year.

These are the dogs that we took with us
Janie, Rose and Pitiful Martin.

Home Again!

"I am so happy to be home," Janie says. She smells the

barn when she gets home.

Some of those who stayed home pretend to be unfazed by our return.

But others were interested in our return.

Others just wanted food.

Aren't they just the cutest little smudgy faces? They are learning to eat kitten food and they get it all over themselves. They needed to go in a cage for their own protection. Rat Terriers see these kittens as just really fuzzy rats.

So sad but these little guys did not greet us when we returned, they had the unhappiness of disappearing while we were gone. Who knew horses eat goldfish. Just kidding. The blue heron must have gotten a free lunch in the horse trough. How many fishies do you see in this picture?

How many kittens of Pippi's do you see in this picture?

No question here, all four horses were glad to have us home, and took us, Bet, me and mom, for a three hour ride the next day after we got back.

New Farm Kittties

2009-08-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

One week old, just little kitty rats right now.

Waiting for their eyes to open and personalities to develop.

Go see more Camera_Critters

Some Kitty Music for Monday

2009-08-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

I found this video.

I thought it was pretty funny.

Very true of most kitties, tabbies especially.

Hope you enjoy it.

Holly's Stay in Orting

2009-08-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. Weeks took Holly for a week to breed her to his Stallion, Rancher Gold.

I missed her very much but I knew that he was going to take good care of her.

We went in to the barn to see if she was really in heat.

She was going in, so we left her there.

Here are some pics of the stallion.

He is a really nice horses, he even let me pet him.

He sure does like the camera.

He looked sad to see her go,
he is probably saying, "they come, then they go."

If all went and continues to go well, Holly will foal in July 2010.

It's hard to wait a year.

This is the horse that Holly shared a paddock with during her stay.

Mr.Weeks said when he took his gelding out, Holly would freak out so much it sounded like she was going to die. So I think that she had a good time.

2009-08-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am sorry, I posted too soon.

Winter is back! He did take a little trip, I am so glad to see him. We think that he said he went to Alaska, but it was way too far for him.

Thank you for your prayers.

I Hope Winter isn't Gone!

2009-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

My kitty, Winter, has been missing for a couple of days.

I really miss him, he was the best cat, ever. He loved to have the Terriers chew on him, it was like a massage.

Purr Bobb and Winter loved to sleep and play together.

He rolled over a lot, I think it was his favorite thing to do. I hope that he just took a little trip

and he'll be back soon. If not, I will miss his loviness, I will never have another cat like him.

Cougar Rock in Mt. Rainier National Park

2009-07-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Bet and I went hiking with Mike and Michelle.

Whoa, that is a big hill!

This is video of the river

Michelle is testing the river with her hands.

I tested the river with my face and it was cold.

Bet stuck her face in too. Yep, all agreed, it is cold.

We wanted to go to the big rock and sit on it so we crossed over the little stream

We saw some cool things like this tree growing around the rock

and then up.

These are the steps up to the waterfall.

And this is the waterfall

We had a great time, thanks Mike and Michelle for taking us.

Cougar Rock is a Tabby!

Puppies Wait

2009-07-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

The boys, Mr. Howl and Bowzer, are waiting for homes.

But while they wait, they are helping with Farm work.

And fighting to get in the picture. Bowzer wins this round.

But Mr. Howl sneaks into the chair for a pose or two.

How's that?

2009-07-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

The first mole killed by the terriers,

I am so glad that Jaine was the first one to get a mole

Janie and Swift dug it up, but Janie killed it.

They have all been very busy lately while we were haying. All the Ratters followed the mower, then the hay rake and the baler and finally rode in the hay truck fetching up all sorts of mice, voles and a muskrat or two. I was driving the hay truck and Janie was on the center console and all of a sudden went into the back seat and out the window. She grabbed a muskrat shook it and killed it.

Jeepers its Cheepers

2009-06-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here are the little bugs, I mean, quail.

But they did look like little bugs hatching.

I am so happy that my little quail hatched,

I did not think they would but I got seven little cheepers (baby quail).

And there are more to come in a couple of weeks.

A Couple of Blue Pups

2009-06-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

For Camera_Critters I found these blue Rat Terrier pups hanging around the back door.

Puppies are a joy in my life, how could they not be, they are too cute.

We all call the one on the left Mister Howell, the other one Mom calls Blueberry Muffin, Bet calls him Bowzer and I just call him Puppie or Studly.

How could you not want this face?

They are very well behaved pups, they stay

in the yard during the day and they also come inside to sit and snuggle while we read.

Don't be sad just be blue.

Blue Rat Terrier that is.

This Is My Camera Critter For This Week

2009-06-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Purr Bob is not a kitten anymore; he is a grown cat now,

but I see him as a kitten still because he acts like one and he is still as lovey as he was when he was a kitten, and I like that about him. I have always liked tabby cats and he is the best one.

Purr Bob used to be inside every night, but now he likes to stay out with C.C. (another cat) and the lambs in the barn. When I am around the barn Purr Bob hears me and he meows really loud, I know it is him so then I call "Purr Bob is that you?" his meow gets quite and he waits for me to find him.

Please go here to see more Camera_Critters.

Smoochy And Non Smoochy

2009-05-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Note: even though some of the animals in these pictures are creepy,

they can still be classified as smoochy,

and just because it is smoochy does not mean its smoochable,

it mostly comes down to personal opinion.

Smoochy, refer to note above.

Smoochy,
caution, watch out for faces, arms and legs;
it may smooch back.

Smoochy, and lovable.

Smoochy.

({SMOooOOCHY!!!!!})

Smoochy, and extraordinary.

Smoochy, but cranky.

In writing this I have discovered, NO non smoochy.

Puppies Are Almost Ready For New Homes

2009-05-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

"Wake up kids. Time to play."

"Can we go play with them?"

"Oh, oh yes, lets. Lets go play with them!"

"They sort of look funny."

"Well, I think Peep is kinda pretty."

"She is just looking old and wore out."

"No kids, they are not our kind, you musn't play with them. They are sheep dogs."

"Okay, Mama, but I don't understand why we can't play with them. It would be fun to hang off of their long hair."

"I'm glad she said no. I don't think they would like us and their hair would get got in our teeth and taste sheepie."

"Despero, wait up, you run too fast."

"Lily, you shouldn't run after her."

"You're both going to trip and fall."

"You always do."

"It's just no fun around here, can I come home with you? Lily has a home already and is just waiting for them to come and get her."

We're Expecting

2009-05-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

I purchased my first valley quail

because they are pretty birds

and I had prospects for selling them.

Now that I have them I find them

fascinating and they are making

sounds that I have never heard.

They are also quirky and silly

I like to watch them

and think about what they are up to.

"What's down there."

This is where they sleep, all in a row.

Eight little quail sleeping on a rail.

I'm excited! My quail are laying eggs

just in case you didn't know which ones they are

they are the little tiny ones.

I am hoping that I can hatch them,

we are going to put them in the incubator

as soon as the quail racks for the

automatic turner arrive.

If all goes well,

I will hear little chirp chirps

everywhere.

Ratters in the Pastures

2009-05-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Pie Making 101

Holly is such a pretty dun colored quarter horse and the best horse I know.

Granted, she has her times when she is out of sorts and misbehaves,

but those times are far and few between and she is very young still for a horse.
I have had Holly for almost year and I am so glad my dad and mom allowed me to get her.

"Grrr stay away from my grass."

Oh wait, horses don't growl but she sure looks like she is growling.

Holly is a great horse to ride and Amber and Swift think so too.

Sometimes when Bet and I go ride the little ratters come with us on our horses.

Martin, Janey, Amber and Swift

checking for smelly gross stuff to eat, like pie perhaps.

Playful Pups

2009-05-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is Swift with a puppy.

When the puppies were born Swift looked like she wanted to eat them

but now she likes them and plays with them.

Snuggly puppies they are so cute and they turn in to the best dogs.

This is the only black and white pup.

I think he looks like Swift, that he looks like Swift is not a bad thing because I like Swift, she is cute and a good dog.

" Mommy mommy I'm hungry!"

Janie is a good mommy, the puppies think so and so do I.

"Flying puppy" I love when their ears are back and their nose is up is the air.

Down low, the grass is so tall

The puppies are very playful, this is a video of them playing. And howling.

Special Weekend Fun

2009-04-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite picture of the weekend. Jim and Kathy are strolling around our yard with Fluffy and Martin. They live just down the highway and Kathy is always helping me with my doves and she taught Bet and I how to locker hook.

Mike and Rebecca Bowerman sitting in my dad's favorite "lawn chair" .

Belinda Job is from England, her husband comes here to teach about house church. Their daughter comes with them and we always have puppies or kittens for her to see.

Mike and Rebecca and Trevor Coulter, sitting on our lawn talking. Mike and Rebecca have been our friends since I was little and before Anne was born. My mom says that when I was little I told Rebecca I liked her shoes.

This is my dad and Becky Coulter. The Coulters are really nice people. I enjoy it when they come to visit or when we go up to visit them. On Saturday we took Justin and Trevor for a horse back ride. We all had fun and no body fell off!

The Save For The Day!

2009-04-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hummbirds are fast but not fast enough

because Winter caught one!

I saved it from him, gave

it suger water and put it in a basket.

When it felt better, we took the basket outside,
lifted the flap and it flew away so fast
it missed the picture!

All better, no thanks to naughty Winter!

Off To the Vet

2009-04-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

The pups are five days old, so off to the vet to

get their tails and dew claws done.

Of course Martin came too.

Janie doesn't like to ride in the car but she didn't mind it today.

The puppies don't seem to mind it either

they just slept the whole way.

We wanted to watch but they said only

Dad could watch. So Bet and I and Janie had to wait.

I was surprised that Janie didn't freak out when they took her babies.

Puppies!

2009-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Janie finally had her pups on Friday the 10th at noon.

She had 6 pups, one black and white,

the rest are blue and white,

two girl and four boys.

When she got done she snuggled them.

They are the size of kittens but I think they are the cutest things.

They are going to get their dew claws and tails done.

It is our first time to the vet since Dale, our landlord, our vet and our friend, passed away.

When my sister Michelle came over today, Janie bit Michelle when she went to pet the puppies.

No body messes with Janie's puppies!

2009-03-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

Janie is due to have pups in a little over a week, how many pups do you think she is having? She has had six and seven before.

This is a close up.

Amber is so sleepy from playing outside, she is sleeping sitting up.

Swift needs a bath, she gets so muddy because there is nothing but mud around and all she does is run once she gets outside. Her tummy is supposed to be white!

Monique's Memorial

2009-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

We recently lost a good friend, late night companion, hard working mouser and mother and grandmother to most of our farm cats. This will not tell all of her story, there are more pictures to find and memories to recall, but this will give a glimpse of the Grande Dame's life.

When the white little ball of fur showed up

at our farm she needed a name.

Her proper name was choosen to be Monique,

but in the fashion of all Vick pets she went through a

series of name changes,

some recognized by the specific owner, Michelle,

and others were contraband names that

others in the household knew her as:

Monique

Moni

Moni Boni

Benni

But for good measure there were always those nicknames

inspired by a moment in time:

Sugar Plum Fairy

Easter Lily

Hairy Dairy

Bruwn Bruwn

Benn Head

Smoochie Pants

Everywhere you looked there was a white furry ball, sleeping in your favorite chair, or on your black coat, or on your white face towels. And when she got up she left her calling card. Oh to wipe one's face with white fur once again.

Her early life was spent mostly out-of-doors with the multitudes of barn cats. Some stayed, some left for other homes, but none were as remarkable as Benni.

Ms. Monique was not above staking out

the bird feeder for a victim.

Then there was her Show career.

An inspiring and classic cat.

But her favorite career was overlooking farm duties

and preening for no other reason than to look beautiful.

Snow Days

2009-03-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

The snow is coming down so thick you hardly can see the pond. We only had a little bit accumulate at this time, we eventually got about 2 to 3 inchs.

This is our swing set where we measure the snow.

Every thing is white. It is very pretty.

Kai and Aksel At the Farm

2009-03-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

When they arrive, Aksel started to chase the

rat terriers,

We said, "lets go see the lambs,"

and he just smiled.

This was the first time that he has seen a

lamb, he didn't like them at first,

after he ran away he was okay.

We went to see the other lambs,

he thinks they are funny.

Kai and Aksel are looking at the turkeys.

Kai is making them gobble, Aksel laughed.

When we went for a walk in the

forest Kai and Aksel found a feeder to play in.

On the way Aksel saw a puddle which he walked through.

We got out to the clearing,

Kai went to hunt for frogs, Aksel reached for the clouds,

then he saw the hill and ran down it.

I chased him and retrieved sweet little Aksel.

Back down he went, so Stephie went and got him,

"Your not going down again, are you?"

Dad was home when we got back to the farm yard, so it was time to dock tails.

Kai was finally serious and had a lot of questions for his Grandpa Dirt.

And what do you get after you get your tail chopped off?

A warm bottle of lamb milk replacer. Yum.

Now for the rest of the crew, more warm bottles.

It was tempting for Aksel to share the bottle with

his new friend.

Time to back the tractor out.

On Wednesday

2009-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

I made this soup. I had to put it in the crock pot because we went shopping for the day. Mom, Bet and I didn't get to eat it but Dad did. He said that it was good but that he was looking for the meat in it. It didn't have meat in it so we had the soup the next day with the meat in, so then dad like it and so did we.

When we went shopping Mom bought me this little Bible; I really like it because it is a compact Bible. Mom bought one just like it for Bet and the same translation but with a different cover for herself. They were only five bucks at the outlet store.

Horsing Around

2009-02-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Bet, Anne, Abby and I went for a horseback ride,

Abby did so well she rode all by herself, Anne did really well too.

This is Anne with Ivan, Bet's horse, he is

a big horse so no one wanted to hold his lead.

When we got done saddling we got on our favorite road,
it was very peaceful.

When we got back the bald eagle was there

to greet us but we just shooed him off.

We got back, we took the saddles
off and the horse started to roll.

2009-02-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Mom was dragging the pasture today,

Dad was putting up electric fence,

Bet and I were riding the horses bareback.

I was picking up garbage,

then I would jump back on Holly,

Amber wanted to ride with me so I let her.

The rat terriers had to stay on the porch

after we worked in the pasture,

the rain came down so we all went inside except the very wet terriers

and Mom.

This is Martin and Amber, they are very cold,

this is Swift,

this is cute little Janie, the mommy dog.

Got Bugs?

2009-02-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

C.C. is a very bad cat,

this is what she does at night when Purr Bob isn't playing with her,

he had to go outside because when we are sleeping he wants to be petted.

So C.C. gets her self wrapped up in the curtain,

maybe she is trying to keep the bugs out.

Scarf Cats

2009-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

Purr Bob doesn't like to were scarves

but I think that he looks cute

C.C. thinks she looks like princes.

Terriers and Lambs

2009-02-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

This is my bottle lamb,

Just in case you were wondering how I got this bottle lamb, her mother was silly and thought that it was a dog or something, staring at it and shying away from it as if it would bite her, so I took the lamb.

After Janie got comfortable sitting with the lamb,

she got protective and would snap at the other Rat Terriers and the cats when they came near it. We couldn't tell if she was mothering it or saving it for her own dinner.

Martin would like some warm milk too!

This is my second bottle lamb, her mother had bad milk and is headed for the auction. The lamb couldn't stand up so we were going to milk some of the colostrum out of the mom for the lamb to get her started and that is when we noticed the bad milk. Some of our ewes are getting very old.

New Born Lamb's

2009-02-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

For yesterday's activity, I pulled these cute lambies

out. They were stuck and it was taking

to long.

We thought that it was funny that

the mom was giving two licks to each.

This lamb figured out how to stand, then comes nursing.

This one thinks that she supposed to nurse first then stand,

she is to cute.

(If you look close you can see her mouth open a little

with her tongue curled around the teat that isn't there.)

This little girl is almost standing, it

takes a few tries but she will get it.

Fluffy is trying to see what is happening,
we told him to go home.

Inside, mom was packing the last of the Christmas things away, Christmas Kitty thinks that means her.

2009-01-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

It is lambing season, my favorite time of

the year.

And this cute face is why.

The Rat Terriers, Amber and Swift,
tried to investigate the lamb,
But this mom would not allow it!

This is the little boy.

This is the little girl.

They came in time for the snow.

Kai's Birthday

2009-01-19T16:37:00.000-08:00

Kai with Dirt and Lanny on his 7th birthday.

We all went to Branks for Kai's
Birthday.

I think Aksel thought that it was his party,.

We, the aunty's, were splashing water

on him with a straw.

But we had fun too.

It seems like no matter what Aksel always steals the show.

The other day I took the kittens

outside for their first time

They looked scared for a while then they started to play.

Loudness in the Dining Room

2009-01-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

We are playing with Aksel , here are some pics of him.

Can you tell what he is doing?

He screamed

then we laughed at him.

He thought that we were crazy but

It must have been fun,
so he screamed again.

And then looked so sweet and cute.

For the camera.

And screamed again.

It is hard to say he was being bad

because his Aunty Chelle began to encourage him.

And encourage him.

Aunty Bet was laughing so hard it made him stop.

But he didn't stop for good.

Holiday Hounds

2009-01-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is Swift she is a Rat Terrier puppy, 9 months and

she is a great dog already. Here she looks like a mean meerkat but she's

cute anyway. (She isn't really baring her teeth, Bet hooked her lips up on her gums)

The mean meerkat says, "Put me down, I don't like this."

"Oh, Swift you can't get down you are too cute!"

If you like sweet, submissive dogs she is the one for you,

but she is my pup! (I stole her from my dad.) My other terrier Janie,

Swift's mom, should be having some puppy's in about 2 or 3 months.

Bet and MN are looking

at MN's new thank-you cards, we all got

prizes on New Year's Eve.

This is my favorite at the party, I wanted this for my prize!

I would probably take her home

if I didn't have any dogs,
she is so cute and pretty.

But I hear Kathy already sold her.

Happy New Year!

Janie's First Ride

2008-12-30T21:08:00.000-08:00

We went on a sheep shearing job as a family. It was a fun day.

I love red healers, they kind of look like Rat Terriers in a way,
this healer's name is Sophie,

She doesn't like when you say shes cute.

I said "you are so cute," she got mad, I kissed her and she growled at me.

When I went home we rode horses and I took Janie along. It was my Terrier Janie's
first time riding and she liked it, until we heard somebody shooting. It scared the horses and Janie, so Bet and I turned around and went home. I took a cat nap with a cat, Purr Bobb, isn't he cute.

2008-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas time, here is Michelle and her husband Mike with Aksel.

We are playing Nert's,

Everybody was having a hard time
because I was playing with my new pink cards that were blinding.

I hope everybody had a great Christmas.

Skating Weather

2008-12-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

When it snowed on Sunday, I took the camera out when I took the dogs for a run. I knew it would look like this. I love when it snows, it sure is pretty.

This is my new Rat Terrrier, isn't he special.
Ahhh come on, you know it isn't, this is my nephew Aksel, he and his mommy and his brother, Kai, are coming out to skate tomorrow.

2008-12-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am so excited, it is snowing out. It is so pretty, but I don't think it is going to stick because it is only 38 degrees. The terriers like to play in it, especially my terrier, Janie. This will be the first time for the pups! The cats just want to come inside and sleep on the tile by the woodstove.

Purr Baby

2008-12-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

The other day Purr Bobb got hurt, he was limping.

We all were worried and trying to figure out why

His foot was hot and obviously tender.

Mom suggested that I look to see if there was anything in it.

I told her that I already looked and

there was nothing in it but one pad was peeling.

Mom said, "Oh, I know, I burnt his foot!"

She was throwing the cats out.

She had picked up Purr Bobb,

was bending over to pick up Bennie

and came to close to the wood stove.

Purr Bobb must have put out his foot and it touched the stove.

Poor Purr Bob! But he is healed up now,

Dad gave him some Penicillin for the infection

and we put salve on that he licked right off.

2008-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

I'm glad that Dad is a good driver.

The road up the mountain is steep and slippery.

It is so foggy you can only see some of the trees but it is beautiful.

God does great things.

Hey, what are you doing?

Picking a tree!

Are these tree too tall?

This one is perfect.

What about the other one?

Forget about the trees, what are these tracks?

And who lives in this hole?

Oh look, what ever it is it didn't eat Mom and Bet.

And they got the second tree!

Purr Bobb is Excited

2008-12-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

Purr Bobb is excited for his first Christmas.

"Lets open this box now," he says.

"I'd help you if I could, but I'm all thumbs,no wait I'm no thumbs!

Just get it open so I can eat cookies, and play tile hockey, Christmas tile hockey!"