Life...and loss...on the farm.

Good thing about the internet blog is, your tears don't stain the paper.
the day after I posted those pics of my beautiful Maxx, he went out for a walk and hasn't come back. It has been over a week, he is either stolen, starving or in Spirit. Granted, he was gone for 14 days last fall, but the longer he is gone, the more I fear that those pics are all I have left of him.
Second loss...our camera died today, so no more pics for awhile, until I can afford to replace it.
Now for the life part...we have decided that this farm needs a dog, so I am actively seeking one (using Craigslist and local e-groups) Got a few "bites" (maybe shouldn't use that term when talking about a dog) We need to find one that is poultry-friendly ("Fowl are Friends, not Food") since we don't want Fido chomping down on the ducks or chickens...Fido needs to defend them, not eat them. Maybe that will also help take my mind off Maxx (but that's not why we're doing it, that would be wrong) One email I got was about a nice, young (under a year) black lab mix, female, spayed, potty trained and they say an all around sweetie. They got her when wifey was preggers, so the pup and the kid could grow up together, of course now that boo-baby is here they're realizing how much work a baby is and poochy is being ignored, so they're looking for a good home for her. Don't know if that's "the one" yet, waiting for pics and to chat with her humans. One dog that was offered is a St. Bernard, "very sweet" but chomped on a stray cat (*not* a good sign) so she's out...the search continues...will let you know what and when (sorry, no pics).
Looks like Rob might be going East again, to do more work. This time...NO BUSES!!!
Please send prayers/vibes/light candles or whatever you do best for Maxx to come home.
Well, I think we're found out pup. She's a 4-year-old Rottie, cute as can be and perfect for our farm. I'm waiting for her mama to call or email, she did send some pics and it was love at first sight. 'Course we had a rottie/lab mix when I was preggers, called Mitzi. She could never "get it" that she shouldn't boss her way past me in doorways, especially the one that led to the (steep) stairs going into the garage. So we let Jimmy take her, it was supposed to be until the baby was born, but Jimmy, being Jimmy, let her run, knowing full well that the road he lived on was dangerous, and of course, she had an encounter with a Mac truck and lost. Broke my heart. Jimmy had lost several of his critters to the road (we found out alas too late). We still talk about her, even 10 years later. I have always had a soft spot for rotties and boxers. I hope we get her. I'll let you know. If it is to be, it will be.

The Big Guy

Remember Maxxi-Moose, the stick-thin scraggly cat that showed up on our porch last fall? Well, he's not stick thin now! he's about 30# and a real lovvy. It took about a month of 2 cans a day to fill him out, now he eats only dry, with the occasional can as a treat. As you can see, he is quite healthy. In the next pics, you can see that one of his ears is a bit cauliflourey, we're not sure if this is from birth, the result of a fight or something someone did.
He sleeps, not only *with* me, but ON me. He stretches out from my collarbone to my hips and purrs me to sleep. Yes, he is the purrelizer. He's my sweetie, and I love him :-) He is one of the sweetest cats I've ever had, and they number in the 100's (Hey, I'm 54 and have had cats all my life, even bred them, so yes, there have been a LOT of cats in my life!).

Mr Maxxi-Moose

Maxx, and those big green eyes

the Brat Pack

Goats.....and more goats....and more....

We recently became "blessed" with 5 goats. All males. All "intact". All pygmy. While we are intending on sampling goat meat, we're not going to for a while. Meantime, they reside in an enclosed pasture. Well, it is our intention for them to reside there. They, however, have other ideas, especially since Michief is female. So, at least once a day there is a massive jail-break, followed by Mischief running all around the property with the horny pack (ok, so only three have horns) fast on her heels. Since she is bigger, older, and meaner, she usually keeps them running. When Rob goes out to put them back in their pasture, the process is easy. He puts his belt around Mischief's collar, a la' leash...and simply walks her to the pasture, with all 5 following docily behind. Into the pasture, close the gate, find and fix where the breakout point was, and voila', task complete. The funniest thing is watching him walking her, with the brat pack lined up behind. Oops...the brat pack (or as Rob calls them, the G-Force) are out...and Rob's not home...guess Mischief will get her exercise today...
Meanwhile, summer brings the inevitable farm nemesis, flies. Loads of them. I am constantly moving to remove them, like a horse shaking her skin. Legs move, arms move, hands swat. Constant. Sleep? nope, not with them landing on any and every available exposed inch. Not just once, over and over, like a Chinese torture. Sometimes I worry that Rob or Robbin will find me, head lolling, eyes unfocused....power chair going around and around in an aimless, endless circle...
The haircut. I got it cut the day before my birthday. While the cut, itself, is a good, well-done cut, all I can say is Thank God/dess it grows back. It's short! I told her, just the ends, leave it as long as possible. Somehow I seem to have mis-communicated. It's short. At least 6" shorter, and about as long as my index finger all around. And the color? Brown and silver. Lots of silver. Lots and lots of silver. Oh well, it'll grow back. As will Robs. He got one of those flies up his arse and went and had his all cut off!!! The *only* redeeming factor is he donated his thick, long, red braid to Locks of Love. So someone will end up with a magnificent wig! How many times have women stopped him and said "I want your hair!" Well, someone will be getting it. Actually, they'll have enough for 2 or 3. While I'm not so pleased at the cut (either of them), I am delighted beyond words at him donating it. Go Rob!

LOTRO

LOTRO to answer the question posed, stands for Lord Of The Rings Online, an MMORPG, or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. It is WoW (World of Warcraft) for adults. Not that it is adult themed, not at all, but the graphics are not cartoony and there is a storyline, unlike WoW. As a matter of fact, many, many of the people playing there came over from WoW. My character is a Huntress, named Shamana FairMaiden. She has recently been promoted to Leader of the Kinship. A kinship is a group that is like an extended family, they help each other with quests, and my Kinship is known for being helpful and Honorable. I play in the realm known as Gladden, there are about 8 realms to choose from. When you start play you customize and name your character. You can be a human, elf, dwarf or hobbit. Shamana is a female human. There are several types one can chose from, as in Hunter, Lore-Master (they have dominion ofer the animal kingdom), Capitan, Guardian, Champion, and Burgler. I've probably missed some. My characters are the Huntress and a Lore-Master. You can have as many as you want to play, since there are many realms and you can have 5 characters per. It gets even more involved, when you reach a certain level you can choose a profession, allowing you to train for skills, like cooking, farming, prospecting, jeweler, etc....these you can use to make $ and useable items. I found out about it from my PC guy, who sent me a link for a free 2 week pass (I can provide a similar link). It is endlessly amusing, there is real-time chat, lots of fun and challenging things to do and some really nice people to meet.
So there, that's what I do with a lot of my time :-)