Sammikin Has Arrived

PS Sammikin is home! She made the 3 and a half hour drive standing up the whole way looking out the windows of the camper shell. When we stopped for fuel someone ask if she was for sale. She has a better bloodline than Diva but we sure won't tell Diva that! Sammi and Diva had to do the butting head thing so Diva could let her know she was the lead princess around here. Nitro was jealous and kept wanting to butt me so I had to play with him for a little while. Sammi is doing the crying thing since she is in a new place. I had forgotten that Diva cried for days when we first brought her home. As long as I am outside with Sammi she is happy, walking around checking things out and eating. When I come in she cries. Hopefully it will only last a few days. I also got to see Sammi's little baby buck. He was so cute and so tiny! I can't wait for Diva to have her babies! Well I need to go back and check on the "royal children". On another note haven't heard from Mary yet so don't know if Amber has had her baby yet but will try to call for info. Have a great evening.

Tomorrow Tomorrow I Love You Tomorrow

You're only a day away!! Going to pick up Sammi tomorrow! She is doing fine and her babies are doing fine without her so she is ready to come home! Also tomorrow my friend Mary from fireflies and frogs is going to be a grandma. She took her daughter Amber to the hospital tonight so they could induce tomorrow. I can't wait! They already know its a boy named Gabriel. Amber's hubby is in Iraq so if you will say a prayer for her and her hubby. I will post pictures of Sammi when we get her home. I am sure Ms Diva is going to be a little jealous but hopefully she will remember Sammi. Tomorrow Tomorrow.... now I have that song in my head I will sing it all night!

Just Another Manic Monday

Some of the girls enjoying this sunny spring like day.

Sister Sister is sitting on more eggs. One of the other hens laid a egg next to her and she got up and rolled it over to her nest. I have to lift her up to get the eggs she stole. Lucky her eggs are marked with a x.

Fred was relaxing in the sun this afternoon and didn't mind my taking a few pics.

The guineas are mad at me. They had been picking on the chickens lately and pulling their feathers out when they bite. We moved them in with the ducks. The ducks are now chasing the guineas and biting them. This is the quietest the guineas have been since we got them. I love it!

You would think Thumper was pregnant as much weight as he has put on lately.

The frizzy teens enjoying the sunshine

My lettuce loved the rain we had Sunday.

Whiskers

Hi my name is Whiskers and mom says I am her favorite but I also hear her tell the other animals the same thing so not sure if its important or not. I am sorta a rescue cat. Several years ago mom had a cat named TJ (trouble junior named after her cat Trouble). TJ was a purrrrrty calico cat that always got into trouble. Mom had a appointment to get TJ fixed but was keeping her inside till then as she was in season. Well a lady came to visit mom and opened the door and TJ ran outside and went straight across the street to the neighbors tom cat. Mom says cats usually have a mating ritual they go through before mating but TJ knew mom was right on her heels to catch her so she skipped that part. She went under the neighbors boat and backed up to the tomcat and I was conceived! For some reason mom calls TJ a bad word (sl*t). After me and my siblings were born mom found homes for us. I went to Nannies (mom's mom) she treated me like a baby. She washed my face every day and talked baby talk to me all the time. When nannie got sick and was afraid I would trip her because I liked walking around her feet she ask mom to find a home for me. Mom went to the mountains and brought me back home with her. I have been with her for 4 years. Mom trained me to go outside to potty. Sometimes when I really really have to go in the middle of the night mom isn't real chipper about getting woke up to open the door. Each morning I love sitting on mom and tickling her with my whiskers or just staring at her till she wakes up. Once her eyes are open I hop down and run to the door so I can go outside. When we moved to Hidden Haven I had to ride in the van with another cat, iguana and 2 dogs. I was scared but mom kept talking to me and rubbing under my chin to calm me down. I love when mom rubs under my chin. Mom calls me a addict cause I like catnip. I can't help it. Whenever I smell catnip I have to have it no matter how tight it is packaged. I want it all! Mom hides it in the freezer now so I can't get it. She did tell me she is planting me a catnip patch this spring. I think I am going to be in heaven!!

Happy Belated Birthday Philip

Philip had a birthday yesterday and I let it slip by without wishing him a happy one. Sorry Philip. I hope your day was a wonderful one and I wish you could share some of that snow with me! I will remember your big day next year I promise. Hope you can someday get down to Highlands, NC as you will love it! Since I can't carry a tune in a bucket consider your gift from me is not singing to you! LOL Hugs my friend.

Dining Room

I am climbing over or crawling around everything that was in the dining room but now all over the house. The house is a dusty mess and I can't do anything while the remodeling is going on. There are 3 and a half walls with bead board paneling right now. The walls should be finished tomorrow and then the paint goes on and the trim work. After that the hardwood flooring goes down and the ceiling goes up and I get to hang my border and clean up the mess. I so dread the kitchen! If a dining room with a few pieces of furniture can make such a mess and stress what in the world will the kitchen redo create? The bathroom, hallway and one bedroom are finished and the rest of the house still to go. I may survive or I may just move away and come back in a few years!

Here is the border I purchased. I have been collecting roosters and chickens for several years but have stopped as I have so many. I am only going to put a few of them back in the dining room but this border will make them all stand out.These are the curtains for the double window. I am not putting any curtains on the french door. Bud's cage is in front of the big glass window and the door is right beside it. I still haven't picked out the light fixture yet because I keep changing my mind. I am just tired of having a mess all the time and want a nice clean home again. I get to thinking how nice it was living in a home with everything where it belongs and decorated with the items we have collected over the years. We have so many things packed away because of working on the house I have forgotten what a lot of it looks like. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully I can face it with a new attitude. I will try to overlook the dust and mess and look forward to a beautiful dining room.

Yes! Its Friday!

Don't you just love knowing its Friday! The start of a weekend. The time you feel like you can relax and do nothing or do all the fun projects you have been wanting to do all week. I don't work a public job but I still look forward to weekends as my down time though I still do the routine things I do during the week. Crazy aren't I? Pea posted a picture of a vintage powder box http://peascorner.blogspot.com/2007/02/tattoo-update.html she has and it made me want to get mine out and take pictures of them. I started collecting them about 3 years ago when I found the first one at a thrift store for 10cents.I wish I had the ones my mother and grandmothers had sitting on their dressers when I was growing up. I always liked going into my mothers bedroom after my bath and taking the the powder puff out of the box and fluffing my body with powder. I know I wasted alot just so I could see how white I could make my body. Wonder why we stopped using bath powders?
If you don't have your sound on then you are missing a nice little Irish lullaby. I use to sing this to my daughter Maggie. She was my first baby and I was very young and scared. I would sit and rock her while asking her to be patient and understanding till I got the hang of being a mom. Then I would sing this lullaby to her. The first time I ever left her with anyone my husband and I went to the movies and my sister was visiting. We came home and Maggie was crying. My sister said she had cried all evening and wouldn't go to sleep. I took her in my arms and started singing to her and she stopped crying. My sister gave me a mean sister look and said you never told me I had to sing! So this lullaby is for St. Patricks Day and for memories of Maggie who is now 35 as a baby and of my sister who I am sure is looking down and giving me one of her mean sister looks right now!

Spring is Around the Corner

I have worked outside all day cleaning out flower beds and mulching the cabbage, onions, lettuce and strawberries. I got two flower beds mulched and even raked some leaves. Two walls of the bead board are up in the dining room and the other walls are stripped of their old paneling. Its going faster than the bathroom so hopefully it will be done in a few days. Putting oak hardwood flooring down after walls are done. I made a stuffed meatloaf for supper and instead of rewriting the recipe here I am posting the one from my archives. This time I made a much bigger one so I can share with my neighbor Fran. http://hiddenhavenhomestead.blogspot.com/2006/02/stuffed-meatloaf.html I put some shingles on their ramp so they wouldn't slip when coming down it and Vicki is letting me use her grandmothers old rocking chair. It was Fran's mothers. They had it in their storage shed and ask me if I wanted to use it in my livingroom. Of course I said yes. I am going to clean it up and use lemon oil on it. Can't wait to be able to sit and rock. I have always had a rocking chair but seem to have given them to the girls as they had babies. Ordered my curtains and wallpaper border for the dining room today and that will be here in a few days. Going this weekend to look at light fixtures. I have changed my mind several times on what I want. It has been a wonderful sunshiny day here with temps in the 70's. I have flowers popping up everywhere and the trees are starting to bud... spring is right around the corner!

Sheba

Here is Tramp's story: http://hiddenhavenhomestead.blogspot.com/2006/10/tramp.html

But today I get to tell my story. My name is Sheba and I am a rescue dog.

I was sitting in a county animal shelter in the mountains of NC. I only had a couple more days before I would be put to sleep if no one adopted me. I don't think I would have woke up from that kind of sleep. This lady and her little boy and little girl were there looking for a dog. Their dog was lost and they had searched for weeks and still couldn't find it. The little kids really missed their dog and their mom thought another pet might cheer them up. They looked at all the dogs there and even petted me several times before they made up their mind. I was so happy when the little girl told me I would be going home with her! She named me Sheba and I got to sleep in her room. She would dress me up in doll clothes ( I was smaller then) and I would just sit and let her brush my hair and put hair bows in everywhere. I was just happy someone loved me. Months went by and then one day the family got a call that their first dog had been found. They were so excited and brought Jake back home. Jake and I got along fine but whenever I was put outside during the day while everyone was at school and work I started acting out. I would kill the chickens and chase the goats and pig. I would nip at the horses feet and get into big trouble. When I started going to the neighbors and getting into trouble there the family decided I needed a new home. The lady of the house called her mom and ask if I could come stay with her at least for a few weeks till they decided what to do. Well this lady who would become my mom came and picked me up and brought me home. I love it here! I get into trouble sometimes though but mom still loves me. Its just hard not to kill a chicken especially if they fly into our dog lot! If I get to go out of the dog lot I have to be on a leash so I won't chase the cats or go after the neighbors chickens. I try hard not to chase the animals but I just can't resist. Mom told her daughter that she would let me live here and that is good. That means I can still play with the little girl and little boy when they come to visit mom and I get to stay here in my home forever. Lady and I sometimes have arguments but mom settles them right away and we both get into trouble. Most of the time though I am really really good. I love the meat flavored dog biscuits better than the peanut butter ones. I love it when we get some of the bread when they feed the chickens. Today we got to go on a really long walk. We even got to play in the creek and get wet! Tomorrow mom says we are getting baths and haircuts but I think I will like that too. I try to be nice to mom even when she gives me shots or medicine. I know she is trying to take care of me. Mom says I am getting old because the hair on my face is turning white and I am not as active as I use to be. She says thats OK though cause she is old too. I love having Lady and Tramp to play and I think mom loves having me around too. When she tells me good night each evening she gives me a scratch on the head and tells me I am a good girl. Hidden Haven is my home now and forever.

Busy Tuesday

No time for photos today. Had several large soap orders to get out plus had to make more soaps as everything is getting low. Took Fran my neighbor to the grocery store, went to the post office and to feed store to get alfalfa. Took Diva and Nitro on a short walk and we also started on the dining room today. The old piano is out and gone, everything is off the walls and packed up. Getting the bead board paneling in the morning along with the baseboards and trim. Putting a new hardwood floor down and new ceiling tiles. Already have a antique looking ceiling fan picked out. Hopefully this room won't take very long. I am going to try to push getting it done quickly. Sold 3 dozen eggs today and 3 yesterday which is good as the hens are giving me around 22 eggs a day. It was a beautiful day today and I had the back door open all day. 61 degrees and tomorrow is suppose to be 67. As much as I love winter I sure did enjoy the spring like weather today. Tomorrow I will do more photos and stories about the animals but for now its back to packaging soaps. Good Night.
Thought For The Day:
Courtesy and a tolerant, uncritical awareness of others will immediately reward you with a warm response from friends, from family and even from strangers

Lady

My name is Lady and I was a rescue dog. I lived with a deputy and his wife for a long time. They loved me and let me run everywhere. Then they brought a baby home and didn't have as much time for me. I started to get into trouble by digging up the neighbors flower beds and chasing another neighbors chickens. The deputy was going to take me to the pound or worse was going to shoot me! Mom was working in a office when the deputy stopped by with me tied on the back of his truck. Of course mom took one look at me and took me home with her. Before we came to Hidden Haven I had a big dog lot but no trees for shade. Mom and Dad had to make a big shelter to give me shade. When mom moved me to Hidden Haven I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I have a huge lot that I share with Tramp and Sheba but we each have our own house. We have lots and lots of trees for shade and lots of room to play. Each morning we get a dog biscuit before the chickens or goats get anything! We also get to snack on some of the bread that is suppose to be crumbled up for the chickens. Mom makes sure our feeder is always full of dog food and our water buckets are clean and full. She and Dad use to take us for long walks but now she has Sabrina and her daughter Katie walk us but its still fun. Mom comes out and brings us scraps during the day and at night she checks to make sure we are warm and tells us good night. She makes sure we get chew bones and remembers to give us extra treats on holidays. I am glad I live here and hardly ever think of my other family. Tramp is my best buddy. He is a rescue dog that was found in the middle of the road. I can't go anywhere without him as he is afraid I will leave him and not come back. Sheba use to belong to Mom's daughter but she kept getting into trouble with their neighbors and breaking out of her pen. Mom let her daughter talk her into letting Sheba come here but knowing Mom I don't think it took much talking. Mom gets mad if she even thinks someone is being mean to a animal. She really lost her temper when she saw a boy trying to poke Tramp and me with a stick. Mom says that there are too many animals in shelters and pounds. She thinks people that want a pet should go there instead of spending the money at pet stores cause then there wouldn't be homeless animals. So if you ever decide you want a pet to be part of your family please check the shelters and pounds. There are lots of animals hoping someone will love them and give them a home. I bet you won't regret it!

Baby Bunnies and a Failed Photo Shoot

The babies are running around everywhere. When I open the door to feed them I have to be careful that one doesn't fall out as they stand on their hind legs and lean against the door.

They are 4 weeks old today and eating anything and everything they can get to.
Mom is happy staying at the other end of the condo leaving them to their little adventures. Its so funny seeing them grab alfalfa out of each others mouths when there is plenty for everyone.
I tired the photo shoot with Nitro and Diva. Nitro would not wear his shamrock hat for any reason or no amount of cookies. I put the shamrocks on his head and since he couldn't get them off he stood and glared at me. When I tried to put the shamrocks on Diva Nitro grabbed them with his mouth and tried to tear them apart. I put the hat on Diva and Nitro grabbed it and stomped it. I put Diva in her stall and tried to take photos of her with the hat and Nitro kept trying to climb over the gate. Diva stood still and didn't mind the hat but Nitro did not want her wearing it. I finally gave up and will take Diva out of the pen tomorrow and have her own photo shoot without Nitro interfering. The 2 pictures I did get are on the side bar.

Another Saturday Gone Already?

Mrs. Mighty Chicken and Jackie O are almost ready to leave Hidden Haven Hospital and go back to the chicken yard. All of Mrs Mighty Chickens wounds have healed though she is still wearing the purple medicated spray. I won't be putting her back with Mighty Chicken as he doesn't realize he is hurting her. Jackie O is still limping but just a little. They both are laying eggs everyday and doing great. The chickens in the background are the rest of the teen chicks left in the teen dorm. I will be moving more of them tomorrow night to the big chicken yard. The frizzes and bantams will stay at the dorm a little longer to have a chance to eat without the bigger ones pushing them out of the way. I was busy making soaps all day so didn't get any pictures of the bunnies or attempt to put Nitro's St. Patty hat on him. I will save those adventures for tomorrow. Sunday's are a slow day that I enjoy checking the animals and giving any treatments or vaccines that are needed. It should be a good day for photos. Have a great weekend.

Thought For The Day:

Collect memories and tie them up in ribbons to be taken out and read like love letters containing the story of your life.

Another give away! Lisa has gotten a great ideal and is willing to let us all share in it! Click and read all the details. http://heartofthenest.blogspot.com/2007/02/one-world-one-heart.html You will be able to visit different blogs and leave a comment so you will be entered in lots of drawings for lots of stuff! I will be posting my give away the beginning of March so stay tuned. Thanks Lisa for such a great ideal!

Sweety and Valentino

Since it was hard to see the chicks in the photo I took of them in their house I brought them out for a photo session. Valentino is the black one and Sweety is the strawberry blond. They are getting along so well together with very little peeping. They eat, drink, walk around for a few minutes then plop down and fall asleep. Guess its so quiet because there are only 2 of them. I will try to get photos of the bunnies sometime today as they have grown alot! I also have to get Diva and Nitro ready for their Saint Patrick Day photo shoot. If you think getting Nitro to wear a hat is easy.. think again. Diva has gotten use to me dressing her up and knows if she stands still it will all be over soon. Nitro thinks if he doesn't co operate that I will give up and go away. I am more stubborn than a goat!

New Babies

On Valentine's Day Sister decided to hatch one of her eggs. It was a cute little black chick with white chest properly named Valentino. Today Sister Sister not to be outdone hatched one of her eggs. Its a cute little strawberry blond chick named Sweety. They are residing in Bud's old home with a heat lamp keeping them nice and warm. They have eaten, drank and walked around their new home while the cats have sit and watched through the glass. Its like a TV for them. Its nice being able to watch the little chicks through the glass and not have to open up a door to check on them. Bud's old house is perfect!

Bud is still pouting at me for moving him to a new place without talking it over with him first. Each morning I usually talk to him and rub his back. When he is mad or pouting I can't touch him. He hisses at me and swings his tail to let me know he is still mad and to leave him alone. If I keep talking to him he turns around and stands in a corner till I go away.
This will last a few days or a few weeks. When I brought him inside at the end of summer I couldn't touch him for 3 weeks! A iguana with a attitude fits right in around here.

Princess Diva

Once upon a time in the land of Beaver Dam Farms there lived King Bravo And Queen Sylvia.
They were very happy with their life at Beaver Dam and thought nothing could ever change that happiness. But one day Queen Sylvia found out something that would bring even more happiness to her and King Bravo. They were going to have a baby! 5 months later Princess Frosty Diva was born. She lived in the land of Beaver Dam for 3 years before a lady from a far away kingdom come to take her away. Princess Diva was sad to leave her home but excited and happy to start a new life and adventure at Hidden Haven. Princess Diva was truly treated like a princess. All she had to do was cry momaaaaa and the lady would come running to do whatever Princess Diva wanted. Princess Diva soon came to love and bond with the lady of Hidden Haven and the lady loved and bonded with her. Princess Diva had never lived where there weren't others like her but she had the lady and lots of chickens to be part of her herd so she wasn't too lonely. The lady would take Princess Diva on walks. They would spend lots of time together growing closer and closer. Princess Diva loved playing with the chickens, ducks and cats. She wanted to be a mom and have babies of her own. One day the lady of Hidden Haven told Princess Diva that she had found someone just like her that would be coming to live there with them. If Princess Diva liked Prince Nitro from the land of Willow Run then she could marry him and they could have babies of their own. Prince Nitro came to the land of Hidden Haven and was surprised to find he would be sharing a cottage with Princess Diva.

Prince Nitro and Princess Diva took a few days to get to know each other and before they knew it they were in love! They were happy to get married and live in the honeymoon cottage together. Princess Diva was a beautiful bride!
Soon Prince Nitro and Princess Diva had great news for the lady of Hidden Haven. They were going to have a baby or babies in May! Princess Diva was happy that the lady had contacted Beaver Dam so that her family would know she was married and going to have babies. She was also happy to find out the lady was bringing Princess Sammi to Hidden Haven to live. Princess Sammi was born at Beaver Dam too and Princess Diva knew her when they were just kids. But that will be another story for another day. There are always stories to be told at Hidden Haven.

Have a Diva of a Valentine Day

A nice big wet valentine kiss from Ms. Diva and Nitro to each of you!
Here is the lovely Valentine mail I got from sweet Rosa. Thanks again Rosemary!

Happy Valentine Day!!!

My your day be filled with love, friendship,happiness and laughter!

I Got Mail!

I got the cutest valentine card from Rosemary along with a beautiful ATC that she made herself! How this lady finds time to mail a card much less make such a elegant one too. Thank you so much Rosemary! I haven't unpacked my camera yet but when I do I will take a photo and post it.

I made a drive to Lexington, NC to meet William yesterday. We took his niece and great nephew out to dinner then went to visit his daughter and her new husband. It was late by the time we got to bed and had to get up early to do some errands. We visited William's brother and dropped off a couple of computers to be worked on. Did the walmart thing as William is heading to Oregon tomorrow. I took him back to his big truck and headed back home. Sorry Sharon I didn't get by this trip but will explain on the phone tomorrow. (have meeting tonight) Got home in time to do the afternoon feeding. Couldn't believe I got 22 eggs! The baby bunnies are eating rabbit food, lettuce and carrots now. They almost take the food out of each others mouths! Time to move Flower and Thumper to the new condos we had built and divide the babies in the one they are in. Will move the boys to Thumpers side that is if I can tell this early. Its just a rainy day here so going to take a shower and get ready for a meeting. I promise to get back to stories of the homestead animals very soon. Thank you again Rosemary!

Sammi Had Her Babies

Just got a email that Sammi had twins last night. She had a black doe and a spotted buck. If all goes well we will be picking her up the first weekend in March!

Bud's Townhouse

This is suppose to be Bud's (iguana) new home. If you look closely you will see Dimples and Grouchio playing inside. Bud's old house was 4' by 5' and was wood on 2 sides and glass on the other 2. Trouble was the glass was on the sides where he couldn't look outside and he only had one level to climb to. Now he is right at the glass looking out on the backyard. He can see the birds at the feeders and birdbath. He can watch the cats playing outside but most of all he can lay on his shelves and have the sun shining in on him. He loves the sun so until its warm enough for him to go back outside he has the next best thing with his town house. He has the bottom floor for his bathroom, second level to sun or birdwatch, 3 rd level for dining and drinking and the 4th level for his heated bed to sleep. I think as soon as we get the cats out and get his door on he will be very happy to move in. His old house sitting next to the new one is going to be moved to the soap shop and used for a baby chick nursery. With a heat lamp added to it the chicks will stay very warm and cozy and sure beats the cardboard boxes I usually keep baby chicks in the first few weeks. Seems like we are moving on up!

Baby Bunnies

The above is a photo of Doe and Ray. Doe is the sleepy black one and Ray is the gray I want to bite your finger one.
The above photo is of Mee. The quiet meek one of the group,
Faa (in the above photo) reminds me of the god father. He/it seems to sit back and command the others in what to do.
Soo looks like he is saying so when I pick him up for a photo. (above)
Laa looks like he needs to go work out in the gym. He /she is a butterball and loves to be in the middle of all the others to sleep.
And the above photo is of Tee. Tee is the runt of the litter and doesn't have the thick fluffy fur like his brothers and sisters but is the most feisty and squeals the loudest when picked up. The babies are running around and driving Flower crazy I am sure. She is being such a good momma.
It turned cold and windy this afternoon so Diva got to wear her new goat blanket. Nitro didn't want Diva to be the only one in the picture so pushed his way in front of the camera.