Babies in the Fox Den

My friend Dixie sent me these wonderful photos from her neighbor around the corner who is lucky enough to have a fox den and snapped these great photos of the kids!

We had a fox den in the pasture next to us a few years before the horses got there, and it was fun to watch them chase each other and play.  So far this year no baby deer in the pasture, but Geisha did bring home a baby rabbit, but it's back in the nest with its siblings and I have made sure she won't be able to get to them again.  Yoga on the Mountain was canceled due to rain and is rescheduled for May 26.  Next up, Mother's Day Botanical Garden Tour!

 

 

 

 

Bob Finally Gets His Birthday Present!

Last Night was the Renaissance concert at Variety Playhouse.  This is Renaissance singing one of my favorites "Mother Russia".   The concert was set for last October, but was canceled and rescheduled for last night. Got home at midnight, was a longer concert than expected.  They have not been here since the '90s, but we can always catch them on a trip home at the Keswick since Annie Haslam lives in Doylestown.

Lots of things coming up, this weekend Yoga on the Mountain, in two weeks the Atlanta Botanical Garden tour, and Jacqui's 50th birthday!!

Nesting Material

For all my chow friends out there whose dogs are now blowing their coat, do not throw that stuff in the trash!  If you don't spin your own yarn with chow fur which has been labeled comparable to angora, then stuff it in the trees as nesting material for the birds.  They love it, especially the chicadees!

My First Ruby Throat Sighting Today

These were last summer's videos, the most hummers we had ever seen at one feeder!

Quiet Easter Weekend

The pasture is in full bloom with a wildflower that I cannot find in my guides and will have to take a piece to a nursery to find out what it is, but it is beautiful and the bees love it

The bird' nest above with my collection of feathers cradles my prized Screech Owl egg left in the nestbox last year.  The owls are already back and starting their next brood.

The moss is greening up, trillium are starting to unfurl.  It was in the 70s Easter weekend, balmy and nice

For Easter breakfast I made sauteed apples, almonds and a sauce to put over the . . .

. . . julienned crepes

Add a latte and it's the perfect breakfast

Just ask Geisha who is in her usual position to get scraps from the coffee table

Lots of things are now in bloom.  Rain came in later on Easter, so we went to see "Lincoln" a wonderful movie which taught me a lot about politics and the Civil War.

Amadeus is Safe!

Amadeus is a 50 lb. young, black male that was scheduled to be pts today, but thanks to Julie Wilson of TN and transporters April and Rich McMahon and myself, Amadeus made it all the way to Nashville on Sunday from Cochran, GA.

It's obvious he had an owner, he was well-groomed, nice teeth, but had been on a golf course for three weeks with a harness and collar, but was not chipped.  He was very quiet on the whole trip.  I let him out of his crate for the drive with me and he liked looking out the windows.  April walked him and picked him up to put him in the car, no problems.  He is going to make someone a wonderful companion and when Julie gets better photos, you will see how beautiful he is!

First "Raw" Weekend

It all started with our holistic trainer Anna Betina sending me to Fido's Market. www.fidosmarket.com and www.facebook/FidosMarket.  Last week I spent three hours talking to Michelle about a raw diet for our pack.

 

Raw goat's milk was "prescribed" for Wong who has kidney disease, but it is good for all the dogs.  Until Vineyard Farms in Powder Springs has their 1/2 gallons ready for sale in a couple more weeks, Wong is the only one getting it. It will be more affordable at the farm and all dogs will get it.  I will have to add honey and cinnamon to make it like the one I'm buying at Fido's. I did make my own "Frosty Paws" with raw milk, pumpkin and apple sauce and it was a hit.  I had tried yogurt and peanut butter before, not a hit, so I am happy they like the goat's milk.

Blue Ridge Beef is in Statesville, NC, so when I move I may be able to buy this direct.  Each dog gets one pound a day, half in the morning and half in theevening.  First day was chicken, next day beef.  There are tubes of  the meat, meat with bones, and organs which you divide and mix.  These tubes come frozen, so you have to plan a couple days ahead to defrost and put in a pan because it is bloody and leaks.

Panda's first taste of his raw meal, doesn't know what to make of it!

I must say, I thought it would smell, be slimy, but it wasn't.  It actually makes their canned dog food look unappetizing.  It takes them longer to eat this because they have to chew, which cleans their teeth.

It can actually be a messy breakfast.  They are acting like kids and playing with their food!  Best to feed them outside!

Next to Wong, Roman loved his the most.  Why won't you put more in my bowl??

Geisha was skeptical, but once she started eating, started to like it more and more.  She was more fond of the chicken than the beef, though.

Princess was another messy eater, rolled hers in the dirt before eating it and took her good old time like Geisha.  I guess the girls didn't feel lady-like eating raw, but that will change!

Princess is not too lady-like here, showing her "wolf" face and acting like a wild dog!

 So there we have our first raw weekend, and they're back to "Taste of the Wild", which isn't so wild after all and more like going through the drive-through at McDonald's, which they like, but is not all that good for them.  Their treats are being changed to soft-cooked eggs and tripe, no more Pupperoni or Trader Joe's Chicken Sticks.  They are lucky I'm not wealthy or they would be eating raw every day and processed food would never touch their lips again (don't think they have lips, but . . . ) you get the gist!