My Fav Silversmith is doing a give away!

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What Did Crazy Husband do???? or.... PRESENTING LEVI !!!!

So my birthday is coming up.... The big 30!  
I told Crazy Husband that I was tired of never getting any nice (meaning any) presents or doing anything fun!   I ASKED for a night out on the town with friends and for him to take me dancing and to buy me something nice that I would cherish....  

Instead he informed me he needed a chunk of cash!
Why...  because he was going to buy me something for my birthday he said he never would ever buy me!
    I thought it was going to be a PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He heads off the next night telling me he will be late...  and comes home and informs me he is
going to show me a picture and take me to see my present because it wont be ready until July! 

It wasnt a puppy!

HE BOUGHT ME A MINIATURE HORSE!  

Presenting: 

LEVI

He is a 2 month old Paint Miniature Horse.

His left eye is marbled blue.

At first I was in shock and terrified... I've never had horses of my own..  All my experience is with other peoples horses at their places....  ALL of my experience is with BIG HORSES...  these little guys are TINY!     Its been 4 days of visiting him and I am totally in LOVE.   He adores being brushed and is having to learn that when the human stops brushing you cannot nip or paw her to get her to brush more!   Hes like a big PUPPY!   He is learning "NO"  and to ask nicely for attention.  I melt when he  oh so gently snuffles my hadn to get me to brush him some more!      I am trying to convince Crazy Husband that he will be lonely here all by himself(he wont come home for  a few months! )   and we need to get his half brother....  I think if it happens I will name him Wrangler or Ariat....   NO ONE has mini foal halters around here... I got lucky and put an ad on craigslist and someone had one to sell me... and I was offered another little mini mare!   I just cant see affording her right now though.   Shes pretty but NOT handled much,  worries me because they have to be safe for the Crazy Boy to be around!        Now we are rushing to get everything figured out and ready for him!

Happenings....

Time slips away to fast!   

Suffering from drought and a broken tiller the garden isnt even done... 

Father-in-law came out and planted tomatoes in the raised bed at least.

Got a "flower bed" built in the yard for peppers, parsley, basil and an atrichoke and rosemary.

Have chicks coming out my ears...  even though my hatch rates are horrible!  

2 hens hatched chicks and one more is setting. 

Trying to get baby bunnies AGAIN.

Bought a new Holland baby at a show recently... housepet :-)

succumbed to guinea pig itis...

A pair of Silkie Guinea pigs- the girl is fat pregnant.

They already scream for treats regularly.

Neighbor busted out a window on the house with the mower...

Replaced it with smaller better suited window. 

We have another batch of kittens uggh...

Put my doves outside in their big cage hoping they would nest and raise babies

That stupid wild cat killed all of them!

Wild cat is only tolerated because he/she never bothers our animals.

Tolerated no more!

We have peaches on our tree this year!   Not many but exciting!

Father in law has plums and apricots too! 

Aunt has pears

Friend has apples.

Hoping for a nice haul to can this summer.  

Hoping my ummph holds out.

Hmmm have I forgotten anything?

The Year Texas Burned....

2011....   Record breaking drought...  and wildfires.  
We are luckily pretty safe where we are at.  Enough cottonfield and tended cropland surround us to keep fire at bay if needed....    Its pretty scary right now.   So dry breathing is uncomfortable.    The sirens of the firetrucks are a common occurance even here.   Some areas are getting hammered with horrible fires.   Today we had a fire around the corner from us.   Arson to make it even worse... kids...   burned a yard and a line of pine trees.   Standing outside chatting with a neighbor we saw the smoke puff and then the plume of fire above the trees and rooftop.   Scary.   Tuesday on the way home I passed the burned patch of a small grassfire along the highway....  smoking and starting to burn again.  I called it in and they said it was put out a few hours before.... missed a spot I guess.    We pray for rain.... and the safety of all the firefighters.   I have never experienced fires in Texas that I remember them bringing in airplanes to fight with...   Its always been forrest and mountains that needed that!      

On a more positive note..... we have chicks in the brooder home hatched... hatch rate wasnt so hot. 9 of 25 eggs.   Another big batch in the incubator.   Moved the incubator out of thehouse into the barn....  we shall see how they hatch out there...  downsized the rabbit cages to make room for chick raising....   Still no bunny babies.  Hoping to make it to a show about an hour away and consider adding some stock.    Got our first turkey egg today.   Cant WAIT to raise turkey babies!   Considering getting out of raising ducks...  of course if I get any to hatch that may change....  they are tooo cute.. until they grow up.    Having to redo a bird run this weekend...   Oh and we have doves now!  Diamond doves.   Hoping they settle in and raise babies soon.  

Probably lotsmore to talk a bout... but too much to get done for now.  

Incubator goodness.....

I survived the back injury ordeal...  2 weeks of misery and I am still ouchy from time to time and weak when it comes to bending and picking anything up.  I hate it! 

But I have good news!   The stryfoam incubator I had that got mauled by chickens while sitting outside drying after a hatch?!  Its rebuilt nice and fancy!   I enlisted the help of a cabinet maker named Davy that I went to high school with.   He was talking on facebook about making jewelry boxes and I sent him my request and he was willing to take it on!   For a mere $30 my incubator is running again!   (He did say if I did another one it would be more... haha.  seems it was more complicated than he thought.)   So introducing:

  I had to install the fan today.   I tried a smaller one and no go.... took forever to come up to temp.  So I went with the original computer fan setup I had before but made a deflevtor and now it is coming up to temp a LOT faster.  I still have to find something for the bottom to hold water but its awesome!  

There is no finish on it... I am going to pick up a little woodburner kit tommorow and "draw" a little.  thinking some chickens and feathers burned into it and then stain and seal it.    It is too dang cool!   Eventually I may just take the other styro one to him too  and have him make another!   If anyone needs an awesome incubator bo built I know the man for the job!  

I am hoping to be better about updating soon....  trying to be more organised....   not an easy thing for me.. the queen of frazzled!   Trying to get the garden actually started and going....  Did figure out the mint AND the oregano came back!  YAY!    Going to be busy though.. my little cowboy starts horseback riding lessons tommorow!   He is soo  excited!   Next school year he is elligable for boy scouts and then in a couple years 4H....  I cant wait!   Hoping he stays interested in the things I am looking forward to!   

Goodnight Y'all!

Ouch.... and incubator thoughts.

So yesterday I didnt even mention that I hurt myself.

Bending down to pick up a little box I felt a rubberband twange type sensation in my lower back.
Woooweee! About put me on the ground! This morning I was in even more pain. My sweeheart helped me get dressed. A visit to the doc was in order. Muscle Relaxers, Painkillers and a steroid shot and I am home laid up. Moving hurts, walking is miserable, sitting... miserable. Laying down is uncomfortable, but I can find ways to lay that dont hurt. I am NOT liking this!
AND
I am BORED....
So I am thinking of designs for an incubator... I have a almost new little giant incubator that the stryfoam was damaged where it cant be used. Um.. seems chickens think stryfoam is tasty...
I am trying to think of ways to use the guts of this incubator and make another nice one... wish I could move enough to get it done..haha.









But until then I shall think, and nap. Think its about naptime now.... meds are making me sleepy!

Wildfire....

Today has been a heck of a day... and its not over yet!

We got moving early to get some work done outside before the wind picked up.   I got another pen set up for the little dog so I could get my chicken pen back.  (Now that they are back in their pen they keep escaping dang it!)
Hubby got the mower going and scalped part of the garden.  
We had to get ready for a benefit lunch we were asked to attend and the wind was picking up.
A strong howl by the time we got to lunch it was raging when we got home.
It has howled all day long.  
And the wildfires started all over the region.   5,000 acres burned west of us before contained,  as I type there are numerous out of control wildefires, Borger was evacuated we heard,  Matador evacuated and last report was Roaring Springs was under watch.   Fires by Earth, Colorado City, Midland, Post.
A few small fires in our immediate area.   The wind is dieing down finally,  but its hard to relax and I worry we wont get much sleep tonight.   So much dust in the air its coating my laptop as I type.  Its horrible!