One Year Old!!

 One year ago today, I was pretty certain that it was the long-awaited puppy day. I was super excited, but I had to go to work. I hustled home right after work, and sure enough, Breeze had dug a little den under my front porch and had 6 beautiful puppies. I brought them inside and set them up in the whelping box. I was pleased - 6 was a nice, easy number of puppies. 

Then she had another puppy. I thought, "Okay, 7 is good too." 

8 and 9 arrived close together, and by then I was just laughing and wondering when the puppies would stop coming! 

The answer was that they didn't stop until she had 11!! 

11 puppies is a LOT! But, by God's grace, they all found absolutely awesome homes, and they're all becoming beautiful and wonderful dogs in their own ways. 

Here's what they look like now:

1. Butterscotch Farm Vienna Wafer, "Enna." The girl I ended up keeping. She's around 50lbs. She's a funny, silly girl who loves to play with Breeze and Hazel. She's kind of a background dog, not needing to push in for attention from people, and not at all assertive about toys or her space with the other dogs. She's easy-going and adaptable.

2. Butterscotch Farm Molasses Cookie, "Molly." Molly stayed with me for several months. She now lives in Jay, Maine, with her people, a cat best friend, a Sheltie "brother," and some horses. She's around 50-55lbs, is oh-so-sweet, and is a little nervous about new situations but is learning to adjust.

3. Butterscotch Farm Spritz, "Spritzie." Here's what his owner says about his personality: "Spritzie enjoys long romps in the field, especially diving into really tall grass and then bounding like a deer through it. He also loves all kids, especially his own, his best bud Margot, and sandals - preferably tough, rubbery ones. He lives to shred a roll of toilet paper as well. He loves all the food, and is the only dog we have that will eat brussel sprouts and broccoli. He rarely barks, but when he does, he means business. He has a great recall and likes to please his people. He is very gentle with the house kitties and pet cockatiels. He is a good boy - apart from the shoes and toilet paper."  He's around 50 lbs and lives in southwest Maine.

4. Butterscotch Farm Marguerite, "Pilgrim." She's tiny - around 40 lbs! Her owner says she is "so, so loving. Will sit on you all day if you let her. So smart. Always covered in dried toothpaste because she has to be around the kids all the time (even when they are brushing their teeth and they dribble on her). She loves visiting family members. She loves tug of war, her bones, and going on walks!" She lives in Maine.

5. Butterscotch Farm Peppernut, "Pepper." Pepper is around 45 lbs and lives in Maine. She is very biddable. Likes to destroy Christmas ornaments, though. She can pull a sled. She is learning to do some service work for her owners, detecting anxiety attacks and standing between the little girl and any perceived threats. She is very happy and loveable toward everyone, and is gentle with kids. She has a strong herding drive and likes to howl back at coyotes. 

6. Butterscotch Farm Chocolate Chip Cookie, "Moose." Moose lives in northern Maine, and is one of the biggest pups at around 65lbs. He loves walks and playing with toys, and will jump around like a bucking horse with his rope toy. He brings his toys to his people when he wants to play, and will plop himself on his owners' chests for hugs.

7. Butterscotch Farm Snickerdoodle, "Eula." Eula is a little under 50 lbs and lives in northern Maine. Her owner says her right ear still flops. She ignores chickens, sniffs cats, absolutely loves/licks/snuggles family members. She loves fetch, and gets very excited about horses, dogs, delivery trucks, joggers and baby strollers, though she is slowly getting braver. 

8. Butterscotch Farm Gingersnap, "Ginger." Ginger lives not far away in Maine, and is probably around 50lbs. Her owner describes her as smart and talented - she throws her own toys and then goes and gets them! She is a daddy's girl.

9. Butterscotch Farm Pizelle, "Maisie." Maisie lives in southern NH, and is about 45 lbs. She has had some training, and has even earned her Novice Trick Title, but is going through a rugged adolescence and has "forgotten" all of her commands at the moment. :P She loves to dig, and will sniff around the yard to find the perfect rock to dig up, and will dig up chipmunk holes. She loves playing with her Frisbee, but will destroy fluffy toys. She prefers eating from puzzle dishes rather than regular dishes. She enjoys snuggling. She's learning to be friends with the goats, and tries to get them to play Frisbee with her. She has a favorite blankey that she will drag around to a comfy looking spot, and will sometimes hide underneath to chew on a toy.

10. Butterscotch Farm Macaroon, "Winston." Winston is about 60 lbs, and lives all the way out in California! His owner says he is very inquisitive and super affectionate. He loves licking people's feet (note from Sarah - that definitely comes from Thane!! :P )! He sleeps on his back frequently (that's from Breeze), and even plays with toys while lying on his back. He likes to climb in bed in the morning and snuggle. He likes to chew the eyes out of toys. He's an absolute joy and very sweet!

11. Butterscotch Farm Twill Cookie, "Mac." Mac lives in NY. He is an energetic and very sweet boy who is wonderful with kids.

So there you have it!! I honestly find it so thrilling to hear that everyone loves their puppies and that they're maturing into really nice dogs. <3 

Flowers and a Smaller Purrcy

 Two of the cats had appointments today - Clawdia got a booster shot and a microchip at the vet's, and Purrcy went to the groomer this morning. He's had mats for quite some time, but because he's indoor-outdoor, I waited until it was fairly warm to get him clipped. Lol, I'm pretty sure the dogs think I came home with a different cat - they're following him everywhere and sniffing him. 😂😂😂

Poor Purrcy. He really doesn't seem to mind the haircut, though - it probably feels good to get rid of all that fluff.

I wandered the woods for a few minutes before supper, and spotted tons of wildflowers. I took pictures so that I could identify them using my "Wildflowers of the White Mountains" book. 

Common Cinquefoil:

Common Blackberry:

Bunchberry:

Blueberries:

I think this one is Sheep Laurel, but it could be Bog Laurel. Either way, it will need to be removed from this area, because apparently it's poisonous to livestock, and this is future pasture.

I believe this one is a Starflower:

Canada Mayflower:

Blue-eyed Grass (already closing for the night):

The baby bunnies are super cute now: 

I put Enna up on Thane's rock earlier. I think she appreciated the vantage point. 

And last but not least, I got this super cute picture of Breeze and Hazel when they were waiting to see if I was going to share any my supper. 😂 

Happy Thursday!! :)

Happenings

 I'm behind on updating!!

Here are some things going on around the homestead:

I'm definitely getting goats again this summer, so I'm working on installing better fencing than I had last time. Below is a picture of some of the posts I've cut. I'm using Eastern Hemlock because it has decent rot resistance, and am debarking each post and painting it with Linseed oil to help preserve it.

This shows the idea of how the fence will be set up, though I only had a few rails ready at the time. It'll be 4 feet tall when done, and I can always run hot wire along the top if I need a bit more height.

Because this is obviously very time consuming, I'm planning on only doing this for the perimeter. For creating paddocks within the interior areas, I will probably still cut my own posts, but will use woven wire or stock panels instead of wooden rails to save time. I think the perimeter fence is going to be beautiful, sturdy and unique, though, and I'm very excited about it! 

I got a bunch more Icelandic chicks several weeks ago as a trade of eggs for the use of an incubator. 8 chicks are reserved for purchase by someone, which will be the first money I've made from the birds in 3 years of owning them! 😂 

I also had my first rabbit kits born on the farm, and I'm absolutely in love with them. ❤️ Sadly, I lost a doe and her 7 kits during a heat wave a few days before that - she miscarried and I think she died from the heat and stress combined. So I was very relieved when the other doe kindled (gave birth) without issue. It's a small litter of 3, so they're all little butterballs, lol.

Clawdia is getting bigger, and is a very sweet kitten. I haven't let her outside yet... maybe after she gets a microchip in a couple weeks. 😝 I think she's going to be a good hunter.

Lol, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "HOW many dogs do you have?" I feel like I have to add the qualifying word "currently" when I answer that - as in, "I currently have 5 dogs." 😂 I only had 4 last week - Molly came back from a trial home this past Thursday, so now I'm back up to 5. She will be meeting another prospective owner soon, though, so we shall see.

Another dog update, and one that I'd appreciate prayer about is this: I've been having an issue with Breeze, Molly and Enna that could be something that would cause me to retire them from breeding. Right before Molly left for her trial home, I noticed a little depigmentation on her nose. In her new home, it flared up significantly, to the point that her person brought her to the vet. She was put on antibiotics in case it was some sort of infection. Meanwhile, Enna and then Breeze developed the same condition, though less severe - some roughness around the edges of the nostrils and inside them, and some depigmentation (pink spots on what should be black). This can be a sign of a type of dog lupus, so I was very concerned and had a biopsy done on Enna. Unfortunately, it was not definitive. Molly seemed to respond well to the antibiotics, and her nose appeared to be back to normal by the time she came home to me. Enna's nose is improving. Breeze's still looks a little rough, but I think is getting better. I'm honestly not sure what to do next, and my vet wasn't sure either... I don't know if, out of an abundance of caution, I should give up my plans to breed Breeze and Enna, get them spayed and place them in pet homes?? Or assume it was just something environmental since all 3 got it around the same time?? Whatever they have certainly is not a devastating health issue in the form in which it presented, but if it is hereditary, I don't know if the next generation could get a worse case of it??

So you can see my dilemma and my need for God's wisdom and guidance. I really wanted to get one more keeper female from Breeze this fall, and I was very excited about breeding Enna when she is old enough. But I can't, in good conscience, breed either of them if it is lupus.

This is how Enna's nose looked shortly after I noticed that she had the mystery condition:

Everyone seems otherwise happy and healthy. Hazel is 21 weeks old, and weighs around 33-34 pounds now. Enna was around 48 lbs at 10 months. 

Here's Hazel: 

Oh, and this is unrelated, but I thought it was pretty neat - I was walking down my driveway the other day and saw a couple pumpkin or squash sprouts poking up. I had been given a lot of pumpkin and squash for the animals last fall, and dumped a bunch of them near the truck. Even though the soil is fairly packed and very coarse and sandy, these seedlings still came up. ❤️ I moved them to some better soil, and they're doing well. Lol, at this rate, they might be my entire garden this year! 😂 They make me smile, though.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far! Happy Wednesday! 

Life is Full of Surprises

 Apparently I own a duck now. 

I got home from work, said hi to the dogs, and went down to do my chicken and rabbit chores. All of a sudden the chickens started fluttering and squawking, and I saw movement outside, along their run. 

It was a duck, just wandering around and quacking. 

I keep a fishing net by the coop to help catch the occasional errant chicken, so I grabbed that, and after a brief chase, cornered her and captured her. 

I'm pretty sure she's a Khaki Campbell, the breed I used to have. I set her up in a dog crate with food and water, and tomorrow will stop at the neighbors' and see whether they lost a duck. If not, she's probably here to stay! 😝 

One weird thought has crossed my mind... it's been almost exactly a year since I thought I lost my final two ducks to predators. What if one actually survived and flew away... and she somehow came home again??? 😯 

We shall probably never know.

Anyway, happy Surprise Duck Day!

Introducing Clawdia!

The cuteness level has gone up again at Butterscotch Farm! Last week, a friend who works at TNR (trap-neuter-release) clinics sometimes sent me a picture of this cutie. I'd been debating getting one more kitten... and that picture sealed the deal. 

I picked her up this past Friday, and she is already well on her way to ruling the household...all 2 pounds of her. 😝 

She's talkative, and enjoys a good snuggle after she's run off some energy. The other animals took some adjustment time (Breeze thinks new kittens look tasty for a couple days 😳 ), and Bartholomew and Purrcy were pretty grouchy at first. Now everyone seems to like her... I just have to make sure Hazel doesn't play too rough with her.

Not much else is going on... just spring cleanup and planning the warm weather projects. There are potentially more critter plans for the summer and fall, so stay tuned! 

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone's week is going well so far!! 😊

Home Away From Home

This post is going to be a little different than usual...this is a special request from my Mom. Today we had an Open House at my parents' house after church, celebrating 25 years since my Dad became the Pastor of this church. Because the house looked so nice, she wanted me to take some pictures. This house is a real picture of the grace of God - an 1800s farmhouse, it was in such rough shape when we first came to NH that the church almost decided to tear it down and start over. They ended up stripping it to the studs and renovating it instead. So this is the house where I grew up from the time that I was 10 until I moved to Maine, and this is where Thane lived for his first 3 years. I still visit on almost a daily basis, as the house is very close to church and to my job. Enjoy the tour!

The living room:

The beautifully organized laundry room/pantry:

The green bottle came from the back yard - there's tons of antique stuff back there that previous owners just threw away!

The hallway:

Master bath:

Master bedroom:

My Mom's work area. In addition to keeping up with the household stuff, she writes ladies' Bible studies and finagles tons of organizational/scheduling stuff for the church, such as the bulletins, calendars and directories.

My brother's room:

Upstairs bathroom:

My younger sister's room:

My older sister's room. This was my room for a couple years before I bought my land and moved out to the homestead. We converted the unfinished second floor of the barn attached to the house into a bedroom. The first floor is Dad's woodworking shop. Dad made the epic oak door at the top of the stairs, as well as the built-in bookshelves.

The kitchen:

The TV screen below is not normally there; it was playing a slideshow of photos from the past 25 years at this church.

So there you have it...a tour of a refurbished 1800s New England parsonage! :)

I hope everyone had a great Sunday!!!