Echo gets a new roommate.

It was the day before Christmas and Echo got a new roommate.

I thought it was time that Echo and Dandylyons spent some time together. Dandylyons is a good influence for horses because she's so calm and steady. I plan to walk Echo around the farm yard and expose him to scary things and it would be so much easier if Dandylyons is with us.

But first I have to get them bonded. The only other time she was with him, he chased her and she's never forgiven him for it. She spent the night in a small pen next to a him. This morning I let her out and she went right into the barn to clean up all the hay bits on the floor.

We have been storing hay in there. Echo will not go in the barn and so the hay was perfectly safe from him. We had to move it into the next stall because Dandylyons would try to eat it all at once. Echo watched her and was very interested, but would not go in.

Brad tried to coax him in but I don't think he'd go in the barn even if he was starving. He does have less cozy shelter in the pasture that he uses.

Dandylyons keeps close to Brad and Echo acts indifferent to her.

She remembers people, other animals and events really well. She kept a close eye on Echo.

Teddy wanted to herd her about really bad.

It was pretty hard to leave her there, but I trusted Echo not to hurt her. She peeked between the boards and mooed as we drove off. Later I checked them and this is what I saw in the corner pen!

On Christmas day the two new roommates were getting along really well. Echo shared his hay with her and not once did he put his ears back. After they ate I had Brad come over and we turned them out....big mistake! Dandylyons started walking in the direction of the other cows and Wildairo. Echo wouldn't leave us so we sat in the Jeep and then he left to catch up to her and that's when we saw his dark side.

He was horrible. He galloped up to her then raced passed bucking and kicking his feet in her direction. She started trotting in an effort to escape and that really set him off. If she just stood still he would have settled down but she decided to make a dash for the trees and took off at a canter. She only walks slowly these days so I was pretty upset to see Echo making her canter. I don't know what he was trying to do and I don't think he had a plan either. Once she got to the trees she was safe from him.

She found some tasty weeds there.

Echo was waiting for her to break cover.

We brought them back in. I will try turning them out again in a few days and see if he can behave himself. She's too old to be chased by some young scallywag.

I have many photos and farm adventures I want to write about and badly need to catch up and will do.

Our Australian Shepherd pup knows cows!

We have been walking the cows out to pasture every morning and bringing them home in the evening. It has given Teddy lots of practice with working the cows.

I walk ahead with Dandylyons and when I get to the road, Brad lets the herd out. I call them when they come into sight and Teddy keeps them in order from behind. Here is Dandylyons walking with me.

We have to put Echo away twice a day because the cows walk past his field and he creates a bit of a ruckus. He has always come in with no trouble or he'll let me catch him in the pasture. This morning he was running, bucking, and didn't want to be corralled. He has been such a good boy; I don't know what got into him this morning because he was going really crazy. Soon as he galloped into the corral, William slammed the gate closed before he could race out again. Once again, the little 'wild' mustang was caught...this time without the help of helicopters. Here he is giving me the evil eye.

Here come the cows around the corner. Brad is flanking them on the right and Teddy is working solo behind them, keeping them moving. See two of them fighting...Teddy will not allow that kind of nonsense and quickly barked orders for them to face front.

Dandylyons and I are out standing in our field as we lure the herd across the road. I can hear Teddy's bell jingling and her little quick barks as she gets the stragglers to catch up.

Teddy brings them solo because Brad is too slow and gets left way back. It's amazing how that little pup brings them across the road by herself!

Here is Teddy bring them home in the evening. At first when she got confused, she would run over to Brad for guidance, now she's working independently. One white cow turns and gives her guff, so Teddy is ready for her...ready with a bark and she almost goes in for a nip. There is a Ginger heifer that misbehaves often and so Teddy is extra vigilant with her. Teddy now zig zags behind the cows and will go around them to get ones that wander off back in line. It's wonderful to watch. It all comes naturally to her.

A couple of times, on the way back home the cows have taken off. The first time they took off bucking, jumping and chasing each other, they chased Teddy and so she ran home. A few weeks later, they ran off again and chased her again across the meadow. This time she managed to turn them and Brad was ever so happy to see the cows running back to him with Teddy behind them. Now Teddy's attitude seems to have changed towards the cows, she is braver, more confident and stops trouble before it starts.

This afternoon I stopped in the gateway with Dandylyons to watch Teddy in action. We let the cows run past us into the corral. Teddy did not like Dandylyons standing there and thinking she needed to be with the rest of the herd; she barked at her and tried to nips her hocks. Dandylyons didn't even noticed and I had to tell Teddy that Dandylyons was with us and to back off. I'm so glad we got Teddy. She is so much fun and very affectionate.

Dandylyons has earned her stripes.

Dandylyons finally had her way this year and got to dress up for Halloween as a

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TIGER!

She was so pleased with herself.

She even had a tail.

She became the object of curiosity.....

....which soon turned to ridicule.

Dandylyons didn't care because at the age of 20 she is very comfortable in her skin. Dandylyons and I lead the cattle out to pasture every morning and bring them home in the evening. Even though she was still in her tiger costume the cows didn't care and still followed us; hopefully forever laying to rest the old wives tale that cows don't follow other cows dressed up as tigers. The bloke driving the Budweiser delivery truck slowed down and gave us a cheery wave.

Here we are bringing them home last evening. That's me and my girl in the front.

We make sure they cross the road safely.

This was taken as the cattle, bellies full of high energy feed, stampeded past us to their corral.....I used Dandylyons as a shield and lived to tell the tale.

Brad and Teddy bring up the rear. Teddy is an incredible dog!

But once home, Teddy gets involved in domestic matters....

A week in the life of Teddy.

A week ago today Teddy went to the vets to be spayed. We dropped her off in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon. She was not only spayed but had her vaccines updated and was also micro-chipped.

She did very well and was so pleased to see us when her vet led her into the waiting room. Here she is that same evening. She had a pain pill and was comfortable.

She snuggled up to William when he came home. Right after this picture was taken she was romping with Blondie almost like nothing happened.

She had such a tiny incision and four little pink stitches.

The next day I tried to keep her from rough housing with the other pets as much as I could. Here she is on my bed.

Soon she was going shopping again.

She has started barking at people in stores if they seem to sneak up on her. I think her days as a shopping companion are coming to an end. She's not at all aggressive and tries to hide behind me. If people ignore her she wags her bob tail and sniffs them...it's when people come around corners and surprise her she gets scared. The people who work in the dog friendly stores have been very patient with her trying to make friends, but she remains very shy. I think all the exposure to different places and people have really helped her, but she will always be nervous around new people.

Today Brad took her stitches out and it must have made her feel much better because she raced around the house with her toys most of the evening. We always have our pups spayed before they are 6 months old and have had trouble free healthy girls.

Teddy works hard at having fun.

Teddy is now almost 6 months old and tomorrow she is going to the vets to get spayed. The following are pictures of her third time helping with the cattle. She's an Australian Shepherd and her instincts for cattle are incredible.

When a few of the cows make a break for it Teddy is right on them.

Dandylyons spots me hiding near the oak tree and tries to join me, but she's the wrong side of the fence.

I was trying to keep out of sight... so was Muffin.

Teddy and Brad get Dandylyons turned back.

Teddy keeps her moving.

Brad tells Teddy she's doing a good job.

Dandylyons sneaks the right side of the fence and pleads to me for help. She doesn't like being used as a pup training tool.

Dandylyons reluctantly joins the herd.....

and they all go in the corral.

So much for me trying to make myself scarce....Teddy knew where I was the whole time.

Good pup Teddy!

Fight of the Bumblebee.

Things started peacefully, then the bee spotted someone else who seemed to be really enjoying himself.

Even though he was surrounded with thousands of flowers, the bee lumbered over to see what was so good with this particular flower.

Holding off the other fellow, he tried to have a taste...

but the other chap stood his ground.

So our hero retreated...but not before he gave the little fellow a kick in the head.

The light frost we had didn't do any damage to the garden. I even picked tomatoes tonight. But I think the big frost is about to strike....maybe tonight. I have been enjoying the garden and it's little inhabitants before it's all gone for another year.

Indoor projects have already started. It takes me ages to get things done these days it seems. This piece of furniture, along with the books, have been in Brad's family for over a hundred years and I finally got around to refinishing it. Over the years it had been varnished a few times too many and the old varnish was looking horrible. So I stripped it off and spruced it up. The wood underneath was lovely...oak. I glued down some of the loose scroll work and it looked as good as new.

The project took me three times longer than a job like that would have before. While I was working on it I couldn't help but wonder about all the changes that has happened since it was first brought into the house...two world wars, all the inventions, the babies that were born in the house that have grown old and past on.... I uncovered little repairs that had been made to it years ago. I hope a hundred years from now one of our descendants refinishes it and wonders about us.

All the books in it are over a hundred years old and at least one is 160 years old. They are fascinating to read and we really enjoy them and the other old book in the house.