Hank Jr. asks, ......

"Does this mule make my butt look big?"

It was -24 the morning I took this picture ---- pretty frosty, aren't they?!?!

Ruby ...... Oh, Ruby.

FINALLY, here is a picture of my new mule, Ruby. She is adorable, don't you agree? ; ) In this picture, she and Hank Jr. have just hauled home a load of firewood (Saturday, January 29, 2011). It wasn't a huge load of wood, but it was hard for them getting it off the lake because we have had a lot of snow and the bobsled was dragging bottom where the lake meets the road. She is a trooper and is really STRONG!

My Temporary Puppy ....

Yes, I had a puppy for a few days, but I knew he would be happier in a different home so I delivered him yesterday on to the next leg of his journey. He sure is a cutie, don't you agree??

I called him TryMe, because he is tri-colored and because he DID 'try me', as all puppies will do.

Before I brought him home, I wondered if Babe or Cheddar would be less tolerant of him, but it turns out that it was TED! What a riot -- Babe and Cheddar were both much more accepting than I anticipated, but Ted went out of his way -- again and again and again! -- to make sure TryMe knew he was not welcome in Ted's space.

;)

Hello from Sitka!

Hi All,

No time to post photos today -- I'm in a public library in Sitka, soon to re-board the ferry. We have stopped in Sitka long enough for me to buy a souvenier and, more importantly, a chunk of fresh chocolate walnut fudge! Yep, I am losing weight on this trip! ; )

Tomorrow we dock in Ketchikan for most of the day, then on to Bellingham, WA. I will get off there at 8am Friday and catch a shuttle to the airport. I am having a great time but am also ready to come home. I miss my puppies!

Click-a-Pic

Remember, you can click on any of the pics in my blog to enlarge them .....

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alaska is beautiful! Words cannot describe it ... I'm posting a few pictures to help. Everywhere I go, I just want to take off into the mountains to explore!!!!

Did you notice the two bears in the middle picture??? : )

Conference time ....

Hey All. Yesterday was a visit to the hot springs and the ice castle -- very interesting and very Alaska. A young bull moose walked right through the hot springs grounds -- I got lots of pictures. Also got to see sled dogs and trail-ride horses there, so I got my animal 'fix'. Sorry, but I can't post pics from this computer -- not sure when I might be able to again, but for now it's just text (*boring!*). Conference starts this morning -- 8-5:30 for the next three days -- YEA!

Oh, yeah .....

And I forgot to mention, it really doesn't ever get dark here! That's why I am up in the middle of the 'night' sending email and posting on my blog .... the sun is still shining. And I'm not kidding! ; )

Yep .... it's so beautiful here!

I am having a FANTASTIC time in Alaska! I have spent the last three days touring the area between Fairbanks (central AK) and Valdez (Prince William Sound/south AK). We toured a salmon fishing boat, a self-sufficient community, talked to a young-ish couple who live off the land, toured the pipeline, looked at lots of cool plants and birds, have seen a MILLION beautiful scenic vistas, saw one grizzly bear ! and several moose ..... and have eaten incredibly good food (and lots of it). MAN, I have had a great time already! Tomorrow is free, then it's back to a packed schedule full of fun. More details later! klt

And if you are wondering where I **will** be soon ....

You might want to check my blog more often for the next month or so, as I will try to post information about my travels. I will be heading to Alaska next week and will be gone until mid-July. I hope to take a lot of pictures and have great fun adventures!

Here's the abbreviated version of the itinerary: Fargo to Fairbanks, tour of Valdez and vicinity, tour of Denali and vicinity, Juneau over July 4th, inside passage ferry, then Seattle back to Fargo. I am really really REALLY excited ..... !!!!

Oh, yeah, and a tree fell on my house ....

This happened back in May -- it's all turned into firewood now (and a lot of brush for my next bonfire -- YOU'RE INVITED!). Didn't hurt the roof (primarily because the roof is already in pretty rough shape ...).

I cut up all of the parts that were on the house (and car) all by myself!!!!! Good friend Johnny helped with the main trunk part, plus he dropped the next box elder in the row, which as you can see in the pic, was just WAITING to fall on the house next.

Look how cute my garden shed is now that the tree is out of the line of sight! A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Oh, yeah, you might be wondering why my car was parked in the drive rather than in my spanky swanky new garage?? Well, I had been out and planned to go out again later so just parked in the driveway. Despite the fact that there was a branch larger than my calves (yes, Carole, those are LARGE!) jammed into the ground less than 2' in front of my car, there was virtually no damage to the car at all. I lead such a wonderful charmed life!!!

Babies on the farm ....

Wondering where I've been hiding?? Well, here's a couple of clues .....















OK, so that's three clues. 1. playing with baby lambs on the farm, 2. playing with adorable puppies on the farm, and 3. canoeing the Mississippi River and relaxing with friends.

Updates ....

Hey Ya'll,

OK, so I've gone from bad to worse when it comes to updating this blog ..... But here are a few pics to bring you up to speed on what's happening on the farm.

First, one of the finished garage .... which I LOVE! (Don't ask me what Chet is doing .... besides looking ridiculous!)















Second, the old barn finally came down right before Christmas. The north end is still somewhat upright .... I hope to collect some of the boards and use them in the house remodel .... someday.















Third, Beth got a new puppy (Sage), and Cheddar denies liking her but it's obvious that he does:















And lastly, a nice picture of my 'front yard oaks' on a recent frosty morning:














Been busy hauling wood home, too, with the horses --- maybe pics of that sometime "soon".

Temporary House Cats .....

Recently I hauled in firewood .... so had the basement door open for an extended period of time .... and my curious boys (Spot and Ted) let themselves into the house .... and decided that the dog beds really aren't dog beds at all .... that they are CAT beds .... and that they (Spot and Ted) are very fond of this life of luxury ..... (As always, you may click on the picture to see a larger version.)

And one peaceful shot of a recent sunset over Loon Lake .....

I am SO lucky to be able to live in such an amazing place.

Nothing in the world better than puppies .....

Johnny's puppy, Bear. Adorable (but not quite as cute as my joyful Cheddar ...)

Garage Update

Well, if I had known how exciting a new garage would be in my simple life, I would have built one years ago! ; ) Anyway, here are some updated pictures ......

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????

Those of you who know me best will be surprised to learn that my garage ... which I have been talking about for 12 years ... is FINALLY being built! This is so exciting that I can barely even *type*! Check out these photos:

Well, I've been gone a while .....

How could it be that I have not posted new news for more than six months???? Trust me on this: it is not because I have been sitting around doing nothing! Let's see .... in the last six months, I have:

• survived a snowy and cold winter, including doing chores twice a day, every day, hauling a lot of wood into the house and a little ash out of the house, AND some great skiing
• spent Christmas with my family in Indiana
• gone to Myrtle Beach with my wonderful sisters and their families
• gotten sent to the ER by one of my horses (Hank Jr. accidentally kicked me in the chest) (and, yes, I am SURE it was an accident)
• taken on more work than I can possibly do .... (a.k.a., "why can't I say no?")
• learned a lot more about farming with horses and mules, including using Hank Jr. to move big round bales of hay (no, it's not unfair to him: if he wants to eat, he can do a little work to earn it)
  
• caved in and got a satellite dish
• taken about a million walks with my adorable puppies
• started a blog to sell eggs (check it out at http://sites.google.com/site/karentheegglady/)
• gotten the bids to move forward on building the much-anticipated new garage
• and gotten back into a healthy workout routine

All in all, it was a good winter. Spring is now well underway, the pastures are growing, the horses (and dogs and cats) are fat, the hens are laying eggs like crazy, I have 10 baby chicks (so cute!), and I am planning on getting a batch of chickens to raise for meat soon. I'm shopping for a new horse (or two) .... it's an addiction, I guess.

Speaking of addictions, have you seen a picture of my dog, Chet? I'll attach one here for your viewing pleasure. Oops -- looks like I couldn't stop at just one! Isn't he absolutely adorable??? He is pure joy.

First Annual
Draft Horse Field Day,
Fergus Falls -- at Lindig Farms




1. Look at those straight furrows!!

2. Me driving mules .....

3. Johnny O. driving my three percherons .....

4. Johnny with my three and me ahead with his mules .....

5. Me grinning like an idiot .... because I just love plowing!! ; )

(click on any photo to enlarge it)