Akima at Work

 

Akima joined Steve's meeting this morning :) Hope she was quiet!

Once There Was a Snowman ...

In the sun he melted, melted, melted. In the sun he melted, small, small, small. And that's the end of the snow!

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Alaric laid down on the snow to make a snow angel, but was pounced on by Akima!

Success! Snow angel complete! Now for a snowman...

Barrett worked on the upper body - he rolled it all by himself!

Steve used the snow shovel and brought the snow to Alaric to shape the lower body. Yes, we still have our snow shovel from over 35 years ago when we lived in the West!! It comes in handy now and again - although it usually isn't used for snow!

The body is complete. Now for the head.

Here's the head!

And we have a Texas snowman!

Oops, apparently he needed gloves too :) Now he's finished!

It's a Snow Day in Texas!!!

It only snows here about once a decade, so when I woke up during the night I had to take a photo from the porch!

We ended up getting about 2 inches of snow on the cars :)

The animals weren't too thrilled with either the cold or the snow.

Braxton had to take his Jeep out to check on the roads just for fun. School was cancelled and most businesses closed so both Steve and Braxton are working from home today and tomorrow. Houston drivers CANNOT drive in snow and they don't have any snow removal equipment. Even Galveston got snow on the beach!

Alaric and I went for a walk around the property and took some photos. I gave him one of my old cameras and he took some photos too. What a fun snow day!

Alaric loves getting his picture taken!

Braxton built a very nice firepit back by his house. It sure looks a bit different with snow - normal for other places, but not here!

Sourdough Bread

I started a couple of loaves of sourdough bread last night before I went to bed. This one is a white cinnamon swirl loaf and it is delicious! I made it to use mostly for toast :)

The other loaf is a whole wheat multigrain sourdough loaf. Steve loves multigrain bread, so I'm trying to find a recipe he likes better (or at least as well) than the one we buy from the bakery. This turned out ok, but not good enough in my opinion.

Akima's Stitches Were Removed

Akima had the stitches removed from her cropped ears this morning. They gave her some light anesthesia and she was a sleepy girl on the way home from the vet. I usually take her to the vet in a puppy purse (the red and black plaid one in the background), but I didn't zip her all the way back into it on the way home. She was cuddled up in a blanket to support her head and was quite comfortable. I'm sure she'll hate her new bandages when she fully wakes up though!

Bella and the Bull

It's so good to have Bella back home! I missed her! Her coat has really thickened up - just in time for next week's cold weather. She's interested in Akima, but Akima is nervous around her. We'll have to see how that goes as Akima gets bigger. I'll have the vet do a blood test in a month to see if she is pregnant - fingers crossed! Mr. Clark dried her up since she was there so long, so no more milk until she calves.

This is the bull that Bella has been visiting while on holiday :) He's a Belfair bull, meaning he is a cross between a Jersey and a Dexter, making him a bit smaller. I would have preferred to breed her to a full Jersey bull, but Mr. Clark recently sold his Jersey bull and bought this one. He is A2/A2, so the calf will be A2/A2, even if it will only be 3/4 Jersey. You can't see it in this photo, but he has a bit of brindle coloring as well. Oh, I sure hope she is pregnant this time!! She has been at the breeder just over 5 weeks so she was there long enough to catch two cycles. I'm praying he did his job!

Turkey Tail Mushroom

I found this mushroom on the edge of our driveway. It has beautiful colors! I looked it up on the internet to see what it was and found out it is edible. As much as I like eating mushrooms, I'll just enjoy looking at it though :)

Walk with Akima

We took Akima on a walk around the property this afternoon. She had to explore and sniff everything! She loved it! Her ears were re-taped yesterday and she's doing well without the cone of shame so we'll see how that goes for the next few days. She still has another week before the stitches are removed.

Christmas Aftermath

 

The Christmas tree was finally taken down and returned to the woods today. It was definitely beyond its time! Steve has been sick with bronchitis and hasn't felt up to doing much all week. The needles were extremely dry and fell off in piles as Steve removed the lights.

Saying Goodbye to Sabre

 

Sabre hasn't been doing very well for awhile now, which is why we started looking for a puppy. But she really went downhill over the past week or so. We knew the time was coming but thought we still had more time. Over the weekend she lost interest in eating her food and we knew it was time. We told the boys she was going to heaven and they came over to tell her goodbye. 

It was a beautiful sunny day even though it was in the mid 40's. Sabre's favorite thing to do is lay in the sun - she has always been a sun worshipper! So I took a blanket outside and we sat together on the grass for an hour or so, snuggling together.

Our vet came over and we let her go while we sat snuggling. It was a peaceful, although difficult, experience. We will miss her so much! Sabre was the best dog! I'm sad she wasn't able to mentor Akima.

Akima Got Her Ears Clipped

Akima had her ears clipped today. She's been quite drowsy and hates the cone of shame she has to wear! 
 

We Have a New Puppy!

 

This is Akima (pronounced uh-kee-muh). We drove clear to Arkansas to get her! When we got to the breeder's home, she ran right to me while the other puppies were oblivious to us. She's so sweet! She's an AKC registered Doberman and she is 8 weeks old.

She didn't appreciate being kenneled in the car for the 8 1/2 hour trip home, but we stopped every couple of hours and let her out and she didn't have a single accident.