AL - Recording baby steps: Newest Addition

[JRmom]

Love the doggie pics! Yes, Rio is certainly smiling. Our Humane Society had a small thing yesterday that is annual.... the blessing of the pets. A catholic priest will bless your pet (some years people have brought strange pets!). I have never been... can't see my youngest JR appreciating it much.

We had a low of 50 last night. Had to put sleeves and slippers on for the first time this year to sit out on the porch this morning. It was wonderful.

Have fun camping! Looks like you'll have perfect camping weather.

 

[savingdogs]

That is just the kind of event I enjoy, Barktoberfest. Your photos are cute.

We are getting dips of cold weather at night now too. Fall is HERE......

 

[FarmerChick]

which state park? be sure to dress warm...that weather sure is changing to chilly now lol

 

[i_am2bz]

Wow, it sure has gotten cold all of a sudden, hasn't it?? I wore 2 sweatshirts this morning when I walked Topaz...I think it was in the mid-40's. I'm not ready for this!!!

 

[AL]

A local church here does a blessing of the animals... but I have never had the nerve to take any of my crazy critters!

I love Barktoberfest - go every year. Last year it was pretty small and hardly any crowd so I didn't expect much , but it was absolutely packed this year. Saw lots of money being passed so the HS should be set for a little while.

The trailride is at Blackwater State Forest, about 40 minutes east from my house. They have an area dedicated to horses at Coldwater Creek - stables, marked trails, dog kennels, nice stalls / covered / uncovered paddocks. They have a lot of electrical hookups, a big pavillion, clean restrooms / showers and , if you reserve it for your big group, an industrial kitchen. It is beautiful acreage. They hold bird dog field trials there. If I have a camera other than my cell phone by then I'll post pics.
And I absolutely have dragged out my sleeping bag (it reeeally needs to go to the laundromat) and I have a small ceramic heater that I use camping - because RIo and I will be in a tent.


It was mid-40s here as well - I had to close my bedroom window about 330 this morning because I got cold!


ETA link
http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/blackwater_river.html

 

[AL]

So I have procrastinated about 2 weeks in regards to planting the muscadine vines. One was down at my parent's house where I made a half-hearted effort to take it where it would be planted. The other was left on my porch in its nursery pot. For 2 weeks (or more?). Last night when I got home from work, the dogs dragged the vine across the porch and down the steps into the yard. Once the vine and soil were out of the pot they played with the black nursery pot... it was stomped and chewed on.
Ah well, I should have planted it when I got it! Those dogs are loving this cool weather , especially poor Rio who has been pretty much confined since early July!

Anyway, today my dad helped me get the vines planted and I dragged a cattle panel and some landscape timbers over to set up a fence arbor... but that was as far as I got. The hay man called and said he had hay on the field that we could go pick up. I had to get ready for work so my dad told the guy he'd get the hay if the hay man would use his tractor to load it. Agreed.

Now tomorrow I have to take the consequences of more procrastination - not only do I have to finish the muscadine vines, but I also have to finish rearranging my hay room to get the new hay in there. Fortunately we only got 20 bales this trip. We'll get the other 60 when I can go with my truck and new horse trailer. And hopefully the nephews will be available to help stack

Thinking I have learned my lesson about procrastination? NOPE. I still have a couple of small trays of lettuce and cauliflower to transplant, but first I have to put more compost in the raised bed. I really have to figure out how to get my energy and mojo back so I can get busy before it is cold weather and I am losing stuff to frost.

Mr Old Neighbor was out working hard on something today... lots of power tools. I need to go visit him since our visits have been few and far between with hot weather. I love to get tips from him on my critters and garden.

 

[AL]

I was all excited that tomorrow is my "friday" and I would be off work until Sunday.... and then I remembered I have to work overnight on Friday night. Friday at noon a friend is bringing her 75lb great dane puppy (5mths) to stay overnight with me while they go out of town. Then after he leaves "Camp Lori" , another acquaintance is bringing HER dog to stay at Camp Lori until next Friday!
That was all well and good until I realized
1) first friend has seen my house a mess, 2nd acquaintance has not - and I'd prefer her and her DH not think I am a hoarder episode in training lol
2) During the week that Dog #2 is staying with me I will be gone camping! So I will drive out early Thursday morning and set up camp, then come home that afternoon to walk D2 and then I HOPE I can get my friend to stop by on her way to nightshift to walk her THursday night and Friday morning. I have to come back in town anyway mid-Friday so I can take care of her and meet her owners to come pick her up.
All of this should be interesting with work, surgery group and my own crazy dog. Oh... and the chickens , horses and rabbits that neither visiting dog has ever seen. I should get plenty of walking in, since Dog 2 will need to be on a leash. She is a great dog (RR mix, SD) but I don't know how reliable she will be on recall at a strange place with strange animals and a stranger person ......

I t;hink this is the first and last week of Camp Lori for Dogs!

This morning I got up around 8 (after bed at 3) and went to organize the hay stall. I got the older hay moved and stacked, cleared out some old feed bags and took out the trash. My dad drove his truck around and I unloaded and stacked the new hay - that hay stall is filled to the seams now and I feel better! Soon we'll get some more and put it up in the loft and the horses will be set.

I still didn't transplant my cauliflower or lettuce... I am going to end up losing them if I dont' get a move on. The trellis (cattle panel ) is up for the muscadines... grow baby grow!
Now I want to see if I can find an apple tree that will produce here in NW Florida?

 

[Britesea]

I hope everything works out with your 'dog camp'... especially for Dog #2 since you will be gone for part of the time.

I never got around to planting my winter garden either. I'm gonna have to use the greenhouse now.

 

[AL]

Dog Camp went fine, though it did put a crimp in my camping on Friday. I had a great time! My horse is still too young /small for me to ride, but I had him out at the trail ride anyway just to get him exposed to the chaos. He did awesome... the trainer rode him for the first time in her arena on Wednesday, then rode him at the camp on Thursday and Saturday! Bikes, trucks, trailers, golf carts, lady with a walker, other horses - he hardly even noticed except for the horses , and then he still stood quietly just watched them.
I am already planning another trip , I had forgotten how much I loved camping just me, my horse and my dog.

I had my old tent (the only one in the campground ... everyone else had those HUGE horse trailers with living quarters and satellite TV lol ) pitched near the creek bank which was about a 4-5ft drop, then sloped down through the trees to the water. Saturday night a man evidently decided he didn't want to walk all the way to the bathrooms, so he jumped down the bank to excuse himself in the dark and trees. I didn't know he was down there - but Rio did. I bet the guy did a lot more than he originally planned when my 110lb dog crouched on the edge of the bank snarling, hackles up and ready to go. hahahahahaha
I still thought he was just after one of the armadillos or something, until I heard this shaky male voice "Easy boy ... it's ok... easy"
I called Rio off and made a big fuss over him. Later that night some kids cut through my campsite and Rio was up at the door growling until they went by. During the day he was everybody's new best friend. I love that dog.

We have had some rain and cooler weather. Looks like my cabbage and broccoli are doing well, and I finally moved my cabbage transplants. I think it is too late to try to salvage the lettuce transplants, but if I get the time I may try.

Supposed to get in the low 40's or even 30's at night this week, so I will be busy getting my rabbits set up so they can get out of the wind, as well as working on the shelter for those dang roosters. My big flock is pretty well set for shelter except putting some straw on the floor so they can work on compost for the spring. They look horrible as they are molting. It looks like a plucking party was held in my chicken yard.

 

[framing fowl]

Glad you had fun camping. Good dog Rio!!!