Guess I've neglected my journal long enough lol.
A week ago yesterday we brought home 3 kittens from auction. They were left in a cage with a sign free to good home, and so we brought them home. Two of them have 6 toes, the other does not. I talked my hubs into letting the little 6 toed calico be a house cat. We haven't had a house cat since my hubs cat, Ty, passed away back in '02. We named her Carol, because we got her from the Carrollton auction - but I figure this Christmas we can tell everyone that her name is Christmas Carol lol. The two boys are barn cats and they are Seafoam and Seaspray, after cats in a book series from my favorite author.
I baked pies and sold them at auction both last and this week. This coming Monday we're hauling our heifer in to the sale. We made the arrangements with another local to haul her for us, and the best part is he's only charging us $20!!
Yesterday at auction, I almost brought home a puppy for DD. She asked us for a lab or a lab mix puppy. E told her if she made the honor roll, he'd let her get a puppy. (remember, we tried getting her a puppy a couple years ago for Christmas from the pound and it had parvo and died.) Yesterday at auction, someone brought in half black lab half collie pups and were giving them away. There was 3 of them, and the one really resembled more lab than collie. While I was looking them over, as in in front of the pen, with the door open, and a woman from a rescue practically rips the cage door out of my hands. I said I am going to take the one on the right and she says, "Actually, I am going to take them all." total witch! Probably going to one of those rescues that will demand you have a fenced in yard and pay $200 or more to adopt.
So I was pretty steamed about that the rest of the day, and this is not the first time the rescue people have been at the auction. I had taken kittens in last spring to give away, and the rescue people were there and followed me to. my. car. They asked me if I had the mother, and I said yes at home. They wanted to know if I had brought in the whole litter, and I said yes and she said, "we'll take them all but we have to have the mother, too, so we can spay her." I said, "like heck you do! The mother belongs to my daughter!" They sure were persistant! and it was the same with the lady yesterday with the pups - she asked the guy who brought them in if he'd brought the whole litter and who owned the parents, etc.
Ernie said eventually they'll be trying to save the chickens and cows and putting them in cages or small holding pens while they wait for their "furever" homes or just the "right" "adoptive" family. Adoptive. It really irks me that they use the word "adopted" for animals. You ADOPT children, but you OBTAIN a pet. You don't rehome a toddler if they poop on your rug, and a dog or cat just isn't in the same category as your baby who's diaper blew out.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe people should take on a pet without having the long term follow through, but like I told someone else - if things went so bad financially that it came down to choosing to feed my kids or my dog, the kids come first. Period. Then you get the argument that this is why shelters or rescues do not adopt to people with kids. To which my reply is, "And that is why so many dogs/cats etc are spending their life in shelters or cages in shelters waiting for that "perfect" home because you passed by a good home with kids." I personally believe, too, that if shelters and rescues continue to make it so hard for people to adopt a pet, then we will continue to have the problem of backyard breeders, etc. because the person you just turned away due to having kids or no fenced yard is now going to spend money at a backyard breeder. Therefore, backyard breeders DO have a use, and will always be in business of overbreeding and genetic problems being bred into the dogs. (or cats or any other animal.)
Anyway, enough of that. There's a local ad for Lab puppies for $100. And we get to see the parents. Not sure if they are pure or not, but the picture I saw LOOKED pure. Guess we'll find out. I am hoping to get her a boy, as they are cheaper to neuter than a girl.
Speaking of dogs, our dog Zoe is going to the vet a week from today for her spay. YAY. Not going to have to worry about anymore heat cycles, or her getting out and having another accidental litter of pups. Plus, they are running a special this month for 1/2 off, so it's only going to run me about $70. Plus she's getting her rabies shot at the same time, and that will be another $15. I have to make sure she gets a bath and doesn't eat anything after 7pm the night before. Daddy plans to get her a pork femur as a get well present.
Today worked on getting the run to the re-vamped chicken coop wired. It's almost done, and we have another half day of nice weather tomorrow, so hoping to finish it up while the kiddos are in school.
E went to the dentist today and had 3 teeth pulled. While he was getting that done, I shot off to the feedstore and got the last bag of cow chop we'll need and chicken feed. E didn't think I should buy the chop, as he still had some left from the last bag he planned to save to use as a bribe to get her in the cattle hauler. He asked me what will we do with any left over chop after she's gone since she doesn't usually go through a whole bag in a week. I looked at him and said, "It's corn and oats. The chickens will LOVE it." He was like, "oh yea, I guess they would."
Another local feedstore is closing - the one we sold our chicks at for Chick Days. The owner is having back surgery and feels it will be too hard on her to continue with the feedstore. So I of course revisted the idea of having a feedstore, which we had joked about a couple years ago here in my journal. E has asked me to wait for awhile before I run with it, but it's something I'm still seriously interested in.
I think that's about all the new stuff.