July IV

weekend to do

pond pumps
clean bbq

e is riding her first dressage test tomorrow! (intro test c)





*the photo shows moxie waiting while I tuck in the girls for our nightly television hour. d and i have been picking a series on netflix or amazon prime and watching it through, one episode a night. we've done madmen, orange is the new black, house of cards, shameless (uk version), and now just finished up the americans. moxie knows the routine (she knows all our routines) and seems to look forward to the quiet hour. so do i. its nice to just sit side-by-side at the end of the day. not talking or planning or anything. just being together. xo

Galiano Winter II

Bluff Park

::4::

i had to double check that k had it right and this sweet pup of ours is in fact 4 years old today.


this past winter

doesn't seem possible, until i look back at pictures like this...


when she first arrived!

(sweetness overload!)

happy birthday moxie xo

a bit of a zoo

the girls' friends are always excited (even the teenagers!) to spend some time with our wee menagerie. currently, we have two chickens - a rhode island red aptly named "Rhoda" and a buff orpington (from our original flock!) who answers to Chick-a-Dee; two red-eared sliders (Giselle and Juliette); and of course our pup Moxie. i spent this morning cleaning ponds, coops, treating a sour crop and conditioning a turtle shell. we don't take pet-ownership lightly - and this little zoo has had its ups and downs - lost loves and all. i have taken on ailments i never dreamt of (some the stuff of nightmares!) and am proud of the lessons e and k have learned through the journey.

i often wonder if i'd do it again.

the dog - most definitely.

the turtles (who came to us as rescues)- most likely.

the chooks (a mix of raised-from-chick and rescues) - harder call.

i love them dearly. chickens have so much more personality than i ever imagined. but i am a lousy farmer. i get too attached. and their care has been the most demanding. the girls adore them. we all do. especially Chick, who at six, is now an old lady hen, no longer laying and preferring to go to bed at 3:30 in the afternoon these winter months. (chicken life expectancy runs about 8 yrs, sheltered from predators and illness.)



i've written about backyard chicken keeping here and here.

and a bit on dog ownership here.

i imagine there could well be a horse in our future. i have one very passionate rider on my hands. and i do believe these home-zoo experiences will have prepared us for much.

the love and companionship of an animal - big or small (e used to play hide-and-seek with her goldfish!)- as well as the lessons of responsibility and care outweigh any downside in my book.

so chooks then - yes. i'd do it again, happily. i'll temper that with when we started was the right time in our lives. i'd do it again with young kids. (i don't think i'd start again now.) but who knows. bolstered by what our "zoo" has taught us all. there may be more ahead.

happy hanukkah!

night 2

xo

it looked pretty much like this...

perfect 3day weekend.

{having fun on instagram...}

:: cozy ::

snug-as-a-bug-in-a-scarfshop-scarf.

this opens today! (we have our tickets to see it here!)

happy friday.

montague

moxie's family tree

mom sent pics of the chihuahuas she grew up with (mickey and trixie) and their daughter (choc-o) who i grew up with. the girls were thrilled to see moxie's family history ;)

happy may day! off to pick some flowers...

1 / 7

moxie turned one on saturday. or seven.
depending on how you look at it.

and now she is the "middle sister". or not.
depending on how you look at it.

it is a topic of ongoing discussion. and the idea that next year she will become the "big sister". and at 7 years she will be older than me. (great math problem solving girls!)

in any case. she is the best dog ever.

her well-planned party was postponed on account of the weather.
we will keep you posted :)

miss moxie.

rules were discussed. a vote was held. complete with secret ballot. and it was unanimous. moxie is a keeper.

she's a great fit. a little goofy.


and serious as needed.


she came from a litter of chihuahua pups our friends' dog delivered a couple of months back. d has always been skeptical of a dog in the house. i have always been set on adopting - and wanted a puppy - mainly to help ensure a good relationship with the chooks. (i'll fill you in on how that is going later!) the timing was never right. until now.

the girls named her moxie. "'cause she has guts."

and d built her a fancy new bowl.

welcome miss moxie!

::catch::up::

soccer has ended for now, and violin will close-up shop in a couple of weeks. i am so very much looking forward to the summer.

i tried to spend the week preparing for this. but didn't do much more than pull a bunch of patterns and fabric out of the cupboard. in any case, i have a project for my hour today - and am looking forward to the challenge.

and oh, right! we got a puppy! more soon on the newest addition to our family and menagerie. but for now, meet moxie. (she has plenty of it.)