When A Baby Tiger Comes To Visit...

The Rooster has a friend who owns a baby tiger... yes...a baby tiger. 

He brought it to our house for us to see... 

What an experience that was! It was pretty darn cute...but it was still a wild animal. 

 Everyone was either bitten, or nipped at...

but it was really fun to be up close to such a beautiful animal!

 

We Are Some Serious Dog People....

 

Yesterday, as I was parking at church...I noticed a few of the town dogs that had followed their beloved families to church. Mine were included! The Farmer can't hardly leave the yard without the three big white German Shepherds chasing after him! So yesterday, he left very early...and they followed...and then they faithfully waited under his truck for him to finish with his Sunday meetings. After church they followed us home! I guess that is a sign of living in a small town. Our family loves dogs! We have always had quite a few....but at the moment...well...I think we may be a little over the top with the dogs! This cute drawing was done by my young niece "Chubbs"...(which she is anything but...) I told her I needed a copy of her cute drawing to document the dog population of the family. If you look at each dog...she has even added details of their personalities...I though it was great!

Cutting The Alfalfa.....

Out of pure necessity....we became "farmer's of alfalfa...." pure necessity!

It started when The Boy announced that he "needed" a horse...and then it became two...

and then another came along...who when we purchased her...was already pregnant...

which came as a great surprise...

And when The Farmer thought it would be fun to own a Longhorn cow...which became two...and

again another great surprise....little Chencho was born...and now that make three!
(This morning we noticed that Carne looks a little like she might be expecting again...who knows!)

The Farmer resisted the animals a first...he said that they would be very expensive to feed.
I said..."how much could a bail of hay really cost...???"
and he said...."if it were one bail of hay there wouldn't be any problem!!"
So here is a small calculation just for fun!  If we were to feed the horses and cows just
with hay, it would require 4-5 bails a day.  Currently hay is $100 pesos per bail, today that
would be $8.00 dollars per bail.  So to feed the beloved animals, it would be $40 dollars per day.
Now, if that was all they ate year round...it would coast $14,600 dollars to keep them
fat and happy!  Holy Cow!!  That is alot of money!!
And...because they are pets...we don't see any return on our investment....any time soon...
actually EVER.  I asked The Farmer one day about two of the horses that are getting older,
they don't enjoy being ridden too much, they are kind of grouchy...and one has some health
problems that require the Vet. checks on him semi-regularly....
"so what do we do with them now....??"  I asked The Farmer....
and he said "you keep feeding them and caring for them until they die...and that
could be quite a while."  And truly, it is fine with me...I actually like those animals;)
Ok...so back to the feeding plan....

Before we began growing the alfalfa, we decided to plant two pastures, two so that we could rotate
the animals from one to the other, during watering.  It also gives the pasture to grow back once
it has been eaten down.  Planting the pastures required a special seed mix, so that the animals
would have good nutrition, so I headed to El Paso and loaded the back of my car with special seed
to plant a great pasture.  The seed is good for 5 years and then you need to re-plant again...and
so this year it was time to replant!  Thank goodness for the pasture!
Somewhere, along the way, The Farmer decided that we should plant alfalfa, so that during the
Winter months, we wouldn't have to buy feed.  Growing alfalfa, means that you also need special
equipment to harvest it when it is time.  You need tractors...(we already had those)....we need a
planter...(we had that too)....you need a special rake...(we didn't have that, but soon acquired one)...and you will need a bailer,
 (again, we didn't have one, but now we do!) 
Now we are set!
The first cutting took place about a week ago.  I happened to be with The Farmer when he
 decided to stop by the Solecito
 to see how the cutting was going.  I can't say that I have taken
the time to watch the process of cutting, raking and bailing the alfalfa until that day.
It was fun to watch and alot of fun to photograph.  The men who were working, seemed
to like having their pictures taken too;)
There will be 4-5 more cuttings that will happen during the next several months....and
then we will be all loaded up with feed for Winter!
So out of pure necessity, we are Alfalfa Farmers....and I am sure glad we are!

Picking A Little Alfalfa....

(Nacho...(Ignacio)...Carne...(Incarnation) and Chencho...(Vicente)....the cows)

For historical purposes...

A few evenings ago....I headed to the Sol to pick something "green" for the chickens to eat.

I was feeling a little sorry for them.  I knew that I could find some weeds in the orchard.

Also growing at the Sol is alfalfa...to feed the animals.  So I thought that picking some alfalfa

would be a great treat for the chickens along with a few weeds. 

 I rode the 4-wheeler, the dogs ran alongside, with the biggest dog smiles I have seen in awhile;) 

The weather was beautiful...warm....it was just a lovely evening!

Passing the pastures that are home to the horses and cows....I headed to the field of alfalfa.

I picked and picked...filling up a box I had brought along and when I looked up...I noticed

that the horses were lined up at the fence watching my every move.  I carried the box,

filled with the picked alfalfa to the horses, and one by one they took their turns eating.

It gave me a chance to pet them and "visit" with them;)

I told them that their Boy was doing great!  That he was happily serving his mission and

that he was growing into a wonderful man...that their Boy misses them and wonders how

they are all doing.  I have to admit, I shed some tears....as silly as it sounds...

I felt like they understood everything I was saying to them.

He loved those horses, and they loved him.  They provided peace and comfort for The Boy,

when he was having a bad day.  Somehow they just knew that The Boy needed them.

He would take them on long rides.....bring them home and lovingly groom them and reward

them with bit of grain.  It was almost a ritual for him.  I truly think that one of the hardest

things for him to leave behind was his dear horses.   

(Bronze)

The horses gave me a great gift that lovely evening....it was a gift of connecting to my

Missionary Boy, who,on that particular day....I was missing terribly.  They did for me

what they had so often done for him....offered comfort and love.  I am so grateful that he is

where he is....doing what he is doing....I would not want it any other way....but as a very, very

wise may said to me when The Boy had only been on his mission for about a week....

"You will mourn the BOY that is leaving...and CELEBRATE the man that will return."

PreShie commented a few days ago, while looking at some new pictures of The Missionary Boy, we had just gotten in the mail...that The Missionary Boy doesn't look the same...he looks different

somehow.  She tried to figure out what the difference was...I finally told her that the difference

that she saw, what that he didn't look like a "boy" any longer...he now looked like a "man."

And she agreed.

I do mourn the boy...but I am thrilled a the growth and maturity that has come.

(Caballero)

Interestingly, the man that we purchased The Boy's first two horses from, passed away this week.

He was an amazing man!  He was often referred to as a  "gentle giant" because

he was a tall man  The Boy really loved this man.  He had a sweet relationship with him. 

They enjoyed talking about the horses...the funny little things that were unique to those horses.

As this man got older, and it wasn't so easy for him to climb onto the horses, he trained

Bronze to stretch himself out...quite far...which lowered him to the ground, and then this

sweet man was able to climb onto of the horse with ease.  He was grateful that the horses went

to The Boy...who loved and cared for them so well.

(Muneca and Reina)

The Farmer says that these horses will go down in history as the "best" horses The Boy ever owned!

The first horses hold a special place in hearts of young boys and girls.

The Boy will most likely tell stories to his "ninos" about how amazing his first horses were...

(even though they are quite average)....to him they will always represent a special time of life.

I did discover that Reina is a bit of a crazy teenager right now...if I would turn my head away from her

she would grab a mouthful of my hair...or bite the edge of my jacket...and then she would smile!

She has a really funny personality!

It was a very wonderful evening for me...at the Sol...something I really needed!

*To add to the animal update...5 more chickens have joined our brood....they are beautiful!*

(Chencho)