Howdy - Welcome Sunshine!

Howdy - 

 After Cold - Snow - Cloudy - Rain - Drizzle and Cold for what felt like forever ... We have some Sunshine! And it is suppose to reach 80 this weekend! Gotta love Texas weather! The donkeys are all out enjoying the sun - and stretching out to get all the green growing on the other side of the fence panels it seems! LOL

"Dad" was out collecting all the water heaters, cords, and then cleaning the water troughs and filling them with fresh water, seems everyone was out enjoying the sprouts of green! Bella and Hannah were stretching out as far as they could to reach those sprouts. I was telling them to watch the pipes and that the cord was being picked up they would have to move, but they were not paying attention to me at all. No worries - nothing was plugged in and everything was safe and being picked up even if Hubby had to reach under those busy munchers going a million miles an hour! 

Irene was getting a drink of water. There is something about getting the last before it is emptied and the first when it is filling up? I told her this had leaves and it was going to be fresh and clean in just a few minutes but she was happy with the leaves and grass as extra vitamins I suppose.

Then there was some loud screaming and Hee Hawing! Yep Juliet harassing poor Raffie through the fence. Teasing the poor guy. They were running up and down the fence. Hey they are getting their steps in I suppose! 

And Raffie really does enjoy any attention he gets from any of the ladies! 

Then calm and sweet Miss Fanci Pants slowly walked up to the side of me. "Hello... Can you pet me?" 

She is so sweet and beautiful! Getting a bit of grey to her now. But still gorgeous. Love those deep brown eyes and long eye lashes! Love this lady! Did lots of scratches and loving on her!

Then there was banging on the pen across the yard... "Hello....... ME TOOOOOOOOO!!!"

No calm here... but still sweet! My boy Sergio. He is very pushy about his attention. Hubby and I were talking about Sergio and his pen. This year his pen has to be rebuilt. He has destroyed it - he has pushed and shoved around the panels so much, and time on top of that, they are starting to come apart. So new panels are needed to be put in place to fix areas that are about to fall over. It will have to be a panel at a time, with a guard in place to get it repaired. We don't want the guy to escape! LOL 

Ok... last photo is a creature that if you are from around here you know very well. If not it might look pretty strange. This is an Armadillo - and it seems right now we are being over run with them! They are all over the property and are hunting and digging for their bugs for food.

 

Now that doesn't sound bad... but one does a lot of damage. A bunch of them does a ton of damage! Our property looks like a war zone!

A day ago this was a nice flat area - 

And this is in just about every pen, and everywhere on the property. I got of the truck yesterday and nearly fell in a hole! Hubby kicks dirt around to fill holes as he walks around to fill the holes as fast as he finds them. Next day... more are there. Hope they move on soon! 

Hope you enjoyed this week. And I do hope you have nice weather where you are - 

HUGS and

Animal Crackers - Yep we Got Snow!

Howdy - 

A rare thing in our parts! But we got snow! About an inch is what Hubby measured when he first went out. Me... Yeah I took his word - 

I did send him back out later in the day to snap some photos before it was all gone. Hey I was inside making a pot of soup... so I was busy.. LOL Anyway he came back in with some fun photographs. 

The Ladies pen of course... Rain Sleet or Snow - these girls will always be at their Hay bale having their meal!  Didn't even really take notice that Hubby was out there - oh Juliet did look his way to make sure they weren't getting anything special - but when they didn't she went right back to her meal.

Now the men... Nope they were doing just fine in their hut for the time being. Hay bale is there when they get hungry later if needed. For now they were just staying in their shelter.... LOL

It is beautiful though isn't it? Was melting pretty quick though. Most all of it was gone other than in the shady areas later in the day. We still had some the next day in those shady areas. But this weekend it is suppose to be in the high 60's so things will be back to normal!

Not normal but  becoming a little to regular... Our neighbors Sheep visiting... sigh. They ways though their not so wonderful fence and Hubby has to walk them all back and lead them back through and prop up the fence. Some days they come over just once. Some days 3 or 4 times. Then we don't see them for days. Then here they are again! I think Hubby is going to have to say something to them as they really don't mind their animals crossing over onto our property. But I would rather them staying on their side, it stirs up some of our fur kids when they all file through. I mean here you see just a few... and yes the two little babies in the middle are totally adorable. But when they visit it is more like 15-20 of them at times.

 

They need to stay on their side of the fence... and speaking of not liking on our side of the fence. Hubby was walking around checking things out and found these out near the front gate - uh nope don't like them here! Those are Coyote tracks in the snow - head off please! Oh Teddy would take care of him if he were to see him, but honestly I would rather him not - Just stay away -

Now this last photo is a horrible photo. It was taken in the dark with the flash from my phone. But it was too cute.  It was pretty darn cold on our snow day. And in Texas that means a Shut down from everything and stay home pretty much. So we were home late in the afternoon enjoying some old movies, after that soup I made...

And I had two special warmers on my lap. Yep both Bubba and Ferrari were curled up now were they keeping me warm? Or was I keeping them warm? Not sure but we were all three warm and happy. 

I do hope you have a wonderful blessed weekend and that this weeks Animal Crackers has started it off with a smile! 

HUGS and
 

Animal Crackers - Cold January!

Howdy - 

 It has been a bit chilly here in South Texas for me! Lol.... I'm not a winter person. Ok so I'm not a heat of summer person either. Give me Spring and Fall! But COLD WET Winter is just HORRIBLE!! Right now we are preparing for some really cold weather this coming week. And with all the fur children that means a lot of work for Hubby. Got to pull out all the water heaters to keep them from freezing, ready to go out and break ice on smaller water buckets and haul water to ones that do freeze. Bring in extra round bales for the larger pens, be ready to feed extra square bales to the smaller pens. He is a real hard worker in normal weather but the cold is rough and freezing weather is even tougher! We don't get it too much here but when we do it is A LOT of Work!! 

 He really works to make sure the older "family members" are good for the weather. Darlene was getting normal feed plus extra alfalfa to keep her body extra warm.

 

She has grown in some really thick fur like everyone else, but she doesn't have the meat on her like she use too. So some extra greens keeps her body working and heats her up. I just wish she wasn't so picky and didn't leave the stems!! She picks off the leaves and leaves the stems... that stuff is really expensive Darlene! LOL But as long as she is eating good and staying warm!

Chipmunk was trying hard to convince me that he needed some of the extra alfalfa that Dad was giving to old lady Darlene. Maybe those stems could be sent his way? LOL

 Heard some banging in the girl Goat pen. Penelope had dragged over a branch that had fallen into their pen. They have been really enjoying it this week since it fell over the weekend. GREAT scratching stick! She was going to town on that stick, back and forth and moving it all over the place. Of course the other end was banging all over the fence and the huts. Ha! But it was feeling good to her!

 

I called out and asked her if she was enjoying her new branch. She stopped right away and ran over to chat! 

She has really become such a friendly sweet girl. Loves her head scratches and our little talks! Me too Penelope!! She is such a good listener!

Another timid family member that is now totally a sweetheart is our once feral outside cat Greybeard. This guy is a total love. A total Tom Cat yes, but still comes running as soon as he knows anyone is outside. Needs the rubs and attention. No matter if it is Hubby, Me or Chica... He Adores Chica BTW... Chica puts up with him but no where near adores him. LOL Hubby comes next on his love list... I come in a far third as in...  well you will do since no one else is here to rub my head.

I love that he is getting so good at posing for his photos! Here he had just came out from his heated porch bed for some mid morning breakfast. See our fur children are not spoiled at all.... 

Snapped a photo through the window of Hubby's Greenhouse... The house is pretty much up and in use now. Not 100% done. Still needs to be stained and a few finishing things done. Like inside floor. But hey the cold came and it was needed to be put in use now the finishing items can be done when it warms back up again.

You can see through the steamed up window things are very happy in there! His Citrus and other flowering plants are thriving and growing very well while it is below freezing outside and I was shivering!! 

Hope you are warm where you are! And I hope you enjoyed this week with my fur kids, and have a smile on your face! 

Have a blessed weekend! 

HUGS and -

Animal Crackers - Crazy Start to a New Year!

Howdy - 

Happy 2025 Everyone! Sorry I was MIA last week. It has already been a insanely crazy month - We started off the new year with pretty nice weather so Chica and I spent a day or so watching Hubby work on his Green House. Chica loved being outside with us so long... sat next to my chair and every once in a while would make a circle around then entire yard checking things out. The yard is now much larger than it use to be so she really is loving sniffing things and learning just where she can now go. 

This last week though the weather has been horrible!! Very COLD for us in South Texas! And I do not like COLD! And then the one day I thought I would have some time to get out and snap a few photos... uh it was raining and near freezing temps! UH sorry... NOPE! Not for me and most all the animals were in there huts out of the weather! So instead this week I thought I would do something different and show you our booth at our first antique show of the year. 

It has been quite a while since I have shown photos of one of our booths on my blog I think... so why not, right? It is better than rain photos out my window... 

So here are some shots of our booth.... :0) 

 I would like to tell you it was a huge show and we sold most everything... but at the time of writing this it hasn't happened yet.... but hopefully by now it is true.. wink wink!! 

Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed weekend. Looking forward to some normal temperatures and Furry kid photos next week! 

HUGS and

Animal Crackers - End of the Year

Howdy - 

 Well time to say Goodbye to 2024 - It has been a year hasn't it. Wow. Normally on the last Saturday of the year I do a review and show off all the favorites of the year. Normally showing off babies... but pout pout no babies this year. We have had some great photos and wonderful times with our fur children. And we have had to say goodbye to some of our fur family this past year - But we will try and not focus on that and show off a few photo favorites from the year... 

Patti... shouting lets go!

Momma loving living her new life inside with us!

Miguel.. handsome and loving his attention! 

Macie knowing she is a super model... even with that grass belly in the photo! 

Juliet.. oh my she always keeps me laughing! I still remember how she was running towards me while I snapped this one!!

Juliet's BFF Hannah and her gorgeous big ears pushing through the fence nipping at my shoes to get her attention!

The Girls ... taking turns at the water... yeah right! 

 Bubba... gunna rest this weekend but ready for the new year to start!

 

Chipmunk - how about a little head banging party on the 31st and then we will rest on the 1st?

 

And Cocoa.... We hope you will continue to visit us and come back in 2025 to see what we are up to!

Happy New Year!!

HUGS and!

Animal Crackers - Simply Blessed, Merry Christmas!

Howdy - 

I always like sharing our "family" Christmas Card with all of you - our Animal Crackers family! I do hope that each of you have a very Blessed and a Very Merry Christmas from all of us! 

 As always - HUGS!

Animal Crackers - What a Look!

Howdy - 

I don't think Ferrari was ready to wake up this morning! It was a chilly morning and she was cuddled up in her quilt at the end of the bed warm and that light did not make her happy! Is that an unhappy look or what?? LOL

 

That Kitty is not a morning kitty at all! I'm with you baby! No worries - she got happy as soon as she heard her bowl clink in the kitchen! 

But as soon as we went out side it was like a repeat of last weekends photo... but this time it was Cocoa screaming out! FEED ME!!! I'm STARVING!!! UH If you could see her belly you would know that was not true... hungry maybe.. starving no. But she was fed right away not a moment wasted old girl!

Shame you couldn't hear her... she has that old long hee haw that is just so heart wrenching. You have to stop and pay attention to her when she calls out! 

I then had to pay attention to Chipmunk He was head banging a bit on the fence to get his attention. I asked him why he has to do that... may not hurt his head but watching it makes mine hurt!!

Such a handsome man! Love that long flowing black beard! And yes it has hay flowing stuck in it.... that is a good place to store your hay for later, didn't you know that??  

I tried to find some of the girl donkeys to photo this week. But it has been windy and cold for the last few days and they were hunkered down in the back of their pasture in the bushes grazing and honestly it was too cold to walk back to photo them so early in the morning. I am so over cold already... and yes I know it hasn't even really started yet. yuck! 

Thought I would show this weeks Greenhouse update since there was lots of changes this week.  You can't tell by this photo but most of the roof is on. all the windows and the door... and now all the siding is going on next! So it should be able to be heated up and have the plants in it before the first freeze! Oh he will still have trim and pretty stuff to do to it, but it will be usable!

 

Can't wait until next Spring! Then he will start doing the planting around it and putting in gardens around it! Then it will look like the photos in the books he has been showing me forever! 

Hope you have enjoyed! Have a blessed weekend!

HUGS and -