This weather is great ... if you're a duck

It has been raining here ... non stop. Oh wait it stopped raining ... long enough to SNOW! UGH! The weather has just been rotten this October. How ever if you are a duck it has been wonderful. The ducks have exited the barn every morning happy as clams. They frolic in the front yard as the rain falls on their heads. They splish splash in the big puddle outside of the cow yard. The meander throw the cow poop with the chickens even though it's cow sludge right now. Happy as clams they are! Until a flock of geese flew over head. I am pretty sure the ducks pooped themselves. It was very loud. Don't get any ideas boys and girls. Winter in MN isn't so bad ... kinda ... sorta ... don't ask Chicken Nugget. He lies I tell you! He lies!

Here kitty kitty kitty

While I was out taking pics of the duckies today I decided I better take some of the cats. We only have 3 lovely ladies left. I am worried our kitty population will become extinct. None of them had babies this year. So we are getting low and I am getting nervous. But here is who we have left.



This is Frisky.

She is one of the original 6 kittens that were dumped at our farm several years ago now. She ran around and around and around not wanting us to catch her. The other 5 came running right up and seemed happy to be around people again. But not Frisky. Little bugger just kept running. Hence the name Frisky. She was just to freakin frisky that night!



This is Mina.

She is our youngest and sweetest kitty. She makes a great parrot. Until she digs her claws into your shoulder and attempts to crawl onto your head.



This is Macy.

She was also one of the original 6 kittens. We thought for sure she must be from a different litter because of her size. She was just so darn tiny! But I guess she was just meant to be small. She didn't grow much and is still rather pocket sized.



And this is Hunter.

He is not our cat. He belongs to the neighbors. But loves to come down and romance my little ladies. Hunter doesn't much care for us and tends to run as soon as we come with in his rather large bubble. But he does serve a wonderful purpose.



See Hunter is the daddy of our dearly departed Hunter Jr.

He was by far one of the sweetest and most snuggly cats I have ever had.


Hunter was so cute and fluffy and sweet that even Ethan let him in the house from time to time.




How could you resist that fluffy little face?



Sometimes he pushed his luck a bit.

But he was such a good snuggler.


I loved him from the moment he was born.



Coco wanted to mother him constantly.



I am sure he got is personality from his wonderful mother Skittles.

She was just as beautiful and just as sweet.


Sadly our Hunter passed away a few years ago now. But I am pretty sure his daddy has been around the ladies.

I am pretty sure these little buggers belonged to him.


Sadly a raccoon killed Skittles while she attempted to protect those little orange fuzzy angels. It is the sad reality of farm life. But hopefully Hunter will keep wooing the ladies and we will have more baby Hunters in our future. In the mean time I am going to love the kitties I have left.

All grown up!

The duckies who once were so soft and fuzzy ....



They were so adorable ...



Well the duckies are all grown up now.



Don't they look so hearty and healthy?



They have learned to fly ... but hopefully not away from us.

HEY! NO! I said not away from us! Simmer down now ... simmer down.

They just look so nice. The green heads of the males are absolutely beautiful. These pictures don't even do the shimmering green feathers on the boys heads justice. And how lucky are we to have an even number of boys and girls? I think the duckies are so .....

Dang it Sonny! You just HAD to take a drink from THAT puddle while I was taking pictures didn't you? I think he has been taking lessons from the picture hound.


Who me??? No Mina not you.

I was talking about the little brown one.

Yes you young lady. Don't give me that look ....

Not Allowed

On Friday my nephew Julian will be born. My sister has informed me that me and my husband are not welcome at the hospital. We will not be allowed to meet our nephew. I went to her baby shower and she told me she didn't know why I went because she had not wanted me there. I told her not to burn bridges that she may never be able to repair. But she has forcefully cut most if not all of my brother in law's family out of their lives. So I suppose it was just a matter of time before she cut her own sister and brother in law out too. It is sad how family feel it is OK to treat people like trash just because they are blood.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month. On January 13, 2008 my husband and I lost our baby. I miscarried naturally in the comfort of our home with my husband and my son. Losing our child was the most devastating thing that has every happened to me and to us as a couple. The loss of a child at any stage and any age is utterly soul crushing. The pain eases but truly never goes away. I am amazed by how just the thought of my angel baby can send me into uncontrollable sobbing fits. From what I hear that never changes. My heart breaks for all the parents out there who have lost a child far to young.

In our lives for a moment but in our hears forever.

Once in my womb but always in my heart

I am a miscarriage survivor.

In loving memory of angel baby Hofschulte. Mommy and daddy miss you every day.

Only little dogs allowed!

From now on only little dogs are allowed to live in our house. And even then they must wear tiny little diapers with holes for their tails at all times.

OK I am kidding ... sorta. For some reason lately it has been a shit fest in my house. I know that sounds harsh but so is poop clean up at 3 am. When your sick. And bending over to pick the poo up makes your congested and dizzy and almost pass out. Not fun!

I am not OK with tying Bocephus up outside. And once winter comes that will totally not be an option. If I were not afraid of Bo chewing off the leg of any one in the general area then I might just let him run free out side. Like Sonny does and like Patty and Blackie always did. I mean that is one of the benefits of living on a farm right? But I have a huge fear of him attacking the mail man or something. I could buy an out door kennel. But my hubby keeps pooping on that idea. $300 might be a darn good investment verses what ever a ticket costs when your dog goes all Cujo on the UPS guy. But what do I know? *eye roll*

All I know is I am done having dogs in the house. Once Bocephus and Sonny have passed and gone on to doggy heaven I will still have medium/large dogs. But they will be STRICTLY OUT DOOR DOGGERS! Small chihuahuas are still allowed. But they will be kenneled EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!

OK I think I am done complaining about the pooter ... for now.

Awful dreams

I had the most awful dream the other night. It is still bothering me. I don't remember everything. I often have dreams that I have a baby but have been gone for what ever reason and unable to breast feed. By the time I get back to my baby my milk has dried up and I am robbed of the opportunity to breastfeed. It is a weird dream and happens a lot. So again the other night I have a baby and I have just been "missing" for the first couple of weeks. But in this dream my baby kept dying. I was able to revive the baby every time but when I did the baby would get smaller. Like one time I had swaddled the baby in blankets. I noticed that the blankets were over the baby's face. I pulled the blanket back and of course the baby wasn't breathing again. The fingers and lips had turned blue. I did rescue breathing and the baby came back again. Again the baby had shrank. I tried to breastfeed but the baby was to small to latch on and that was when I realized my milk had dried up again. It was so disturbing to watch my baby die over and over again and then come back to life but smaller. I remember thinking that eventually my baby will get so small that he/she will no longer exist. Such scary dreams.