# 580 - Introducing "Boots"

Living on acreage takes a lot of work, and we've incorporated a big change to BootCreek Farm this past week. 

We don't have many animals at this time, mostly chickens, but we have a good deal of acreage to maintain.

Our homestead is comprised of gentle rolling hills with a spring fed creek, open grassy areas, but the majority of our land is dense forest. That's because we live in the midst of the Big Thicket of Texas.

The grandkids love our backyard.

We've had this acreage for over twenty years and have lived on it full-time for the last nine. 

First, I thought I better clear this up. My husband has had many blog-nicknames throughout my years of writing, going from Deputy Dave... to Sgt. Dave... and now to his last... Pappy. 

Likewise, these days I've transformed into Lana-the-Nana. I still go by Lana, but answer to either. Who could've imagined this journey would've led me to writing as Nana?

Okay. Proceeding.

Since I've got a lot of catching up to do, I need to get through this next part. It's a heartache. 

Nearly a year ago, on October 31, 2021, we lost our beloved Howdy, our full-blooded black tri-color Australian Shepherd. After twelve years of loyal friendship, fun, and perfect guarding, we had to say goodbye as he naturally passed away here at BootCreek.

Howdy brought us much joy.

For me, Howdy brought increased safety, guarding me, diligently. When working outside in the yard, he would sit like a sentry, his back to mine as he watched my back, literally. Nothing got past him. He could sit for hours in guard mode, sharp eyes roaming the land as his ears remained folded back to listen for questionable noise.

A "working" breed, he'd encircle me to check all vantage points, always settling to watch the direction my eyes couldn't face. If I changed direction, so did he. An Aussie's instincts are uncanny. 

When he began to weaken, he struggled to continue in his same way, and it was heartbreaking. His strength made it even more difficult to say goodbye as he faded day-by-day, refusing to give in. He didn't want to stop protecting those he loved.

Howdy's final days.

Over his last two days with us, Pappy would pick him up as if his arms were a cushioned forklift, and he'd gently move him, offering him the highest dignity for as long as possible. He gave loving tenderness to his buddy, doing everything for him while always assuring in a soft voice, "I got you, Bud."

It reminded me of how I cared for my mother as she died, thinking it an honor. To love another on that level is a beautiful experience.

During the last two days of his life, Howdy couldn't move on his own any longer. I watched my husband extend heartfelt care to Howdy, and it squeezed my heart.

I tried to help with certain unpleasant tasks, but Pappy refused and firmly said, "Don't worry about any of this. I'm doing it for him."

A few years ago, I caught rare moments of
Howdy allowing himself to be held.

We had three grandchildren at our house the day Howdy died. Of all days, it was Halloween, a day when we had big plans with costumes ready for the Trunk or Treat that evening at our local church and had to wear a real mask of happiness, for the sake of the kids.

Some things you can't plan, reschedule, or dodge. We'd lived with Howdy's ups and downs, and we'd hoped he had a little more left in him to give the kids time to leave before he passed but apparently, he felt fulfilled enough with them here to let go.

Despite the life-changing transition occurring, I did my best to give the kids a "normal" day, even though they were confused about Howdy nearing the rainbow bridge.

Whether new life has arrived or one is departing, we must keep going.

On Howdy's last morning with us, Pappy carried him outside to lay him on the soft grass in the backyard, a perfect spot for him to watch the three grandkids... one of his favorite things to do. And then Pappy rounded the edge of the forest of our backyard to finish digging Howdy's grave and then he returned to the back deck to finish constructing Howdy's coffin.

Heavy-hearted tasks, indeed.

The sun shone bright as a cool breeze shook leaves loose, and they fluttered to the ground. The forest responded to the changing season with soothing sights and sounds.

Ah, all of life does have its seasons.

I stood on the back porch and watched the children encircle him. They sat on the grass next to Howdy and softly stroked him while telling him through tears how much they loved him... saying their goodbyes. I had my cell phone, and through my own tears, I captured the moment.

Later, after an early lunch, I settled the kids down for quiet time and then went outside to sit on the front porch by myself, thinking of how our lives were about to significantly change. 

That last year of Howdy's life saw an evolution of him going downhill. He could no longer devote excessive energy toward all the things he'd once loved. Most days, he still walked around the acreage to mark his boundaries and to bark once or twice at whatever needed a reminder to stay away, likely coyote or fox.

It wasn't easy to watch him deteriorate. And now, I sat on the front porch trying to unravel churning emotions.

With loving action, Pappy carried Howdy out to the front porch and gently laid my boy on the floor of the porch next to me. By this point in his last day, he couldn't even lift his head. I cupped a hand against his head as his big brown eyes gazed up at me. I kept my hand on him, assuring him he wasn't alone. I was there.

My in-laws learned he was near the end, so they stopped by for a few minutes, each coming up to the porch to give Howdy their love. 

My father-in-law pressed his 84-year-old hand to Howdy's head, "You did a fine job, old boy, a fine job."

My mother-in-law fought tears. They loved Howdy, too. It was a five-minute visit. Before departing, they both told me he'd been the best dog they'd ever known.

Now alone on the porch with Howdy, I noted that he never whimpered nor whined. If he were in pain, he refused to show it. His eyes wore an expression of resignation, as if he knew the curtains of life were drawing to a close. We shared many long moments of gazing at each other... I purposefully let loving thoughts flow from me to him during those quiet times.

Shepherds can get something similar to MS when they reach ten-plus years of age. The veterinarian believed this was Howdy's diagnosis. He lived two years with on and off symptoms of declining health, but there were surprising days when he would wake up to bounce around as vibrant as a puppy, and we'd have wide smiles full of surprise and joy.

Conversely, there were devastating days came when he couldn't walk, but we'd pray the next day would find him running around like normal. We quickly learned that any athletic moments would likely lead to bad days, so we had to put away the tennis balls and keep him distracted from overdoing it. Anyone who has had an athletic bred dog understands what it means to hide all the balls around the house. It's not good. 

No matter, his rebounds were inspiring.

On the porch that last day, I fought a primal urge to plead with God for another rebound. I wanted to believe this wasn't the end, but my heart knew otherwise. I sensed we had mere hours or minutes left with him. 

Instead, I followed a more powerful urge to express my gratitude to God for giving us generous time with one of His precious creations. We'd enjoyed more than a marvelous decade with him. 

I thanked Howdy for his life of loyalty. I had yearned for such loyalty, and he gifted it to me.

So, we spent our last moments together on the porch with love. 

I bent down and told him, "I love you. I'll always love you."

I told him I was grateful to him for keeping me safe all the years of his life.

I assured him that he would remain an unrivaled companion. My most stoic and loyal guardian.

Howdy at the lake at the back of our acreage.

Through tears, I told him that I considered him one of my children, but he'd oddly surpassed me in age to become a wise old one. For many years he'd been extremely athletic, far exceeding our expectations with endless energy, agility, and strength. Howdy lived a vivacious life, and now his face showed strands of white hair to mark bygone youth. I dreaded goodbye.

After a good while outside, Pappy walked out to the porch, wanting to bring Howdy back inside since the air was cooling fast. I got up and went to our bedroom to lay down with the kids who had all miraculously fallen into a deep sleep. Yes, we needed a nap to get through this day of enormous challenges.

Less than ten minutes after I'd squeezed into a small spot on the king-sized bed with the sleeping kids, Pappy opened the bedroom door, took a few steps toward me, anguish marking his face as he mouthed, "He's gone."

The shock of hearing what you'd expected to hear is unexplainable. That second of time cannot be anticipated thoroughly enough to buffer you from the pain of loss.

I rose from the bed and went to see and bury our boy as the children slept with sweet innocence, protected from seeing the worst of our grief consuming us.

There were many years when it was just me and Howdy at home together in the suburbs of Greater Houston. The kids had gone off to college, Pappy still worked in law enforcement and wasn't yet able to retire, and my business life had slowed. During those years, Howdy kept me company, and I did the same for him... using a wall in our living room to throw a hard ball and he'd catch it on the rebound with powerful accuracy.

I used a scrubbable paint for that wall, and it worked beautifully for both of us between ball-playing stints outdoors. My dad LOVED that wall.

On cold days, I worked at my desk and he laid across my feet, keeping me warm and comforted. I always felt him leaning against me.

And then Sgt. Dave retired to become a full-time Pappy when we moved to our acreage to build our home. When that happened, Howdy must've decided Pappy now needed his undivided attention, so he stayed near him throughout each day. If Pappy went outside, Howdy went outside. If Pappy worked on our acreage, Howdy tagged along to watch his back.

But if I went outside, Howdy never let me go alone. If I headed outdoors, I became Howdy's first-choice because he needed to do sentry duty. A visible short battle would wage within him as I headed for the back door. His head would swivel toward Pappy and then toward me. No matter how worn out or comfortable he might've been, he always elected to get up, to follow me, and stay by my side as I pittered around outside or weeded the garden.

Having a dedicated guardian at your side provides a level of comfort that cannot be beat. We live in the middle of a forest, yet I never worried with Howdy by my side.

I loved Howdy's hugs.

It gave me incalculable comfort to know Howdy would've instantly charged toward danger. There's no doubt that he would've battled to the death to protect any of his flock. He especially protected me and all the children in the family. The men in our family could NOT roughhouse with the kids because Howdy couldn't distinguish if the children were in real danger or not. If he sensed the kids were in danger at all, he would go into action to put a stop to it.

All of us appreciated his proactive guarding. Both of my son-in-laws have been the recipients of Howdy's warning nips to stop playing the part of a monster chasing the kids while growling, "I'm going to get you." 

Well, the "monsters" didn't get the kids because Howdy got the monsters first.

These two good fathers were never angered over Howdy's guard duties because they respected the fact that he acted on behalf of the children, not afraid of grown men charging after the children. And he could've full-out attacked the men, but he'd simply run up and nip as a test to see if he could detour their behavior. If not, there's no doubt that he would've gone in for a full effort to protect the kids.

We always knew that if ANYTHING or ANYONE came out of the woods with an intent to attack or drag away a child, Howdy would immediately go into action to protect them. He was a formidable guard. He had the capacity to make split decisions on his own and go into action. That is a priceless trait to have in a faithful friend.

Having a formidable looking dog is great, but having a dog who watches, judges, decides, and acts to protect his own is a priceless trait, indeed.

Losing Howdy hurt, but I was comforted by the thought of him and my father being together. My Dad died the year before Howdy. They sure adored each other.

Dad and Howdy in a joyful greeting.

It's nearly been one year since we lost Howdy, and I'm a mess as I write this post because we've added a male puppy to our home.

We could NEVER replace Howdy, but living on all this land means we need a good male dog. Their marking of territory sends a clear sign to predators that this area is spoken for, and if you cross this boundary, you subject yourself to the one protecting it.

In all the years out here with Howdy, he kept the coyotes at bay, and the fox didn't find it so easy to trespass, and any wild dogs stayed clear of our property.

In the near year Howdy has been gone, we've seen all the above encroach onto our land to the point they are now coming closer and closer to the house, more frequently. 

In fact, one day, I was outside and found myself eye-to-eye with a coyote about sixty feet away in my backyard. It wasn't afraid, but I was unarmed. I managed to get to back onto the porch and get inside to retrieve the rifle. Back outside, I had enough time to get into position to shoot as it finally bolted.

Then came a series of wandering feral dogs. We've seen strange dogs a handful of times out here, a rarity. A couple of times they were lost pets whose owners did show up to retrieve them, but when you have a strong male dog with good boundary marking, other dogs stay clear.

I truly thought we'd never get another male dog. We have two gals right now. The oldest is about ten years old. Gracie has strong behaviors that passed on to a puppy, and she learned many of her habits from Howdy, so her methods are partly an extension of his. I know the new puppy can learn much of the same with added training.

The best part about this puppy is that he comes from my oldest daughter's house. Her full-blooded Australian Shepherd had an unexpected tryst with a Weimaraner neighbor, and voila, sturdy puppies. Eight to be exact.

I didn't want another dog, so I avoided my oldest daughter as if she were the plague itself. This has become a family joke. I hoped Heather would find all the puppies their forever homes. And of course, I did see her several times during this timeframe, and the grandkids even came to our house for extended visits during those weeks, but I didn't want little temptations of all sorts in my face -- urging me to take home a puppy.

My patience didn't outlast anyone.

The fur-babies are no longer babies, but are now a couple of months old. My daughter's favorite remained one of the last to be claimed because she KNEW in her heart that he belonged to us, and apparently my husband and our daughter had formed a secret alliance of wills, conspiring to get the designated puppy over here.

Pappy and I are in a group text with our daughters, and Heather continually sent pictures and videos over the last couple of months to especially highlight this one puppy. I stayed strong. Sometimes watching the videos of the romping puppy with just one eye trained on the screen of my cell phone.

Nope.

And then we were home at BootCreek Farm one day when the thing we'd never had happen in all our years here did happen. Near the end of July, a trespasser showed up during the middle of the day, around 2pm in the afternoon. 

With multiple surveillance cameras trained upon the grounds with multiple indoor cameras pointed outdoors, along with other monitoring methods, we caught the trespasser's approach. This person breezed past multiple no-trespassing signs to meander through the forest -- our land -- toward our house. Most surprising, the trespasser walked right by the front steps of our house, and then turned to walk toward our BACK porch.

But, the trespasser took the time to approach one of the cameras, intending to steal it... and with hands on it... looked up and noticed more cameras capturing their actions. Did that stop the trespasser? No.

A documented meth addict has little incentive to stop them from deeds that might lead to another batch of drugs.

It took less than five seconds from the first notification of the trespasser's presence for us to fly into action, ready to respond and self-defend. Before the trespasser climbed the steps of our wrap-around porch, we were armed.

We are the Nana and Pappy a thief wouldn't want to encounter. 

It definitely wasn't a smart move to approach our house. I'll tell the entire story later, but this person did end up in jail.

On that day, our two female dogs cut loose while inside the house with us, but Howdy would've been a different story, if he'd been here. Howdy would've provided another layer of safety in a potentially bad situation. 

So, yep, we got the largest fellow of the liter, a robust little one.

When you live in the country, you are probably well prepared for such an occasion, likely better than the average person. Country people must be ready and able to confront and combat ill-intentioned individuals, out of necessity. Law enforcement doesn't have rapid response times in rural settings, but countryfolk usually have at least one strong, trained male dog ready to assist in guarding their property.

After this encounter, I did some hard thinking. We had considered moving this last year, maybe to Galveston, but with an unfavorable economy inviting inflation with soaring prices of basic essentials, we also watched local crime stats rise. This made the prospect of seaside living more precarious. And then we had other reasons to rethink moving.

Our property offers abundant fish and game with a spring-fed creek and lake. We don't have a vegetable garden this year, but for most of our life together, we've grown many of our own vegetables. Living in the country gives us a cushion against hard times. And our house is the place family and friends can come to, if the need arises.

Staying in the house-of-perpetual-construction means we needed another large, male dog. That's a mighty long commitment. 

The responsibility of having dogs is not something we take lightly, and my heart has struggled with this decision. I'm not one to let love in or out of my heart so easily.

This puppy will receive a lot of love and training. I look forward to resuming my vegetable gardening and other tasks around the house without having a rangy coyote sneak up on me, but I whispered to Boots, "You've got mighty big paws to fill."

He's trying.

# 552 - Clearing Land - a GrandBaby - a Niece!

The past two weeks have found us to be busy...nonstop. We first started with the unbelievably great experience of having our grandbaby Coraline with Nana and Pappy! I laughed about us being in an RV during our first extended visit with Coraline, but it was a blessing and rather easy to keep up with a 20 month old in a small space! She has stayed the night with us a few times before, but this visit was a week long visit...perfect!

Coraline and her babies as they are kissing goodnight!

Then, it became an extra delight to find that my daughter Heather had already been potty training Coraline and our stay gave her a warp push forward with potty training, probably because of the small space involved with our temporary living quarters. Soon, Coraline refused to wear a wet diaper or even a dry diaper and the good news is, in seven days of watching her, I only had to change ONE poopy diaper on her first day with us...all other poopies were IN THE POTTY! Yes, if you change diapers or have EVER changed a diaper during your lifetime, you can understand that this is newsworthy info!

One sunny afternoon at the park to let the
grand-baby RUN --- too many days of rain
had made us stir-crazy. She needed to be a kid!

The next week, I had my eight year old niece Shaye to watch. She was adorable. Actually, I had both children for nearly 48 hours, so I was reminded of what it is like to have two energetic children in my possession! It was wonderful! And I was thankful these cousins got to spend some time together.

Coraline and Shaye...My grand-daughter and niece. Super special kids!

I even got to enjoy a visit with my dad who got to cuddle and be delighted by his first great-grand-daughter. I know my dad, these moments were Heavenly to him. I could see the father he had been to me as he held is great-grandbaby girl. He becomes a puddle of mush when allowed to just be himself with the baby. I sure love my dad.

My daddy and his great-grandbaby.

Soon, Coraline was on her way home with her parents, back to the Greater Fort Worth Area and this gave me and Shaye some much needed time alone. So, we headed back to the country and I bought Shaye a pair of galoshes so she could go on a hike through the acreage to see the future home-site being cleared by the timber crew. I wanted her to see the construction process from the start. But, she had never owned a pair of rain boots and wasn't very confident in their ability to keep her feet dry.

Her Uncle David had to say, "Girl, step into that water! Those boots were made to keep your feet dry!"

She finally took a timid step and then she shared a HUGE smile as she realized her socks were still dry. Then, Shaye began to find every puddle in her path so she could tread across the muckiness.

Shaye and Gracie had a great time exploring the build-site together.

Of course, she got to have her new boots hosed off after the hike. Shaye LOVES her rain boots. We talked about her being able to wear them on rainy days and not worry about the puddles. I think she will be ready for the next rain day with a smile.

Next, it was my turn. Sgt. Dave hosed down my own boots as I stood and giggled. How does that man still manage to make me giggle and smile as my cheeks get flushed?

It is difficult to believe that our house will soon be standing in this area. We will soon have a REAL house, with a metal roof instead of an RV with slide-outs!

I can't wait!

Have I said that I can't wait?

Oh yea...I CAN'T WAIT!

# 531 - Outdoor Gym

One of my goals is to start taking walks more often, just for the sake of walking nonstop for cardio purposes and to allow my body to again exercise in a manner that is continual for an extended period of time.

We do a lot of physical work around the acreage, but it is in spurts, here and there. That kind of work can often do more harm than good, especially if you are out of shape, in general.

And, I am out of shape.

This is me, a few weeks ago, floating in a refreshing lake in Texas.
I am in the water since you don't see people lurking around. I was
being silly with my old Water Ballet moves. Yes, I did ALL THINGS
water related while growing up.

Actually, our family has always been very active, especially during the years of raising our daughters.

One of the hundreds of trips we made
to Galveston, Texas...just down the road
from where we lived while raising our
awesome children.

We were extremely outdoor-geared, always bike-riding, hiking, camping, swimming and doing anything that required moving, having fun and being under the blue skies.

The kids and Sgt. Dave on our acreage,
many years ago. Sgt. Dave looks scrawny
to me in this picture! Lol.

My grown daughters are in great shape and they have often been involved with very athletic competitive activities and they watch what they eat.

Both my daughters on Heather's wedding day (my oldest daughter).
Heather & Stefanie are precious to me. This was two years ago.

I am so glad they grew out of this stage...

At their great-grandmother's house...playing tea-party, with wigs.

My youngest daughter is taking her commitment to exercise and overall health to a new level. She is a tiny thing...not quite 5'2" and has a hard time hitting 100 lbs on the scale. Stefanie has also encountered serious bodily injury in her freshman year of college due to a car wreck...the impact was so severe that it caused her car to flip and the result was a broken back and a closed head injury from the brain being rattled.

So, when I see her conquering her battles and becoming physically stronger than ever, I am especially proud of her!

Muscles Galore!

She has motivated me, in spite of my own significant health hurdles, to get moving in a way that goes beyond using a weed-eater or planting flowers in the garden and even beyond re-laying stepping stones...I needed to start a program of sustained exercise for a significant amount of time, several days per week, just to get the body moving in longevity.

I had initially even considered checking out the two work-out facilities in our small Texas town.

Livingston's recent Homecoming Parade

But, my round-trip to go to the gym would be about 25 miles and I don't think that would help push me to the gym. Then, I am in my mid-40's and don't exactly relish the idea of working out with a potential audience since body parts tend to go in different directions these days. No thanks.

On our acreage, we have a long private road that I knew needed to become part of my walking path on a daily basis.

Due to the curves in our private road, I cannot get a picture of its full
length, but it is definitely longer than a football field.

 

It is in the middle of the woods, but I am completely capable of protecting myself and I also have three large dogs who LOVE to walk alongside me the entire time.

They are fantastic guard dogs as well.

 

 

I thought I'd throw in a picture of Liyla to show her serious side. Lol. I am not kidding, of all my dogs, this one is the dog that would do serious damage. She has had some guard dog training, and if I say the magic words, I would pity anyone having to contend with her. 

 

Being in nature is wonderful.

So, I have begun the process of taking daily walks, weather permitting, on our private road and I even incorporate part of the forest into the walk to make things more interesting.

Howdy is also an ultra-guard dog. He has NO HESITATION and will run straight up to the threat...my brother discovered this side of Howdy, until Howdy got within three feet and finally recognized him. Scary moment, but it made my brother so HAPPY to see that Howdy is such an intense, capable guard dog. Then, my brother changed his britches. :-)

I make five rounds, which is quite a distance. And I realized that I have an awesome "Outdoor Gym" that just needs to be used with a bit more purpose. Just walking outdoors to do some work on the land does not always equate the exercise we think it does. Yes, the strength training the acreage provides is awesome, but the endurance and benefits we derive from activity sustained at a steady pace cannot be overlooked.

Since I need to get this body into better shape, my Outdoor Gym is about to be my best-friend on a new level.

# 522 - Doggie Disappearing Act

This past week has been full of ups and downs. First of all, I had wanted to go see my oldest daughter and grand-daughter in the Fort Worth area, but things around our own place have been chaotic.

Auntie Stefie with Coraline. My youngest
daughter Stefie with my grand-baby Coraline.

I didn't feel well this past week...for those of you who are long time readers, you might know that I have jumped a few MAJOR health hurdles, which includes two critical Cardio-Thoracic surgeries that were a year apart. I also have a rare condition that actually makes my blood pressure plummet, which can create jello body. Since I have had trouble this week keeping my blood pressure elevated, I knew that driving one-way for 4+ hours might not be the wisest choice. When this happens, I just have to wait it out. Usually, it does happen more often during the summer months because I am outside to do this and that and it causes my electrolytes to get a little off-whack, causing me major issues. Not fun. I have medicine I take to elevate my blood pressure, but sometimes it is more complicated than a little pill can fix, so I have to kind of take it easy and wait it out. I have learned that patience is crucial to getting through the frustrating times. I still have so much to do, whether I am doing outdoor work or handling necessary paperwork and home business to keep things running at home.

So, there you go with that angle. Tough week as my blood pressure yo-yo's.

To top it off, the dog we had rescued from the deep forest a few months ago is scheduled to be "fixed" in about a week at our country vet's office. Apparently, the appointment was off by a couple of weeks because Gracie went into heat and everything went into chaos around here as Howdy entered a zone-of-crazy-dogness.

For days on end, I felt as if I were living around events that closely resembled what I can only refer to as "live porn" and it was fairly traumatic. Thankfully, Howdy could not figure out which end was what, if you catch my drift. However, there was a lot of kennel time off and on during the day with a sharp eye on both dogs to usher my "STOP THAT" command.

You would have thought my blood pressure would've gone sky high with all the constant attempts of the dogs to be "involved" that had been going on around me.

Howdy still has the jewels because we were hoping to one day get another full-blooded Aussie for him to breed with, especially because he truly is one of the best dogs I have ever been around...awesome farm/ranch dog that is great with the animals, a natural lead dog for walks and an excellent guard dog with sharp senses and an ability to follow detailed commands.

However, after these intense days of Howdy being in the zone, I was ready to neuter him, myself.

In fact, Gracie has been a dog that has been prone to give in to her wanderlust, but Howdy has always remained by my side, true blue. We have tried to handle her wanderlust, but on a lot of acreage, that can be a challenge. The good part, overall, is that the older she gets, the less often she wanders and the more often she loves to linger directly in our yard with the chickens at her side. Gracie loves to find a stick or a branch or a bone from the forest and chew on it for a few days in one of her favorite spots in the yard. With the summer heat, she is more prone to elect to stay inside next to the fan.

However, this past week, in the chaos of a dog in heat for the first time, Gracie decided to go on an excursion and the especially bad part is that Howdy followed her.

He has never left the homefront and he flat out left. That morning, I had been outside doing morning chores as the dogs were outside with me. I was keeping my eye on Howdy to make sure there wasn't any "funny business" happening. In fact, Howdy had been commanded to get onto the deck and to stay as I walked a few feet away to collect eggs. In the amount of time it took for me to collect ten eggs against me and turn around to face the deck, he was gone, Gracie was gone, both were gone.

 

Setting the eggs down, I began to walk around calling for Howdy because he is the one who will turn on a dime at a command. The problem was...he wasn't showing up. Highly unusual. I kept walking from one side of the acreage to another, walking for acres and acres, probably a total of pacing hit around walking a minimum of ten acres as I called out commands to him that he has never ignored before this time.

Finally, I decided to go back to the home-site to wake Sgt. Dave, even though he'd been working long hours and had not gotten a full night's rest, I could not continue searching by myself. He woke straight up and headed outside to start his own calls.

Sgt. Dave even fired the rifle and the .38 because Howdy does NOT like the sound of gun-fire. But, nothing worked. It seemed that Howdy was completely out of hearing distance.

Knowing that we are surrounded by THOUSANDS of forested acres made me feel hopeless. Also, rain was coming, so I feared that their scent trail to find their way home would be wiped clean.

Also, the roads surrounding the acreage are very dangerous to animals because nearly everyone around here drives a huge truck. Then, I was concerned that Howdy and Gracie would come up to a neighbor's acreage and either be attacked by one or more of the neighbor's dogs or that they would be shot by the neighbor trying to protect his own animals from rogue visitors.

No matter...I had terrible thoughts and the more time that passed, the worse the thoughts became.

Sgt. Dave went driving around, looking for the dogs, with no luck. Eventually, he had to leave for work. I began calling local places to see if they could keep their eyes and ears open for anyone seeing or hearing about our dogs being caught.

And, nearly eight hours passed. I knew they would never come home again. I tried to not be angry at Gracie for her wanderlust and for the natural conditions that made Howdy want to stick to her like a piece of duct tape.

Then, after 5:00pm, I walked into the yard to find the dogs coming across the acreage to the deck. Howdy looked like HELL. He was filthy, soaking wet with debris sticking to his fur, and he literally could not make it to the deck...he collapsed on our acreage, in our yard, about half way to the deck.

Better days the followed the doggie-disappearance day.

Obviously, they had also found something to eat because Gracie was dragging a piece of heavy foil with bits of charred meat stuck inside of it, so they had their fast-food with them...no telling where they got that from, probably another reason to almost get shot.

Sgt. Dave had three problems on his hand when he had left for work...Gracie missing, Howdy missing and his wife, me, who was beyond furious. In fact, after Howdy disappeared, I called to vet to also schedule him to be neutered. My husband asked me, "Isn't that premature...I mean...he hasn't even come home yet."

And I have to be honest, I responded, "Well, when he comes home, it will be to face a ball-less future because his following her is because he is not thinking straight and we CAN fix that!"

Yes, I scheduled Howdy for a neutering as he was missing. I had to do something since I felt out of control and scheduling him for surgery to remove the source(s) of the reason for him to stray felt like the right thing to do at that time.

Sgt. Dave has been bringing home wood pallets for us to recycle for
various projects around the land, such as when building a new
chicken run-coop.

Anyway, the dogs came back. I gave them water, then put them in their separate kennels until Sgt. Dave got home from work. I had no energy left to give to them since I had already been feeling like puke and had walked enough that morning to get in a week's worth of exercise. My throat was raw from going outside every twenty minutes to call for them and the stress of KNOWING they had met some foul ending had zapped me completely. I kind of felt like Howdy did as he collapsed, as if I almost did the same thing, weak knees and feeling overwhelmed with thankfulness that they were able to make it home after being gone for so many hours in the Big Thicket forest.

Picture taken on another day when the dogs weren't so worn out.

So, I know that we need to make fencing a part of our construction plan. Acreage needs boundary fencing, but that won't really keep in a dog that is determined to wander off the property. Even though this is probably a rare occurrence for Howdy, I need to make sure these dogs have a proper fenced-in yard they can stay in as I go to town. For now, I cannot leave for any significant amount of time because they have to stay in the RV, which means no potty breaks, so I cannot be gone long.

The lack of fencing has restricted my own freedom and my own ability to live life as I please, so that fenced-in yard area will be crucial to our new residential site. Also, the chickens were left unguarded with the dogs gone, especially since they are mostly free-ranging chickens.

Howdy even listens and jumps up toward swooping hawks and he has taught Gracie to do the same. But, the day they were gone, I realized that I have the animals living too interdependent of one another. It's great that all of our animals can be together, but I do need each to have their separate quarters and fencing.

And you guys already know that I am fed up with having chicken under my feet as I am walking back and forth with laundry in my arms, unloading groceries or trying to just do something simple outside...chickens are great, but not underfoot.

They also have access to get upon our deck, which is a constant battle and a problem that I can only describe as creating "nasty" circumstances that is not acceptable to me. Sorry, I don't want poop on my walkway, on my porch or in my yard.

This one little chicken I call "Baby" might be a chicken
I would let move in, give her a bedroom, and act
chicken-crazy about her. She's fairly adorable. Lol.

So, fencing has become another element of my construction process and it will be given priority over the outdoor kitchen because we cannot even enjoy an outdoor kitchen without the dogs and chickens having proper accommodations.

There are stresses in life that can be reduced with proper planning and action. For me, fencing is now at the top of the list and my priorities are in order.

Having acreage is different from our last few houses that were located in the suburbs and required a few wood picket boards between us and our neighbors to create a nice fenced-in space. The problem was, the space was limited, directly against the neighbor and we had neighbors who didn't want to share the load or expense of fencing. So, I am glad to be out of that situation, but that also means that we have a different scenario with acreage...I will have to make sure we put up effective fencing that is affordable and that will do the trick to keep the animals in the designated place in a way that looks attractive or that does not block our views.

On top of it all, last night, Gracie evidently had a sick stomach and began having diarrhea, inside the RV. She had cried out and I should have immediately let her outside. I have learned that when she communicates with me, she does it because she means business.

Regardless, this week has been eventful and a challenge to search for the "good" has been my task as I have encountered a lot of activity that would disturb anyone's peace.

One of my goals with the new house is to set things up so that I do have peace and enjoyment in and around my home, not to be run over by animals, but a home that I have under control. This year of lacking control has not been a pleasant part of this experience. But, I can change that, and I will.

Fences are coming.