Thanksgiving Table

giraffes

GIRAFFES!!!!

Little did that caller know how many jokes we were going to get out of her snarky comment about "You'd better be raising giraffes if you need that tent!"  Well, we ARE!!!  Danes ARE the "giraffes" in the dog world - long-legged, sleek, and incredibly adorable!!!!  The giraffe comment led me to learn how to do some basic photo-shopping.  (It was fun but I wouldn't want to do it for a career.)

The New G-Tent

and I learn to combine pics together - erase and resize

Megan was on vacation while all this was going on.  I thought she'd better be ready for her next task.

And the giraffes might as well enjoy all of Pam's wonderful stories 

she tells the babies while she's puppysitting, as well:

The giraffes began appearing inside the barn:

And then CPs started SENDING giraffes and signs and toys to the farm.  

Crazy Acres was becoming a giraffe habitat:

They even inspired the name for the Monday Night Dinner Cooking blog 

Giraffes in the Kitchen

(which led to the name of THIS blog!)

We love giraffes!!!!

I'm still looking for the pic of the meeting in the G-tent, with a giraffe peaking over (and eaavesdropping) from behind the food storage shed.

Guppies

The Guppies:

Gussie's Brood

I love the spoon-ffeding shots.  The puppies are so good now at paying RAPT attention as they wait for a little snack.  This one just reminded me of rehearsing to sing when I was in University Choir.

Calories

Scarlet's Calories:  Arguably the "sweetest" litter of babies ever!!

Poor Bailey - from no pups to FOUR litters of pups in a month!  The Calories were moved out of the office one day, only to be brought back that night.  Bailey just seemed resigned to living with a bunch of little feet, pounding around.

Ruby

"Don't Take Your Love to Town"

(I'll be singing that to her forever!!)

She is just the sweetest thing on four paws!

Exploring the office includes that noisy machine the big dogs are always playing with!

Training - I'm always amazed at how quickly these guys catch on to 'pay attention".  

Good pups!!

First day out of the house, off the deck, out of the Nutt, off the Used Car Lot and FINALLY, down on Puppy Hill!!!!  The excitement!!  Loved this shot of Kringle, surveying her queendom:

And then I found this dog's "thumbs up!"  Much better!!

I was in a pretty sad mood when this pic was posted on line - guess that flavored my take on it.  But haven't we all been in a similar situation - all ready to play and no one to play with?

There's my girl, Ruby, again.  Just sitting there and being adorable.  

I love her fat little belly in this pic.

mamas

From the old files:

I haven't tagged a lot of pics of the mamas when they are expecting - I just feel so sorry for them as they get so HUGE!!!!!  I remember commenting on Olive that she looked 'stuffed' and someone picked up on that and named her litter "The Pimientos".    Add on to that the girls leave their home and family and come hang at the farm for a week before delivery and about five weeks after and I just feel so BAD for them.  No vacation, that!  Just lots and lots and lots of really hard work.  Bless their hearts - our girls are great mommies!!!!

I have to admit - I stole the punchline from Goldie Hawn's "Overboard".  I can hear her supercilious tone ringing through the caption.

The girls always look so totally bored while waiting for their babies to arrive.  

So - a boring song was needed for a punchline.  Easy choice!

and even better snugglers with their little ones.  

I didn't caption this one - it didn't need it.  But it says EVERYTHING!!

Another "snuggle shot"!

I liked playing with the graphics on this one - the big and little hearts were all the dialogue I needed.

around the farm

Sunday Stew has its own welcoming committee

A crack of the whiffle bat or one loud 'whoa!' stops EVERYTHING at the farm!

Everything.

Literally.

(Can you tell I did this one after seeing "Jurassic World'?  

Only Carlene could bring velociraptors to a screeching halt!)

Sweet picture of Charlie and a little friend:

The Queen

No dialogue - just a sweet shot of Bailey snuggling with two little lamb pillows.

The location of the Tanning Salon is a well-kept secret.

Martha and the Dots

I love Pam's dogs - and they are finally warming up to me!  Martha and Chester, in particular, is becoming my buddy.  Whit - not so much - but he recognizes I ALWAYS have cookies in my pocket.

I loved the regal poses on them - and their gaze off in different directions - just as if they were all standing guard.  "Standing guard" - my brainlink to the Canadian National Anthem.

Oh, Miss VooDoo!!!  Loved watching her arrive and learn the ropes at the farm!  I have to wonder if the puppies are saying to themselves, "WTH?  This place is just weird!!!"

Kati was leash training in the house and one of the babies decided to stop and visit with Carlene for a minute.  I love watching Carlene with the pups.  I know her brain is going a thousand miles a minute, evaluating them, but it IS just so sweet to see her step away from the business end for a minute and enjoy a little puppy interaction.

Likewise, Bud works so hard - he is everywhere doing everything.  It is charming to watch a big guy being so soft and gentle with the babies.  Bud loves those puppies!

I have NO idea what was going on in this shot.  But the second I saw it, my brain screamed, "TRAMPOLINE!!!!!"  Love the flying ears.

As a veteran teacher of four decades, I have spent a LOT of time going over the expectations with the kids beforehand.  This wonderful shot of Donna and the Minions took me back to my classroom.  (Although I never ONCE discussed 'pee pads' in my room...)

After all the mayhem of FOUR litters in the house simultaneously, it is strange how quiet it got as they moved out.  Poor Bentley finally got to come back in the house from his exile out in Deagle,  The matching poses just spoke to me of quiet reflection from two of the 'house dogs'.

His time in exile took Bentley down a notch or two!  Whereas "Auntie" ARiot has become a fixture taking care of the babies.  Reality bites, doesn't it, big guy?

11/25/15

First day out on the hill.  They ran.  They played.  They explored.  And this lovely pensive shot was caught - puppy just catching its breath and sitting for a second.

I'm a former math teacher - the puppy's neck just screamed the theme at me, the second I saw it.

Cute shot illustrating size differences - spring litter vs. fall litter.  

It is fun watching them interact!!

This picture was posted with the subtitle "confidence". 

And I could hear the music and picture the happy lilting walk immediately.

(If you've seen "Saturday Night Fever" you understand the paint can balanced on the pup's head.)

Beautiful Devin, doing some spoon training with pup-pup-pups!

I liked the expression on the face of the little one - Pixie Stix? - in the back.

I cracked myself up over this stupid joke.  Double meanings always get me!!!

Of course, EVERYTHING on the farm is "up" to Wanda - even the chickens!

Devin navigating the steep hill with some of the little guys.  

They are learning to pay attention to the humans.

Auntie ARiot

18 November. 2015

Margaret captured a great shot of ARiot playing with the guppies.  She was adorable last night - pawing them and letting them chomp on her ear.  Best Auntie EVER!!!!

13 November. 2015      

ARiot checks out the Guinea hens

                          

14 November. 2015

Auntie ARiot is everyone's favorite housedog - well, next to the Queen herself, she is! Grace's shadow!!  If you want to find Grace, look for ARiot!!

My first experience with her was last January's volunteer dinner when I housesat.  The second Grace left to go to the party, ARiot parked herself in front of the door and moaned.........and kept moaning for about 20 minutes.  Toys, cookies, pets - nothing would entice her to leave that door.  She finally left to go sit on a futon and kept her eyes PEELED to that door for the next three hours, waiting for her Grace.

She is SO good with all the babies, little or big and is the best babysitter on Puppy Hill EVER!!!!! (Sorry, Uncle Walter, and Chaos - she is just that good!)  Today's pic of her with little Ruby ("Don't Take Your Love to Town, Ruby!!) just made me think of a talk between a newbie and the old 'Dutch Onkel':

Miss Maeve came for a visit and mayhem erupted from those little Guppies!  ARiot was up to the task - for a while - and then she REALLY needed a nap.  There've been a number of days from when I was teaching where I felt EXACTLY like this - totally outnumbered and outgunned!

I know we humans are constantly counting little puppy bodies - so this caption just made perfect sense - especially as some of us are STILL trying to tell a couple of those mantles apart!!!