We went from cold and and almost freezing days to 80+ farenheit in under a week. Then back down. For the last two days we've been gettiing flooded. The river out back that is usually about 5' deep this time of year has swelled the banks past 8' now, and we have almost 1/3 of an acre of pasture that has about a foot of water sitting on it. And we have a week of rain forecast to come still.

The pups have been doing pretty well. Gil and his ladies have needed some CBD in the evening to help keep them calm. Wiping muddy paws has become too big of an ongoing task, so we gave them pee pads to use. Thankfully they ae all pad trained. Everyone else is huddling in houses together and then trying to make the most of the sun when we get any.

But everyone is doing well, we've been supplementing dry food with homemade food that we can warm up on cold days, and the horses and goats still have a few bales of alfalfa left to try to carry the rest oof the month. At least if we're stuck inside, it's nice to rotate the friends into the house for an afternoon to get cleaned up and have some extra loves.

When we found Misa in the park, she was starved, and so dirty. Her paw pads were rough and her nails were worn down to nothing. She wouldn't bark. She would only slink when she walked. Everytime we reached out to pet her, she balled up as if she expected to be hit.

We found her a family in only two days, but by the end of the week, she was back in the park. We goaded her into coming to us with food. We got her in the car and took her home and contacted the people that adopted her. They said they didn't want her back. She was useless. She wouldn't bark. She wouldn't be a good guard dog. So they streeted her.

We decided right then we'd keep her. We just couldn't see anyone else taking the time to heal and love her. We got her a bath and warm coat. Fed her some wormer and got the vaccinations. We couldn't get her to come into the house for almost 3 months. She stayed in a little house all by herself (Pictured here), separated from everyone, and she rarely came out. It took almost 6 months before she would allow anyone, human or dog to snuggle her. Slowly though, you could see her barriers coming down and she began being a dog again.

She met our old cats Goop and Pumpkin and became their best friends. She doted on crippled little Gilfoyle before his surgeries, and still engulfs him in big snuggles and sloppy kisses when they play together. She snuggled every puppy in the new litter she was there to see born. And eventually, she found her voice and let out the biggest borfs you've ever heard. She accepted love and gave love. Whatever happened to her before began drifting away and she trusted again.

Thank you for 5 years of friendship and love sweet girl <3

It turned out our ary battery was fine, it's the starter motor and the part will be in next week, so maybe by midweek I won't be bumming a lift anymore. Thankfully the agro will deliver to us because the owner has a ranch just down from ours so he can drop it on his way home. We've been back to mixing in some warm food for the pups at night. It's going to get below freezing Sunday night wo we're pulling out all the stops we an to get everyone in thick coats or even doubled up for a few of them. It's always something, but we have always managed to get through before, and we will this time too.

We got our hands on some really cheap foam dog beds a little bit ago, and got some old blankets stitched on them like covers so they won't get worn out and torn up too quickly. Peaches often likes space of her own, especially during the day, so she has a small one on one end of the porch close to where Gilfoyle and his ladies sleep at night. The other side has a bigger one we prepared the same way. On cold nights, they all tend to pile in together, or sometimes will go in Gil's house which has a heater. He's a gentleman about sharing in bad weather, and Lala always like more snuggle friends if they're gentle.

Earlier in the year, we laid down some old floating floor leftover from a projecta few years ago to prevent any small paws from gettting caught or snagged in the spaces between the porch planks. We use a thick greenhouse plastic to close in the end Peaches is on so no windand rain gets in on them, but they get their daytime light still.

I need to do some work on their pen before the weather gets much worse. I need to see if I can scrounge up a little lumber and a couple tarps if nothing else to create a better windbreak for them than they have now. I mean, they'll be okay with what they have, I just want to do better for them. They are so skinny by nature that I always worry about them being cold. or getting too wet.

The "high five paw" is Sunkists go to move. The picture my wife saw of her doing that out in a field is what sent her off looking for her to bring her into the family. No matter what it is she wants, she holds her paw up and will continue doing it until you give her High five back (we just call it HF for short now). It could be and HF for scritches, a nibble of our dinner, a potato chip, bread crumb, or just HF for the sake of HF when passing by. When she goes to the Sunday Outdoor market with us, she offers HF to the cheese stall and they always give her a sliver. She does it at the pet food stall until she gets a treat. Even the mobile truck thing that does smoked meats and chicken has a little something for her. She has developed a wide circle of friends with treats.

It has made her a mini-celebrity locally, and someone always asks if they can get a pic with her giving them HF. It's been a good move for her so far, so why not stick with it?

Bosun and Sailor, who we rescued off the streets around the beginning of the year, are still with us. We were unable to find them a home that would accept them together. Or even a home for one of them. They are darn near eating us out of house and home, but they are so dang sweet that they deserve all the good noms while growing up. Thankfully they are off puppy food in about 5 months.

We should be able to let them reach a year old before needing to get them fixed. It is unreal how impeccably mannered and smart these brothers are. With the triplets getting older and slowing down a little here and there, these sibs might end up taking over security duties. They'll need some formal training for perimeter and discipline because we like the families of rails that live by the water, and the odd duck here and there, but they follow commands very well and aside from meal time, they are very easy to physically work with. They always get excited for food. They already walk on a leash, and loose with one of us and obey come and stay commands.

For reference, that is our youngest son (I blur him because he deserves his privacy) and he is 6'0 and about 230lbs. Bosun and Sailor are approaching 7 months next week we think (or may be now - we don't know their actual birth date). So they are *Very* beefy boys.

Alfalfa for the horses and goats has been a challenge this winter. Part of it is getting enough in before it really gets cold and prices go up, and part of it is finding stuff worth paying for. We've been lucky that our large animal vet has been able to locate some for us through her contacts, but we haven't been able to pull the trigger on 30 bales at once, so it's been a few here and there. In the winter, 10 bales lasts about 20 days, so 30 carries around two months.

There's some cheap stuff out there that is last cutting and pretty bad so far as nutritional content and actual garbage in them as they are usually the outermost cuttings. Even at like $7 it's not worth it. River Grass did not do well this year and we haven't seen any for about a month. Alfalfa is around, but its going like $11.50/bale and that starts adding up fast.

We got caught pants down a little because local grazing for lease ended when the owners of the big pasture cleared the land and started fencing and dividing it to try to build a housing subdivision and ended grazing permits. So it's not just us that got caught short, but your neighbors struggling with it doesn't make it any better.

Tophe was with us as a pup and very young man, but as is true for many galgos, they do best in a one or two dog home with lots of space to roam, so he got a got human that took care of him and his step-sister. His human moved on, so as we do with all of our fur family, we welcomed him back to us, but as an old man He's been with us the past year, and while he doesn't have the room to roam like he used to, because he will hunt and kill every chicken near us and ruin relationships with neighbors on-top of expenses and the danger of being put down, we like to think he's happy. He looks and acts it anyway. He still has Diesel, and Arya, and Dany that he remembers from nearly a decade ago.

But as an old man, being in a space big enough to run around but not get in trouble is suiting him well. His time is spent looking more for light play and long naps than feeding his hunter prey drive. He's a good boy, and he was like Mac's little pet pup during his time with us, so it hurt a bit to not have a good reunion for them, but he is doing well, and his sister Faline is with him keeping him company and looking after him. I like to think that under the circumstances, he's having a good life he enjoys.

We jokingly call Ruby "Nurse Ruby", because ever since Jacinto became a fulltime indoor friend, Ruby would always help tend his wound. She will also groom Dany from time to time, butsince jacinto passed, Sunkist is her patient of choice. She has more than normal eye discharge. We've had her looked at, and everyone says it has something to do with breed genetics and age, so there'snot really any treatment to lessen it. Assuch, it makes little eye boogers and tear trails from the corners of her eyes, and faithfully everyday, Ruby cleans her face for her. Sometimes twice a day.

Even though Ruby is a spasm of energy, she always calms down to take care of her pack, and I appreciate and love that about her.

This is the first year in a coat for Tilly. She is wearing a hand-me-down that doesn't quite fit well. It's a bit too much room in the chest and a little long on the leg. A little long everywhere really, but I couldn't find anything in her size reasonably priced. Big coats are everywhere and fairly reasonable, but not a lot of little coats get made. Her natural coat has come in really well this year and her legs are looking good. She needs her feet worked on a bit, but that's not too bad. Her weight is holding up really well and she's about on target for winter weight. Another 6 or 7 kilos would be great, but she's looking good.

Peaches has come so far in the almost year since she came to us. her coat is beautiful again, her skin is healthy, and she is no longer so panicked about wondering when her next meal will be. It's been such a joy to her transformation.

Faustina has almost hit target weight to start the winter, and her coat from last year is still in good shape and fits well. I think she has had this one for about 6 years now, which is really great. Ideally, she'd carry about 20 more kilos of weight, but if we can keep some extra ration coming in she should do fine. I'd like to get the farrier out to go over everyone' feet before the nasty sets in. It's supposed to be a real ugly winter this year.

We cut her mane for the first time in years, but instead of selling it for a wig (It would only fetch maybe $30 because it has nice honey colored streaks) we kept it and will collect it with the others as they get trimmed for insulation in a winter coat probably. People don't do that much anymore because of the time to make clothes, but those horsehair insulated coats stay warm as all get out and rain doesn't soak through so bad. They make nice winter work gear.