The busy summer continues, with a brief timeout for a very nice getaway weekend on Lake Cumberland.  It was our first time on a houseboat, and for the most part we enjoyed it.  There was a major learning curve.  It was like taking a driver’s test in a Semi without prior practice! 

  • First and foremost, the anticipated barrage of litters for summer and fall have begun.  While we cannot be certain for a few more weeks, we believe Aleu, Miya, and Ember to be pregnant.  Aleu and Ember are non-registered, Miya is AKC.  I mentioned a few months back, that we do our absolute best to control every aspect of the business of breeding huskies.  However, Mother Nature will always do her best to throw us curveballs.  Aleu for the most part is right on schedule.  Ember on the other hand is about a month and a half ahead of schedule.  That’s ok, she is ready for her first litter to make Holly a grandma again.  Miya?  Well what can we say?  We had every intent to skip her this time around.  Kallen had other ideas.  He dug a hole under the stall walls to get to her at night.  He defines relentless!  Mind you, these walls go down 2 feet underground!! 
  • This will still be Miya’s final litter, only 6 months ahead of where we expected it.  She will be retired, and we will keep the first female.  Along with Josie, the newest girl will carry on Miya’s family.
  • We still expect Phoenix, Lula, Josie, and Iris at some point as well.  The hope is that they hold off another month or so, and then start one by one.  (A guy can dream right?)
  • Fair birds update…Although there will be no fair this year.  Seven turkeys remain and continue to grow.  They weigh in at around 30 lbs. average, and we figure to take them off to processing in a couple weeks.  Our chickens (25 total) are growing well, and will soon be ready to move to their outside pen.  Right now they are in their brooding tub in the barn, where they spend the first 2-3 weeks of their lives.  They should be ready for processing toward the end of August.  We hope to follow those up with 25 more soon.  We do still have the ducks, but figure to release them to a nearby nature preserve soon.  There is no reason to keep them, so over the river and to the Garbry Woods they go!
  • Saturday was one of the hottest days so far this year.  The best thing for huskies in the heat (besides air-conditioning) is shade and water.  They were all outside and attempting to cool off.  Unfortunately, they had to go out in stages, since there are active heat cycles abound.  The boys (Demon, Denali, and Kallen) had to stay behind at first, but after a few hours, they got to go out and Miya, Ember, and Aleu had to come back in.  Holly and Daisie, who are as spoiled as they come, stayed inside in the air-conditioning.
  • When Pool time starts, I always put fresh cool water in the pool, as well as the large tub of drinking water.  The pool of course, is much larger than the water tub.  Yet they seem hell-bent on diving into, and splashing around in, the water tub.  This time, I added to the fun and poured a large container of ice cubes into the pool.  They had a lot of fun ice-cube bobbing!  It was quite humorous watching them dunk their heads to grab the ice and come up munching.  They love ice!!
  • As I mentioned, Holly and Daisie spent the time indoors.  That wasn’t the case Wednesday through Friday.  I had to ground them from the house.  On Tuesday Evening, they were both in the house, and I was home alone.  I went out to the barn to feed the barn dogs like every other night.  When I came back in, I came in to a ransacked house.  Mostly the trash.  Whatever was in the trash bag must have smelled yummy.  It was everywhere!  Needless to say, I wasn’t happy.  Out they went.  They didn’t return to the indoors except to eat, until Saturday.  I truly believe they know what they did was wrong, and they know why they were being punished.  They acted like our kids when I told them they had to go back outside after eating.  They veerrryyy sloooowwwly walked outside when I told them it was time.  I could almost hear the cursing under their breath!
  • After the heat on Saturday, we had a big summer storm.  Thunder, lightning, wind, and very heavy rain invaded the area.  (see the picture of the ominous clouds)  The dogs stayed out through it all. Holly and Daisie of course were in, as well as Czar, who gets a little apprehensive during storms.  Those 3 were inside.  To say the others enjoyed the storm is a major understatement!  Along with the wind and rain came cooler temperatures.  For the most part, they were all out running around cooling off.  

Some of the more humorous anecdotes from the rain:

  • All of the holes they dug throughout the past several months filled with water quickly.  That introduced a whole new kind of fun with these holes!  Digging and splashing, digging and splashing...well you get the idea!
  • As they dug, their paws and legs (particularly their front) always came out brown and muddy.  As the pouring rain washed them on top, the mud puddles made them look like chocolate bars from the bottom.
  • Phoenix kept dunking her head in the puddles for some reason.  I was watching out the kitchen window and I couldn’t help but crack up laughing when she dunked under, then came up and stared at me with her dripping chocolate face!
  • When filled with water, the “holes” no longer exist.  At least that’s what some of them think.  Countless times, I watched as they tried to step on the water, thinking it was a hard surface, only to go crashing down into the pond.
  • Josie and Rose kept climbing up on top of the air-conditioning unit, and then jumping off while trying to catch wind and rain in their mouths.  Times like this really make me want to video tape their escapades!
  • The gutter above our kitchen window is apparently clogged.  It was flowing over, and they all decided it was a great way to wash themselves.  They would stand under it for a while, then run off and shake away the wet and then return. 
  • During all of this, Nadia, Chance, and Miya all stayed dry under the deck.  Some love the water, others don’t.

Other tidbits:

  • The idea of “box-training” them in their stalls is working well so far!  The picture below shows Kallen relaxing in his stall with the “potty-box” in the corner.  Of course he still likes to hike his leg everywhere, and I doubt that will ever stop.  Denali and Aleu have one in their stall as well, and it is working out great there!
  • I put up new Stainless Steel door jamb protectors.  (see picture)  The dogs decided that this is how they were going to cure their boredom, by chewing on the lower door jamb corners.  It never ends!
  • This weekend, it was time for their dose of flea meds.  So far this year (knock on wood!!!) the fleas have been virtually non-existent.  We had one really bad summer the first year we were here, but have been able to control them well since.  Let’s hope it stays that way. 
  • This year, in the field across the street, is a corn year.  For some reason, I like the corn years better.  I think I like to watch the growth and progress.  (I’m really not this boring, I swear!)  Anyway, with the extra rain this year, and the fact that this field doesn’t flood like others, the corn is over 9 feet tall already!  (The mailbox in the picture is 4 ft tall)


Until next time!