I am generally up anywhere between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning, thanks to Oscar, our three-year-old Japanese chin, who gently paws at the bedroom door when he is ready for me to get up. Sometimes, for whatever reason, he thinks 4:00 is ok too. If I feel I’ve had enough sleep, I go ahead … More My Eight-Eyed Coffee Companion
We took our first outing with the fawns last Saturday. The girls enjoyed their freedom and finished the day by entering the pen to eat some feed and fresh browse we cut for them. While they were eating, we shut them in for the night and, due to snowy weather, waited another day before allowing … More Sisterhood of the Traveling Hooves
When my siblings and I were quite young, Mom would take us shopping for school clothes in a nearby town towards the end of each summer. I looked forward to these trips because I liked new clothes, but my brother and one sister loathed having to go along. Because they really did not want to … More A Walk on the Wild Side
Yesterday brought a quiet, drizzly morning. The day promised increasing wind and dropping temperatures with a chance of snow, so I took my time getting outside to do deer and chicken chores. The weather radar showed a slight clearing in the next hour so I decided to wait for that opportunity to tend to the … More Rainy Day Punkin
I was up early this morning. For many weeks, I have been restless at night, awakening every hour or two, often managing my day without more than four or five hours of sleep. The autumn time change only added to the problem. Often, I just get up and quietly get started with my day. It’s … More When the Mind is Still…
As I stepped out into the wind this morning, I took off my ear flap cap and let the wind ruffle my short, unkempt hair. Finally and enjoyably, Mother Nature was providing the first well-above freezing temperatures of the week. City workers restored power to our neighborhood last night, and I slept well knowing the … More Ice Storm – A Pioneer Spirit
Back in March, an inner voice kept telling me “More Than One”. So I was not surprised as, one by one, orphaned fawns, Scout, Gracie, and Ruthie came to live with us. However, I was definitely surprised in late September when Forrest was contacted about yet another orphaned fawn that needed a new home. This fawn … More And Then There Were Four…
Tukker, the orphaned buck fawn we raised in 2019, and released January 16th of 2020, spent most of the spring enjoying his freedom. He never ventured far, though we knew he had crossed through barbed wire fencing, as his back was scraped to the point it was often more bloody than hair-covered. Fortunately, at some … More Tukker’s Yearling Summer
In the days and weeks after taking in an orphaned fawn, we always enjoy watching their personalities evolve. The eldest of our little trio this year, Scout, has shown us her staunch independence, reliance on instinct, and physical strength. She’s highly alert and is often the first to flee into the safety of tall grasses … More Walkabout Scout
In early July, Oklahoma temperatures were on the rise and, because of ample rains this spring, the humidity was almost unbearable at times. With this oppressive heat, it seemed I was continually cleaning and filling water sources. Many afternoons, I freshened the water in the chicken yard and deer pens, making sure good, cold well … More Creating a Fawn Splash Pond
The weather has cooled down quite a bit with this past week’s rains and the arrival of a Canadian cold front. Our three orphaned fawns have enjoyed the respite from the blazing sun and stifling humidity of summer. During those hot days in June and all through August, the fawns took advantage of the cooler … More Building on Survival Skills
