The Good,The Bad, And The Ugly

The good, the pretty...the roses continue to bloom. These looked so delicate to me. White and dainty.

I had a good day. I rode with my husband to Columbus. He passed his test this week, his hard work was rewarded. So, he went to get one of his certifications today. It was good to see him go, and it was good for me as well. I talked with people away from home, away from the grocery store, away from Wal-Mart, you name it. I love living here, and I love working alone, but sometimes I need the pinch of a reminder of the busy society that still exists out there!

I got some grass mowing in when I came home. It was a great day!

Now I have to share with you something that doesn't quite fit into the realm of a woman that is trying to sell crisp, clean products. Soap?

For the weak hearted, or, instead, those that have a weak stomach, you may or may not want to look at what I am going to show you next.

My girl, Tyra, my 6 year old boxer, my constant companion, never does (much) wrong. She has to know everything that is going on around her, therefore she makes her twice a day rounds throughout the house. Generally she never leaves any indication that she has checked the premises out.

I have a small entry way at the front door. I am the only one that uses it. I have a red bench that I sit on to put on shoes, and I also plop down various things that I am taking out the door (milk cans, mail, udder wipes). The bench is my "reminder" spot. Sometimes I leave notes for myself there as well.

Now comes the bad and the ugly (not really)...

Look real hard at the center of the photo, in the middle...yeah, you see it, it is not a scratch in the red paint. No, it isn't.

It is BOXER DROOL!

A little string of it.

Ha ha ha...

Obviously my girl was very interested in what I had sat out for the day.

She left me a surprise, along with a giggle, as I headed out to the mailbox on my way to the barn this morning.

Sorry...had to share.

Folded On The Boxer Raising

From an earlier endeavor...this is my boy, Spike.



My 5 year old boy weighs in at 90 pounds. A big one. I know how innocent he is. He would kill you upon contact...kill you by means of licking. I have heard him growl once, perhaps bark twice...at the trash truck. You know, that big machine that puts mankind at risk?



Spike is quite the snorer, Even when awake, you always know when he is around. My sister says, "Get that boy some sinus medicine!" He is loud. When he lays down he sounds like the air brake being released on a semi truck.


We think there is nothing between Spike's ears, empty headed. He just hangs around. His favorite things in life are tomatoes and apples (just like his late father, Samson). Forget the steaks, my boy is happy with the healthy stuff. And guess what he has to have done every single night? Mom is required to rub him right between his eyes. The natural sleeping pill. The big head and neck just sinks down. The eyes go dull. Down he goes. Hilarious.



Years ago I wanted to raise boxers. I still have 3, but I no longer breed. It is a huge responsibility. I had nice puppies, large litters, good sized pups, beautiful boxers but...after carefully raising two sets of litters, 20 puppies total, I decided to stick with goats. Puppies are a lot of work! And I tend to get too attached to them.



Spike is from our first litter.



Here is Spike at 4 weeks old, always weighed in 3 times more than his litter mates.



And again, below with his father at an even younger age.

Tyra The Obedient Boxer

This is Tyra, the very obedient boxer.

I looked at Tyra tonight and said, "Teeb, what do I write about today?" My husband replied for her, "Write about me." Okay, with as many photos I have posted of Tyra, it is time she gets some chat.

Tyra is 6 years old. She is a big girl, as you can tell. There isn't an ounce of fat on her though. She is solid as a rock. She is always at my side. Usually her back is to me as I write or work. I can see the beautiful white stripe down the back of her neck as she waits patiently. She hears and notices everything.

We live in the country, but in an older home that sits very close to a busy road. Behind us there are no houses. So Tyra, the only boxer of ours that can be let out the back door with little supervision, knows that she can go anywhere behind the house, even down to the barn, but not one step in the front or side of the house.

On very nice days she walks down the hill, and when she is ready, she darts back up. She runs so swift and smooth, with her big lips pressing back. It is a wonderful, happy site. Sometimes we still get the "poodle jump," too. The poodle jump consists of jumps up in the air and twists of the body that lands her in the opposite direction, back up in the air again twisting, landing face towards you, and then she repeats it over and over again. I have no idea how that child gets that big body up in the air, but she does it well.

Tyra was a mistreated youngster. We bought her when she was 9 months old for $100.00 . She was being replaced with a dog "much less hyper." Her papers, crate, toys, collar, dog treats, and her horrible fears were all sold to us (cash only). The poor girl was afraid to go outside by herself, even though she had a beautiful fenced in yard. I had to fool her by going out with her and sneaking back inside quietly. To this day, when you leave her alone, outside of her crate, she will cower when you enter the room. She has never been in that type of trouble in our home. Sad, isn't it?

I registered her as Zipporah Sarai and decided to breed her to my (late) boxer Samson. 10 beautiful pups were born, including Spike, the monstrous big son that we still have. He is not as obedient as momma, but he is just as precious. I was not going to put momma into the breeding business, so we only had one more litter. I believe in good solid boxer dogs, and I hope each one of mine has proven that much.

That is the story behind Tyra (Tyra Byra, Teeb, T.B., Mother, Momma). You will see a lot of her, she is a constant companion.

Fun Soap

The bars cut from yesterday's batches of soap. How about that funky fun look? My husband is not fond of the green bar. He isn't a vegetable person and he seems to relate the soap to pea soup. Funny, and fun!

And, another pic of my photogenic Tyra. She helped me grab a few shipping boxes this evening, and got her picture taken in the process.

Boxer Dogs

You might be asking, what is it?

I do not know if she has always done this, but I saw it happen for the first time several days ago. Tyra, my oldest boxer, takes a few morsels of her morning kibble out of her bowl and carries it to the laundry room floor. She plants her feet in front of the bits of kibble, and pretends to pounce around it, as if she were playing with a bug, teasing.

This morning I looked across the room and saw a smiley face. I know, it is not unlike the faces seen in the clouds, or in growth patterns in a tree, images that just look like something else, but none the less, her kibble was smiling this morning. It certainly made me smile!

Tyra is 6 years old, turning gray in the face, a big solid girl, one that likes to play, and sounds vicious when she does, but she would never hurt a soul. We rescued her when she was 9 months old. She has had 2 litters of pups for us, 10 pups each. She is now retired.

Here is our faithful friend...