Supervising the Brushing of the Teeth

We have needed to update our refrigerator for ages, and I found one the other day on Facebook Marketplace.  David agreed to meet up and help me, and, Reader, I was simply agog.

I ran an errand right beforehand.  The cashier gal, who was probably the same age as one of my own children, politely asked me how I was doing.

She was probably thinking I would say, “Fine.”

But, no.  I am 41 now.

Me:  I am GREAT!  Right after this, I am going to buy a new refrigerator.

Cashier:  Oh.

Me:  I have wanted a new one for years!

Cashier:  Yeah.  I guess I can see how that would be exciting.

Me:  IT IS!

So, that’s how I am currently acting now in public.

David and I went and we were buying the fridge from the dude and the dude was very curious about all of our life story and somehow we got onto the topic of how we raise beef cows and this was the actual conversation.

Guy:  So.  Does your husband, like, kill the cows sometimes?

Me:  Yes.  Yes, he does.

Guy:  How does he do that?  Like does he electrocute them?

Me:  No?  He uses a bullet?

Guy:  Oh.  I know nothing about this.  Didn’t know if you had like an electric chair for cows?

So, that was something.

Reader.  I have sad news.  All the males in my house were in a rush when moving the fridge into our house.  In their haste, they neglected to take the front door off and now my new-to-me fridge has scratches.

I have ordered appliance touch up paint and am hoping for the best.

Let’s talk about dogs!

Niko loves me.  It is true.  He really does.

He follows me everywhere and I have caught him watching me from the windows if I am outside.

Here he is watching me as I am watering on the deck.

Can you see him?  Can you see him?

And here I caught him watching from my bedroom window as I was giving the chickens water.

Can you see him?  Can you see him?

I have taken a much needed break from painting and started organizing the house.  HD was off of work the other day and he was willing to help me tackle the most dreaded room in the house:

The Storage Room.

HD likes things clutter free and simple.  And anytime I agreed that we could get rid of something, it brought him so much excitement.  He was a huge help and we got rid of a TON of stuff.  It felt so good!  I found an old door that we used to have in the basement.  We have been trying to think of a way to keep the dogs out of the downstairs and HD and I decided that putting that door back would be the perfect solution!  And how lucky am I that HD knew immediately how to install the door for me and did so with ease!

But I did not think this plan all the way through.

We have three dogs and three cats.  The cats are Mama Kitty, Norma Jean Riley, and Rio.  The dogs do not pay much attention to Mama and Rio.  But they have a terrible feud with Norma.  Because of this, Norma spends most of her life in hiding.  She does love me, and can we blame her?  So, if I am around the hides on my side of the bed.

She thinks no one can find her here.

Anyways.

If the dogs ever do spot Norma, they chase her and she flees for her life and climbs high up and hides in the storage room

Well.  I have a new door blocking the storage room.

And I left the dogs unattended in the house for about 15 minutes as I tended to the chickens.   When I came back, I heard a horrible commotion and saw Norma Jean had tried to run downstairs and was trapped by the door.  The dogs had her cornered.  She was all mangled looking and I saw blood on the door.

Poor Norma Jean Riley.

I got the dogs away and got her all cleaned up and discovered she wasn’t bleeding at all!  She had scratched the dogs up.  Hence the blood.  I was proud of her.

I am not sure why I told you that story.  But, there you go.

We were getting ready to go to the river this weekend with my parents.  I told David that all my mom and I wanted to do was float in tubes, but be tethered to shore.  This confused him and I suggested some weird rope stuff he always has called mule tape.

David looked at LD and said:  I need you to go and grab the roll of mule tape out of the pig pen so your mother can enjoy the river.

LD, looking like the ever confused 14 year old boy that he is, did just that for me.

When we were at the river, David took that pig pen mule tape and tethered mother and I to shore so we wouldn’t float away.

It was the most relaxing moment I had all summer.

The dogs would bring me the ball as I sat in the tube and I just kept throwing it for them.

Shall we have a farm update?

Yes.  Let’s have a farm update.

I have about 18 chicks of various ages and stages of growth.

I hatched them myself!

We still have cows.  We haven’t had any new babies in awhile.

Here’s my best gal, Matilda.

She is a brat-and-a-half, but she sure is a beaut!

Sisters Meagan and Jess are in town.  They were going to be at my parents house and Hadley was supposed to also stay the night.

So Sister Meagan called me and this treasured conversation occured.

Meagan:  Taylor.  It has come to my attention that Hadley is probably staying over here and I am wondering what my role is?  Do I need to monitor a curfew?  Supervise the brushing of the teeth?  Make her breakfast before she goes to work in the morning?

Me:  Meagan.  She is 18.

Alright, Dudes!  That’s all for now.

David and I have been married for 22 years now.

That is a lot.

Happy Sunday!