Birthday Party

I just can't believe that seven years have gone by! I can't even call him a little boy anymore, he's just BOY. And before you know it he'll be a BIG boy! Where does the time go? We had a raccoon themed birthday party. Kolin requested this a while ago. He made a raccoon lapbook for school and we learned many things about the "sneaky bandits." The Wild Kratts also aired an episode about raccoons which I'm sure we watched online 20 times. The boys each had a raccoon shirt and all the kids had masks. We had to postpone singing Happy Birthday to watch the last minute and thirty-two seconds of the Titans football game, but once we had everyone's attention we got the candles lit and the song sung. It was the first time ever that I have seen an entire birthday cake eaten! Luckily I had made some cupcakes for Ciocia Sherry's birthday so there was plenty of sugar to go around.
We appreciate everyone making the trip out to our house, hope you got enough of the beef sandwiches and potato soup to keep you full and warm all the way home!

City Retirement Ceremony

Are you tired of hearing about the retirement yet? Well, it was a special series of events for us, but I to was glad when it was finally over. This is Konrad and Kash receiving the first of 3 awards that night. The mayor, the chief of police and the state representative each congratulated Kash on his years of service and gave him awards and even a state proclamation. This all took place at the beginning of a city meeting, then there was a break when we had cake and punch.

( sorry I didn't a picture before it was half eaten)

This is Konrad and several of his coworkers and an old friend (back right corner) that used to work for LaVergne. When he was single he would come to the house and eat dinner with us. The guy on the back row with the black hat and mustache is a Smyrna K-9 handler that Konrad and Kash trained with every other week. It was so nice that so many of Konrad's friends and coworkers came to honor them. It was a special night. My Mom and Ciocia Sherry arrived just in time to see Konrad being interviewed by Channel 5 news.

Department Retirement

Despite the ominous picture, Kash is just coming to get a treat. Still, certainly not what I would want to see coming towards my fingers!
The police department had a small celebration and presented Kash with a retirement badge. Other coworkers gave Kash bags of treats. Kind words were said and funny stories were told. The boys were fired up about all the attention given to Kash. And they must have been a bit jealous because they started making a scene of their own. Luckily this was a low-key event and the chief didn't seem to mind his toes being stepped on by a parade of little feet.

Basketball

Kolin is playing basketball this winter and loving it. I may have already mentioned that Konrad found a really nice outdoor goal and it lowers to 8'. The boys are out there a lot practicing. Kaden is not old enough to play but don't tell him that. He shoots baskets during warm ups, half time and they even let him sit in the "player's only" court side chairs. He is bigger than a couple of the players on Kolin's team. I'm sure we'll see him out there next year. Kolin is doing a great job and has even scored a basket! He has a great time on the court and at practice and he has good (and patient) coaches.

Christmas Adventure

The boys and I are doing a little thing this year called the Christmas Adventure. I downloaded it for from The Homeschool Magazine. First we made a paper chain and then glued Bible verses to each ring. Each day we tear a ring off, read the verse and then go to our Christmas Adventure book. The book is full of facts, stories, recipes and activities. One day we learned where the tradition of Christmas trees came from, then lights, cards, candy canes, poinsettias, you get the idea. We learn about the history of each of these things and how it relates to the meaning of Christmas and how it points us to Christ. The boys have really enjoyed it so far-9 more days to go! This is a picture of us making Crispy Christmas trees. We had so much fun that we made them again for Kolin's basketball team!

Such a Gentleman

I'm not sure how happy he is about it, but this is Kash sharing his rug with Black Cat. Black Cat laid there first so Kash only got half of his body on the rug. Poor guy.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in H'ville at my parents house. And as is tradition, Mom and I ventured out into the dark of the wee morning hours in search of great deals. To our surprise we seemed to be the only ones out shopping. The stores were not crowded, the had what we wanted, the lines were not out of control and there was plenty of parking. It was very odd. Best we can figure is that all the crazies went shopping at midnight and by the time we got out there at 6AM they were all back home in bed. Anyways, after many hours of shopping and lunch at Chili's we made it back home.

Later that day Ryan, Alice and little baby Leah arrived. I haven't seen baby Leah since she was born back in May. She is the sweetest baby I've ever held. She just snuggled right in. Needless to say I got lots of cuddle time.

Flowers in Pink

Channel 4 was looking for a feel-good piece to air on Thanksgiving Day and when they heard about Kash's retirement they decided to pay him a visit. Mr. Larry Flowers, a reporter, came out to the Rocking K Ranch to interview Kash and Konrad and to show what retirement will be like for Kash. His lead in line was, "from chasing crooks to chasing goats..."

Mr. Flowers showed up well dressed and with shoes to match. It had rained for three days and it was obvious to us that his shoes just weren't what he needed for the job. So being the kind hosts that we are, we offered him mine, the pink ones! And he accepted. He looked so prim and proper onscreen, no one would have ever guessed he was wearing pink rubber boots! Now when I see reporters on TV I find myself wondering what they're wearing below the camera :)

Here is a link to the story if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.wsmv.com/story/16118186/la-vergne-police-k-9-goes-from-chasing-crooks-to-chasing-goats

Veteran's Day Memorial

It has been a busy few weeks and now I am going to attempt to get some blog entries done before I dive into the Christmas rush. I figure it's now or never!
So the first event as of late was a Veteran's Day Memorial in LaVergne. Konrad and all the Honor Guard members dressed in their finest and gave their best at firing off rounds in unison. Bobby (a fellow goat rancher and friend) appeared to be the leader of the group, he called out all the orders.

It was good experience for the boys to see and hear so many people honor our service men and women.

You're Invited!

Kash's retirement ceremony will be this Tuesday, December 6th 2011 at 6:45PM at LaVergne City hall on Murfreesboro Road.

Kolin's 7th birthday party will be Sunday, December 11th at 2:00PM in Murfreesboro. At Kolin's request, it will be a raccoon themed party.

Retirement Update

Larry Flowers, a local news reporter, will be coming out to the Rocking K Ranch tomorrow morning to do a pre-story on the retirement of Kash. He works with WSMV which locally is Channel 4. I do not know when it will air but they originally said before Thanksgiving so that would be tomorrow. Also, we found out the retirement ceremony will be December 6th at LaVergne City Hall. The time has not been set but Konrad thinks it will probably be early evening, 5-ish, but we really aren't sure right now.

Big News!

So the big news is that Konrad is the newest Detective on the force, he got the job! This means holidays and weekends off and day shift! Konrad's job change is bittersweet news because this means that Kash will be retiring. :( His last day of service will be Sunday, November 13th. The department will hold a retirement service for him and I will update you with that information as soon as we have it. Kash will be 10 years old on Christmas Day. After his retirement he will continue to live with us and hopefully be content with life as a farm dog.

Goat Show

I think we are officially rednecks now, or at least bonafide country. We just participated in our first goat show. Kolin did the actual showing in the ring, but we all pitched in. Kolin and I gave Rosie a bath. I cut her hair. Konrad packed everything we would need in the stall and did all the paperwork. And Kaden was a great encourager. He wanted to show a goat too, but he is not quite old enough-next year!

This is the boys getting the stall ready for Rosie before the show. We brought our own shavings, food, water and grooming tools. We were by no means the most professional crew (we used a scrub brush as a goat brush and Konrad's hair clippers), but we got the job done.I can pretty much guarantee if you had asked Nana where she would be in five years, this would have been way down on her list. But being the stellar Nana that she is, she made the trek to the show, watched Kolin perform, and even hung out in the stall with us. Kolin was very excited to receive a medal and was so proud that Rosie got a ribbon too! He did a great job and is already looking forward to next year.

Kaden & Friends

Kaden had a project at school and we took these picturesof his farm animals to go with it. The little brown goat is our new female, Lily. She is the only female in 9 kids born this month.Peck Peck is his favorite chicken. She's an oldie but a goodie. She is one of the original chicks we bought in 2010.

new steer

Jack and the new steer, Dinner. Though Jack is so happy to have a friend, Dinner has not been happy since he got here. He mooed for two days, I think he finally got hoarse. Jack is not as good as mama, but he seems to be warming up to him.

Kash

Cheetah Invasion!

Happy Halloween

The loot!

Bella's Baby

We have been waiting for many days and finally, one of our pregnant does gave birth.
Bella had a male kid this morning around 10:30AM.

He weighs just under 5 pounds but looks strong and healthy. He has a bright white patch on his side, just like Night Train (his dad) and he also has four white feet and a white tip on his tail.

Blueberry Pancakes

This morning we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast and Kolin made a stack three high. So of course Kaden had to make a stack 4 high.

1st Day of Pre-K

Memorial Day 2011

Skunk Master

So we are having a bit of a war with a certain black and white critter. We have encountered a total of six skunks so far. I have relocated five of them, one is dead. Trapping them is the easy part, letting them out of the trap is the tricky part. But, I'm getting a lot of practice.

This is Papa Skunk in the trap. He sprayed all over the place that morning when Konrad moved the trap away from the chicken house door. That afternoon I loaded the trap into the truck. Then we invited the neighbors over for a small viewing party, we homeschool so it's all about education around here! Then the boys and I and a little friend Brooke from down the street, loaded up in the truck to take Papa Skunk to his new home (and to meet up with the rest of his family).

This is me unloading Papa Skunk from the truck to the ground. All was going well. I then realized that we forgot the tarp. I usually put a tarp over the trap so the skunk can't see me and doesn't get scared and spray, and to protect me (hopefully) if he sprays anyway. So we had no tarp but I found a moving blanket in the tool box. When I threw the blanket onto the trap Papa Skunk sprayed again. Now someone had told me recently that once a skunk sprays it takes a few days for them to build up more stink. This is NOT true, at least not with Papa Skunk.

This is me during the release. I use a long handled hoe to hold open the trap door and just wait for them to come out. For some reason they tend to turn and head right back at me. The one I released just before Papa Skunk I was sure I felt his tail brush my back. But I just sat there frozen, hoping for the best. Papa was so stinky I really didn't want to take that chance so that's why the red bin is standing there. The blanket did not cover the whole trap so I put another red bin on the back side of the trap so I wouldn't get sprayed.
Do you see what I mean? Look where he headed! Right back around the trap. But as you can see I am no longer at the other end of the handle! As soon as I saw him come out I dropped the handle and backed up-quickly. But Papa Skunk eventually turned and headed for the woods. And I can only assume he is happy and healthy living with his large skunk family somewhere miles away from my chicken coop.

Update: It seems there may be one more member of the Skunk family that has been left behind. This morning there was evidence of another skunk digging under the chicken house, so I've set the trap....again.