We Are Back!

Larry the Labrador



We have had an amazing summer in the Browning-Smith household!  It has been full of friends, family, horse shows, and of course: dogs!  We have had one new addition to our household this summer.  His name is Larry.  Larry found us while on vacation, and we just couldn't leave him behind!  (The animal shelter there was in a very rural area, and they said that Larry would most likely be euthanized due to his age and overcrowding.)  Larry is between 10 and 12 years old, and it is almost as if he has been our dog for his entire life.   He bonded with me instantly which has created some separation anxiety issues, but hey who can blame him for being a bit scared of being left behind again?  There was some thought that we would adopt Larry out to a new home, however due to his age he will most likely live out the rest of his life here at Rainbow Acres.  That is unless the absolute perfect home comes along....





Saturday Blog Hop: The Happy Box!



Do not pay attention to my terrible hair in this picture.  I know I look like Kramer off of Friends....

Part of my quest to be an "urban farmer" has made me look at the food that I eat.  I have determined that I eat terrible because it is easy, so I recently joined a CSA program in our community.  It is called "The Happy Box".  You decide what vegetables and fruits that you want to receive, and they pick and deliver your produce once a week.  It is all organic, and it tastes amazing!  I swear I eat more produce this way strictly because I get so excited to eat it.  Opening that box on Friday is always so exciting because you never know what you are going to get, and I eat things I would never have eaten before because they are delivered to me.  Pictured below is the photographic evidence that I am not the only one who is excited about "The Happy Box".  It turns out Stewart likes organic produce too!

Stewie and his organic carrot!

Urban Farming: Chickens

Dixie!

Okay, so confession time: I love chickens!  There is nothing like sitting on your deck, sipping a glass of wine, while watching your chickens frolic in the yard.  The problem?  I live in the middle of the city....  This has not deterred me from my dream of becoming an urban farmer though.  (I really want fresh eggs!)  All winter I have been researching chickens, and finally I purchased these 6 little girls from the local feed store just a few weeks ago.  I built an indoor chicken coop over the weekend, and an outdoor coop will soon follow.  I love listening to them chirp and cheep, and they are everything I imagined they would be!  Katzya and I named them: Dixie, Dorothy, Demi, Daisy, Dolly, and Diane (after my mom!).  It will be a few months before my fresh eggs start rolling in, however I am in love with these fuzzy little critters already! 

Watching our new arrivals!

Saturday Blog Hop: Goodbye Fenway

This week has been particularly hard on our family due to the death of one of our "pack" members. I have a variety of animals that bless my life, and each of them are treasured members of my family. That is why I have not blogged for the last 2 weeks. We noticed that our kitty, Fenway, was unstable on his feet last Friday and we immediately took him to the veterinarian. She did a number of tests on Fenway and his blood work showed that he had elevated ammonia levels and he had a fever of 105 degrees. We were looking at the possibilities of a liver shunt, toxoplasmosis, or FIP for a diagnosis. Fenway continued to get worse over the course of a few days, and his blood work came back negative for toxoplasmosis. A liver shunt was ruled out since he had a fever, so we are thinking that he had FIP. (He had the majority of the symptoms for this disease...) He was making no improvements in his ability to walk, and was having a hard time eating so we made the painful decision to euthanize him.


Fenway was a rescue kitty from the humane society. He is featured along with his brother in one of my December blog posts. I was supposed to only foster both of these boys, but after it became obvious that Abner would never be a candidate for adoption, we decided to keep them. Fenway was only a 5 pound kitty, but the hole that he has left in my house and heart is big enough for an lion. Fenway was always purring and snuggling with us, and even with his last breath he continued to purr. My house seems empty. He was a constant fixture on the couch or in bed, and I miss him greatly.


There are times I wonder: "Why does this one need me?" I wondered that with Fenway. He was such a perfect kitty, and I often thought that I would place him without Abner because I just didn't need 2 more kitties. I guess the answer is that God knew Fenway needed me, even though I didn't know that myself. I was able to give Fenway a home where he was safe, fed, and above all: loved. I have no regrets with this rescue. My only regret is that I couldn't have loved him a little longer....

Saturday Blog Hop: The Wisdom Of A Dog

We went letterboxing (http://www.atlasquest.com/) last weekend, and we took Suzy with us.  We went to several cemeteries looking for places to plant boxes.  One of the cemeteries had several neat gardens, and my daughter took a moment out of her day to pray at the Garden Of The Bible.  I took this picture because it honestly looks like Suzy is praying with her.  It is one of my favorites!

Spring: A Time to Renew

As spring rolls around every year, I am in awe.  To watch the world "wake up" from it's winter slumber is a miracle that amazes my over and over again.  I love to watch the rebirth of animals and plants.  I love that it is daylight longer.  My favorite thing about spring though, is that it gives me time to renew myself.  This is a season where I look forward to growing fresh vegetables, hiking with the dogs, and reading on the deck.  Take time to renew yourself this spring.  You deserve it!

The Adventures of Suzy the Pitbull

It's me Suzy!  Today my Hoomans took me out for a hike at Charleston Falls!  I had the best time.  The littleest Hooman is who walked me today.  I tell you what, she has more energy than me!  I loved all of it, except the little Hooman wanted me to wade in the creek with her.  I wanted no part of that!  The water is still very cold, and I get chilled very easy.  The Mommy Hooman had to remind her of this...

I met some new friends on my adventure today!  This was my friend, Zero.  He is still a puppy and has a lot of growing to do.  His paws were the size to my whole head! 

This is me and my little Hooman taking a break after our long hike.

I found the first sign of Spring.... Grass! 

I can't wait to pee on the grass again!  I HATE snow...