Tortuga's Gone to the Dogs

  Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

 

Xena, mellow but destructive

It's 5:00am on Tortuga Flats Farm, pitch black outside but not quiet. Dogs are howling. Not ours. This happens quite often in the early hours. Once in a while, it sounds like coyotes and may very well be, but this morning it's definitely dogs. One will start then a chorus from several houses around will join in. I'm not sure if they're greeting each other or taking the place of roosters in our area.

Everyone in this area has dogs - not A dog but dogs. We're not too fond of how some of these doggies are kept and the care they receive, or rather don't receive. We called the Humane Society on our newest neighbors last week. They hadn't been home for two days and their two dogs were alone and looked awfully thin. The woman from HS entered the property. She found water and bowls that appeared to be food dishes. The assumption was made that someone was coming around to feed and water the animals. Poor puppies don't look all that healthy.

Gabby, Xena and Rusty

Another neighbor has about six dogs that are the rattiest looking pack. Supposedly, they have saved a couple of them from a worse fate than how they now live. We don't see them getting beat and they aren't starving but they seem so ignored.

We may be over judgmental considering how we care for our dogs who are part of the family. Lance and Christie have two, Xena and Gabby and we have Rusty. We make our own dog food which we've researched to confirm they're getting what they need. They sleep the night indoors. Even though we have plenty of yard space and room for them to romp and play, they get a walk nearly everyday.

Rusty, the elder

Xena eats things like expensive hearing aids. Gabby digs holes in the yard. Rusty is getting old and crotchety and sheds too much. But hey, none of us are perfect either. We believe if you're going to bring a pet into your life, you should treat it with respect and love. Not sure why you would want one otherwise.

Give Me Greenhouse Skin - New Ageless Breakthrough?

Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Peppers drying

Drying and canning consume much of the day. This neat hanging rack holds three kinds of peppers and is half full. Last year we threaded thread through them and hung in bunches which was much more

Freezing peppers

difficult than tossing them in our hanging dryer. Yea, progress.

Some peppers will be made into hot sauce, salsa and sauce that could be used for any number of dishes such as enchiladas. In fact, Christie has a few jars of

Sauces and tomatoes

sauce already put up.

This year, we're using a short cut for canning the tomatoes. Instead of making sauce, soup or whatever and canning a finished product, we're canning tomatoes to be turned into other foods later. We aren't seeding or peeling them which is so time consuming you can't even imagine. I made some spaghetti sauce with a jar of our tomatoes and it turned out fine. You do run into a bit of noticeable skin but it really isn't a problem. And I think the nutrition is probably higher.

Black tomatoes, field and greenhouse

We have both greenhouse tomatoes and field tomatoes. They taste equally good but because of the outrageous amount of rain we've had, the field tomatoes are not as pretty. Too much rain or erratic amounts of water damage the skin of tomatoes. Looking at the difference in the

Processed tomatoes

skin makes me wonder if I shouldn't be sleeping in the greenhouse.

Xena (our dog that ate Frank's $5000 earring aids) is still being Xena. She ate the insides of a squeak toy and was a sick doggie. The squeaker didn't agree with her. She no sooner got over that when she zeroed in on a bag of trash we hadn't got put into the can. I think she tore into it and ate as much as she could as fast as she could before we caught her. She upchucked a whole, in tact paper towel. As much trouble as she is, the sweet quotient is huge. When Sadi sits in the floor, Xena moves to lay beside her and is fine with Sadi pounding on her back.

Paulden shopping mall

Paulden is really coming up in the world. As you can see, we now have a shopping mall.

One last note - I signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for the first book in my Love and Murder series. This one is The Art of Love and Murder and is set in Flagstaff, Arizona. Yea!

Eye Wear Eating Roses and Strawberries for Looks

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Tortuga Thursday 

 

A shape of his own

A quick trip across Tortuga Flats Farm...part of it anyway. In the front yard, I tend to the decorative vegetation. Not only are the hollyhocks blooming, but roses do amazingly well here. At least the climbing kind and the miniature varieties. This one in the picture wasn't put to a trellis until this year so  he's growing rather oddly. I planted strawberry plants in the front garden last year

Strawberry plants

because I like the way they look and send out runners. Once in awhile I get a strawberry off of them before the bugs chow down.

 

Out in the main vegetable area we've had some halts in weeding. By this time next week, all vegetable rows will be clear and then maintenance should be easier. I'll get a picture of the whole area then. You can see from the first picture of the cucumbers all the weeds pulled and waiting between the rows for the rake. The other picture is of another variety of cucumbers and the style of trellis Lance put up. The red caps are protection on the ends of the wire.

 

Dead weeds wait to be raked

Cucumbers and trellis

Two unrelated events this week that have nothing to do with farming. I lost my favorite/best pair of glasses. Fortunately, I have two back up pairs. Where could they be? I'm guessing somewhere outside - orchard? vegetable main area? blackberries? lost in the weird rose bush? If I didn't know better Xena might have eaten them. I searched but they didn't turn up. The back up pairs will have to do. We don't have health insurance, much less eye care insurance.

 

Secondly, Rusty had to have his teeth cleaned. This was some major procedure to the tune of $300 +. It required him being put under and spending most of the day at the vet. On the positive side, he didn't have to have any extractions and he did fine with the drugs. We'll be doing without a couple of non-essentials for the next month or so to pay for it. He's worth it. After all, he is the smartest dog in the world!

 

A Drip, a Trip and a Silent Owl.

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Tortuga Thursday

Can't help thinking he'd do his job better if he could hoot.

This week flew by. My to-do list barely took a hit. I've been doing a lot of weeding. I know. I know. You heard me complain about this task last year. It's a bit different this year. Since we no longer flood between rows, we aren't over come with weeds in between. Good thing. The ground is harder between the rows and tougher to weed. The new drip system on the rows targets the plants. The weeds love it too. Unfortunately, one of the lessons we learned last year, we forgot. Some of the rows should be covered after the seeds are sowed and until the vegetables are established. That cuts down on the those air born weed seeds. Next year - well, third time's the charm. We'll remember. So, we had to wait until the plants were big enough to distinguish from the weeds. Which means lots of weeds. Lance has been spending more hours than I have. Once we get the whole field done, upkeep will be easier on the bigger plants.

The radishes are big enough to pick. Those guys are fast producers. The new sweet potato slips arrived and

Peas and the drip tape

they were beautiful. Lance got them in the ground the day they arrived. In the green house, we have leafy greens that can start showing up on our table this week. Yea!

First trip - to the dealer for service.

Two pieces of bad news this week and one is already fixed. The RV had a propane leak. Frank hooked it up and took it for the first time on the road to the dealer. They supposedly fixed it and sent him home. Within a couple of hours I smelled it worse than before. This time Frank took the hoses apart and found the real problem. Fixed. My faith in that dealership continues to dive. Second piece of bad news is the vet says Rusty needs $300 worth of dental work. I'm balking on this one. Yes, I can see his gums are red in the back but he eats anything and everything. Wouldn't he be having trouble if they're that bad? Can't we brush and water pick his teeth to health? We'll have this debate for a couple of days. I need to find the time to do some doggy teeth research.

Sadi Belle has learned what her hands are for and grabs at things with some accuracy. She pulled her bear over on top of herself and that registered surprise. So much fun to watch her grow.


It's been mighty hot on Tortuga Flats. I'm usually out of the sun by 10:00. I don't know how Lance does it for so many hours a day. But then I remember when he was not yet two years old, and we left our cement surrounded apartment for a trip to Yosemite. The first thing he did was plop down in the dirt with a big grin on his face and said "I love

Hollyhocks are blooming

dirt!"

Cyclone Season on Tortuga Flats Farm

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

The veggies that got their start in trays in the greenhouse are all in the ground. Now the greenhouse is being utilized to grow herbs.
Lance has a few veggies in there also to see how they do in a more controlled environment.

A layer of shade added

The sun is pretty brutal here so he added a shade cloth over the greenhouse to help keep the temperature down. Fans blow at both ends in addition to the attached exhaust fans.

The greenhouse just missed disaster two days ago.

The dust devil escapes

A gigantic dust devil
was headed right at us. Lance called me outside in time to see it pick up various debris from two houses over including a couple of large pieces of sheet metal. I ran for my camera, but by the time I had it open and ready to shoot the cyclone hit our neighbor's property and dropped the huge pieces of metal in their backyard. All I was able to snap was the underside of it as it disappeared into the sky.

Blackberry bushes

A few blossoms and tons of buds are appearing on the blackberry bushes. With a lot of help, I got them all weeded and mulched. I used grass clippings this year as mulch. I didn't mulch at all last year so the hope is that the mulch keeps the weeds from coming back too strong. Weeding thorny blackberry bushes is painful.

The potatoes have sprouted. Getting antsy about the sweet potatoes. We had

Golden potatoes to be

to order them on line and thought they'd be here by now. A phone call to a very dull sounding fellow told me they'd be shipped this week.

The youngest member of the household, my gorgeous granddaughter, continues to grow and amaze. She's so alert and insists on being held in a sitting position most of the time.

Rusty

The oldest four-legged creature in the house is now on pain meds. Rusty has joint problems and has been so miserable. He has trouble keeping up with his two younger companions with all his aches and pains. We made the decision to put him on meds and he's a happier old man.

Wild grass that looks like bermuda is our biggest problem so far in the veggie fields. The roots go so deep that pulling it all up isn't possible. Not sure what the solution will be. Organic farming presents its problems.

Some Veggies Might Taste Austrian?

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Last of the butternut

Butternut squash is an amazing vegetable. Our garden put out enough to last us most of the winter. Until a couple of days ago, we were still eating fresh butternut. They last for ages. The last five in the pantry were beginning to get brown spots so I peeled and canned them. We'll either make soup, Christie makes fabulous butternut squash soup, or we can steam and mash with butter.

Butternut canned

Spaghetti squash has the same lasting power as butternut, but we don't seem to be quite as enamored by it. I find it kind of tasteless. This variety depends more on sauces where butternut is tasty without anything on it.

Garlic shoots

The garlic has punched through the cold earth. We didn't have garlic last year because we didn't move in until after Christmas. This last October, no one else seemed to be thinking about planting. But we use a lot of garlic, I love garlic and so I took the lead on this crop. I used gloves of garlic - yep, regular old garlic from the store. I did a minimal amount of research - not exactly the farmer lady - and this was the easiest route to go. They've popped up. I put mulch around them. A hard freeze will probably kill them back and in the spring they are supposed to send up more shoots. Keep your fingers crossed.

Flower garden surprise

In the front flower garden there are green shoots. Most of what is out there came with the house. I did plant some seeds of various flowers but without success last summer. I'm not sure if what is coming up is from before or what I planted. There's no way for me to tell at this point as they're not recognizable, to me anyway. I love surprises!

Strawberry

The other early green is on the strawberry plants. I haven't taken the time yet to read up on them. We planted a few late in the year and only got a handful of fruit. I planted two out front in my flower garden that would produce one or two berries at a time. It was a game to see if I could get to them before Xena when they came ripe. I didn't know dogs liked strawberries.

Some of the work is starting soon. The blackberry bushes need cutting back in the next couple of weeks. Truthfully, not looking forward to it. They are tangled and stickery (no such word but really says it). I sort of took the lead on them last year so I'm afraid I set a precedent. I'm working on some sort of blackmail to get a few more hands tackling the thorny bushes.

I've mentioned the seeds we've purchased, but forgot to mention we have seeds from Austria. Our friends in Austria, Harte and Uli, sent Lance and Christie a box of seed packets for a wedding gift. What a fun gift. Maybe seeds are seeds, but I find this a fascinating concept.  How cool to think about something growing in Paulden, Arizona that came from another continent.

Doctors, Splotches and Snow

2012 On the plains in Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

This Tortuga Thursday should be called Tortuga Thursday Thoughts. Still in winter's throes, it's a little of this and a little of that going on.

More seeds are on order. Last week, we received our "bucket of seeds" but there are other things we plan to grow that weren't included. Lance toiled over the web site but got them ordered.

I had my regular three-month check up (because of past melanoma issues) at the Indian Medical Center in Phoenix with a new dermatologist a few weeks ago. This one didn't look in certain female places either. I thought the last guy was just shy, but this doctor said that the regulations of the center didn't allow it. Sort of seems like going to a nose and throat doctor who can only look at the outside of your nose. He had me make an appointment with the eye clinic and the women's clinic. The doctor who looked at my eyes was mystified why he needed to do so. Very unlikely anything there. My thought was so what - if it ever happens, then just do it. The gynecologist was even more mystified. He didn't say much but shook his head when I told him the dermatologist couldn't remove all of my clothes to check all of my skin. Three doctors later, I'm free and clear.

I received a jury duty summons, but the trial was canceled. I've never gotten to actually serve so hope I do some day. It's possible I could get called for Cottonwood. I'm not hoping for that since the drive would take me about an hour and a half.

I'd like to get my end of the house painted before planting season. Frank and I have the kitchen and one wall in the living room done. I always have a difficult time picking color. Those small jars of samples Home Depot sells are a blessing or a curse, depending on how I look at it. They've saved me from making some awful mistakes in color choices but then again, I seem to take longer making up my mind. I've had three different splotches on the remaining living room walls, two on the bathroom and four in the bedroom. I got sick of my indecisiveness in the bedroom and bought a gallon yesterday of a color I had not splotched on. Not sure I'm happy but I'm not going to waste another $30. The first color I bought I didn't bother testing, and it turned out to be the color of baby poop on the wall. Had to eat that $30.

Speaking of painting, Frank and I painted the baby's room. Excitement is building.

Rusty loves the snow

We had snow yesterday but the sun and heavy wind took care of that today. 

A last financial note since I promised to share it all on this experiment. We've finally put aside the RV dream for now. After crunching numbers, it seems best not to lock into a payment if there's a chance we'd have the RV but no funds to use it. We're going more commercial with the farm this year and who knows what that will bring. Yes, the farm is pretty much Lance's project, but we're partial owners in it and want to see it succeed. By next week I should be able to unveil our first crop adventure into the wholesale market.

And a P.S. on snow - the San Francisco Peaks are calling. From here they look solid white. Even though it's Tortuga Thursday, we're heading out to play in some real deep snow about an hour and a half away. I'll be back in the afternoon so I welcome your comments and will respond then. One great thing about where we live is that we're close to many different types of free entertainment like a drive and play in the snow!

From Head to Dirty Floors

My first prairie blog stated:

You'll hear all about our trials and misfires and what works. Maybe my glimpse into retiring with nothing in the bank but love will inspire (or scare) others in the same boat. Keep the bucket handy for bailing. Oh by the way, the retiring part is my husband. I will still be toiling away at my writing career, which is in its infancy - but I work hard!

Looking forward to more sunsets

Now, we're nearing the year mark, and I thought it'd be good to take inventory on what I discovered - financially speaking first. Maybe these money saving discoveries would work for you too. A little disclaimer here on senior discounts. I'm lucky that Frank is always able to get them but there are places that go as young as 55 for discounts. You have to ask.



Hair. Funny, my head comes first, but I've always said finding a good hairdresser is harder than finding a good doctor. After paying around $150 a visit for the last few years, I had to make some changes.
Result: Beauty school hair style $6.00 plus tip
          Drugstore hair dye $8.00
Downside: My color is not streaked and multi-shaded like I prefer but I don't look ugly either - I can live with that.

Will the Verde overflow its beginning this year?

Entertainment. This encompasses a lot.
Result: Senior movie discounts - you can't beat $5 movies
           Ask for your senior discount at restaurants. Nearly every eating establishment has some sort of senior discount. Hey a free drink is worth it!
           Hotels often have senior discounts too. Ask. If you're not a senior, then travel on the cheap days. Example: During the week, Laughlin, NV has hotels that charge $10-$20 a night compared to $45-$75 on the weekends.
           Parks, both state and federal have a couple of ways to save. Seniors get discounted lifetime passes. For $10 we get into any federal park. If you're not a senior, check on yearly passes which are much cheaper than paying for each trip.
           Wherever you go, ask if discounts are available. Often, they aren't advertised. 
Downside: None from our point of view.

Gasoline.
Result: We all look for the cheapest stations. Up here it's Maverick or Costco. Another way to get cents off is to trade at a supermarket that gives points. Safeway and Frys in Arizona do and have their own stations.
Downside: The store stations are not plentiful so you have to plan your gas filling trips.

Charge card benefits.
Result: We charge most things and accumulate points. We now have two airline tickets. On my other card I had enough points for a couple of Christmas presents.
Downside: None for us because we pay them off entirely each month. So please take caution if you choose to live this way. Don't charge what you can't pay off.

Christie, Lance, Gabby, Xena

Sharing expenses.
Result: We couldn't do what we're doing if we didn't cohabitate with my son and daughter-in-law. It's working for us so far. Financially it's a win-win.
Downside: I don't always get my way! We have to agree on what big expenditures come first, and there is compromise.

I can't do a point by point on all the other aspects of how our experiment is working. I think we've barely scratched the surface. Next year won't be like this year - the farm is expanding, a baby is coming and other milestones are expected. But here are a few observations after the first year:

I've lowered my standards on neatness, others have improved.

Frank keeps asking me what part of retirement don't I understand.

Gabby, Rusty, Xena

Rusty is so much happier with a larger pack and someone always around.

Two cooks in the house makes me happy (since one of them isn't me).

I have to be careful to command myself to write and not get caught up in ALL the farm and household activities.

Shopping is not an activity anymore.

I love eating what we grow.

"Going into town" is a real thing and not just a line off Little House on the Prairie.

So much for my wrap up. Now I'll gather my thoughts on the upcoming year and what we intend to do with it. Hint: we have a tractor! I'll be a grandma!

Good News/Abundance-Bad News/A Flood

Christie geared to fight allergies in the garden

Harvesting continues. With lots of sneezes and wheezing. Neither Christie or I were bothered during the typical spring allergy season that plagued us in Phoenix. But August and September have been miserable if we work too long in the garden. I've started taking allergy meds again,  but Christie can't because of her motherly state. She gears up but still can't last too long. We're seeing the last of the peppers and tomatoes, yet they just keep coming! We still have potatoes and musk mellon. And some carrots. Always forget about them because they can stay in the ground for a while.

We're canning more and freezing less. The freezers are topped out. We sat on the corner out on the main street for a couple of hours a weekend ago - made a big $3. Won't do that again. We gave some of our overflow to a farmers market in Scottsdale and made considerably more. Was even sweeter because we didn't have to man the booth. Maybe next season we'll designate some of our crops just for the valley market. We've also given bags to the food shelter. They loved that.

Xena is fearless

A couple of nights ago we had a thunder storm. Not abnormal but Lance and Christie were gone so poor Gabby felt really insecure. Gabby always shakes when she hears thunder. Christie is her security during those rough times. Between her shaking and drooling, I felt sorry for her but she was inconsolable. Rusty used to pant and fret. Now he just follows me around to keep me within sight. Xena could care less. Nothing shakes Xena.

This morning I woke up to a flooded laundry room spilling over into my bathroom and kitchen. You're not going to believe me, but the washer turned itself on. Actually, I forgot to close the lid. Not usually a problem because it shuts off and sits there. And I'm sure it did because some time in the night or early morning I got up to use the bathroom, and there was no water under my feet. But at 6:00 this morning there was, and it was still running. It had to have turned on or overrode the auto shut off some time in the wee hours. What a mess. Sure hope there's no damage where it ran into the floor vent.

Lance and Christie are on the first part of their mini-honeymoon staying two nights in Laughlin. Hope their having fun - and it's not so bad having the house to ourselves either!

I'm Guilted, Xena Knows No Guilt

Rusty with his new toy

I ended my last blog with a promise of better news this time from the farm, retirement and writing. I actually said next week, but I didn't make that deadline. I've never had a bug hang on so long. Now, at last, the only thing I'm left with are allergies.

The birds scored this one

Farm news: Although we're inundated with tomatoes and peppers, much of the other crops are about done. Our freezers are nearly full. We have to add a top shelf to the pantry. Frank has put up jars of pickles and relish with still more to do. He's also started on the pears. Christie got all the red delicious apples turned into sauce or pie filling. We had to get them all off the tree because the birds were feasting. And we have jars of tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato soup. But there will be more. I even jarred some tomatoes one day. I prefer to stay out of the kitchen but my guilt wouldn't let me leave Christie with that much to do, even though she loves to cook. She's made sun dried tomatoes in the oven. Delicious. I  harvested the balance of the onions, leeks and radishes today. We've given several bags of patty pan squash and okra to the local food bank. This weekend we're giving some of our harvest to a Farmer's Market on consignment. May as well see if we can make a few bucks with our lovely bounty.

Retirement: I'm not actually retired but we're calling it retired since Frank has achieved that status. And we're living on lowly retirement income supplemented with my writing royalties. Frank is wondering if he really is retired. Working the farm, keeping up the house and all that goes with it - not much time for the front porch rocker. And right now with all the crops coming in, none us of are twiddling our thumbs. Lance is now calling his dad Pickle. He's getting pretty good at canning pickles and relish.

In an effort to conserve money, I have my hair done at the beauty college in Prescott. Yesterday was my second visit and this time I did the whole banana with color and cut. OH. MY. GOSH. I was in the chair an hour before poor Sara could begin. Every step has to be approved by an instructor. So after Sara and I decided what colors to do my measly twelve foils, it took her an hour to convince two instructors what she wanted to do would work. I just about got out of the chair and said forget it. But I felt so sorry for her. She's a cutie and says things like "how's that look, Mama?" She calls everyone Mama when she's being cocky. My time is the price I pay for keeping the cost down on my hair. She did a good job and $36 sure beats $150.

Xena considering Rusty's new toy

Another way to save money - the used everything store in Chino Valley has stuffed toys for fifty cents. Xena tears up all toys so I quit buying Rusty new ones. He used to have a whole basket but he's down to one. We hide it from Xena. Now we can replace toys without breaking the bank. We found one that laughs like a baby. We bought Xena some without a noise maker. I think she feels slighted. Digging out the noise maker is what gives her joy.

And Writing: My agent is out of town until the 17th which is my deadline for getting the revised book one in the series and the two synopses for books two and three to her. And I'm already done! Or at least I think I am. I'll read over them several more times. Tomorrow I get back on my regular writing schedule. The wedding, the illness and now the overwhelming harvest have had me all out of whack. I'm excited to get going on book two. I thought I had the first three chapters of book two written but now book two is book three. So tomorrow I start on the real book two. My titles are The Art of Love and Murder, Southwest of Love and Murder, and The Legacy of Love and Murder. I'm stoked.

Animal Stories #41

Down the road is the Big Chino Wash. There are a few trees in the wash on one side of the road that offer rare shade for the baby antelope. Every time we cross over the bridge on the way to Chino Valley, I look for the babies. Antelope are such delicate creatures. The babies are really slight little creatures.

Big Chino Wash. Seems like an understatement. It's so wide and flat that some farmer has crops growing in part of it. On average, he must get wiped out every seven years. With all the rain we had in the last couple of weeks, some here on Tortuga Flats, but always in the mountains around us, I thought we might see it run. Only the lowest ribbon of a strip had any water.

We have hummingbirds. I thought they were skittish, sweet birds until we hung three feeders. They are not social creatures and fight amongst themselves all the time. We have one bully who tries to run off the others even when not feeding. They are fearless of us. In fact, one dive bombed Frank. But we do get entertainment watching them.

One more animal story - Xena (our toad licking female) likes strawberries. I planted two plants in the area out front of the house just because the plants are cheap and attractive. One plant puts out one berry at a time and Xena always beats me to picking it when it ripens. I wouldn't know this except we caught her the first time. Now I watch and try to get it just as it ripens but that naughty girl beats me every time.

One writing note: If you like ebooks, western stories, romance and entertainment, my latest is part of a series from The Wild Rose Press that is getting lots of good reviews.

Lick a Toad #38

Xena, just before demolishing another toy

We have our own Marley. If you saw the movie or read the book, Marley and Me, you'll know what I'm talking about. Our Marley is Xena. She's half Bordeaux Mastiff and half Boxer. And Frank keeps calling her a him but then look at that face. Xena doesn't eat through walls but is pretty destructive in her own way. She's consumed countless earplugs and is totally undiscriminating in regards to color, size or shape. I've heard that some animals are drawn to the taste? smell? of earwax. Oh gross. But then dogs are kind of a gross lot. The love of earwax led Xena down a path far more destructive than earplugs. She chewed Frank's $5,000 hearing aids into a hundred little bits. Not sure how much of them she totally consumed.

Xena looking for trouble

Xena does everything in a big way

There are no more dog toys in our house. Rusty used to have about ten when we first all moved in together. Xena made short order of them within a couple of weeks. Christie replaced a few, and she tried to make Xena understand that they were for play not destruction. We finally gave up. Rusty has one small squirrel that we keep in his space. Now and then, Xena sneaks in and carries the squirrel out to the living room. I've caught her in time so far.

A few weeks ago, she threw up for several nights in a row. A trip to the vet didn't solve the mystery, but his recommendations did calm the middle of the night disturbances.

Debo

Xena enjoys tormenting Debo, the cat. They have stare downs which Xena usually wins. I'm pretty certain she could annihilate poor Debo, but never makes a move on him until Debo moves. Then Xena performs the expected chase. She'd love to have a rough and tumble wrestling match with him, but Debo would come out on the bad end of that. Xena really wouldn't hurt a fly but is more powerful than she knows.

After a hard day of making trouble

She licks toads. Would never hurt them. But that lick hurts her. The other night, she foamed at the mouth. There was so much foam, we gagged for her. She hung her head close to the ground as if in shame. Christie says there are toads that are poisonous to dogs. Would Xena eat a toad? Who knows but not this time. We found the culprit and figured she had licked him, causing the reaction. Now we're careful to keep her in sight after dark. She'd do it again. That's how Xena is.

By the way, we love this trouble-maker. She's loveable and loyal and the perfect dog - when she's asleep.

PS - If you drop by often, be sure and "join". No commitment, but I get a kick out of seeing you there!