Crazy, lazy Daisy

This is our sweet, super-stinky, adorable dog, Daisy. I have hundreds of blurry pictures of this dog because she is only still when she is asleep. She was so spastic when we first got her that we couldn't even pet her. What a wiggle worm!

Aaron found her smack dab in the middle of the road on a very hot July day. She was extremely malnutritioned and, as a result, her hind legs didn't work very well so she would drag them behind her as she walked. But soon, she fattened up and got healthy and now, years later, you would never know she was ever sickly.

She would trip over her ears, smack her face on the ground but get back up, completely unfazed. When she was little Aaron and I would play with her in the living room with a tennis ball. He would throw it a few times and she'd chase it and, maybe, bring it back. Then he'd pretend to throw it and she would search for long minutes. It was so funny. For a hound dog, she is not too good at the hunting. Maybe her sniffer is broken.

She loves snacks. Our other dog, Mack, is really not that concerned about the snacks. He just wants love. But Daisy's primary daily goal is to get some snacks.

Also, she used to be a chicken eater but has since changed her ways and we are perplexed as to why. She now shares her part of the yard, dog house and water bowl with our hen, World's Smallest Chicken, and we can't figure out why this chicken. Is it because she is smaller? She looks more like a large dove than a chicken. Is it because the hen is confused and thinks she is a rooster sometimes? (She does crow on occasion!) Whatever the reason, Daisy and World's Smallest Chicken get along just fine. Better than fine. They appear to really like each other.

Daisy is one of the absolute cutest creatures I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I'm so glad Aaron saved her that day and that we decided to keep her when we picked her up from the vet's office. That was the day our little farm started to grow.

ponies and horse power

Here on Ferrell Farm, we have race cars and all sorts of make-a-racecar-go-faster paraphernalia mixed among our animals. Our pony, cleverly named Ninja Pony, has taken a shine to hanging out in the shop while Farmer Ferrell works his magic. I don't know if he likes the way his hooves sound on the smooth concrete, if he prefers the stagnate air in the shade of the shop over the breezy shade under a tree, or he simply wants to chill with the dudes. Whatever it is, if the guys are in the shop, operating any variety of loud power tools or shooting sparks all over the place with a blow torch or a welder, Ninja Pony will be at the door of the shop watching all the while.

Ninja Pony likes to go fast. He is often spotted running figure eights or random circles around the back yard. Periodically he will buck and kick mid run. He has done this since he came to Ferrell Farm. I think he fits right in with the race cars. Maybe while he's lingering in the shop, he is dreaming of ways that he too can go faster.

This has nothing to do with race cars but Ninja Pony also likes to "give kisses," which consists of raising his nose up so I can kiss the top of his upper lip where it is soft. He also loves it when I share my sweet tea with him, and by share, I mean give him the rest. He is a slobbering fool over sweet tea. When I go out with my trusty snake finding flashlight to put him in his corral at night, Ninja Pony will gently move along as long as I sing to him. If I fail to softly sing something pleasant, he will take off running away from the corral and make me chase him. I hate that because it is very difficult to spot snakes in the dark with a flashlight while running before you are actually on top of them. So I always sing.

Leaving Ninja Pony out of his corral all night is not an option. Unattended, he will kick, stomp, & head-butt his way into the feeding cans and eat-probably until he dies-all of the sweet feed, chicken corn and rabbit feed he can get his short head at. Then he will kick at the rabbit cage to try to get at the rabbit feed in there. No, no! Every night, Ninja Pony goes up.

That is all about Ninja for now. I have lots of stories, pictures and some video about his antics. I will have to post them here and there as we go along. Happy Tuesday!