Walking on sunshine

 

What a difference the warmer temperatures make. I’m thrilled we are coming out of winter soon and into Springtime. Having temps like lottery numbers 36 77 22 64 11 is not like hitting the jackpot. It’s more like a combo to a lock that takes you to the thermostat on the wall in your home bouncing between Heat, AC, wait Heat, now AC, oh dang Heat again, on unrelenting repeat. And how about these storms we've gotten lately? I am learning many new things about my new house when the big storms hit with the hard wind and driving rains. 

But first.....

Lauren and her family are enjoying their new home in Gunter, as is Brooks.

I love the green they picked 💚

Look at that sweet boy who loves to help, 
and loves cows for neighbors

The thing about building on land means there's sidewalks to make, sod to put down and a gravel road to be made so that your cars don't get stuck in the mud/dirt. They've been busy doing those things - and many more things. 

And inside the house....

Brooks' Room

View out the front of their living room window

Dining Room

Living room (a portion of it)

What I love about moving into a new place is getting all your belongings in there....then living with it for awhile. Then, once that has happened, it's then time to review the choices that have been made (couch, beds, etc) and then all the movement begins. So as Lauren has placed her furniture and things about her house, when I was there on Sunday morning (to get the kiddos) it was then time for her and Ryan to move things about, get rid of things and hone in on what it is they want and desire in their home. 

I think this is one of the most exciting and fun things about moving to a new home - making it your own. 

The excitement of a new house to-be, as they would be
closing soon

Lauren was most excited about her kitchen cabinets!
(Before pic)

All she needs now is her fridge in there
(Almost-after pic)

So as Lauren and her family settle in, it's fun to watch what she picks for her home. It's such a privilege to be able to get the things you love and want in the place in which you live. Love this for them.

Wolfe City Update

I, too am picking the things I love and want in my new home. And let's visit the dog-things first, shall we? After all, they are my roommates and need to have what they love and want, too.

Char loves her new 'spot' by the front door
to watch the outside world go by

I've never done this before, but it has changed my life for
the better. I made a Dog Room. This is where I prepare the 
dog's meals - and feed The Littles in there.

Each of these 3 compartments are where The Littles eat. 
Char, Theo and Sugar do well eating in their 'spots'.
This way, Maybe and Mia can't eat their food which has
been a huge positive change in my life,
making feeding time easy peasy now.

Theo loves all the dogs, any and all excitement,
and is in the middle of any activity at any time.

He sleeps with whoever he feels like at any given time

And he enjoys his ramp at the doggie door
out back. 

I'm going to see how many dog pics in can put in this blog post 😉

I made an outside area for the dogs out back so when 
I'm at work, they can lounge and enjoy the outside, too.
This area is fenced so that they are safe when I'm at work.

The Front Porch is where the big white dogs
rest and hang out, esp when it's raining. It makes 
feeding them so easy, too. They are close by.

Levi, Penny and Dutch are all doing a fabulous job guarding the farm animals. They stay busy guarding in the night, and have adjusted so well to the new farm. Unfortunately, Whisper did not, and once she disappeared that fateful Wednesday, she's not come back. I've had her on Facebook and had many, many calls about people seeing her or that she had been sighted in a particular area. Yet, when I race out to go see about the sighting, it's not been her. I've driven miles and miles looking for her, put up Lost signs, and Facebook has been my biggest help to get the word out about her. Yet, I've "found" many a dog while out looking, but not my Whisper.

On one particular tip I got, I went to look and sure enough, there was a Great Pyrenees there who was lost and insisted that she wanted to get in my truck and go with me. And that she did. I got her posted on Facebook, and her owner (who also had been driving around looking for her) came and picked her up from me. I've met many new people in the area while looking for Whisper. And have reunited owners and dogs through my own search for Whisper. But no luck finding her. It's hard to go home empty handed after going out to see about a report of a "lost" dog who looks like her. Luckily, Whisper has a red collar on with her name and my phone number embroidered on it and I hold out hope that we will be reunited. I'll never give up looking for her. It's a big wide world out here. 

So how's everybody else doing? 

I'm happy to report that all the farm animals are doing great! And as odd as this sounds, the chickens seem to be laying more eggs than they were at my previous farm. I haven't been able to make the egg business work out here yet due to my location and proximity to a road, so instead, all eggs go up to my work - and the demand for them there is wonderful. 

There is good news in the cat arena, and it's that I was able to get July to my farm to be with his sister, JuneBug. Kitty has adapted well here, too. I'm so grateful to have been able to capture all 3 of my cats and give them their own place in the barn, too. All three cats are doing well!

I finally got him, this elusive July

Kitty loves her little cubby in the barn 
with a heat pad under it

June Bug also loves her bed with a
heat pad under it, amongst the 
chickens...

As everyone continues to settle in, so do I. I actually had my appliances delivered - so I now have a store/oven and fridge which has been awesome. 

There's something about having a stove/oven and fridge that
makes me feel normal again.

Yet, it's not just about the things for me

I've leaned towards focusing on the material things since I've moved, and getting my materal things sorted out in my new space. But yet, I've also noted things about my own emotional well being during this time, as well. Mainly, one of my biggest take-aways is that it's taken me this past year (and therapy) to learn that every version of me that I have been in my life, and every version that will be : is a good version. Because everything I was has lead me to everything I am now. This realization has been one of my greatest gifts. It's been a profound concept for me as I settle in a new space and new area. Truly knowing that everything I am is leading me to everything I will continue to become. I think about this a lot as I settle in my new place. It comes to the surface of my mind as I settle in physically, and more importantly, as I settle in emotionally. Both things are equally important to me, and having a safe mental and emotional state is something I've been seeking, along with healing, peace and calm. 

Because truthfully, I don't think I've believed that there had been a version of me that I thought was 'good' while I was in it. It was only after it was gone that I realized how wonderful that version was and that all the versions of me were and are wonderful and good. This work-in-process version of me is exciting that I can actually understand I'm in the midst of it - constantly ebbing and flowing. It's a blessing to think I might actually have the self-awareness to understand that I've had so many versions of myself (ourselves), and then to literally know it's what has made us who we are today........so profound for me.

Ugh. Shouldn't there be a class in high school for this? 

Alright, I'll get out of the depths of my mind now. And I will say that as I make my way in this new world, I have the most gorgeous views of pasture and skies that contribute of the beauty and peace that is Wolfe City. 

The view from my bedroom window

Of which Mia enjoys also, on her own twin bed

Everyone of us here on the farm continue to soak in the peace and serenity.

The calm is priceless

Even the chickens find peace in the barn 🐔

My sacred past has brought me here, as did all the former versions of me.

Where I'm going......God only knows......and I'll continue to have an open heart and mind for it all.

It kinda feels like walking on sunshine,

Cyndi

Be like a sunflower

One of the first gifts I received for my new home was made by my niece, Kristin. 

Thank you, Kristin! 🌻

She gifted me a beautiful piece of art, that she handmade, to hang in my new home. Her, and her two sweet children, Declan and Savannah are all very special people in my life. I appreciate them more than they know and absolutely love this special gift from them. What made it even more special is what she wrote on the back:

💛

These words could not be more true for me, esp in this process of selling and buying of a new home. Because as Katy Perry says, I'm hot and I'm cold, I'm yes and I'm no, I'm up and I'm down. That's me! It's been a rollercoaster ride where I'm actually on a broken rollercoaster that never stops at the station and just keeps going and going. 

Yet, I did it. And as odd as this is going to sound.....I'm so proud of me. I really did it. And with the help of many people! My people. I'm so very grateful to all those who love me so much, that they showed up and helped me realize a dream I've dreamed of for some time. A place of my own. My heart is beyond happy. It's pure joy.

I remember.....

Not that long ago, I remember thinking 'I wonder if I could sell my house and find one for myself to make my very own'. I called it an exploration at the time, because I was unsure if I could pull it off. It started with a call to my realtor, Allison, because if anybody could make it happen, it's her.

She and I talked about my goals and dreams, then she said we could do this, so I fixed my old house up and got it ready for pictures, videos, and then showings and BOOM, the contracts showed up. I was blessed to have a great (final) buyer who gave me a free 3 week lease back to get from my old house to my new house. And I ended up only needing the old house for 2 weeks and gave him (my old house) officially to him 1 week earlier than anticipated. So good news! I'm officially done - and moved out of my old home and moved into my new home. It feels warm, cozy and safe. Best feeling ever.

So how did I do this? I'm still shaking my head about it too. So this was my tentative plan:

I'm almost embarrassed to show you my plan but I wanted to share with you what it all looked like in my head. This 'plan' I wrote sat on my kitchen table staring me down for days and days. I would look back at it, sometimes side eye it, and mull it over some more all while knowing that it would not all pan out exactly like that, but it could be a template for what kinda sorta might happen. And even though the most popular question I received was 'How are you going to move all your chickens?' -  I never knew for sure until Move-Day-Sunday when Morghan actually made the final decision to place them ALL in the tack room of her horse trailer. Until then, I had 5 different ways/ideas bouncing around in my head of how I was going to 'try to try to move the chickens'. Even my written plan had no set way of me doing it. The chickens were my wildcard. 

Let's just say that everything ended up actually moving on Sunday (side note: Morghan needed to change her farm animal move day from Saturday to Sunday) and therefore Sunday started early with Morghan (and her fam) moving the farm animals, first thing (see blog post prior). Then shortly after that, spilled over to the actual house movers, and then onto the movers who would move the barn contents. It was a day! A Sunday to remember. 

On the Saturday before the Move-Day-Sunday, I was blessed to have my brother in law, Gene put in a storm door with a doggie door at my new house. Thank you, Gene! This was key, and a necessity in my life to have my Littles (Maybe, Sugar, Charlotte and Theo along with Mia) in the house, to be able to go out and potty on their own. That same day, Sheryl, I and Kristin made a make-shift back yard with my portable fencing (which I had actually moved on Friday because my work surprised me with that day off so I could prep for my move!). So many loving people around me during a stressful time. I couldn't have done it without them. 

I can tell you that Sheryl was my eyes and ears on Move-Day-Sunday. She picked up all the "pieces" I dropped or left behind. She did all the things when I couldn't do everything. She stayed with me from Saturday to Monday and wowza - that was amazing and I loved every minute of it. We were so tired every night, and when she left Monday I can imagine she was glad to get home and leave the chaos of moving behind. It's alot y'all. Moving is a lot. 

Thank you Sheryl, Kristin, Gene, Declan and Savannah. Thank you Morghan and her family. Thank you to all the amazing movers who did so much to bring all my belongings from Gunter to Wolfe City. And a BIG thank you to my realtor, Allison who made this house sell/purchase magic truly happen. She was there for me thru the thick and thin of it all. When I say I wouldn't and couldn't have done it with anyone else, there are no truer words spoken. Allsion is the bomb.com.

So I did this to myself

Yeppers, the painters showed up Tuesday morning bright and early, so there would be no unpacking until they left.....the following Saturday. They took over my house and covered everything. I did this to myself y'all. I asked for this madness. I figured I'd do this while I had the week off work. 

Here we go....

This was okay Day 1 and 2, but Day 3, 4 and 5 were
not really that okay 😐

I take full responsibility for making this decision. Good news? I could uncover my bed at night and sleep. That's it. I even had to shower at my old house in Gunter. I kept telling myself:  Its worth it. It's worth it. It'll be worth it.....and it was! 

Everything in the house is freshly painted and beautiful and it made my heart so happy. This is something I really wanted. The painters were awesome, and even the horse wallpaper in the master bathroom was removed and it looks like the master bathroom I had imagined it to be. 

Before

After

All the lower kitchen cabinets (and bathroom cabinets) were painted Evergreen Fog by Sherwin Williams, along with all walls, doors, ceilings and trim painted Alabaster - and wow, it sure made the house smell yummy and look brand new with fresh paint. It delayed the unpacking, yes, but I'll get there eventually. 

Brooks and Olive's room is a work in progress

Like the 2 small fridges I have?
I'll need to get a real fridge and stove/oven soon....

This is going to take some time to settle in.
But the dogs seem to be liking it so far.

I love having a guest room, too

It's going to take a bit to settle in and hang pictures and such. I've been focusing on the outside (barn, animals and land) so the inside has been neglected in regards to unpacking and settlement. I just want to be outside all the time, so I have to force myself inside to unpack. 

21 acres, really?

Really. And you know what the odd thing is? It feels like less work. There's several reasons for this: 1) the livestock guard dogs, Levi, Dutch and Penny all stay close by the house and barn, so there's no marching all over kingdom come to try and feed them. They are right around and close by usually and I love that. And: 2) the barn does not need to be "open and shut" nor do any windows need to be open or closed. The barn has such a lengthy outreach of an awning, there's no opening or shutting of anything. I mean, right now I have it all tarped up real good for this cold freeze that's about to happen, but other than that, it'll remain open and 'as is' on a day to day basis. I actually go down and feed everyone then boom, I'm done. Easy peasy.

It's not looking it's best with all the tarps for the bad 
freezing weather to come, but ordinarily, it'll be open.
The overhangs are long and far reaching to keep out
rain and wind - for the most part.

The back side of the barn houses the horses, donkeys and goats and has the same far reaching awning over there, too. It's a great barn! Who knew!? I can't wait to get out there when the weather is a little nicer and really make it 'my own'. There's much to get done out there, and my insides tingle when I think about getting to fix it all up. Cause you know I'm gonna move a bunch of this fencing around. It's my happy place. 

The horses and donkeys are loving the back pasture
and their room in the barn

The goats have their own area, and are doing great 💟

Luckily, all the animals have the ability to take shelter in the barn, stay dry, and have fresh water available. Matter of fact, the barn did not have water access in it, and I did hire a plumber to come trench a line to place out in the barn. I was surprised when I realized the barn did not have a water spikette. But then again, they had sooooo much junk in the barn that I couldn't even tell how big it really was either. 

Best day ever when I got water access in the barn!

Odd, but true

So there's some new-to-me things going on around here.

A gas heater was in the house, even though the house
has central air and heat. And man, this baby
will put some heat out!

So apparently, in the country country, things like this
are here. I'm going to close this in and make it my garage.

I'm charging my Tesla from a regular outlet. 
Now that's odd. I'll likely have my real-deal Tesla
charger installed eventually. 

I do love having the dog beds on my front porch. 

Welcome Home

Another beautiful gift I received for my 
new home, from Allison.

To be real about it all, this has been hard no doubt. There's so many moving parts, logistics, changing of utilities, address changes, moving of physical things and animals  - and the emotional side of it all. I have felt every feeling known to mankind this past few months during this whole process. Good, bad and ugly feelings. All the feelings - and I felt them all. Sometimes I smiled and laughed and other times I cried. Therapy has taught me to feel my feelings and I'm blessed to say that doing so has changed my life.  Moving gave me a prime opportunity to practice doing just that - and I practiced maybe more than I would have wanted. Yet, I'm fortunate to be able to physically and mentally go through a move such as this. I give it all to God who placed me in this current and sent me down this river and kept me afloat the entire time. 

With the gift Allison so kindly gave me, it's a reminder that I am the author of my story, and as I write my next chapter, I'm scited (scared and excited all at the same time) and I'm loving it. It's exciting, it's fun, it's challenging, and it's the unknown of it all that lights a fire in me to keep moving forward and take it all in. The big things, the small things and all the things. This new adventure ignites a part of me that is so ready to jump in. The land and house are in need of fluffing and nurturing, and this fills my cup up like nothing else. Let'f fluff! 

Just for the record, this is me now
driving an hour to get to work.
Netflix helps.

And I'm doing new things all around. (Wait, yes, I'm still line dancing with my girlfriends.) New things include driving longer to work (I signed up for Netflix and it's changed my driving life greatly), meeting lots of new people, learning new things about the area I live in now, and also, that I'm living a life of my very own for the first time in my life. I'm free to be me. New to me is also that I've learned to embrace every version of myself from over the years that lead me to me. I'm the only one that got me this far and as selfish as that sounds, I've also had to forgive myself for accepting things I should not have in my prior experiences. I've needed to forgive myself and work on self-trust, so that I can trust myself to make different and better decisions next time, when and if needed. And this I have. It feels so special to be able to practice new skills in new relationships - and in my 'old' relationships, too. It's like I once was looking out a window that was murky and blurred, and it has now been windex'd and I'm looking out that same window and I see more clearly all the beauty around me - more than ever. And here in Wolfe City, I'm really enjoying being this version of myself that I've moved into - both physically and mentally. I'm in a new place on both fronts. And I love that I've moved physically and mentally as I can actually feel the change and I just want to sit in it and relish it. 

And with that, I'm keeping room in my heart for the unimaginable. I'm walking through the doors that are opening for me. I have a different presence about myself now that I'm truly taking care of me. Jennie Garth said it well: Choosing yourself is choosing the people that you love, too. 

Thanks for coming along this wild and crazy ride with me. Love you all,

Cyndi

New also? I've always dreamed of living in a home that's tv-free. And I currently am. Yet, when Brooks came over to see me/my new house, he couldn't comprehend how there wasn't a tv here. So I may have to get a small one for his room. Monster truck videos are important. 

Settlement 2.0

I'm feeling like myself again, and it has taken a couple of weeks. Settlement 2.0 fits nicely with Cyndi 2.0 and I'm loving Wolfe City. I'll write all about it tomorrow (my day off) as I spent the weekend with Brooks and Olive - and unpacking and settling in around the house.

Excuse the messy janky barn as after the cold freezing weather passes, I’m looking forward to changing things up in it. 

I had a blast with the kiddos on Saturday, and then really enjoyed unpacking (inside) the house and had fun with it! It's an awesome feeling to look around at the things I have in my home: only the items that I want and that I love are in my new house, as I have widdled down my belongings more than ever. What do I love and what do I need is a way of life I've desired for a long time. 

I also started the process in the barn for the freezing weather-to-come (heated water buckets, etc). The animals are all doing great! Yet, I have not been able to locate Whisper and have cried many a tear, searched many a mile, while many a people have assisted with her search. I appreciate them all, and still hold out hope for my sweet girl to return. It's been heartbreaking and gut-wrenching not having her here. 

I hold out hope for Whisper. 😢 Other than her, all the animals have adjusted well and are happy and healthy. I have a lot of work to do in the new barn, and can’t wait for nicer weather to come to go get in it and get after it! 

More tomorrow,

Cyndi

I actually did it

Yeppers, Yes sir, You betcha, Dang right, Yes ma'am and Hell yeah - I got moved! 

It's true, like a dream come true that I am now completely moved in to my new-to-me house in Wolfe City with 21 acres, all my farm animals, dogs and cats (actually minus 2 cats I'm still trying to catch in Gunter to bring here). Overall, it was a success!

It was a team effort. I in no way did this alone. I'll start with the fact my sister, Sheryl came over and experienced the whole shebang with me and more importantly, alongside me. Every.Step.Of.The.Way. I could not have done this without her. She was my wingman, my emotional support sister, my do-anything-that-needs-to-be-done sis. She did it all with love, curiosity, strength and smarts. She's a master anticipator, and I don't know that she knows that. But that's my new name for her. She knew when to help and assist at every turn. She maneuvered the house movers and barn movers and farm animal movers like she was conducting an orchestra. She was all in. And believe me, it was a circus with more than 3 rings happening at any given time. 

And, props to my sweet, sweet friend, Morghan and her family (hubby Jay, son Decklyn and his friend Mason) for bringing a huge horse trailer to my place in Gunter and getting EVERY last one of my farm animals in it! Yes, it's true. If anybody can make farm animal moving magic happen, it's Morghan.

How does one move that many chickens? 

This was the most common question I got prior to moving. How are you going to move all those chickens? Up to the day of the move, I still did not know for sure. I had a few ideas, but little did I know it would happen in a way that it did. What I did know for sure is that I would go out to the barn in the wee morning hours of move day (Sunday a week ago to be exact) and close up the barn completely so that no chicken could get out once they woke up. And just for the record, that was Morghan's idea in the first place.

It goes like this. Once upon a time, a brilliant and bright young lady, Morghan offered up her horse trailer to move my donkeys and horses. Great, I said. Let's do that. Fast forward to her driving up with the horse trailer to my Gunter house and she jumps out of the truck and says, "I have an idea!" She wants to put all my chickens in the tack room (front compartment) of the horse trailer. As she opens the door to it, I look in and wonder if they all would fit. But heck, if I could get all the animals over to Wolfe City in one trip, let's try it! Morghan gives me her mischievous smile and we make a plan. The barn is completely closed. One person would man a door at the barn and another person would man the door to the tack room of the trailer. The rest of us would take the chickens from the barn and hand carry them (1 by 1 or 2 by 2 or even 3 by 3) and place them in her trailer. After all, all the chickens are in the barn and can't escape. And I have a net.

And do you know that trip by trip by trip and after all of us taking turns grabbing chickens and netting chickens and chasing chickens, by gaud if we didn't get them all in that tack room of her trailer. Without ANY escaping. God is good. 

It was a literal shit show. We all had chicken poo on us and we didn't care. We just kept grabbing and carrying chickens until the last chicken was caught. I was astounded. It actually happened. All the chickens were ready for transport. Deckyln and his friend Mason who are 12 years old, were having the time of their lives chasing and netting my chickens and carrying them to the trailer and hustling back for more. They might need therapy in their life for that one day. 

But the chickens had no choice. They were going to be caught. The folks manning the doors of the barn and trailer (we all traded off occasionally) were not about to let any of the chickens out - not a chance. Everyone worked together to make this happen and it was truly a chicken miracle. 

What about the others, you ask?

Well, when I had gotten up at the crack of 2:30 am to shut the barn up that fateful morning, was also when I haltered all my horses and donkeys so they would be ready for transport via the horse trailer.

Poppy is ready!

I didn't have to halter her baby Emerald, 
as where Pippa goes, her baby Emmie goes.

Hope could feel the tension. Luckily,
Morghan is a horse whisper and got
her loaded and settled just fine. Dora was
with her too, her BFF. 👯 

By the way, an important nugget I left out was that Morghan had thought about how to shut up the barn (on her own, by the way) and brought me pallets prior to my move, so that I would use them to block the small entrances in the barn that were open (with no door on them). And it worked like a charm! Great idea, Morghan!

Morghan and I work together at the surgery center and she also let me borrow her 13 foot open trailer to load up my portable fencing and corral panels. And when she brought me the trailer, she had already loaded the pallets on the trailer. I was like, what are the pallets for, and of course she informed me of the plan for them. Did I mention Morghan is a problem solver? That's probably apparent by now. This girl. She solves things before we even talk about the things. And she's 100% responsible for the ideas and movement of my farm animals. And after we spent a fair amount of time chasing down the goats who weigh far more than they look, we loaded them up in the back of the trailer with the horses and donkeys like a pinball machine. All I could do was cross my fingers for the hour drive from Gunter to Wolfe City for all the animals. All in the horse trailer. It took all of us to make that happen. Myself, Sheryl, Morghan, Jay, Decklyn and Mason. But we did it! 

I'd love to tell you I have more pictures of all these shenanigans during the farm animal move, but quite frankly, I was so busy trying to keep up - that I didn't even think about my phone or pictures during all the moving of the animals. So unfortunately, I’ll rely on you to visualize it. And when you do, play circus music in your head, too because it was a full on 5 ring circus with all the chaos, (good) yelling at one another, and all of us running around like a chicken with our head cut off. No pun intended but it illustrates it well. 

The unloading of the animals was much less eventful. Mainly because Sheryl and I had spent a fair amount of time on Saturday setting up the areas where each of the animals would be housed and set free on Sunday. So we were ready for where the chickens would be placed. And when the time would come on Sunday, that's where they would be going.

And sure enough, we all once again, unloaded them in their new barn - exactly the same as we had loaded them up - 1 by 1 or 2 by 2, depending on how many chickens you could hold at one time. Sometimes 3 or 4 at a time. Total chicken count was just over 125 chickens. Mason counted them as we all placed them in their new barn area and then shut them in for their own safety. 

This was the makeshift area whereby the 
chickens would be in lockdown for the 
first 24 hours after arrival.

It was necessary that the chickens be "locked up" for about 24 hours after they were placed in their new barn so they would understand that this is where they live now. And I can happily tell you that the chickens took to their new barn so quickly. I was such a proud chicken mama. Granted, they did have all their same coops and feeders, so it was familiar to them. 

As for the donkeys and horses, they would be released in the back pasture with access to the barn as well. 

The best part was there was hay there waiting for them.
The prior owners had horses, too and still had alot
of hay around. 

The horses and donkeys settled in well.
And they love their new pasture with more
room to roam. And run and roam they did.

I goat this

No I didn't. My great idea about putting the goats with the horses and donkeys in the back pasture didn't go well. The donkeys chased the goats. The goats got out of the pasture and begin living with the livestock guard dogs and spent most of their time around the house area.

They happily greeted the plumbers 
and painters, and anyone else who 
showed up at my house in Wolfe City

Coco and Pearl were like dogs.
Just hanging around the house, wanting pets.

This was all good and fine for awhile. But then it wasn't. It became hard to feed the big white dogs because the goats wanted their food. Then the goats kept trying to come in the house. And the workers who were at the house did not understand why there was a goat in their painter's van, knocking things over. I had to do something different.

So I made them their own temporary area, until I can figure something else out.

It's a little janky, but they have their goat houses, water and food, and shelter. This will do until I can get them a more secure (larger) area made. Goats are curious creatures - and since Coco and Pearl are not sure if they are goats or dogs - I'm going to need to get this situation squared away. But this temp area will be fine for now. Rain is coming and I need them safe and warm. 

Speaking of dogs....

So how did the big white dogs make their way to the farm in Wolfe City?

Somehow and someway, while I was at the house in Wolfe City getting house movers corralled, Sheryl was in Gunter directing the barn mover who was moving the barn contents (think coops, roosts, tack room things, etc). And while all that was happening, Sheryl got Penny and Dutch loaded up in the back of her van and brought them with her on her next trip to the farm in Wolfe City. Now Penny and Dutch are not easy to manuever, mind you, but Sheryl made that magic happen. Did I mention she's a master anticipator and a do-er of all things. 

Levi and Whisper would not be that easy. They would have to come another day. 

I'm happy to report that Penny and Dutch acclimated extremely well to the new farm and new location. After all, all their farm animals were there. They instinctively knew what to do and begin watching and guarding them immediately. I really had no issues with either of them, and they seem to be enjoying their new space and their new place. 

They have their same dog beds, this time placed on
my front porch. With all their chew bones that they love
around so it will all be familiar to them.

Mia and Penny are playing as usual at 
their new home. 

I would love to tell you that Levi and Whisper were an easy catch. But it actually took days after I moved to get them. And when I did, the vet had given me anxiety medication to give them so I could get them in the truck. (I felt like I needed it as much as them, but I did end up giving it to them 😉) And the anxiety meds worked, but Levi had to be force-pulled into the truck. He and I almost went 10 rounds with it, but we got it done. Whisper hopped in the truck pretty good. And off we went!

Levi on the left and Whisper on the right. 
Over all, it was a success to get them to the new farm.

And they too, did well at the new farm, esp because Penny and Dutch were there, and had acclimated already. So everyone settled in well.

Except.....

Let's talk about Kitty. Kitty is about 10 years old and is not a fan of the move.

She did well on the way there, and then settled 
nicely into the barn with her bed, food
and water. 

Until she went up a tree. And then higher up the tree. 

I tried to get her down.
I tried and I tried, but she was
too high.

I finally gave up. 
I called the fire dept.

After all, for 3 days she was in that tree. Her meows were weak. She's old. I needed to help her.

The Wolfe City Volunteer Fire Dept
were all very nice about it.

The firemen came and went in a flash. They got her down and told me next time, to leave her there and she'll come down on her own because they have never seen a cat skeleton in a tree. I was a little taken aback with that comment, but at the same time, you can't argue with that. I haven't seen a cat skeleton in a tree either. 

Kitty is fine now. She's not been back up that tree again. 

Unfortunately, another dilemma as occurred. Whisper went missing the other night. She did not show up for breakfast, which is not unusual. But it's been a few days now and I'm very worried - and I've asked neighbors, I've driven around, and I've looked for her in neighboring pastures. She does have a collar with her name on it and my phone number and I'm hoping someone will call me soon to say they found her. I'm beyond heartbroken. I keep looking and looking for her. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. 

I knew that this move would be hard on the animals as that was my greatest concern about moving. And I was able to get everyone moved, here and settled. Yet, I knew things could go sideways and wasn't sure who that would impact the most. And I'm surprised it was Whisper, but then again, I didn't know who would be impacted the most because all my animals have only every know my farm for so long now. But I keep replaying why her? Where is she? Why is someone not calling to say they found her. I'm holding out hope she's okay and I'll get her back soon. It's just been hard to not have her here, while Levi, Penny and Dutch are. 

And it makes me extra cautious for all the dogs now. The Littles are all doing well. Mia is adjusting, and staying close too, but then again, she's inside with The Littles - and outside too as she enjoys playing with Penny. Sheryl's husband, Gene put in a screen door (thank you, Gene!) that has a doggie door in it and Sheryl and I made a makeshift backyard for them to be safe in when I'm gone. 

I think you can see the fenced backyard that
Sheryl and I put up from here.
Also, the ducks are loving their new place.
They have 2 ponds now to swim in,
but still come to the barn for chicken food.

As I close out this blog post for now, I'll continue to cover more moving things next time - like the actual house move. I’m extremely happy that the farm animal move was successful overall. And I did put my own move of my own things on dim, as I was hyper-focused on getting all my animals moved, safe and happy. But there was a whole nother universe of moving my own things into my house, and projects I had going on at the same time that were spinning and happening in contrast to the animal move. That's for next time.....

I'm blessed that we all made the move to the new farm, except for my other 2 cats, June Bug and July who I'm trying to fanagle getting here. But I'm working on that. I have until Feb 23rd before I have to be completely out of my house in Gunter. I'll get them, it's going to take some special planning, but I'll get them.

I want to give a huge shout out to my sis, Sheryl for spending days with me, helping me with my move and for always being there. I could not have done it without you and would not have wanted to do it without you. Your the bestest 🥰 your sacrifice of time away from your own family was appreciated more than words can speak. 

And to Morghan, and her tribe, I’ll never be able to repay you for the gift you gave me of moving all my farm animals. Only you could do that - and you sure did! 

It’s been something, this moving thing. I have been so supported and loved through it all. And I’m proud to say I didn't let the hard days win, and grateful for it 😊 

Blessed beyond words, 

Cyndi

Me when things would get hard to handle