Work on the yard has commenced in full force. The dugout was filled in, the bottom yard was flattened, levelled and seeded. The grass has grown in very well, especially with all the rain we've been getting.
The brush and debris around the main front area is slowly being cleared away. It's time consuming as the yard has been neglected for quite a while. I've been raking and clearing, and while it's a work in progress, the yard is definitely coming along.
I built a fire pit with bricks Ryan brought home, and we've been enjoying fires at night after the kids have gone to bed. There is nothing more relaxing than listening to the frogs chirp in the background while relaxing around the warm flames after a full day.
I planted two flower beds worth of flowers, and despite my lack of green thumbs, the flowers seem to be doing quite well.
We have fallen into an easy going schedule now that it's nice out. The kids are most comfortable grazing rather than eating full meals so we build our day around their snacks. There's plenty of playing outside, exploring and Ranger rides.
Gracie and Odin came and spent a few days with us and that was a lot of fun too. It's really busy with four kids in the house, and especially since each one of them has distinct, strict or downright picky dietary needs. There was a lot of fresh air and playing outside those days - and everyone slept really well.
Cailin had some trouble with a kidney and throat infection. She was horribly sick for three days. I took her to the rural hospital out here and she got some medicine. My suspicion is that she had strep, but no mention was made of it. My only complaint in the hospital is that we were forced to listen to an elderly patient vomit long and loud a few curtains over. And that my dear child found it so fascinating and wondered out loud what color it was, amongst a million other vomit related questions. I could have lived without that whole scenario.
Bailey had her teeth cleaned, and seven of the little teeth removed. I was extremely nervous to have her dental work done, but they were fabulous at the vet and she feels much better without the ouchy teeth.
Life has settled into an easy and comfortable routine. So really, it wasn't all that surprising when it changed again.
It was brought to our attention that someone's mother in law was keeping her retired stud dog locked up in a horse trailer. The details were hard to believe, and would be considered animal abuse. Ryan, being the Good Samaritan and animal lover that he is, decided to go check out what was going on and perhaps rescue this poor creature. I went with him to make sure he didn't bring a dog home.
Thankfully the stories we heard about this dog's life were exaggerated. He is kept in an old horse trailer, but only because he digs his way out of every other enclosure he's been in. He is walked several times a day, kept fairly clean and is good with people, kids and other animals. His teeth looked very clean, and he didn't look that old to me, although his owner said he was between 7-9 years old. He is friendly and laid back. His big problem? He isn't fixed, and runs off to father puppies every chance he gets.
I figured right then and there that we would not be taking him home. Dogs are a lot of work, and I had just adjusted my work load to where I could easily manage it.
But my mind began to churn over the weekend. I didn't feel good leaving him there and Ryan definitely wanted him. He would be good for Ryan too. So I said yes to having Buddy. Of course, if he didn't work out with us, Ryan's mom was going to take him so he would have a good home no matter what.
Buddy is a Golden Retriever. I know right? Like there's never been a Golden Retriever named Buddy before in the whole world. The only thing more cliche than a Golden named Buddy is maybe an English Sheepdog named Max. Sheesh.
At any rate, Ryan and Cailin went and picked him up. It was love at first sight for Cailin. She adores Buddy, although she swears his name is Fuzzy. He likes her too, but surprisingly the person he likes most of us is ... me.
I desperately wanted to change his name as we call Carter by his nickname of Buddy all the time. It has led to some confusion already. When I call either of them, they both come running. Maybe that's not such a bad thing though, really.
Buddy the dog has been trained to follow basic commands (sit, down, stay, shake a paw) and walks beautifully on a leash right at your heel. Some attempt has been made in the past to groom him, but he does have some mats currently.
We all went for a walk the other night and got caught in a downpour. The kids were snug in the double stroller with the rain shield down, but the rest of us were soaked through. Bailey got a towel drying, but we figured since Buddy was already drenched we would give him a bath. In our tub.
Pretty sure he's never had a warm bath inside a house before. It was a gong show, but he smelled a lot better after. Unfortunately our house didn't.
Buddy got a very thorough brushing the next day. He is going for a professional grooming, but it was nice to prep him for that so it isn't so traumatizing for him (or the groomer for that matter). He very much enjoys getting brushed. I doubt he will have any problems getting groomed.
So he is bathed, brushed, looking dapper and is fairly well trained. Laid back, good with the kids and Bailey too. That just leaves the issue of getting him fixed. He also has an abscessed canine tooth that needs to be taken care of. He should have all of that taken care of on Monday. He's probably going to want his horse trailer back that day.
There are a lot of benefits to getting an older dog. His crazy puppy years are behind him. He's already trained. Someone already put in all the hard work I don't enjoy. Of course the downside is we don't really know if he has any unsavoury habits. He might be a chewer when his tooth gets fixed, but I doubt it.
I'm going to really give this big dog ownership a try. 
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