Shenandoah and Virginia

There are two new guard dogs patrolling the pastures, Maremma pups, Shenandoah and Virginia. Only eight weeks old they are already checking out the perimeter. For some strange reason my sheep and goats are more afraid of a tiny dog than a large dog. Same goes for small children, if it's tiny they run, especially if it has on a hooded coat. It was a long trip to northern Virginia and home again, but these puppies came from working dogs imported from Italy. When looking for a good livestock guardian it is very important that they come from working dogs raised with sheep and goats, not a kennel or a pet. I switched from Great Pyrenees to Maremma because the Maremma is smaller, meaning less hip and leg problems as the dogs age. And the fact that these dogs have not been in this country long enough to be spoiled. These pups are required to live with the sheep and goats not on the back porch.

Plaid Friday

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. And I don't fall for black Friday. Don't ruin my holiday with shopping. If I did shop I would follow the smart folks that created Plaid Friday. Buying products made or grown locally will help keep jobs in your town, state or country. It may be a small business but it is somebody's business you are helping stay afloat. Imagine if we buy only products grown or produced in this country. They can be hard to find. But how many jobs could we grow or create. It sounds like a good idea to me, wonder why no one else thought of it. And while I'm on it, how can something like say a bale of cotton is put on a barge to China, ( a barge gets about one mile per 4 gallons of fuel), is made into a shirt, (with buttons that fall off when you take it out of the plastic sleeve) or a pair of pants, ( that have the pockets sewn shut), then gets put back on a barge and makes that many thousands of miles trip back to the USA, how can it sell for $9.99? You better buy 2 or 3 because once you wash it, it will never fit again.

Feels like Thanksgiving

This fall has been the best I can remember in a long while. The weather has been great and the trees did have a lot of color in spite of the drought. To top it off Evan got his first buck and doe providing us with some of the best deer meat ever. I just don't feel like you can have fall and Thanksgiving without fresh meat. I eat fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden all summer, but come fall I want fresh meat, and I prefer deer. You can't buy anything this good and nothing could be better for you.