Introducing Our New Farm Hand

Or should I say "Our New Farm Paw"!

Meet Mist...

Mist is a one and a half year old, full-blooded Border Collie!  She is sweet, loves to please, and is a fast learner!

Bringing her home...she was quite comfortable with us from the beginning!

1st day

We picked Mist up right after we got back from our trip to Canada.  Our goal for her is to teach her how to herd the goats.  When we got her, she barely knew any basic commands, but she has proved very willing to learn and enjoys trying new things.  She loves "going to work" with the goats and is already responding well to our commands!  Hopefully she will work out to be the kind of dog that we need!

 

 

We have always heard the horror stories behind getting a Border Collie...

"Oh, you are really going to have to work that kind of dog!"

"They are super hyper and need a lot of outdoor time to wear them out..."

"Do you know how hard they are to train?"

 

And so on and so on.

But boy did we get a good dog, because she is gentle, docile, hardworking when she needs to be, attentive, and the quickest learning dog that we have ever trained.  Border collies might just be our new thing!

Here are some pictures of Mist working...

Cutie-Pie!

Highlights from Our Summer

I thought I would give you all a glimpse into our busy summer through pictures!  

One of our building projects for the summer was a lean-to for the goats.  We had previously built a holding pen for the milking does so that we could corral them all into this waiting area until it was their time to come in and get milked.  We now had to put a cover up so that they could get out of the rain while they were waiting!  So, the need for the lean-to arose!

Dad, making sure we're square!

Ethan, his wonderful assistant!

A family team

Noah taking supplies back to the barn.

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We also enjoyed a church swim party at our house...

I think everyone had a good time!

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If you remember earlier this summer, I mentioned that my grandmother was going to have knee surgery.  The surgery was a success, however she caught a bad case of bronchitis and pneumonia afterwards.  Her knee was feeling good, but her healing was set back a little because of the strain on her lungs.  After visiting three doctors, she finally is on the mend and is almost fully recovered.  She is now back to golfing twice a week (which we are glad to see she's back to doing) and she has started back milking with us as of this week!  We are glad to have Gram back!

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 Savannah's kittens are growing in leaps and bounds!  They are the friendliest cats we have ever owned!  Little sweethearts!

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Our church held our 1st Family Camp this summer and it was a hit!  Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and we can't wait till next time!  

Our retreat was on the topic of marriage.  We used "The Art of Marriage" by FamilyLife.  The sessions were all really well done and everyone walked away learning something.

  Our camp was held at a local retreat center about 20 minutes away from our house.  It was close enough that we could easily travel back and forth to milk and do chores, but far enough away to feel like a vacation!  

Enjoy the pictures!

 A friendly football game!

Walking to church...

Family...

 Ethan

Savannah, Mom and I

My wonderful Mom and Dad

Some girls from church enjoying the fellowship in the dining hall.

Dad did a wonderful job setting everything up and preparing the sessions!  

The teams

Fishing

Sessions

 Campfire fun...

 Talking with friends

 A fun game of Simon Says...for the adults!

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 In July, my grandparents celebrated their 52nd anniversary!  What a wonderful legacy of love for our family!  They are such Godly examples!

As for our latest news, stay tuned!  That'll be my next post!