Kimberly J Egan
Bio
Welcome to LoupGarou/Conri Terriers and Not 1040 Farm! I try to write about what I know best: my dogs and my homestead. I'm currently working on a series of articles introducing my readers to some of my animals, as well as to my daily life!
Stories (62/0)
Dog and Goat Food Run
Once every month or so, I drive up to a place called "Gatlin Feed" to purchase food for my dogs and for my bucks. Now, I love my dogs as much as the next person, but when the venison is running low in the freezer, it's time to buy k-i-b-b-l-e and, when you have eleventy-billion dogs of all ages, shapes, and sizes, like I do, you need to find the right price point for your dog food. So, yes, Taste of the Wild is pretty much right out. Fortunately, our feed store has a dog food that fits the bill (shameless plug for it in the picture caption), which they sell for a reasonable price for a 50-pound bag. Best of all, the dogs love it AND they look amazing on it, so the 50ish mile round trip is well worth the time and effort.
By Kimberly J Egan4 days ago in Petlife
New Life
It was in the still of the morning, even now. Something had roused him from sleep, something that was now compelling him to leave the quiet gatehouse to cross the courtyard to the small barn that sheltered their horses at night. Petal needed him to be there. That's all he needed to know. He had not even needed to check the closed-circuit camera that his father had installed the week before, for him to be able to watch over her. Without a second thought, he had pulled on his work jeans and a thin t-shirt, slipped his feet into a pair of trainers--his mama called them "sneakers"--and slipped out of the house for Petal's stall.
By Kimberly J Egan9 days ago in Fiction
Introducing "Vex!"
Dan has been living on his farm since 1979. He's always had a boatload of dogs, as he bred American Pit Bull Terriers for work (farm, hunting), sport (weight pull, UKC obedience), and conformation shows (United Kennel Club, ADBA). Over the past ten years, or so, all of his APBTs have gone, with the exception of old Cowboy, who is pushing 14 or so right now. Cowboy was never a show dog, so he became a farm dog, who, with Toby, Bowser, and Luna would patrol his acreage and keep away predators.
By Kimberly J Egan11 days ago in Petlife
What the Hay?
Extolling the Virtues of Hay! Hay is awesome! No, really. You and I might not think that it tastes all that great (have you ever tried eating a piece of hay? *bleh*), but when the goats see me coming with an armload of fresh bahia grass hay, you'd think it was Christmas Day. I can only imagine what they would do if I fed them "the good stuff," like alfalfa hay! Does in milk need constant access to hay. It keeps their rumens active, which is essential to goat health. During the winter months, all goats can benefit from an active rumen, as an active rumen helps them maintain a higher body temperature. If you have goats, you can't get away from having hay on hand.
By Kimberly J Egan16 days ago in Journal
BuckyBoo is now "WetherBoo!"
There are few creatures on this planet that are cuter than a goat kid, especially a Nigerian Dwarf goat kid. Sure, it might take a couple of days to go from "aw, shucks, the polyfil in my stuffed goat toy is all flattened from being in the washer" to awesome fluffy bouncey ball on amphetamines, but yes, that change will inevitably come--and with it the soft-eyed wide-legged stance that just begs you to pick them up. (DON'T DO IT. Your bouncey ball will explode into a thousand legs and hooves and start to scream!)
By Kimberly J Eganabout a month ago in Petlife
Looking Back: Glitter
Say what, now? I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there is something special about a terrier. Terriers are bright, happy, energetic little dogs that have the ability to think and to reason at close to human levels. Terriers are also exhausting, which means that those of us who own them also tend to own a breed that potentially allows us to rest for just a minute without hiding under the covers from them in the morning. For a lot of people, their second breed is often a poodle of one variety or the other. For me, my "second breed" was often a mixed breed, although in the past, I've also owned Dobermans, a Dalmatian, a Pekingese, a Japanese Chin, and a couple of MinPins. But, having been an avid reader of Albert Payson Terhune while I was growing up, I desperately wanted a rough collie.
By Kimberly J Eganabout a month ago in Petlife
What on Earth is a Teddy Roosevelt Terrier?
I remember the day I saw Tank's picture. His noble black-and-tan face peered from the page, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. For a fleeting moment, the image reminded me of a Doberman pinscher, although I knew it was not. "What is it?" I wondered. I tapped the photo to enlarge the thumbnail and the entire image came into view. His broad neck smoothly tied into powerful shoulders, underneath which rested legs that were under one half the length they were "supposed" to be. The rest of the dog was equally as sturdy and powerful. I stared at it. I had never seen such a dog before. It wasn't a Doberman. It wasn't a Russell terrier, not with its smooth, gleaming black coat. The caption read "Teddy Roosevelt Terrier." Me being me, I had to enter the breed name in my browser. I can't let mysteries pass without researching them. I wasn't disappointed.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Petlife
Pattypan Squash!
Growing Up "BP" (Before Pattypan) After leaving Fort Bragg, my family lived in New England. I grew up during the sixties and seventies, long before the Internet became a thing and before Walmart was a major grocery retailer. Not only did we eat a lot of local produce, but I had no idea that certain types of food outside our region existed. "Lettuce" meant iceberg lettuce or, if you were fancy, Boston Bibb. Ear corn from the was mostly a solid yellow variety of moderate sweetness, although we got some butter-and-sugar corn from local growers and from my grandfather Cabral's garden. And squash? Yellow crookneck and zucchini were grown locally. Anything else--usually winter squashes, primarily acorn--came out of the store, whether fresh, frozen, or in a can. I liked my veggies, but they were "same old, same old."
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Journal
Some thoughts on Memorial Day
I try to stay away from being too serious when I post here. I can post about serious things, but, in general, I like to think that I can post serious things in a light-hearted way. But here we are, Memorial Day, and I see and hear people around me being concerned about last day of school bussing and cookouts and rain, rather than on what the day is supposed to reflect. Sacrifice. Love for country. Preservation of tradition and ideals.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Journal
I Envy Your Lifestyle!
I know I've said it before, but I lead a blessed life. That doesn't mean that it's the perfect life, but I am truly blessed. I'm not wealthy, but I don't want for much. I don't eat out a lot, but I have all the eggs, milk, and vegetables that I want and need. I work hard during deer season, but I am able to put up some of the finest meat around, so that the dogs and I can have it year-round. And, while I do sometimes hear sirens or the chicken plant trucks going by and planes going overhead, most of the time it's just like this: my rooster crowing at his hens, Buckyboo calling to his mom, and the birds singing in the trees. For all these reasons, and more, I am blessed.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Journal
Welcome, Levi!
Back many moons ago, when I was still working for the orthodontist who started my love affair with dairy goats, I had a favorite buck named "Erroll." He was a super-special purebred LaMancha buck, sweet and gentle even though he weighed close to 150 pounds. I could lead him around with a rope around his neck, although he was strong and could have crushed me like a bug in his paddock. Erroll was born what most people would consider "red," but his color faded over time to an almost clear white. His massive forelock and his ridiculous long beard gave him a nearly comical expression. I was crushed when we discovered that the abscess on his jaw was symptomatic for Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL), a disease probably brought in by a buck or a doe that had been purchased within the previous three years.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Petlife
Patience
Being a farm cat isn't for the weak of heart. Unlike house cats, who pretty much rule the roost, farm cats have to constantly struggle to keep their position in the group. Patience is a young female barn cat who, over time, has come to be the new matriarch of my small clowder. She has more status than any of the other cats, other than Creamsicle, my old male. She eats first and sleeps the highest. Her status was cemented in place by having a litter of kittens this year--the first successful litter of kittens we've had since old Target (Tarjay) died.
By Kimberly J Egan2 months ago in Petlife
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