Snow in the Desert

We woke up yesterday to several inches of snow!  We are up in the mountains a little bit, so we do get snow a couple of times every winter.  It was pretty while it lasted.

Gerty and Valentine were not impressed with it:

Boots had fun playing in it for the first time:

The best part is that it was all gone by the afternoon!  And we're back into the 70s this week...

Bunny Sunday

The bunny/puppy introductions continue...  Boots is very interested in these five but they are keeping their distance.

"Hey bunnies, there you are!  Why don't you come out and play with me?"

"Can I come in?"

Of all the bunnies, leave it to little Turbo to brave "the monster" face to face.

She wasn't too concerned about this strange new bunny until Boots started in with the puppy teeth... then she headed to the second level of the condo.

Boots took the opportunity to inspect the litter box for anything interesting. I half expected her to curl up in it and take a nap..

So far, so good!  Pretty soon she'll be joining them around the breakfast bowl...

Happy Bunny Sunday!

Boots

Yep, that's her name.  We were having a hard time coming up with a name that fit, but she ended up naming herself.

She likes to chew on them:

Sleep in-between (or on) them:

And generally look adorable next to them...

And, she is wearing her own little brown boots, so there ya go. 

Sorry I haven't posted the details of how this little furball came to be with us sooner, but we've been a "little" preoccupied tending to the needs of this little 7 pound tyrant!  Just kidding, she is just so adorable we can't take our eyes off of her.  But wow, it's been a long time since I've had a puppy this small and it sure does require a lot of time and attention.  And we are loving it.

As many of you know, we lost our rottie, Angel, suddenly last summer.  That was my girl and I've been missing her so much since then.  Finally, about 3 or 4 months ago we started thinking it was time to find a puppy.  I had my heart set on a rottweiler, but I wanted to find one through a rescue group or at one of the shelters. I combed the websites daily and although there were a lot of older rotties, puppies were hard to come by.  Considering all of the other animals we have (bunnies, cat, horses, goats), I really wanted a young puppy that we could train from an early age to get along with everyone.  Just before Thanksgiving I contacted one of the local rescue groups and they had a litter of rottie pups available.  I went through the application process, waiting, e-mails back and forth, etc.  In the end, we didn't get one.  I was very disappointed.  At that point, I stopped actively looking and figured the right puppy would find us (which is usually what happens).

Last Friday I was driving over to our friend's arena to meet up with Lee to work Piper and Chini.  I was 2 driveways down from our friend's place when I looked over and saw 3 little girls running around a dirt yard being chased by 6  rottweiler puppies and their mama.  Double take!  Brakes.  Reverse.

I got out of my car and walked up to the gate.  All of the puppies ran up to greet me and lick my hand through the chain link fence.  A woman came out of the house and we had a short conversation about the puppies.  Turns out the mama is a rottweiler, but the daddy was only part rottweiler.  I really didn't care, I just wanted one of these puppies.  They looked like they could really use a good home and I wanted to take them all.  I offered the woman some cash, picked out Boots through the fence and left.  I saw little Boots' face and just knew she had to go home with me.  I only hope the rest of those sweet puppies find good homes where they will be cherished members of the family.

Bunny Sunday

Needless to say, our house is in a bit of an uproar with the new addition.  The bunnies have been thumping away in their condo:

And Rosie is permanently camped out on top of the bunny condo (or in one of the bunny beds on the 3rd level).  Poor baby.  :(

No one is quite sure what to think of this new "bunny"...

And vice versa!

Gonna be interesting around here! Happy Rottie/Bunny Sunday everyone. 

Honey I Shrunk the Rottweiler!

I finally found a rottweiler puppy to fill the void (at least part of it) that our rottie Angel left when she passed on last summer.  I'll save the story of how this little girl came to be with us until another post.  We're still working on a name for her.  She is just a perfect little 6 lb. version of Angel.  We are completely smitten with her.

More pics to come soon!

Happy Valentine's Day

And Happy Birthday Valentine!

Valentine is 7 years old today.  We brought her home as a companion for Gerty when she was about 10 months old.  After a few days of Gerty head-butting her into the fence non-stop, they became good buddies.

Valentine is definitely the trouble maker of the two!

Goats are pretty entertaining critters.  We love you Valentine!  (but sorry, you CANNOT come into the house)....

Bunny Sunday

Ginger told me he was feeling a little left out lately, so today's post is all about him.  He's third in line in the bunny hierarchy (behind the other 2 boys Sandie and Digger).  I guess he has "middle child" syndrome (in between the 2 boys and the 2 girls, Bully and Turbo).  Of all the bunnies, he is the only one that has their mama's coloring.

Little bitty Gingy:

Such a pretty boy...

OK, he should be happy now that he's had his moment in the spotlight.  :)

And, in other bunny related news, the very talented Mandy of Bijou's Whimsy is hosting a giveaway on her blog this month (entries accepted through February 28th).  You could win one of her adorable hand sewn felt bunny ornaments (she's giving 2 away).  I love these:

Hop on over to her blog and get signed up to win.  While you're there, check out the rest of her beautiful artwork. 

Happy Bunny Sunday!

12 to 70

Degrees, that is.  Last Thursday morning: 12.  This week: 70.  Now that's what I'm talking about!

Time to get out and ride:

Piper is becoming a solid little trail horse.  I have bigger plans for her, but for now, I am pretty happy with this.

She doesn't spook easily and she is developing her confidence.  She is starting to learn that she can pick up the pace so I'm not constantly asking her.

I remember the first time we ever went by this rock outcropping - she was sure it was going to eat her!

Snuffy (aka Cuji) goes along on our rides with us and usually takes the lead.

Lee on our big guy, Chini. 

Not missing those freezing temps ONE LITTLE BIT.  So thankful for the warmer weather and being able to get out for a nice ride in the sunshine.

Bunny Monday

Oops!  Missed Sunday again.  Here's a video to go with the new blog header...

Wishing you a warm, sunny week...wherever you are!

12 ??????

It is 12 degrees out this morning.  What the hell?  This is Arizona people!  At least we don't have snow, but this is ridiculous.  Apparently we beat a record established back in 1907.  Good for us.  NOT.  Kinda worried about my old horse, Phoenix, (he'll be 34 in March), but Lee just came in from checking on everyone and said he is fine in his blanky.  All the horses got their blanket last night and we filled Gerty and Valentines house up with hay so they could burrow down in it together. 

I know half of the country is buried in snow and ice, so it sure could be worse here.  I'm going to go sit by my blazing fire in the wood stove and drink my coffee now.  Stay warm my friends!    

Just for Fun

I "borrowed" this little game from my friend Marj, who blogged about it today.  It cracked me up, so I wanted to share and see what everyone comes up with.

Take the name of your first pet(insert your answer here)

Add the name of the road or street you grew up on (insert your answer here)

If you are a woman this would be your stage name.  If you're a guy, this is your drag queen name (never know when you might need it!)

Mine is Speedy Jane!  Speedy was my first hamster.  Such a cute (and yes, speedy) little guy.  He was a tan color.  And he used to get out of his cage and cruise around the house.  AND he sunk his teeth into my finger once and I still (35+ years later) have a scar.

So, there ya go.  Leave a comment with your name so we can all get a laugh!