Escape

A plan has been hatched.

Bonnie 

and Clyde are planning a prison break.

Rechristening

Maybe it's time to reconsider changing Dax's name once again.
His first name Carlson didn't suit him.

Dax seemed better.

But maybe, just maybe Chaos is the perfect fit.

Fly bait is the stinkiest substance I know, and he's fascinated with the fly catcher.  This will end badly.

                                                            He has a nose for trouble.

Leviathan Egg

Now I know what all the hubbub in the coop was about?

Notice the largest egg yolk?  My old hen laid that one.

Before cracking it, I had the sense to weigh it: 3.1 oz. Super Jumbo.  
For old girls, they are still full of surprises!
"For the unlearned, old age is winter, for the learned, it is the season of harvest."---Hasidic saying.
Proof that my hens are Mensa material!

Heading for the Hills

As much as I love the farm, it's been over a year since I've spent a night away (hospital stays post surgery last Fall don't count!).

Our AirBnB rental in Wyoming

Cole's trip to the NW last February was the last time I was able to unplug from here.

Somebody's about to go postal. Before the men with the straight jackets get here, I'm plotting my escape.

On Wednesday, we tentatively foray to a friend's lake house.

We're free!!!
Miss Katie greets me to her mom's home, but I feel strongly that my three Redneck guys need not be tangled up in leashes with a dignified, mature Sheltie.

photo courtesy of  blog: Change is Hard

Dawn takes us up Smith Mountain to the fire tower.

Dax is our valiant leader who truthfully knows not where he's going...

...if he did, he would've gone the other way.

Through experiment, I discover that Dax is not fond of heights.

Peter is distraught that his puppy has left without him.

Garrett, apparently, is grateful to be on terra firma.

Dawn captures it all in Dax's eyes as I carry him down from the tower.

credit goes to Dawn for capturing all the good pictures, the few fuzzy ones were mine!

Dax is decidedly happiest on the trail.

And what scenic trail it is up the mountain.

The Smith Mushing Team up Smith Mountain.

The Imp.

The Intrepid.

Water buffaloes at the watering hole.

The apres- hike meal by the lakeside.

But not before Dax burns off a little more rocket fuel by playing in the lake.

He can't help himself, his turbo is stuck in the on position.

Greatest of thanks to Dawn for the escape, the food, the company and the dog rustling skills.

Request for Advancement

Dear Madam/Sir, 

It has been many months that I have been in your employ.  The following is a resume of my daily activities that will surely convince you of my qualifications for management position.

I am a very early riser and consider it my duty to motivate all of my bunkmates to seize the day by 5 AM.

Getting the big one out from under her duvet proves to be very challenging every morning, but I show strong leadership skills and get the job done.

I'm very conscientious of production and will not hesitate to take my meals on the go, promptly returning to work.

Twice a day, I am the personal trainer to my crew.  I attempt to inspire by example.  

The least motivated one is the one who needs to be exercises twice daily for his hip dysplasia and arthritis.

I keep myself tethered to the tall human so she doesn't wander off, many times we wait on the stragglers.  I never leave a man behind.

I oversee all aspects of horse feeding.

Cleanliness of one's work space is paramount and I vacuum up all food tidbits, for sanitary reasons of course.

Dedication is evident in the hours I can spend supervising a single project.

Tirelessly at my post.

Well, almost tirelessly.

I use my natural leadership abilities to escort the myopic human up and down stairs.

I hold motivational staff meetings once a week.

Fostering an environment of inclusiveness, I have an open door policy concerning my corner office.

As the farm's chief purchasing agent, I co-chair the procurement of supplies and use my keen olfactory senses to assess product quality.

My driver disapproves of some of my product testing methods, my work is my art and she is a philistine undeserving of explanations.

I avoid the perils of micro management by often inspecting the insides of my eyelids for extended periods of time, thereby permitting my staff some autonomy.

After hours, I continue my investigations, the lotus water ponds in the garden require constant monitoring. 

I take active interest in feeding the oxen and ensure they share.

Before dusk, I take my arthritic colleague back out for more exercise.

I employ various management tactics to get our sloth to raise his cardiac output.

One must never quit.

After supper, I usually drag my minion to do more work outside by flashlight.  Here I am guarding her from the moths while she cleans The Croft, our ox barn apartment.

In conclusion, my accomplishments and skills speak for themselves, isn't this the face you want directing daily operations on the farm?

Dax Smith, Eqs.