Meet The Family

Over time, I'll be writing about those who fill my days with love and joy.

I'm talking about my dogs and the chickens.

Just kidding.  My children don't really love being talked about publicly.  I've learned that, the hard way, over time.  My husband is what we term "shy".  It's okay.  The fact that I'm not makes up for all of them.

Meanwhile, you must meet the family.  Starting with the dogs.

There is the patriarch, Buster, whose belly is large and his age is unknown.  He was an adult dog my husband adopted when he was a bachelor.  That's how old he is.  He's sort of a medical mystery at this point.  We keep thinking he'll drop dead any minute, yet there he is, stinky and tubby and lovable.  The smell, we've convinced ourselves, gives him character.  His breed, you ask?  In honor of all those popular mixed breeds, we're calling him a Shepherdlabricollie.  He's a mutt.

Speaking of mutts, meet The Griffer.  His name is really Griffin.  Ask my husband and he'll say he's named for famed Ohio State football player, and two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin.  Ask me and the kids and we'll tell you the truth.  He's named for Griffyndor, the fictional "house" Harry Potter finds himself in in all those wonderful HP books.  He is a Goldendoodle (see, trendy mixed breed name). He is my baby.  My love.  My doggie.

In fact, I got him almost four years ago when the eldest of our children was turning 14 and into a teenager.  I could see that it would be the beginning of angst and anger the teen years surely bring, so I bought an insurance policy of "love".  I got me a dog.  Griffin loves me through thick and thin (literally).  He never misses a chance to have me cuddle with him.  He is a giant, furry baby.  And now that my real baby is 12 and not spending as much time cuddling with his dear old mom, Griffin will have to do.

Then there are the chickens.  I don't really love them like the dogs.  Not even a little bit.  They are kinda cool.  They are certain funny and often funny looking and I consider at least one of them beautiful.  The birds are, in order of arrival in our brood;

Raisin - my youngest named her.  I don't know why he picked raisin.

Yolko - get the pun?  Yoko, but not really?  Egg yolk?  She and Raisin are Golden Comets.  They are excellent layers and lay brown eggs virtually every day of the year.

Goldilocks (i.e. Goldie) - she's an Americauna.  I was told she would lay pink eggs.  They really look more like cream to me.  She doesn't lay very often.  And hasn't since last fall.  We're thinking she may visit a farm soon.

And Elfiba.  We named her after the character in Wicked because of the greenish-black feathers.  She's the one I think is beautiful.  She's fat and pretty and she lets us hold her.  Goldie runs away like a freak. The farm is getting closer for her.  Elfi is cool.  She lays big brown eggs and I think she's pretty awesome.