Diary of a Country Girl

Chapter Twenty Six:

Dear diary,

Not much happening in the last week, but there have been a few things worth sharing.

Kya passed another big milestone. She’s potty trained!!! No more dirty diapers!!

Her treat was a big bowl of homemade strawberry ice cream, made with the last of the fresh strawberries from the farm. This one is right up there with sleeping through the night as our favorite milestone as parents.

I've said this before, but our little Houdini requires lots of watching. She's really mastering her motor skills, and she will take off running at the drop of a hat. We can't turn our backs on her for a second.

If we're not careful she'll even slip out the gate. Luckily so far she hasn't gone far.

We had our last day selling produce at the farm shop for this season. We’ve put the produce stands in storage and now we can start getting ready for the winter season. It looks so strange with nothing in there. We have some big plans for the winter months, so it won't be empty for long.

We reconsidered our original plan. Instead of selling just the furniture Tre and his dad make, we’re going to open up space for local artists at Good Earth too. For a fee we’ll give them a space to sell whatever it is they make, paintings, pottery, sculptures, whatever they make. We have a nice little artist community here and we want to help promote it. Even when the farm side is open during growing season we can offer space for artists to sell their work alongside all our farm fresh produce.

It's not all toddler milestones and the farm shop. Now that Piccolo and Nacho’s puppies are house trained, and old enough, it's time to find them good homes. Chewy and Churro anyway. We wanted Kya to have a pet she can grow up with. I admit I manipulated things so Kya would pick Bijou. Do I feel guilty? A little I suppose. But only a little. When I see her with Bijou it make me happy beyond words.

I won't lie, I wanted to have a mini Piccolo. Picc still has a few good years left, but she is getting older. That fact hits me hard sometimes. It makes me thankful for every moment we have, and I cherish every one.

Chewy and Churro are going to wonderful homes with my friends Juniper and Jess. Juniper took Chewy home to Azure and Wren...

...and Churro is with Jess and her kids. We’ll get to see them again.

Before I go. I took Spirit to Hay Now for her first Western Pleasure competition. She did good. Just like Peanut she finished third on her first try.

In hindsight I could have done better with her training. I was too focused on her agility when what she really needed was work on her temperament.

 Still, third is more than respectable. All she has left in the Beginner Class is Show Jumping. The competitions are done until after the holidays. That will give us time to train before she competes again.