game ranch

Zack had heard about Lazy 5 Ranch but had never made it there, and I enjoyed visiting the ranch a few years ago with friends. He was excited to find a similar place near us. We visited the Yellow River Game Ranch on a recent weekend. There are all different kinds of snacks there that you can buy to feed the animals; we chose an apple and peanuts. 

My backpack is this one from Tradlands, made by Archival Clothing. I carry it just about every day, whether it's holding only my wallet, phone, and keys, or my camera, or clothes for barre. 

Maybe one day we can have our own goats!  

Check out this deer's tongue. 

The donkeys gave us a good show when begging for food. 

The foxes and coyote were some of my favorites to see, though the hardest to photograph. 

It was neat to see so many different animals in one place. It's not quite as up close and personal as riding on a wagon inside the fence with the animals (like at Lazy 5), but we could take our time and give the animals different types of food. I would recommend visiting Yellow River Game Ranch, especially with young children. 

four months with Dan

Once upon a time, Dan came to live with me as a foster dog. He was underweight and sick and going through treatments. He was also recovering from being neutered. His coat was light brown. 

Dan followed me everywhere I went, and we became best buds. He learned to stay in his invisible fence. After another round of treatments, I finally got to adopt Dan. He still had to be inactive for another month. 

Dan loved attention and often jumped on people, counters, doors, etc. He got plenty of Busy Buddys full of peanut butter to keep him occupied while he wasn't allowed to run, which also helped him put on weight. He ate everything everywhere, including on the counters. He shed his light brown coat and turned a darker brown, but his fur was still soft, so Mom continued to pet him. 

Dan began a home manners class and leash walking class. When the vet said his inactive time was over, he and I started going on walks every day. She also told me that I needed to feed him more, and he started gaining more weight. Dan's behavior improved when he had exercise. He learned to "heel" and only to pee on everything when I give him the "release" command. Amazing! Dan sits and waits for his food now. He sits and waits to go through doorways. He even sits and waits to get in the car, and he LOVES to get in the car. He can lay down and "leave it" on the ground. Dan is eager to please. 

My grandmother says that Dan looks like he is somebody now. 

He still steals cucumbers. The other night, he gently carried a possum to me on the front porch. It gave me hope for a future of hunting. 

Dan graduated from his home manners class this weekend. I only signed him up for the first set of classes because I honestly couldn't imagine him even getting to where he is now. He has learned and improved so much! 

I am so pleased with Dan's behavior and so happy that he is healthy. Look at him watching his person even while I'm not paying him attention. 

My dog is awesome. 

I am thankful for my family helping me out tremendously with him. Having Dan has taught me about commitment, (letting go of) control, and accepting help. He is a handful, but he is a sweet, soft, lovable handful. 

Topsail

I enjoyed five days in Topsail with Lindsay and her mom and her friend. We took it easy, taking walks, going on the beach most days, and cooking at the house. Above was our view at dinner on our last night. Lindsay and I got to spend some time with our long lost friend Mackenzie, which was fun! 

I sent postcards to my parents and brother and sister in law. Each one had a different card and message to suit each personality. 

We waited in line for more than two hours to get into the Topsail turtle hospital. It was exhausting, but it was neat to see the turtles! Most are loggerheads and are rescued from all over the east and gulf coasts. 

The turtle below was likely bitten by a shark, hit with a boat propeller, AND caught in a fishing net then cut on his body to release him from the net. One of the turtles suffered from intentional head trauma and is blind. Another had a flipper cut off to get him out of a net. 

Sea turtles mature in their thirties and usually live well beyond that. Most of these turtles will be eventually released into the wild, and others not healthy enough to be released will go to aquariums. 

The turtle hospital made for a unique experience. 

All in all, it was a restful week, and I enjoyed spending uninterrupted time with my best friend! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. It was so much fun! 

Over Under and a new friend

This is my latest made in USA purchase: an Over Under Huntsman Collar. 

It's a handsome collar, and I appreciate the name plate so there's no jingling. 

I also own a shirt by Over Under and gifted my brother the Cannon's Point Single Shotgun Shell Belt last Christmas. I'm so glad that he loves it and wears it often!

I already had one of their coozies from my brother's belt order, and I'm glad to add another to my collection that matches the collar. 

Who in the world would I purchase this collar for?! Well, here's a glimpse of my new [foster] friend . . . who may or may not be staying around. 

Looking good, Dan!



If I had room in my budget, here are a few things I'd add to my Over Under collection:
Bourbon and Boweties collaboration bangle
Sky Blue Original Logo tee
"The Collection" tee for my duck enthusiast brother
The Lewiston Handbag
and can we get a "Go Pirates" version of these stadium cups?

peaches and deer

The farmers market had plenty of peaches last week.  We ate lunch at the seafood restaurant while we were there, and it was great!  I will go there again and would recommend eating there to turn your produce buying trip into a real outing.

I enjoy eating a peach right by itself, but we had a few more than I could eat that way before they go bad.  My parents and grandparents go crazy over homemade ice cream in the summer, especially peach ice cream.  But of course I had to put a healthier twist on that.  I had seen some peach frozen yogurt recipes on Pinterest, so I looked up and adapted one of the recipes for the amount I wanted to make and the ingredients I had on hand.  

One fresh diced peach + Greek yogurt + sugar + milk + vanilla = peach frozen yogurt.

I spied some deer in the backyard while preparing the frozen yogurt.

After about 15 minutes in the ice cream maker, it was done.  

I think I'll be sticking to the froyo place down the road that I like . . . This frozen yogurt had nothing on real homemade peach ice cream.  Maybe the hand me down recipe is best after all.

Any good recipes for frozen yogurt?  Ideas for what to do with peaches?