Meet Bella, the resident farm dog.....she's a 7 year old lab/pit mix with a lovely disposition once she gets a chance to know you. I was lucky enough to adopt her as an 8 week old puppy and she has melted my heart more than once since then.
She has several jobs around here that keep her pretty busy and out of trouble. Every morning she comes into the garden with me as I water and check out all the plants. As she makes her rounds the local family of crows say hello and she barks enthusiastically at them. I think she's actually discouraged any bird from taking advantage of the veges in the garden!
Then there is the pesky squirrel that just drives her absolutely crazy, chirping back at her with a glint of madness in his eye.....he only visit the grounds when she is in the house!
Many dogs find work off the farm. Service dogs, law enforcement, search and rescue and a host of other jobs are completed by dogs from coast to coast, border to border and around the world. They serve in the military and find illegally smuggled animals, drugs and other things at our borders. They find termites and gas leaks and work in a wide range of duties. We're pretty sure Bella is smart enough to have been a pro had we trained her for a 40 hr work week.
Bella is much more laid back then these working professionals, but she takes her guard dog duties very seriously. If you've ever walked up to the front gate you know how serious she is. Most of the time she spends the day patrolling the property, lounging around the chickens, and enjoying the sun. One of her favorite things in the whole world is to join us for a ride in the truck and she's a great companion when I'm making produce box deliveries to local customers. If I even start to act like I'm leaving, she's at the door giving me the hard to-say-no-to "Well, are you going to open it for me?" look.
Once we get back to the house her favorite chair is where she spends the rest of the hot afternoon napping. Snoring and dreaming are usually a part of the routine, too.
It's a sweet life she leads and our home is a more loving place with her a part of the family. It's the rare human that doesn't like Bella......and they usually aren't invited back to the farm!
Almost ready for moving day, we've cleared the former outdoor dining room for the nursery tables that are about to filled with lots of cool succulents. Moving the plants during their dormant period will enable them to acclimate to their new home here in Vallejo.
Watch for the schedule of succulent garden design workshops where you can build your own pots by choosing from the all the great textures and colors we have on Living Succulent Wreath Sale for the holidays are in the works!
Knowing that we are a flexible farm family gives me hope that we will complete the new chicken coop and have the classroom/dining room back in order within the next two weeks. After all, a Crone can only stand chaos for so long before breaking out in hives!
