Gardening and pets

I am really excited about gardening this year. Right now I am doing research on what I want to plant and when it should be planted. It will be so nice to have veggies that we grew ourselves! It is hard not to get carried away, there is so much I would like to grow! I am making an effort to do my research though and not attempt anything that is too challenging. If I can grow some easy things first then in future years I can add in more difficult things.

Of course I am also making plans for chickens as well. We have picked out a spot for the chicken coop and have started making plans for it. As soon as there is a warm day I will go out and start clearing the area. It will be a make-shift chicken pen. I plan to use the dog pen and make some modifications, add a roof, roosting, etc. Hopefully we can get some chickens by the end of March.

We got a new puppy on New Year's Eve. He is very cute! 1/2 Bluetick, 1/4 bull dog, and 1/4 dachshund. He is going to be little I think. He is very playful and not yet house trained, although as the weather warms up I am hoping he will be a mostly outside dog like Knight. Knight comes in on occasion but he doesn't know how to behave himself in the house. I would like to teach him to come in just to sleep at night when its cold, or just to come in and lay on the floor in the Summer when its hot. He is almost 2 years old and wants to get into everything when he comes in the house! Daisy of course is house trained and knows how to behave herself inside and outside, although she prefers to be inside. She will be 6 years old this year. The puppy's name is Smokey and he just turned 8 weeks on Friday.

I am currently trying to kick the kitten out of the house. We let him stay in at first because he was so cold and nearly died, but now he is strong and healthy and I see no reason for him to be in the house when its not freezing outside! My poor allergies have been awful. I love cats, but they make me miserable. We have two outdoor cats, Sushi and Rainbow. I like them just fine. They brush up against my legs when I walk outside but that's it. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. I think all of the animals know I am in charge, I am the one who says where they can go and I am the one who makes sure they get fed (I tell the boys to do it, I rarely feed them myself).