Dog Lover Turns Nine

 Siggie had a birthday.  She and her friends collected supplies for the dog refuge this month.  Hope she is always dog's best friend.

Chaney

Did Not Have Her Long

Oh, Wayne, I mean the tractor not Betty!  A International lover from the hills of AR came today and talked me out of my little 48 model Cub.  Betty is a 50 model...she is still here.

Adding Another Cub

1948 Model Farmall Cub added to my Cub collection.

Galla Feist

Galla Feists are beautiful dogs!

Locating Dinner

Homesteader's Helper

The little Feist dog was beloved in the mountains of Arkansas during the days of the homesteader.  The Homestead Acts were several United States federal laws that gave an applicant ownership of land, typically called a "homestead", at little or no cost. In the United States, this originally consisted of grants totaling 160 acres (65 hectares, or one-quarter section) of unappropriated federal land within the boundaries of the public land states. An extension of the Homestead Principle in law, the United States Homestead Acts were initially proposed as an expression of the "Free Soil" policy of Northerners who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to Southern slave-owners who could use groups of slaves to economic advantage.

The first of the acts, the 'Homestead Act of 1862, was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government (including freed slaves and women), was 21 years or older, or the head of a family, could file an application to claim a federal land grant. There was also a residency requirement.

Several additional laws were enacted in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Southern Homestead Act of 1866 sought to address land ownership inequalities in the south during Reconstruction. The Timber Culture Act of 1873 granted land to a claimant who was required to plant trees. The tract could be added to an existing homestead claim and had no residency requirement. The Kincaid Amendment of 1904 granted a full section (640 acres) to new homesteaders settling in western Nebraska. An amendment to the Homestead Act of 1862, the Enlarged Homestead Act, was passed in 1909 and doubled the allotted acreage to 320. Another amended act, the national Stock-Raising Homestead Act, was passed in 1916 and again increased the land involved, this time to 640 acres.

Lots of my ancestors moved to Newton and Pope County, Arkansas and obtained their land by homesteading.  All had one thing in common, they were poor.  A Feist dog is an excellent poor man's friend. This little dog will tell his master that someone or something is near his abode!  They will help put the cows in the lot, guard the chickens from a fox or possum, and just before dinner time they can tree a squirrel to stew or fry.  Then at night, they will hunt and tree larger game that master can skin and sell the fur!  What a versatile little friend the Feist dog is.  The Feist can exist on a cup of dog food a day or table scraps from one meal.   No wonder my ancestors loved this little friend!

Busy

Blue Birds are really busy in the Meadow.

Hawkish

I have several of these birds in my Galla Meadow!

Neighbor Home From Brazil

I saw Martins today and even got a picture of one deciding on which apartment to live in!

In Lock Up

Sissie was way across the Meadow on the wooded hillside.  Had to lock her up as it was the other side of a county road.  She is upset with us.

Disking

I disked up my corn and watermelon patch.

Treed

For Love of Dogs

 Sigrid and a few friends have been collecting donations and selling bracelets to earn money for the Russellville Animal Shelter.    Sigrid is not the trusting sort. She said we wanted to make sure our money was spent on the animals so we went shopping and bought stuff with our cash.  They collected over 100 bucks.  Sigrid and one friend made a power point presentation and showed it to other classrooms to encourage others to help the Animal Shelter.

Cora & Sissie

Hard Life For Eli In Connecticut

Allen Larson sent this photo of Eli.  He has not got to do much hunting as the winter up north has been worse than here in Arkansas.  But looks like Eli is getting by!  Hugging that wood stove!
Here is what Allen has to say:
Hi folks, I thought I would send a pic of what Eli doing what he has done for 2 months. We have had crusty snow on the ground here in CT that cuts paws and breaks legs. Things are starting to thaw, I hope to get him running soon even though the season is out. 
Take care- Al Larson

Buster and Roxy Don't Know Season Is Over

Zack Kraft did not tell his Galla Feists that squirrel season has ended!!!

Getting All Fired Up

I am getting all my Cubs ready to go.  Gardening time is here!

Give A Dog A Bone

 You have heard that phrase "give a dog a bone"?  Well, you don't have to do that with a Feist.  Sissie drug up this deer bone today.  It was covered with dirt so I guess someone had buried their deer left overs.  Sissie sniffed it out and now she has brought it home.  Sissie is an example of the old Mountain Feists of the Ozarks.  They were smaller than the Feists most folks have today.  They were slender in build and had great noses!  I raised a full sister of Sissie and trained her in the past.  She was a lot bigger than Sis.  I like the size of Sissie and I like that she is "into" something all the time.  Now, she is trying to keep all the birds out of the trees in the yard.  The Martins are coming and she will be busy.  The Martins just ignore the dogs. Guess they know they can not climb that pole.

Busy Dog

 Sissie scours the fields around our yard and brings bones home.  She has a huge pile.  Mostly they are deer bones, but some are hog.

Blooms To Come

First bloom of spring.

Last March

This picture is from my folder for last March.  A red squirrel found it's way to Galla Meadow.  I am hoping one will venture here this year because I Sissie will tree it.  She is standing on the trees barking and treeing the birds.

Derek's Art

Derek Sheffield (a friend on FB) completed this recently.  I am not sure put it looks like an ink drawing. It surely is nice.  I thought he might offer to give it to me...but no such luck!

Martin Coming Soon

According to the Purple Martin Association, I should see Martin scouts between March 1 and 15.  I bet this cold weather makes them closer to the 15th.  Last year by this time, the scouts were here.

He Even Hears The Sparrow

More Misery

 Another cold ice storm in here.

Mississippi Bound

Pearl moved to MS today with Don.   Don is excited to have her!

Feed The Squirrels

I plan to put a few feeders behind my shop in the woods to lure some squirrels so I can get my Sissie pup treeing before next season.