~Sleighbells, a shop in Sherwood , Oregon~ NOT to be missed !~
~~~This shop was on our way to Depoe Bay. I have wanted to stop here every time we pass the sign on the highway and this time my Hubby DID turn onto the road that took us to a wondrous shop. This is a Farm and Gift store. They sell Christmas Trees, farm produce, lots and lots and lots of unique decorations, Halloween and Christmas, and I imagine any seasonal items. I just know there was no place my eyes could land without spying Christmas baubles, ball, and items I had never seen before, and let me tell you, Hubby and I are great fans of Christmas decorations...outside there were some pretty peacocks, huge turkeys, and fluffy chickens. No matter how many chickens and turkeys I have owned, I cannot help myself stopping to look at other peoples' poultry.
~~~The exterior of this shop totally belies what awaits you inside ! It is huge, and you feel like you're on an adventure. I would wander into a room , be studying a display of ornaments and discover myself next to a table where someone was being served food, or tea. Yes, you can order and consume a meal here too !There are several rooms offering up goodies to eat.
~~~The gardens and vinyard surrounding Sleighbells are alone worth stopping to view !Here (below) a life size wood Santa watches you.
~We did make it to Depoe Bay in plenty of time to soak in the beauty before sunset.~
~Really, you see breathtaking views pretty much everywhere. The ocean, the cliffs, the forests and parks. The wildlife is abundant, the people around there are also friendly.~
~Under the bridge, looking up!~
~"Or who enclosed the sea with doors, When bursting forth, it went out from the womb;....
~"...When I made a cloud it's garment, and thick darkness it's swaddling band,...."
~"...And I placed boundaries on it, and I set a bolt and doors, And I said,'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop?" Job 38:8-11
~Aren't these mushrooms pretty ? I thought someone had left colorful balls in an oceanfront yard, but nope, these are mushrooms. I need to get out my mushroom book and identify them .
~And here is how our trip morning started ! Our OLD dog Sienna had puppies. My Hubby came running into the house to tell me we needed to set things up so we could leave her and her puppies for the weekend. I almost did not go to Depoe Bay, but my Hubby needed to get away and I think I did too. Little Miss Sienna was not s'posed to get herself in the 'family way', she was a sneaky little hussy....I won't tell you how she deceived me, and I do know the way of dogs very well, I should have known, but she DID deceive me. Even then , I knew she was going to have puppies and she should have, could have waited til Monday, the days necessary and common for most dogs gestation. But NO, little Missy here had her puppies at the earliest possible gestation period for a dog to have healthy pups.
~Fortunately, I had prepared a clean shed and pen for her, filled it with shavings. My Hubby strung the heat light and our daughter came over every day to take care of things and check up on her especially.
~Now we're home. Sienna and her 6 puppies are set up in the kitchen in a small kiddie pool next to the dishwasher. More about the puppies in future posts !
~So how was your weekend ? ~
~Over the years of raising puppies I have noticed the mommy dog really does know her business. Sienna is a very good mama. She seems to have a very determined attitude to having and raising puppies. Sienna keeps her puppies very clean. They are well cared for by her. She nurses them faithfully, cleans their little bottoms and protects them.
~I noticed the other day that Sienna was leaving food in the kiddie pool the puppies were in. She buried a whole bread roll for them. Whenever I have had litters of puppies, there comes a time around 2 - 3 weeks that the mama dog will either leave and bury food in the puppy nest, or begin vomiting her own food for the pups. THAT is my cue to begin feeding the puppies, and supervising Mama. I have had Mama dogs regurgitate whole rabbits for their puppies. I am sure the puppies would be fine consuming what Mama would leave them, but I am not O.K. with facing jumbled animal parts in my puppies' beds.
~Anyway, the buried bread and the restless searching of previously sedate puppies was a very loud indicator that the puppies need to begin eating puppy food.My choice of puppy food. So here is their first feeding of puppy chow mixed with warm water.(below) They loved it !
~Miss Marple looks on with interest. I have not allowed Miss Marple access to the puppies . Miss Marple takes down and consumes full grown wild rabbits, and as the puppies were smaller than the bunnies I was concerned she viewed them as an easy meal. Now that the puppies are a bit more active, and barking...I am a little more relaxed about her presence around them.
~I am not sure that if I were a puppy I would be comfortable with THIS peering at me through the NOT cat-proof barrier.~
~Here Miss Marple gets close, and she is very interested in the puppies and their first meal of Puppy Chow.She did not seem to find their food appealing to her. Let's just hope the puppies aren't too appetizing to her either.
~The puppies ate a lot of their first solid food, and true to puppy nature, full bellies led to naps. The kind of naps that leave puppies sprawled out or curled comfortably satiated. The kind of naps anyone who has puppies sighs with relief when she sees such satisfied puppies. Ohhhh...awww... puppies ! How can anyone resist puppies ?
~Here is Sienna with her six puppies. They are thriving. There are 3 boys and 3 girls.~
~When Sienna was not in the kiddie pool in the kitchen with her puppies, #5 Granddaughter was. #5 Granddaughter's favorite television show is Jon and Kate Plus 8, and we decided that since Sienna had 6 puppies, 3 girls and 3 boys, we would name them after the Gosselin sextuplets. #5 Granddaughter had fun turning the pups over and after figuring out if they were boys or girls, gave them a name of one of the sextuplets.I think if we want the names to stick I will need to put collars with name tags on the puppies.
~A yawning puppy being cuddled by a very happy granddaughter.~
~Another of #5 Granddaughter's favorite activities here at Grandma and Grandpa's is playing with playdough. When she comes over I leave the playdough stuff out on the table for the duration of her visit. Here she plays with it just before bedtime,
~And here she is the next morning, playing with playdough. She likes to make playdough cakes and pies, and all kinds of food.
~Granddaughter also very much likes to make real food. Her choice for us to bake together is chocolate cupcakes.Can you tell she likes to make and bake cupcakes?
~Can you tell I love to make and bake and frost cupcakes with her ? ~
~The cupcakes were delicious!~
~~~This shop was on our way to Depoe Bay. I have wanted to stop here every time we pass the sign on the highway and this time my Hubby DID turn onto the road that took us to a wondrous shop. This is a Farm and Gift store. They sell Christmas Trees, farm produce, lots and lots and lots of unique decorations, Halloween and Christmas, and I imagine any seasonal items. I just know there was no place my eyes could land without spying Christmas baubles, ball, and items I had never seen before, and let me tell you, Hubby and I are great fans of Christmas decorations...outside there were some pretty peacocks, huge turkeys, and fluffy chickens. No matter how many chickens and turkeys I have owned, I cannot help myself stopping to look at other peoples' poultry.
~We did make it to Depoe Bay in plenty of time to soak in the beauty before sunset.~
~Really, you see breathtaking views pretty much everywhere. The ocean, the cliffs, the forests and parks. The wildlife is abundant, the people around there are also friendly.~
~Under the bridge, looking up!~
~"Or who enclosed the sea with doors, When bursting forth, it went out from the womb;....
~"...When I made a cloud it's garment, and thick darkness it's swaddling band,...."
~"...And I placed boundaries on it, and I set a bolt and doors, And I said,'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop?" Job 38:8-11
~Aren't these mushrooms pretty ? I thought someone had left colorful balls in an oceanfront yard, but nope, these are mushrooms. I need to get out my mushroom book and identify them .
~And here is how our trip morning started ! Our OLD dog Sienna had puppies. My Hubby came running into the house to tell me we needed to set things up so we could leave her and her puppies for the weekend. I almost did not go to Depoe Bay, but my Hubby needed to get away and I think I did too. Little Miss Sienna was not s'posed to get herself in the 'family way', she was a sneaky little hussy....I won't tell you how she deceived me, and I do know the way of dogs very well, I should have known, but she DID deceive me. Even then , I knew she was going to have puppies and she should have, could have waited til Monday, the days necessary and common for most dogs gestation. But NO, little Missy here had her puppies at the earliest possible gestation period for a dog to have healthy pups.
~Fortunately, I had prepared a clean shed and pen for her, filled it with shavings. My Hubby strung the heat light and our daughter came over every day to take care of things and check up on her especially.
~Now we're home. Sienna and her 6 puppies are set up in the kitchen in a small kiddie pool next to the dishwasher. More about the puppies in future posts !
