Lauren on top of the flat-bed while hay is loaded from the field. At this point I was doing the labor intensive job of counting the bales that were loaded.

It was balmy and warm  this morning in comparison to the last several days. It was morning for me, although only 4 am, while I did not think about it a whole lot, I figured, I will just leave the door to the tack room open.  I usually close it up when the wind is blowing or it is cold.  I didn’t think about the pack of dogs, it wasn’t night any more (I was up, wasn’t I?-must be morning) so I thought it was past the time the pack would show up.

I was already at work, but it was still dark when Lauren heard the dogs in the house starting barking like crazy.  She rushed to the barn to find three dogs inside the tack room, another kitten dead and food scattered all over.  Of course, they ran off before she could do anything.  What she would have done, is unclear as her gun is at her boyfriends (I know we are just not good Texans!).  As I was discussing this with my vet friend this morning, even she said, it is time to kill the freakin’ dogs. 

We have everything locked up tight tonight and I will not make the tack room door mistake again.  I can’t find my Matt Cat (several days gone now) and my last neutered male has disappeared as well.  Not to make light of this situation, because my heart is very heavy, but my cat overpopulation problem is not a problem anymore.

Tonight was the last hay cutting for the year.  We will need to make do with the hay from this cutting until spring-or buy some high-priced feed store hay.  I called my friends and between four families of horse owners collected almost 290 bales of hay.  Lauren and I were in on moving and stacking at least half of that.  I am tired but satisfied that we are as well set as we can be.  This year was a good year for hay, so it is plentiful.  But it will be nice to have it stacked and stored when it gets cold and wet.