Guinea Pig – Page 2 – Nancy Tart: Writing for Life

Fresh New Year

Who else is excited for 2019? Who else looks at the new year like a child on Christmas morning looks at presents around the tree?

December 31, 2018

Fresh New Year

“It’s still 2018, right?” asks Kimberly, working on her History.

“Yes, it’s the last day of 2018,” I respond. Christina pipes in with, “and our Aunt’s birthday!” (One of their aunts is born on December 31!)

This makes me think: (uh-oh, I just heard two kids say “Mom’s writing another blog in her head.”) Yes, my children know me!

Tomorrow starts a fresh new year. We are given a new beginning each day as the dawn warms our skies and the sun rises to dry the dew.

In the service industry, all days blend together and all the New Year has meant for me in the past 8 years was a barrage of people calling to order reservations at 1am on New Year’s Day from the Bayfront downtown or 11pm from the Saint Augustine Beach peir (two locations at the times we can never promise) so then it turns into irritated people who don’t understand the simple line, “I can’t guarantee that time at that location, you can try to call us at the time to see where our cabs are.”

I’m so glad today does not involve dispatching! I’m only answering questions from the school table – awesome!

In 2018:

I started working at WGV Gymnastics as a coach (LOVE this job).
We closed our taxi company in December. It feels awesome to be able to shut off my phone and not worry about missing a reservation call!
I’ve finished, polished, and published four new children’s books: A Foundling Furball, Alena’s Baby, The Tightrope Dare, and Fibbing Fishermen!
I’ve rejoiced with the addition of my best friend’s 10^th baby!
I’ve rejoiced with my sister who is due about the same time I am! (They will be close cousins!)
I’ve mourned and rejoiced with my family after my Daddy passed.
I celebrated the first Christmas ever without him – that was his favorite holiday.
Christina achieved CAP rank of C/CMSgt, become Red Cross certified, started officially babysitting, started working as needed at what she calls “my somewhat part time job,” and completed her third college semester.
Becky completed her second college semester, bred and raised a few dozen chicks up to “independence” for clients, raised her batches of “babies” (aka Guinea Piglets), joined gymnastics classes (finally finding something to encourage her fitness!), and has taught most of her siblings the Latin terms for every body part since she’s been dissecting animals in her biology labs!
Kimberly joined gymnastics classes with her gung-ho attitude and is expecting great things from herself, was gifted a bunny (she’s been saving to adopt one for almost a year but her awesome big sisters beat her to it) and Minuit has never left her side.
Jaquline discovered the amazing world of Geometry and everything is now interpreted in shapes or gymnastics skills!
Jillian started losing teeth, is studying sketching (she’s getting rather good actually!) and digital art along with Becky, and getting herself lost in the world of reading!
Lucas started trying to write his name!

We are all expecting amazing things to come in 2019. God has paths lined up for us that we may not even be able to see yet – if you’d told me at the start of 2018 that I’d be teaching gymnastics for an awesome Christian boss, be pregnant again, and have no taxi company, I would have laughed.

But (positive!) God knows the desires of our hearts! He knows I love children, love teaching, and that gymnastics has always been a dream. (Dream job come true? YES!) He knows Lucas loves babies and is super excited about getting to “take MY BABY home from church.” (All the other babies he’s been around are those of church family, so he can’t take them home.) He knows that rebuilding hybrid batteries is something else I love – tinkering with electronics as Daddy taught me & a niche few offer around here so maybe that will be our main income soon!

I’m about to polish and release a few more children’s books (maybe an entire new series working around my budding illustrators’ work!) and my goal for this year is 12 releases.

Who else is excited for 2019? Who else looks at the new year like a child on Christmas morning looks at presents around the tree? I see each day as a gift from God to be opened at each dawn. I see gifts we can’t even dream of yet sitting there, waiting God’s perfect timing for us to unwrap and enjoy. I’m praying that certain things are there – which day holds the gift of my child’s birth? Does a gift in that pile include a property or home of our own? Is there a gift of being able to read my books before a class, teach a grammar workshop, or tutor another child? Only God knows what each gift holds. My Daddy loved seeing the smiles and squeals of excitement on Christmas morning as his children opened presents – I love this part of Christmas morning as a parent too. I can only imagine God smiling as we open each gift and yelp with excitement!

Enjoy your daily gifts in 2019! Happy, blessed New Year!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Three Little Pig(let)s

Three big pigs and three little piglets! Raising our babies for joy!

October 12, 2018

Three Little Pigs

Today’s post is for complete cuteness! (pictures and a video)

We have three Guinea Pigs who are adults; Taylor, Toby, and Avery.

We are raising the three little piglets; Rocky Road, Cheesecake, and Custard.

Cheesecake is very unique (to us) because he looks like two different animals depending on what side you see! Notice:

Yes! Those pictures are both of the same little Guinea Piglet, Cheesecake!

Cheesecake and Custard go to their new mommy on Tuesday! The girls are very excited and have been talking to these two little piglets about their new home.

Ready for a cute laugh?

This is how Guinea Pigs eat…

So adorable!

Soon our three little piglets will be in their new homes – we love raising baby animals to bring joy to others!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

The King’s View

A very short story about the hawk that lives near our tiny farm. Enjoy!

October 8, 2018

The King’s View

(Today, enjoy a view of my “farm” from the eyes of “The King” – a large, beautiful hawk who lives in a nest in one of the pine trees in a neighbor’s property.)

Soaring over his domain, The King doesn’t think to look up; nothing flies higher than he. The calls from his chicks in the nest remind him that this trip’s fare needs to be a feast. The chicks are growing larger, hungrier, and bolder. Soon his mate must shove them from the nest to go soar into their own territories, but today, he must hunt to fill their ever-growing bellies.

The sharp images below relayed by his eyes present a veritable feast of opportunity. Tree-rats, overgrown frogs, and a few fat lizards sunning on the porches and driveways below all present easily caught but less than desired prey.

A cluster of rodents catch his eye, but he knows the hexagon-shaped glimmers mean they are protected by that horrid human invention called “chicken wire.” Though he refers to it as “the shiny barrier” instead of “chicken wire.” Six rodents are stretching in the afternoon sun, nocturnal in nature; they are fat, lazy, easy treats if it weren’t for that glimmering hexagon protection.

Cackles erupt from the wooden box under some shade trees – no, those chickens aren’t easy fare anymore. They used to be. He used to be able to outsmart the checkerboard rooster despite his three-inch spurs and heavy wings – he would get the younger chickens as they wandered away from the big rooster’s protection. Now there were two long-spurred giants. The checkerboard one was always outside chasing the wanderers back into the brush or waiting for a hawk to test his power. The second was a giant red one – that one was missing a spur that had fatally wounded a previous hawk. The King is wise enough not to attempt those chickens. But he always looks. If one wandered too far away or if that effective team was ever unwary…

No, today’s fare will have to be a few tree-rats. The King settles his decision with a precision dive and catch. He swoops in with amazing speed, executes his prey mercifully, and glides high on majestic wings to drop the prize in his anxious chicks’ nest. He returns to gather another partial meal for his growing offspring.

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

The Exuberance of Life

“Look Mom!” and what else is Lucas excited about?

October 6, 2018

The Exuberance of Life

Today we had impromptu tennis. Christina and Becky rode their bikes to the park, Louis, the younger children, and I drove. It was a lovely day and since the “cooler than 90 degree” weather has them all excited, we have been outside most of the day.

Lucas was shouting songs in the backseat; periodically announcing “Stasia loves this one” or “Stasia said her Mommy has this!” or “this is one I like!” (Since Anastasia is not there to announce such things, Lucas must in her absence!)

We claim an open tennis court (okay, two, but that’s just because not all eight members of our team are great with their aim yet). Lucas has his own special racket and claims every ball that hits the net – the inaccuracies of learning kept Lucas entertained for over an hour!

At home, we’re now enjoying outside. Christina is texting the UCC team, Kimberly is running her scooter (kid powered), Jaquline is on her bike, and Jillian has a chicken – no, it’s a guinea pig. Lucas is driving his “Green car” (a 2^nd birthday gift from Grandma Joanne that has seen daily use except for one six-week stint while we waited for the replacement charger).

“Look, Mom, the pig-pig is driving!” Lucas has Custard contentedly chewing on grasses in his lap! (Custard is one of the 4-week-old Guinea Pigs.)

A few moments later…

“Look, Mom! The chicken is driving!” And Jillian is sitting next to Lucas with a different chicken (this one is the biggest of the young cockerels we have for sale) sitting on her lap.

A few moments later…

“Look out below!” followed by giggles. Lucas is driving the car under a rain of pinecones Jillian tossed in the air. He catches one in the empty passenger seat, laughs, picks it up, and throws in into the little tykes car (human-powered) as he passes it.

A second later…

“Mom! A train!” And Lucas is pushing his car, in reverse, with the little tykes car centered behind it, rolling along like it is the engine of a two-unit train.

Then he tries to join Kimberly and Jaquline’s soccer game while driving the car! “Kim! My car wants to play!”

He jumped out of the car when Jillian and Kimberly started with the foam football… “I love football!”

We should have such energy and exuberance toward everything in life! Lucas looks at everything as an adventure, challenge, or treat; as a gift. Life is a gift. Thank you, Jesus, for this amazing life and all the fun moments we experience in it!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Baby Guinea Pig Names

Rebeccah’s creative naming scheme for the cute little Guinea Pig triplets!

September 22, 2018

Baby Guinea Pig Names!

Today we get to introduce our baby Guinea Pigs by name!

Rebeccah decided to use dessert names this time. Since we won’t have them forever, she gives them “temporary” names that match their color or personalities. We’re raising them to sell once they are at least six weeks old. (They will be six weeks old and ready for their forever homes after October 20^th.)

So this beauty is “Rocky Road.” She is the one who looked like a squirrel at birth. She is a gorgeous mottled brown color.

This solid tan one is “Custard,” and she follows the dad, TobyMac, all over the run! She is super cuddly.

The third one is currently called “Cheesecake.” He is the only male in the triplets. He’s a half-and-half mix of Custard and Rocky Road as far as color goes. He is Jillian’s new baby!

The girls love being the Guinea Pigs’ caretakers. They spend a lot of time cuddling and loving on them to make sure they will be just as cuddly and friendly as their parents. So far, they are thirteen days old and super friendly.

Here is Daddy (TobyMac, big tan blob), and all three triplets!

Mama (Taylor, big tan/brown/white) takes good care of them!

Near the end of October, we’ll be saying “goodbye” to Rocky Road and Custard as they find loving homes. One thing I know, these cuddly, snuggly critters will forever leave their tiny pawprints on all of our hearts!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Additions to the Squad

Welcoming our newest little farm members: the Guinea Pig Triplets!

September 10, 2018

Additions to the Squad

If you’ve read my blogs, you know my oldest three girls saved and bought Guinea Pigs. Each thought she was getting a female, but since Ginger was discovered to be TobyMac, this amazing trio of little animals became a part of our farm. They appear to have new little ones every six months or so. They are now called “the squad.”

Toby and Taylor’s first little angel, whom we called “Sweet Potato,” found a home with some lovely ladies and an animal-loving girl. (Picture is TobyMac & Sweet Potato)

Sunday, we came home to discover that Taylor had done it again! She had birthed triplets!

One is a mottled gray-brown color. This one looks just like a squirrel (she’s not, I promise, we watched Taylor birth her!)

One is multicolor (black, brown, orange, and white), this was the youngest. Jaquline is holding this one.

One is pure tan just like TobyMac.

These beautiful babies haven’t been named just yet as they are brand new and smaller than Sweet Potato was at birth. (Guinea Pigs usually have twins, but their offspring are larger if single and smaller if triplets.) These tiny babies were about 1/10^th of mama’s size. Taylor is a very good mama, and has burrows in the nest for all three of them to hide and snuggle. Baby Guinea Pigs are super curious as soon as all their adult Guinea Pig elders lick and groom them clean. (Even Avery, our second adult female, was helping Toby and Taylor groom these three adorable fluffy balls!)

Now we get the joy and privilege of raising these little animals. Three little Guinea Pigs. Kimberly (Avery’s official owner) plans on saving some money to make another Guinea Pig run and if one of these littles are a male, she’ll keep him for Avery to pair up with. Of course, Jillian has claimed ownership and caretaking of the next one they keep. Kimberly and Jillian are now mapping out money-saving goals to have $80 for materials in six weeks. I see lots of lawn-mowing and car-cleaning in their near future.

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Fearfully and Wonderfully

I’m so amazed by how God loves us and in awe of His creation.

July 22, 2018

Fearfully and Wonderfully

Have you ever stopped to ponder (seriously think, dwell on thoughts) about creation?

I love to watch nature. I love to watch our animals: fish in their tanks, guinea pigs in the run, chickens in the yard, dogs in the house. I love to watch my plants grow. I can’t wait to have roses again! (Roses are my absolute favorite in the world.) I enjoy the cycles of life that create our world and the natural beauty of it.

Take plants; they need special nutrients in the soil from decaying animals and micro or trace nutrients left from other plants to reach their best. Animals eat plants. Plants “eat” decaying animals. We harvest food from both plants and animals.

The cycle of water amazes me. Water is evaporated from the oceans and other waterways, stored in clouds, and poured out onto the land where it gathers in creeks, rivers, and underground aquifers. The water underground rises (or we drill for it) and we have clean drinking water filtered by the air and rocks.

Each of these systems were spoken into being when God spoke creation into action. Yet He chose to form each one of us by knitting us together in our mother’s womb. Does that boggle your mind? All of these awesome forces of nature spoken into existence yet He takes the time to craft each one of us. He cares for each of us.

God set up our world to provide us with animals and plants for food, trees, rocks, sand, or thatch to make shelters, and a boundless supply of fresh drinking water. (Even in the desert, cacti carry water, the ground holds water, and native peoples have amazing techniques for pulling water from the sand!)

Yet He fashioned us. He molded Adam from dust and breathed life into him. He knits us together in our mothers’ wombs. He knows us before we are born. He surrounds us with examples of His majesty in our natural world. We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves us.

To think that Jesus enjoys it when I speak to Him totally blows my mind. I am amazed by His love. Thank you, God, for Your awesome love!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Guinea Pig “Toddler”

June 30, 2018

Guinea Pig “Toddler”

Since we had a baby Guinea Pig (Sweet Potato) born on the fourth of June, we’ve been studying Guinea Pig growth.

Oh my, do they grow fast!

Not only do these amazing animal moms deliver live babies with a full coat, open eyes, claws, and teeth, but the baby is about 20% of the mom’s size. (About 10% to 15% of her weight though.)

Sweet Potato’s mom is Taylor (Picture is mom & baby)

Her dad is TobyMac (Picture is dad & baby)

At 22 days old, Sweet Potato learned how to go down the ladder from the hutch where she was born to the ground to graze on grass (Guinea Pigs are better tractors than chickens! They graze grass down to about ½” tall and then squeal because they want more!). The girls have now stopped calling her a “baby” and claim she’s a “toddler” Guinea Pig.

The girls have been loving on Sweet Potato since she was born. They snuggle with and coddle all three adults, but Sweet Potato is the sweetest. She knows how to tickle!

One day soon, Sweet Potato will find a lifetime home, but for now, the girls love “raising” her so she will keep being sweet and friendly!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Welcome Sweet Potato

June 8, 2018

Welcome, Sweet Potato

The girls started a new project: guinea pigs. Christina saved and bought a female from the pet store. Rebeccah and Kimberly “rehomed” two females whose family was going overseas.

We built a big cage for them to graze and roam in. (Guinea pigs hop like bunnies when they are really happy!) Well, “Ginger” was really “TobyMac.” Since all three of these animals were happily living in one cage together – Taylor surprised us with “Sweet Potato.”

(Now, the girls know for sure how to sex guinea pigs from birth so they won’t be fooled by a salewoman again.)

Now their guinea pig project has become hand raising babies to sell. They are gorgeous! Baby guinea pigs are born with open eyes, full fur, claws, and teeth! They are about 20% of the adult’s size but 10% of the weight (they are skinny, long things).

Sweet Potato stretches to look half her mom’s size, but when she curls up in a cute little ball, she’s so tiny – about the size of a ping-pong ball. By weight, she’s only 10% of mom’s size. Baby guinea pigs grow super fast. Between three and six weeks, they are independent. They actually start trying to graze the first day! About 3 months, they are adult size! Males get bigger than females. However, TobyMac is only 4 months old so he is still smaller than the over 1 year old girls, Taylor and Avery.

The girls are super excited to “spoil” Sweet Potato for a few weeks so another family gets a loving, cuddly, super sweet little pet!

Thanks for reading!

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~Nancy Tart

Crafting Cages

June 5, 2018

Crafting Cages

Last month we built two big mobile cages for our livestock

One is for the “teenager” chickens (those between just feathered and adult, about 6 weeks to 24 weeks). Rebeccah bought the clearance Buff Orpington straight run (mixed males and females) from Tractor Supply at the end of their chick days and they are now a little over 12 weeks old – time for selling the males before we eat them at 24 weeks!

The other was for Rebeccah, Kimberly, and Christina’s newest project: Guinea Pigs. They had one named Jack, who, just like his namesake, was adept at getting out of cages (starting with a two-day excursion on the day she brought him home!). On one of his excursions, he decided to disappear into the wild for good (I think he’d heard some Wild Kratts: free and in the wild!).

But TobyMac stayed with his two girls, Taylor and Avery.

The bright orange is TobyMac and the pretty one below is Avery. Taylor is camera shy.

Shop day had us designing and building the cages. They are night-time predator proof and easy to move. We discovered that Guinea Pigs are a perfect lawn mower: one day and they graze the grass to ½ inch height. (Formula = 3 adult pigs to 32 square feet of grass.)

Kimberly and Jaquline using the portable drill to make pilot holes and drive screws.

Rebeccah tacking on the chicken wire.

Notice the painted guinea pig on the door when it’s open.

Even Lucas was helping! He painted, held screws, fetched tools, and helped measure boards to cut.

The best drill ever! Plus wire cutters for the chicken wire.

Three different lengths of screws and our poultry staples

We precut all of the lumber for the second cage!

The girls learned and practiced using power tools, critical thinking (this looked good on paper, but in reality it will cause this problem, how can we fix it?), planning, budgeting (looking prices up online and estimating our actual cost before we went), and applying this knowledge in a practical way to create a final product. We painted the walls to help keep them from rotting, but Rebeccah, who is never satisfied with leaving something plain and functional, turned them into a work of bi-colored art. (I only had white, so she had to mix dyes to get another color!)

Although this was a “day off” from school, the girls learned and used various practical skills and developed two products for our family livestock. They had a blast! They learned a lot. They had a very successful and memorable day creating and a huge surge of pride when they look out there now – something they made is being used everyday by cute little animals!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

Tag: Guinea Pig

Fresh New Year

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Three Little Pig(let)s

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The King’s View

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The Exuberance of Life

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Baby Guinea Pig Names

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Additions to the Squad

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Fearfully and Wonderfully

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Guinea Pig “Toddler”

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Welcome Sweet Potato

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Crafting Cages

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