FRANCIS'S BLOG 11/15/2025
Chilly Sunday 🐴
The ducks are adjusting to their pen (notice the redwing blackbird):
Last night Iris got a nice brushing and ride:
Since it was only 29℉ this morning, those of us whose coats were trimmed (Iris, Rose and Jewel) were glad for our blankets:
Cold weather’s not done with us yet! 🐴
Dreary Saturday 🐴
The cats start breakfast with a duck food appetizer:
We’re having the same old hay, but we’re not complaining:
And we’re experimenting with penning up the ducks:
We’ll let you know how that goes (or doesn’t). 😾
Our first flower 🌼
Here’s our first crocus!
Chavez shows off our sturdy new gate:
Betty is about to jump off my back:
She’s needed to babysit the ducks:
Maybe she can keep them away from the road. 😾
Tree traffic 🐴
Betty climbs the tree:
Then does Schrödinger and Onslow:
Betty and Onslow have a friendly tussle:
And they play around the hay:
But playtime is over. . .
Get off of my breakfast! 🐴
Pleasant Wednesday for ducks 🐴
It’s a nice, breezy morning:
Percy, Daisy and Ferdinand get a chance to take a bath:
And Patrick and company grazed by the stable:
Stay off the road, ducks! 🐴
Jewel is quite the magician 🐎
I’m having an after-breakfast chat with Betty:
And overnight, Jewel took off her coat:
How she did that, we just don’t know,
It’s a good thing she won’t need it today. 🐴
Any sunny Monday is a good Monday! 🐴
Henry gives us a schnozzola shot:
Rose and Jewel tank up at the water fountain:
They get thirsty stampeding through the stable like maniacs. 🐎
And just like Schroeder, Betty likes duck food:
We didn’t let her eat too much, in case it’s bad for her little kitten stomach. 😾
Rainy Sunday 🐴
Last night, Bill rode Rose:
And so did Onslow:
This morning, it’s raining, so everyone has breakfast inside:
Finn finds it hard to take her after-breakfast nap:
She feels like she’s being watched. 🐓
A lot is going on 🐎
Onslow and Betty spent last night outside the tack room. Here’s Onslow playing in a horse blanket. He is officially a “big kitty!”
Stormy says, “Get that food in my dish—now!” 
Mara’s dog, Phoenix, got a walk in the far pasture:
Last night it was warm enough for Iris and Jewel to get baths. Here’s Iris in her “towel coat.”
After the bath, comes a trimming off of all that winter hair:
And this morning, our friend Julia had a riding lesson!
Happy Spring! 🐎
Rose is off the rails 🐎
Someone was working on Rose’s stall door last night:
How did it get knocked off its track, Rose?
“I’m not talking.” 🐎
Cloudy Thursday 🐴
Iris says hi. . .
And so does Henry:
Betty and Onslow are hoping to catch their first sparrow:
It’s nesting season, and the birds are fighting, chasing, falling to the ground, and paying little attention to kitties! 😺
Kitty capers 😺
Onslow decided he didn’t want his picture taken this morning:
“I’m going to grab that camera strap!”
It looks like you’ve got a very long tongue, Onslow. 🐴
The snow is gone 🐴
Rose is busting out of her stall this morning:
It’s still a little muddy, but otherwise it’s crisp and sunny:
And we’ve got plenty of hay:
And here’s Betty, supervising the dumping of our manure:
😺
Oh no, more snow! 😾
Overnight we got several inches of fluffy snow:
See how it piled up:
Schrödinger finds the magic spot in the yard where the snow never sticks:
Say goodbye, winter. . .
You’ve been here long enough. 🐴
Sunny Saturday 🐴
We’re happy it was cold enough to freeze the ground a little. That way our hay isn't getting wet:
Last night someone sat down a water bucket, so I helped myself. I love when the water’s at my level:
Oh, and let’s take a look at Iris licking the last bit of “flavor” from Henry’s stall.
First of all, Iris, you are not starving. And second of all, do you think Henry leaves anything to eat? 🐴
We hope all this wind will dry up the mud 🐴
Here I am trying to hurry up breakfast:
It’s hard to find a dry place to eat our hay:
So it was served to us in big piles, so only the very bottom will get wet. 🐎
Sunny and still very, very muddy 🐴
Poor Mary hurt her foot trying to convince us to come out to the far pasture (she’s the little dot that Charlie’s looking at, just to the right of Henry’s hip). We hope she feels better so she can go to Regionals in Florida on Sunday:
A little earlier, Onslow and Betty were doing their usual stable acrobatics:
Here’s Betty giving RC a kiss:
Smoochie smooch! 😺
The forecast today calls for 50 degrees and lots of mud 🐴
Last Monday Jewel missed out on carrots:
But not today!
Onslow gives Iris a back massage:
He jumped on from Bill’s shoulder. 😺
And Finn caught a bird. But she let it go and it flew away:
The birds around here are lucky our cats are so well fed! 🐦
It’s a good day to be outside 🐴
Kanna is having breakfast outside, and Pumpkin is waiting her turn:
Onslow hears his very first killdeer, and it sounds spooky!
Ferdinand, Daisy and Percy were outside for a while, but they ran back in the pen:
The other ducks are getting a nice bath:
Onslow has a new hideout:
Betty and Schroeder are in the stable:
We’re having hay:
And Rose is rocking a new coat:
Shocking pink! 🐎
Jewel missed out 🐎
Today it’s cloudy and chilly. But yesterday afternoon was warm and sunny. Here’s Kanna basking in it:
This morning, Jewel was the first to run out to the far pasture:
If she had hung around, she wouldn’t have missed out on. . .
Carrots! 🐴
Blustery morning 🐎
Last night it was pouring rain. And this morning it’s cloudy and windy.
Iris is keeping an eye on the cats in the neighbor’s yard (bad cats! 🙀).
Charlie has a new coat this morning.
Rose and Jewel have new coats too, as their old coats were soaked last night in the rain.
Henry’s hair is looking nice and fluffy. He was smart and spent last night in the stable.
And so did Stormy and Misty. 🐎
Mouse Mayhem! 🐭
Onslow discovers a huge mouse nest in a plastic tub, with dozens of mice:
He caught a mouse:
When we carried the tub outside, and dumped it out, Betty caught a mouse. . .
Finn caught a mouse (and let it go). . .
Schrödinger is about to catch a mouse (in the red circle in the corner). . .
Even Evil Cat got a mouse (and ate it). . .
Pumpkin did not catch a mouse:
“I just want to sleep.” 😺
Above-freezing Friday 🐴
Onslow and Betty are still in bed:
But we’ve already eaten, and are heading out to the far pasture:
Please hurry, little green shoots! 🐎
I don’t understand horses sometimes 🐴
Here I am, whining for my breakfast, and wondering what is the holdup:
Oh, Iris and Stormy are mesmerized by who-knows-what and refusing to come in. As far as I’m concerned, nothing’s worth watching so much as to put off eating!
The ducks are trying to get a bath:
But Patrick is hogging the tub. 😾
It’s supposed to be 32℉ today (we can only hope) 🐴
We’re all feeling pretty good this morning:
Onslow and Schroeder are cat-boxing:
And Betty is in “jail:”
(This imprisonment is self-inflicted. She’ll find that out as soon as she looks to her left. 😺)
It’s trying to warm up here 🐴
Here I am, being a glove rack:
Charlie and Onslow visit:
Oh, and the furnace exhaust has created another fascinating ice sculpture:
Wish it was made of crystal. 🐴
Charlie is better 🐎
Charlie is feeling better this morning. Here she is having hay with sister Iris:
Let’s watch a video of Finn keeping Onslow “in the bag:”
Poor Charlie is sick. 🐎
This morning, our Charlie has a bad chase of colic.
She’s been rolling around in her stall, trying to make herself feel better.
Hang in there, Charlie—Ann, Mary, and Dr. Dana are coming! 🐴
Kitty capers 😺
Onslow checks out the breakfast buffet:
Then he catches his “ride:”
Finn tries to catch a goldfish:
And poor Schroeder is trying to cough up a hair ball:
Betty wishes she could help. 😿 Schrödinger has become her and Onslow’s favorite playmate. 😺
Poor Percy! 🐴
We’re having a good start to our weekend:
The ducks are getting a bath:
But poor Percy, he slept with his head a little too close to the heat lamp:
His feathers got “caramelized.” 🐴