FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/19/2026
Horse Crime! 🐴
Yesterday, the weather was quite pleasant:
Everyone had a smile on their face:
But this morning there’s ice on the water! Percy and Ferdinand are still in their house and refuse to come out!
Fortunately this cold snap didn’t wither our new daffodils:
The cold also didn’t wither my appetite:
But, oh no! What’s this? Who turned on the water?
Mercifully, it had only been running a few minutes. As you can see, below, the water had only made it down to the fence before it was turned off:
Who is the culprit? Security Chief Schrödinger, says, “I’ll check the security cameras as soon as I wake up!”
What did he see?
Iris!
Iris, we love you, but please find somewhere else to scratch your butt. 🐎
Finally, some flowers 😺
We’re happy, even though it’s cloudy. . .
Because the wind and lack of rain has dried up most of the mud:
In the farm house, last night, Mary painted this gorgeous picture of Sophie:
Betty is posing for her portrait (but I don’t think she’s getting any takers):
And look at our lovely miniature daffodils:
More flowers are on their way. 😺
32℉ Morning 🐴
It’s cold, but warming up fast. Each day there is new grass to eat:
Jewel got this morning’s last carrot:
Betty says Hello:
She looks like a fluffy white rabbit, with that pink nose:
Finally, let’s watch Mary ride Iris:
What fun! 🐎
Red, White and Rose! 🐎
It’s windy and back into the 30’s:
Yesterday, Mary and Rose practiced with the flag. Galloping with it is something they do at the beginning of horse shows:
Let’s watch them do a pattern!
🐎
Sunny morning, but mud and water still everywhere. 😾
Mary is riding Jewel this morning:
Buttons is chicken-sitting Hansel and the girls:
And Jack is back! We haven't seen him for a few days:
We’re glad to see you, Jack! Don’t forget, this is your home, now. 😺
Please don’t cross the road, chickens! 🐔
All of our hay was put in the front pasture, so we can stay off the mud:
Onslow caught a vole:
Baldy doesn’t like sharing breakfast with the ducks (bad rooster 🐓):
So, how many eggs did the ducks lay?
A “dirty dozen!”
We don’t care about why you might want to cross the road, chickens—just don’t do it!
Thank goodness they didn’t. . .
Soon they were back in the stable, having a dust bath. 🐔
And Buttons is back outside. 😺
Buttons is back from the vet 😺
Good morning:
Ferdinand has just had breakfast, and is ready to go back to sleep:
And Buttons came back from the vet, and spent last night in the basement bathroom:
This morning she got to come upstairs and explore the house:
She’ll stay inside for another day or two. As you recall, she had her shots and was spayed:
Here she is, snuggling at Ann's knee:
Absence makes the cat grow fonder! 😺
More “extreme vetting!” 🙀
Good morning. It’s dreary, but at least it’s not raining:
The cats are grumpy: They’ve had their dry food, but what’s holding up their canned food?
The cat-cops are going to use it for bait, to catch Buttons:
The bait worked! Buttons is on her way to the vet! 😿
We’re sorry you’re scared, Buttons. But you’ll come back with all your shots, and you’ll be fixed:
And you’ll get medicine for your sniffles. 😺
Cat sick-call 😿
Jewel and I have become breakfast-buddies:
Here we are, having a chat-’n-chew:
Pumpkin’s eyes are a little puffy this morning:
And Buttons has been sneezing:
We wish you’d let us catch you, Buttons, so we could take you to the vet (you’d get fixed, there, too). 🙀
No sunshine this morning 😾
Here are the horses galloping in for dinner yesterday:
And this is from yesterday, too. It’s just Buttons, meowing for dinner:
And this morning, here she is with Onslow and Betty, keeping out of the damp, cloudy Monday:
Other than my morning carrot. . .
Chavez’s legs have been hurting him recently, so he’s having his hay where he won’t have to walk far:
He also had his 6 pain pills, of which he ate one. Don’t worry, Chezzie, the other 5 will be waiting for you at dinnertime. 🐎
Spring is here 🐎
Yesterday we were out in the far pasture:
This morning looks to be a nice day, too:
The chickens are helping us eat our hay:
We don’t need any help, thank you. 🐴
Jack is back 😺
Our creek is swollen and full of fish:
Betty is eating duck food:
Here comes the ducks to run her off:
Oh! Jack has just come back from “extreme vetting!”
Now that he’s fixed, and had his shots and tests, he is no longer a stray! He wailed and hissed on the ride home, but was quite calm when released from the carrier, and started enjoying his welcome-home breakfast! What a good kitty! 😺
Unfortunately, there is another, nearly identical, back kitty that the cat-cops have yet to apprehend:
We’ll worry about that another day. 😼
Cat behind bars! 🙀
If I don’t get my hay soon, I’m coming through that gate!
Well, I’m not mad, now, since I got lots of carrots to make up for it:
Breakfast was delayed because the cat-cops got lucky and caught one of our 3 new strays, Jack!
Don’t be scared, Jack! You’ll come back to us fixed, and you’ll have had all your shots. And, most importantly, you’ll become a full-fledged citizen of the farm! 😺
Kitty gets a name 😺
Jewel observes that the paddock’s nothing but mud today:
I’d say “Good morning,” but my mouth’s full:
Oh! We have a name for the new black kitty:
Meet Jack! 😺
Cat on the run! 😾
Buttons is on the lookout this morning:
The cat-cops have been trying all morning to catch her and take her to the vet. But she’s just too wiley to let herself get caught.
Anyway, let’s watch a video of Farm Rich’s dog, Duke, visiting the horses:
He’s a good dog. How do we know? At the 2:15 minute mark, you can see that he doesn’t bother the chickens. 🐔
This time the mess was not our fault! 🐎
It’s a gloomy morning, but we’re happy it’s above freezing and not raining:
Otto joins Betty under the heat lamps:
New black kitty signals his approval of breakfast with a wink and a lick:
And Hansel escorts the girls to the stable:
Yesterday, they left us two eggs:
But the big story was the mess we made in the stable:
Normally this would be chalked up to horse crime. But we plead “Not guilty!” It turns out the cat-cops left our feed buckets in the stable all day. So, I say, What were we supposed to do? 🐴
Winter is back! 😾
What happened to our lovely weather?
Come inside, Iris! You’re getting soaked!
I’m certainly not going out in that nasty sleet:
One of the new black kitties is getting tamer every day:
After helping himself to breakfast, he’s decided he’s not going out anytime soon:
We’re of course having hay inside:
We want our 60-degree days back! 🐎
Double trouble! 🙀
The cat-cops are distracted this morning, so I’ve snuck outside:
Before I get to this morning’s “drama,” here’s a picture or two from yesterday afternoon.
Baldy was eating with the wild birds:
He was joined by a cute little Downy woodpecker:
So, what has everyone (except me 🐴) in a tizzy? Well, as you know, we’ve become home to a new black cat:
He seemed to be everywhere at once!
There's a reason for that:
There are TWO of them! 🙀
They are both boys, and they don’t like each other! And Evil Cat (below and on the left) doesn’t like either of them! 😾
There have been fights between the new cats, and fights between the new cats and Evil! 🙀
Disturbing the peace of the farm is a serious cat-crime! We’ll have no peace until the cat-cops can catch them, and take them to the vet to be fixed! 🙀
Go away, raccoon 🦝
What a nice Saturday!
Don’t waste this lovely morning under the heat lamps, Betty!
The same goes for you, chickens. Get out of the duck pen and into the sun:
Uh-oh. What’s that in the cats’ water pan?
Mr. Raccoon has left his calling card. 🦝
Finally, let’s watch Onslow show off his sparrow to Ann:
😺
Iris and Rose get a ride 🐎
There’s a little hawk in our tree:
Luckily, our ducks are way too big for him!
There’s a chicken behind me, isn’t there?
Mary’s riding Iris and Mara's riding Rose:
Both girls and horses are doing great! 🐴
Artsy Schroeder 😺
A rainstorm blew through overnight, leaving this morning windy and colder:
Onslow has a drink of new rain water:
Speaking of drinking, let’s watch Schrödinger, yesterday evening, having a drink in slow motion:
The eerie sounds are just the wind, and birds, slowed down. 🐦
Cloudy morning 🐎
It’s a cloudy, windy Wednesday. But we can’t complain, because the past few days have been so nice.
Jewel says, “Good morning!” 
Evil Cat’s tongue says, “Breakfast was delicious!”
And Pumpkin has a drink:
It seems that no matter how much fresh water there is, the cats will always find the dirtiest. 😾
Another nice day 🐴
I’m feeling bright-eyed this morning!
And Buttons is feeling bushy-tailed!
Ferdinand and Percy say Hello!
Please keep the hens out of our pasture, Hansel. . .
Jewel does not like cats or chickens:
And she can run faster than any of you! 🐎
Flowers are coming!🌼
I don’t have much to tell you today:
We’re grateful for another beautiful morning:
The ducks are ready for another 60-plus day:
And soon we’ll have daffodils!
How nice! 😺
Carrot time! 🥕
Not much going on this morning, so here are a few of us getting our after-breakfast carrots! 🐎
There’s Jewel. . .
And Iris. . .
And Stormy. . .
And Rose. . .
And, last but not least. . .
Me! 🐴
Poor Percy! 🙀
It’s going to be another nice day:
Betty and Onslow are deciding how to most efficiently cover Mary’s nice clean car with paw prints:
And—oh no!—Poor Percy got his neck and wings tangled up in some green string! 🙀
And his poor foot is knotted up in some twine! 😿
Don’t worry—he’s ok. The cat-cops gently uncoiled his neck and wing, and cut the twine. He walked away, quacking indignantly! 😺
Let’s cheer up by watching the chickens go in the barn. Hansel goes in first, then the chickens. . .
. . .and Betty last! 🐔
Finn’s busy morning 😺
Yesterday a hen laid an egg on my hay:
This morning, before breakfast, Finn got caught in the raccoon trap:
And after breakfast, she caught (and ate) a mouse:
A sparrow sings Good morning to Misty:
And more sparrows are inviting themselves to Baldy’s breakfast:
Finally, let’s watch the hens crane their necks to get a drink. . .
And let’s see Onslow being a bad kitty (he takes a swing at the new cat while it wasn’t looking):
That’s a very naughty Onslow! Cat fights are not allowed! 😾
Farrier day 🐎
Last evening, a security camera created this pretty rainbow effect over the paddock:
This morning, our friend Travis is trimming our hooves and adjusting our shoes:
So what have the cats been up to? Well, Betty got caught in the raccoon trap:
And then!—the new black kitty got caught:
It would be nice if the raccoon trap actually caught a raccoon. 🦝 (Nobody was hurt of course—just embarrassed 😾)
Another dry, sunny day 😺
We’re enjoying the sun in our “morning formation:”
I’m not quite awake yet:
Evil Cat and Zelda are sharing like nice kitties:
Onslow has already eaten, and is minding the chickens:
Speaking of chickens, don’t they lay nice clean eggs!
They’re delicious, too! 🐔
Not much going on (which is good 😺)
The security camera catches the sun streaming through the stable:
Onslow loves his hay:
Whether it’s the whole bale. . .
Or just a flake. 😺
Oh, and here’s a shot of Evil Cat coming in for breakfast:
He divides his time between our farm and the neighbor’s. He’s told us, however, that we serve the best food! 😺
Uh-oh, another stray cat. 🙀
Hey, Hansel, where’s your other hen? You’re supposed to have three!
Oh, she’s laying her daily egg:
I’m enjoying my morning carrot before heading out:
The mud froze overnight, so walking around is a lot easier:
Is that Evil Cat with Zelda?
No, wait—Evil cat is over here!
Another black cat is visiting the farm:
You’re welcome to have breakfast with us, new kitty.
Just be friendly, and let the cat-cops eventually take you to the vet. (They’re still waiting on Evil Cat and Buttons to become that friendly). 😼