FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2025
Chavez and Stormy are feeling better 🐎
No, Onslow, we don’t believe that bird flew into your mouth:
The ducks are ready to muddy-up some nice clean water:
I know I shouldn’t be in Chezzie’s stall, so there’s no point in reminding me:
Speaking of Chavez, he had more pain pills this morning, and his hooves are feeling better. He’s already out in the pasture:
Stormy is feeling better, too! He had medicine as well, and is walking faster:
But if you ask Stormy, he’ll say, “The only medicine I need are carrots!”
Iris and Rose agree! 🐎
Hurting hooves 😿
Betty has a sparrow:
And Chavez has sore hooves again. “Come on, Chezzie, please try to get up.” 🐴
“You can do it.”
“Good boy! Come on in, now. Ann will give you some pain pills, and she’ll clean and medicate your feet.”
And Stormy’s hooves were hurting as well! Here he is, tenderly walking to the far pasture after he had his medicine and treatments:
Hang in there, you two, we’ll get the vet!
As for me, I’m laying down this morning, also:
But I’m fine—I’m just basking in the sun this morning, after a night of rain. 🐴
Strange phenomena! 🙀
It’s a nice morning. . .
But it was all happening in yesterday’s 80-plus sunshine. No one wanted to come in,
Except me (sunshine is nice, but carrots are nicer):
I always enjoy walking over the creek:
I wish these pictures could show you all the fish:
And what is this? Oh, it’s Stormy or Misty's hair!
It came off them naturally while they were laying down. No brushing required! 🐎
Finally, let’s watch Sophie, having a “gallop!”
What a lovely dog! 🐴
Finally, a morning that really feels like spring 🐴
Sorry for talking with my mouth full. . .
But “management” said that, from now on, those of “us” (Stormy and Iris) who refuse to go in their stall will not get breakfast. So Stormy immediately complied. . .
As did Iris:
The tree by the duck garage has beautiful blossoms:
And so do the apple trees:
And these streaks are swallows!
They are already in the hay barn and stable, chasing the sparrows out:
Finally, here we have Buttons, doing as all farm cats do. . .
Getting too close to a car! 🙀
Healthy hooves make a happy horse 🐎
We have lovely tulips. . .
To go with our lovely cats:
Jewel is waiting for Ann to clean out her hooves:
She tried to look at my hooves but I ran off:
I was in too much of a hurry to start grazing! 🐴
Sunny Sunday 🐎
Yesterday afteroon we were visited by Sophie and Dukie!
And Pumpkin slept through it all:
This morning, Schroeder is checking out the creek:
I’m on my way out for hay:
But Iris has beat me out there. . .
That’s because she refused to go in her stall in the first place. 🐎
Let’s watch a video from last month, where RC and Stormy escaped!
🙀
Security is everybody’s business 🐎
Jewel is on lookout this morning:
So is Stormy:
Even Buttons is scanning the horizon:
Ann’s Horse Farm is safe. . .
For chickens! 🐔
Our mallards are molting 😺
After spending all yesterday morning in the stable, having our hooves done, it was nice to get out and lay down:
And here was Sophie visiting Stormy:
Schroeder was waiting to use the computer:
But, this morning, he’s keeping a lookout from the fuse box in the stable:
And don't the mallards look lumpy?
Their old feathers are on the way out! 🦆
It’s farrier day 🐎
Our friend Travis is trimming our hooves and adjusting our shoes:
And Sophie visited, too!
Speaking of Sophie, here she is with Mary, posing on the winner’s podium, after the show they attended last Sunday:
They won a total of 2 first and 1 second place ribbons! 🐺
Pretty cats all in a row 😺
It’s a sunny morning with ice on the water:
But the sun will warm us up quickly:
Pumpkin visited the vet yesterday:
Dr. Dana combed out all Pumpkin's clumps of matted hair. So now her coat is clean and smooth! 😺
Oh no! April snow! 😾
I thought we were through with snow:
It’s making Buttons hide in the feed shed (not really, she’s seen snow before):
But we don’t expect it to amount to anything:
Let’s forget about snow, and watch Sophie go for a spin!
Don’t try this at home. You’ll get dizzy! 🐺
Rainy and Chilly Monday 😾
Jewel and I say, “Good morning!”
Jewel kicked up a wrinkle in her stable mat overnight. I can assure you, Schroeder, there’s nothing to see there:
It appears the nesting box in its new location is a success:
And let’s watch me eat a couple carrots!
🐴
A lot is going on! 😺
Good morning!
This hen has learned to make use of one of the nesting boxes in the duck pen (which from now on is the chicken pen, too):
And, what’s going on here? Mary and Sophie are at a dog show near Chicago!
They both look so confident!
And they won FIRST PLACE in their category, Amateur Owner Handler:
Congratulations to Mary and Sophie!
Let’s finish up by watching the mallards have mealworms:
And the hens have a dust bath:
🐔
Cat in the pan! 🙀
Schroeder went to the vet yesterday, and he checked out ok:
It will be Pumpkin’s turn next week:
We’ll spend a nice day in the far pasture:
And, Onslow, please get out of the ducks’ tub:
You can either get out or get wet! 😾
My “carrot sense” is tingling! 🐴
I don’t have to look up to know there’s a carrot in my future:
I’m always right:
Onslow and Finn are getting a head start on breakfast:
And what’s Schroeder doing in the farm house?
He’s in there for “safe keeping.” He’s going to the vet this afternoon for a checkup. 🙀
Gruesome discovery! 🙀
Who let Chezzie out?
I’m afraid I’m the culprit. I pushed open the door to get at the rest of his breakfast:
Astrid is busy laying an egg:
And—uh-oh—I don’t like the look of this. Whose fur is it?
OH! YUCK! Someone or something dragged a putrefied possum from under the barn!
I have one thing to say. . .
I hope they were wearing their haz-mat suit! 🐴
Kitty Capers 😺
I’m having my normal morning carrot. . .
Before joining Iris for hay:
Meanwhile, in “cat land,” Buttons is under the hay barn with one of the hens:
The senior members of the clowder (a group of cats): Pumpkin. . .
And Evil Cat. . .
Have had breakfast and will go to sleep until dinner! 😺
And Schroeder is down by the creek. See him there, in the middle?
Let’s watch him in a video:
😺
Movie time! 😺
We’re in the front pasture this morning. It’s chilly, but most of the mud is gone:
Let’s watch Rose run to catch up with the rest of us:
And here I am having a lick of the salt:
I think it made me make a poopie. 🙀
It’s all go at the farm today! 🐎
Wake up, Iris, have some breakfast!
For the first time, the hens spent the night with Hansel and the ducks:
I’m having a lick before I head out to the far pasture:
Uh-oh! The far pasture has been cut off!
Why? Well, since it’s rained so much, the bridge over the creek has developed a few holes, and we might hurt our legs if we step in one:
Let’s watch a video of how fast the creek was yesterday:
Oh, and Finn caught a sparrow:
😺
More rain, same as yesterday 😾
Good morning from inside the stable:
There’s water everywhere:
On a day like this I wish I were a chicken:
I’d crawl into my nesting box and go to sleep until the sun came out. 🐔
Soggy Saturday 😾
We woke up to a very rainy morning:
So, of course, we’re having hay in the stable:
It’s another happy day for the ducks:
The hens are cozy in their nesting boxes:
But look who was in one of them yesterday:
Why, Onslow and Betty, of course! 😺
Feel better, Misty! 🐴
We almost have a tulip:
And the magnolia blossoms are on their way:
But, what’s this? Misty is laying down when it’s time for breakfast:
She won’t go in her stall. . .
And she won’t even eat a carrot! Her stomach must be hurting her:
Oh, no. She’s laying down again, when she should be eating:
But I’m watching her, and she thinks she’s better:
Oh good! She got up and is eating a little hay with Stormy:
Hopefully you’ll feel well enough to eat dinner, tonight. 🐎
Nasty rain overnight 🙀
It poured overnight, with scary lightning. The ducks are happy, though, because there are lots of worms to eat:
I can guarantee you, Stormy and Chezzie, that there are no leftovers in my stall:
Rose looks happy this morning:
Here she is, galloping upside-down:
And our azalea is blooming:
And look! A bee!
He has the whole bush to himself. 🐝
Rain is definitely on the way 🐦
A redwing blackbird is letting us know the clouds are coming:
It looks like Onslow isn’t the only one who likes to sit on hay:
There’s a line to lay an egg. But don’t worry, chicken, we’re working on another nesting box, just for you:
Here I am, yesterday. I’m not where I’m supposed to be:
Can I help it if Misty needs help finishing her dinner?
Anyway, let’s look at just a short video from this morning, of Jewel and myself:
🐴
More lovely flowers 🌼
We thought we were going to have rain, but so far it’s been nice and sunny. Jewel’s looking particularly attractive this morning:
I am too, if I do say so myself:
The pekins are busy preening. White feathers do show up the dirt:
Back in the stable, Chavez says he can’t squeeze out of my stall. But, Chezzie, you got in there, didn’t you?
And would you like a carrot, RC?
“Why, yes, please!”
Now, let’s check our flowers:
Above, we have a double-bloom daffodil. . .
One with white petals and a salmon cup. . .
One with a yellow cup. . .
And some tiny wind flowers. 😺
Rain on the way 😾
It reached 80 yesterday, but it’s a little cooler today, and cloudy:
But everyday we have new flowers to cheer us up:
And here are Onslow and the birds “chilling” in yesterday afternoon’s sun:
Now let’s watch Stormy break up the party:
🐎
Movie Time 😺
We don’t seem to know what to do with ourselves this bright, warm Easter morning:
It’s almost my turn to get a drink. But I’ll be patient, since Chezzie’s legs have been bothering him (he got pain pills this morning):
Our hyacinths are making a special showing:
Now, let’s watch a colorful video!
And here’s Onslow and Betty growling like tigers:
But we know they are playing. 😺
Colorful Fun! 🐴
I don’t know which ears I’ll wear for Easter. Pink?
Blue?
Or the rainbow?
I might have to let RC wear the rainbow ears. He says they go better with his coloring:
The plastic eggs have the hens all befuddled:
Who laid these?
Betty says, “Don’t ask me. . .”
”I’m just a cat.” 😺
Frosty Friday 🐎
If today’s like yesterday, we’ll be able to spend the afternoon basking in the sun:
But right now it’s still below freezing, so we’ll be content to enjoy hay in the sun:
Let’s watch Hansel and the girls have their breakfast, too:
🐔
April is off to a chilly start 😾
It was only in the 20’s this morning. Betty says, “I'm not going anywhere all day!”
Stormy says, “Any sunny day is a good day!”
We had all our hay in the front pasture today:
Chavez has a stall full of chickens:
And Buttons was in the stable:
We don’t think we’ve ever seen you in here, Buttons—but, welcome! 🐴