FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/21/2026
I’d like a crack at that pool, too 🐴
Everybody loves the big pool.
The ducklings love it.
The bigger ducks love it, too!
Sunny, clear day 🐴
Beautiful mornings are so cheery (and rare).
We’re all feeling (and looking) great. 🐎
The ducks are feeling good, too.
Here they are, relaxing (in formation). 🦆
The cats have found a new place to play 😺
We’re supposed to use these giant, hay-filled snakes to fix the hill on the near pasture. They’re supposed to keep the dirt from washing away and let the underground water drain. (Right now the pasture is a big slope of water-filled holes.) 🐴
The cats think they make a great “lounge.” 😺
Don’t get too comfortable, kitties. 🐴
Happy Birthday Julia 🐎
Our Julia just turned 8 (that’s the same age as Iris). 🎉
Chezzie hadn’t been ridden in a while, so he wanted to run.
But Julia did her best to keep him in line. Happy birthday again, Julia! 💛
Mother to be 🙀
While the vet was visiting Iris, she took a look at Nimbus. 😺
As we suspected, Nimbus is “with kitten.” But luckily, she’s only going to have one or two. Then, it is off to the vet, for mother and child, or children, when the time comes. 🙀
Stormy and Iris get a ride 🐎
Thursday morning our Mary gave lucky Iris and Stormy a ride:
What fun! 🐎
My BFF Marian visits! 🐴
Here I am showing my best friend Marian my room:
I also am showing her one of my many “pet” cats. 🐴
Everybody loves Bill 😺
The kittens stage a sit-in on Bill’s lap:
Looks like you’re not going anywhere for a while, Bill. 😺
Dot makes a baker’s dozen of eggs 🐔
Yesterday afternoon we couldn’t find Dot, no matter where we looked. But, of course, we finally found her, due to our “No chicken left behind” policy. It seems she found a nesting site, way, way under the hay barn, which we were able to reach from a hole in the floor above.
Dot had laid 13 eggs (14, if you count the one that broke under the weight).
We moved Dot and her mountain of eggs to her normal nesting box, but so far she’s not having it. 🐔
We hope Dot will go back to laying in the safety of the pen. It’s only a matter of time before a raccoon or skunk finds those outside eggs. 🐔
Sunny Sunday ☀️
Finally, a sunny morning!
Oh, and here’s 17 seconds of noisy Finn, just for the heck of it:
The rain today is worse than yesterday! 🐴
Chezzie says he’s certainly not going out there:
But Charlie and Iris decided to brave the storm:
Let’s hope this afternoon is brighter. 🐴
Nasty, cold, rainy morning 🙀
It’s pouring this morning and it's only 46℉. The cat-cops got soaked. We’re having to eat inside:
The kitties are miserable, too, and Finn just doesn’t want to get out of bed:
We’re glad somebody is happy:
But even the ducks wish it were a little warmer! 🐴
Terrible storms overnight 🐴
It’s sunny this morning, but a lot of power lines went down in the storm last night. We lost power at 9PM last night and it’s still not back up.
Here’s Schrödinger with one of the nests that blew down. The nest was empty. . .
. . .or at least, it’s empty now. 😺
Thunderstorms this afternoon 🐴
We’re making the most of this morning in the far pasture.
There’s always grass way out here. 🐎
Ducklings get a gift 🦆
The ducklings get a new pool:
It’s deep enough for us to swim. We love it when our feet don’t touch bottom!
The water flies everywhere!
The Department of Horsefarm Security never sleeps 😺
A suspicious package was left on our doorstep:
DHS Chief Luigi immediately inspects it:
It’s ok. It’s just our supplements. 🐴
Equine Allergies 🐴
It gets pretty dusty in the stable.
LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🐴
I’M GOING TO SNEEZE !!!!!!!!! 🐴
Let’s eat 🐴
Everybody loves breakfast on such a warm, clear morning as this. 🐴
Even though I get a little finicky sometimes, because my breakfast is laced with all kinds of supplements. 🐴
Hey, what does a chicken have to do to get fed around here? 🐔
Nice morning, after it rained all night 🐴
What a nice day to spend in the far pasture.
Let’s not eat too much, people! 🐴
Twelve ducks and seven chickens can’t be wrong! 😺
The kitties love dried mealworms almost as much as the poultry. 😺
Mealworms are the chow mein noodles of the farm! 😺
Ducklings having fun 🦆
The ducklings are doing their favorite thing:
They love getting wet! (But, I guess that’s what ducks do, don’t they? 🐴)
Swallow production is underway 🐦
The swallows are back on their nests. 🐦
The male is keeping a lookout. . . 🐦
The kitties are keeping a lookout, too! 😺
Cat in a hole 😺
We recently discovered, under the barn, the remains of a beloved rooster, Angelo, who was sent to Chicken Heaven some years ago, probably by a raccoon (we’ll spare you the picture).
Mary dug a grave, which promptly got filled by Finn.
Whether dug by a mole or Mary, the kittens just love holes. 😺
No rain! 🐎
Yesterday we spent the day in the far pasture:
We didn’t want to come in!
This morning we’re out there again, except for Misty and RC:
Those lucky horses are munching down in the riding circle. 🐎
I suppose any Monday the trash can doesn’t blow over is a good Monday 🐴
It’s not raining this morning, but it’s windy and the clouds are rolling in. Minnie spent yesterday in the garage, and today she’s huddled in the duck’s house:
I’m inclined to stay inside, too:
But I’ll bet this mouse wished he had stayed outside:
We all can’t be happy. 🐭