FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2026
Sick kitty 🙀
Noodle is on his way to the vet:
He has an abscess under his tail. 🙀 Get well, Noodle! 😺
Horse happenings 🐎
Iris and Chavez visit Rose:
And this past Sunday, Charlie got a nice soaking with the hose:
Please don’t roll in the dirt, Charlie:
You’ll be one hot mud pie! 🐴
It’s still hot 🐴
Stormy and Jewel get ready for a morning ride.
It’ll probably be too hot to ride by this afternoon. 🐎
It’s so hot! 🐴
It was 97 yesterday and it’s supposed to be the same today! We’re lucky a few clouds came along at dinner time.
Poor Evil Cat looks really beat up:
We wish we could catch you and take you to the vet.
Oh, and the ducks are eating the styrofoam:
We’ll get that away from you, ducks. It won’t make you float any better. 🐴
We’ll all be a hot mess by this afternoon 🐴
Stormy is the height of fly-mask fashion:
It’s supposed to be 95 this afternoon!
I’m staying in the shade,
And so are the ducks.
Rose, RC and Jewel will do their grazing while it’s still in the 80’s. 🐎
This and that, on a hot Saturday morning 🐴
What’s that lurking in the grass?
Oh, it’s Evil Cat waiting to be fed:
Iris’s new stall will get a new gate; but for now, she’s having her meals in it (where I can’t “help” her eat):
And Ann and Mary are riding Jewel and Rose:
I’m glad I’m too small to be ridden. 🐴
My BFF Marian visits! 🐴
Yesterday, I had a nice chat with my friend Marian:
And we had our first bat-check of the year:
Today, Mary and Stormy checked out a flashy new show saddle:
And Rose got a ride in the shade of the new arena:
No more hot sun beating down on us! 🐎
Jewel comes home for good 🐎
Jewel won’t be at “boarding school” anymore!
She’ll have Stormy’s stall next to Rose, who’s in Iris’s stall. Iris and Stormy will get new stalls. Here she is meeting Rose:
Here she is getting a fly mask:
Rose has her fly mask, too:
Watch a happy-to-be-home Jewel prance around Rose:
Iris will be happy when she gets to eat in peace 🐎
Iris will be happy when she gets her stall back from Rose (which should be soon). She’d rather eat out of her pan than a bucket.
She has to eat out of a bucket for now, because if she eats from a dish on the ground, I’m afraid I steal the treats in her food.
Oh, and our building is all done, except for the gutters and the electricity.
And we have daisies! 🐴
Rainy, cool Monday 😺
It’s a typical Monday: Schrödinger is in the middle of the road:
And Kanna and Finn are eating corn:
As we said—a typical Monday! 😺
Cloudy, cool Sunday 🐴
Baldy is confined to the garage today:
That’s so Hansel and Gretel can enjoy the day outside the coop, without the risk of a rooster-fight:
And RC and Chezzie will spend the day with Rose:
She had spent a few days with the whole herd, but Misty has been picking at her lately. 🐎
Schroeder defends his breakfast 🙀
The “horse cathedral” is almost done!
Oh, and the ducks (as usual) raid the cats’ breakfast:
We have a movie to follow, where Schrödinger fends off these two, but, as you’ll see, they come back with reinforcements!
Watch at the 0:55 and 1:40 marks, and you’ll see Schroeder bat away these bossy birds:
Slow news day 🐴
We’re out in the field again today:
There’s more grass in the far pasture than even we can eat! 🐎
Rose joins the herd 🐎
Our new building should be finished by next Monday:
And Rose is now out with the whole herd:
She’s borrowing Iris’s blue fly coat:
Those nasty buffalo gnats bother her more than the rest of us. 🐎
Henry gets a massage 🐎
We’re getting our roof:
Rose will spend today with Charlie:
And Mary brushed away Henry’s loose hair:
He looks like a sheared sheep! 🐑
Will we ever dry out? 😾
Despite the rain, the new building keeps getting built:
I was finishing Misty’s breakfast, but some joker closed the door on me:
And here’s Rose, watching the horses head down to the far pasture:
See you later, Rose:
You and RC have a nice day! 🐴
Work continues 🐴
It looks like the new building is ready for its aluminum panels:
Maybe some of these panels will be up by this afternoon:
Noodle will keep an eye on things for us:
All the cats are Deputy Security Chiefs. 😺
The indignities of being a cat in Duck World 🙀
Rose will spend the day with RC again. 🐎
Finn, Kanna and Pumpkin must put up with the ducks raiding their food pan. 🙀
Even Evil Cat can’t scare them off! 😾
Ferdinand will sneak a nip from anybody’s breakfast. 😾
Cold and wet weather is back 😾
It was only 48 this morning, and it rained all night. The builders have the weekend off, so the ducks invade the new building:
They’re finding lots of worms.
Rose is in the front pasture this morning:
She’s sharing it with RC:
He kicked at her a little, at first, but they’re friends now. 🐎
Rain is moving in 🐴
Rose spent a little time with Chezzie this morning:
But I’ll still spend the whole day with her:
Tomorrow, maybe we’ll introduce her to RC. 🐎
Rose makes herself at home 🐎
Work continues on the new building:
There’s a lot of activity and noise:
Nobody can get any sleep 😾:
I’ll be keeping Rose company today:
But first thing this morning, Mary took her for a little ride:
Rose is a very well-trained pony! 🐎
And Mary is a very well-trained rider! 🐴
Welcome home Rose! 🐎
Introducing our newest addition to the family, Rose!
Rose is a pretty little red-roan-colored pony. In fact, today is her birthday—she’s 5! 🐎
Here we are welcoming her to the farm:
And here is our friend, Julia, who made her a “welcome home” poster:
Rose seems very interested in what Julia’s reading:
What a pair of lovely girls!
We’ll do our best to make you happy here, Rose! 🐴
The new building is taking shape 🐴
Iris is sporting a new fly coat:
All she needs is her fly mask, and she’ll be fly-proof! 🐎 Oh, and the roof trusses of the riding arena are going up!
The swallows are already planning to move in! 🐦
Sorry, swallows—you’ll have to wait a week or two more. 🐴
Fowl deeds 🐦 🐓
The swallows take a break from nest building:
And Baldy, you picked one heck of a place to take a dust bath:
Hair yesterday, gone today 🐴
This morning, Mary rode Stormy, Mara rode Iris, and Cheyanne rode Charlie (which was a special treat for Charlie)! 🐎
Oh, and see this hair?
It used to be on me! 🐴
It makes me look slimmer, don’t you think? 🐴
The Builders have the weekend off 🐴
All the poles are up, and so are two tulips (in front):
Here’s a happy Ukie, running out to the far pasture:
She’s even happy when she’s tied up:
And Hansel and Gretel have a dust bath:
What a nice Cinco de Mayo! 🐴
We’re always prettiest when we’re running 🐴
Here we are, running in from the far pasture:
Oh, and construction of the new building continues:
Almost all the poles are up.
Watching all that running and hard work is wearing me out. 🐴
Poultry problems 🐴
Work has started on the riding arena!
This sign should keep everyone out of the work area!
But, of course, the ducks can’t read:
The anconas and Welsh harlequins had a big problem: The construction workers put up a bright green string to mark the dimensions of the building:
We’re not sure what it is about green string, but these birds refused to go under, over, or near it!
These dumb bunnies had to be chased out (leaving the cat-cops with very muddy boots). 
You guys are sequestered until construction is over! 🐴
Tuesday was Francis Appreciation Day! 🐴
—and Iris wonders why her tail is always a mess:
As for me, I wasn’t myself yesterday morning:
But I felt better that afternoon, after Mary gave me a tea-tree oil shampoo:
She also gave Iris a treatment for her wrecked tail:
And Stormy got a tail-whitening rinse:
Spa days are great!
And while we were drying out, we grazed in the yard:
Please don’t be jealous, guys:
You’ll be taken care of next! 🐎
Warm and windy 🐴
Tux visited us yesterday:
And the roof trusses came for the new building:
Speaking of the new building, Mary walked Stormy around the “floor”:
When the building is done, we’ll be able to ride, rain or shine! 🐎