FRANCIS'S BLOG 02/07/25
A night without rain! 🐴
Maybe another day of dry weather will get us back in the far pasture.The pekins are on lock down until they promise to stay on their own property.
Except these two. . .
They “flew the coop.” 🐴
More storms overnight, more mud this morning, and more fowl deeds 🐴
We’re having pekin problems:The first thing they did this morning was cross the road.
They will spend the rest of the day on lock down! Now, Patrick is where he’s supposed to be:
He’s enjoying the new clean water in the big pool. Finally, why is Iris eating over here?
Well, she got “stuck” on the other side of Stormy, and didn’t want to walk around the stable.
Next time, Stormy, just move your butt. 🐎
Electrical storms all night and now a drizzly morning 😾
I’m helping myself to the breakfast victuals:Betty and Onslow are looking as pitiful as possible in order to help their breakfast along:
Jewel and Rose have some grass before they get let in the front pasture:
The rest of us have to busy ourselves by checking out each others’ stalls:
Finally, look at this carp Bill caught in England:
Please don’t bring that thing home! 🐴
Mea Culpa 🐴
I’m afraid I’ve been a bit of a “pill” this morning.Even though I was pushed and pulled, I refused to go out to the front pasture. And then, I chased Rose and Jewel away from their hay. I regret my decision:
Everyone seems to be having a good time,
and Rose and Jewel are out in the far pasture. Since it hasn’t been grazed upon in over a week, they’ve got a lot to eat.
Meanwhile, Ann and family are in England. Here’s a little video of their trip in a canal boat at Cambridge:
They also met a highly educated, Cambridge duck:Professor I. M. Quacken.
For once, chores were done before it started pouring 🐴
Betty and Onslow have a tussle before breakfast:Then Onslow has a nice stretch:
We got a break from the stable today!
We’ll let Rose and Jewel have the run of things:
Where are Iris and Stormy?
Mara and Cheyanne are getting them ready for a ride. 🐎
The rain keeps coming 🐴
The ducks are in the front pasture. We’re glad somebody’s happy.Iris is joining Rose and Jewel today.
The rest of us are just hanging around the stable.
🐴
We’re having a deluge for breakfast 🐴
It may look pleasant enough in here, but outside it’s pouring, and the pounding of the rain is deafening:
Mercifully it’s letting up, but it just means more water and mud. Here we have a newly formed rivulet running down the hill:It’s emptying into the creek, making a waterfall. We hope you’ll notice it in our movie:
Tadpoles by the ton! 🐸
This morning, it’s muddy and miserable (again). Stormy and Iris comfort each other by mutual grooming:But it was sunny for a while yesterday afternoon, and we got a chance to check out all the puddles. It looks like we’ll have a lot of toads (we think they are toad tadpoles, not frog):
Let’s watch a movie of them in action:
We wish we knew what those “swimming grains of sand” were. 🐴
It’s May 23, and Stormy is 15 today! Happy Birthday, Stormy! 🐎
We have a field of clover in back of the riding arena:It looks delicious, and we hope it will bloom:
The swallows have plenty of mud for their nests:
Since the path to the far pasture is too sloppy, we’re in the front pasture:
Rose and Jewel have the run of the place:
Hopefully they’ll stay in the stable and out of the mud. 🐴
Finally, a sunny morning 🐴
It’s sunny and warm this morning, but there’s going to be mud for a week!Baldy tries some horse food (he doesn’t much care for it). 🐓
A duck gets fluffy-clean.
And I’m carting around Onslow. 🐴
Gloomy, drizzly Tuesday 😾
Finn is half asleep on our hay:Betty and Onslow say, “Today’s a good day to get locked in the feed shed.”
This morning, most of us were already in the far pasture and had to be called in for breakfast. Watch Iris slide in the mud (just a little) at the 5 second mark:
Lucky Stormy 🐎
Stormy gets a ride this morning:Chezzie and I are still waking up:
And Betty and Onslow go after the birds on their own turf:
Kitties up a tree! 😺
It’s nice that the rain let up for breakfast 🐴
Henry felt a little achy in his joints this morning, so he got a pain pill. Right now he’s just standing around enjoying the refreshing breeze:It’s just hot enough to make the wind enjoyable:
Jewel and Rose are already in the front pasture, munching down dandelions:
Let’s see how the new kittens are doing!Like all babies, Boots falls asleep after being fed her bottle.
And the little black kitty (I guess his name will be “Panther”) meets the big black kitty (Salem).
Finally, let’s listen to Panther purring away in dreamland:
😺
Well, it started out sunny. . . 🙀
Here’s a security cam picture of us enjoying the nice bit of sunshine before the rain started again:Oh, and here is a picture of a tree frog from last week:
Anyway, rain or not, Rose and Jewel are spending the day in the front pasture. If it gets too bad they can take shelter under the barn.
The swallows are hard at work reinforcing their old nests (with mud) or building new ones:
Finally, here I am helping myself to Jewel’s leftovers:
Believe me, she doesn’t leave much over. 🐴
Rainy day with scary lightning 🐎
Kanna and Pumpkin take shelter. It’s going to be a day full of grumpy cats and horses:We’re all huddled inside:
Chezzie’s a little slow this morning, so he’ll get a pain pill:
Only Betty braved the rain and made it to the stable:
I certainly hope the rain lets up. It’s just too dark in here.
I hate eating breakfast under fluorescent lights. 🐴
Tiny kitty capers 😺
It’s nice and warm this morning, but rain is on its way:The new kittens stopped off at the farm on their way back from the vet. As you recall, they’re staying with Ann in East Moline until they’re big enough for the tack room. Here’s “Boots” on the kitchen floor:
She then went back to the carrier and was soon asleep:
Let’s watch the boy kitty (no name yet) explore the concept of cat litter, before he takes a nap, too:
Cute little snuggler! 😺
Sunny Wednesday 🐴
We have pretty violets that we hope will cover the bare spaces in the yard:Oh, and here is your classic “David (Finn) versus Goliath” moment:
The outcome was not exactly “Biblical”:
Goliath 😾 got distracted and David got away. 🐭
Another nice day 🐴
Get off the road, Schroeder!You’re contributing to the delinquency of a kitten!
Here’s Stormy doing some serious butt-scratching:
Other than that, we’re out in the pasture as usual:
It’s another nice day for grazing. 🐎
Sunny Monday 🐴
What a lovely morning! Don’t I look lovely too?Last night Betty and Onslow got locked in the feed shed:
In retaliation, they left a big poopie where it could easily be stepped in. 😺
Tiny, tiny kitties 😺
Some good friends of the farm found two abandoned kittens while camping:They are so little, they still need to be hand-fed:
They’ll also need to stay at Ann’s house until they can eat dry food. Then they’ll stay in the tack room (the “half-way house” for new farm cats). 😺
Don’t worry, baby cats, you’ll have a good life at the farm. 😺
Of course, with more cats to feed, my breakfast will be a little later. But I understand—new family members must be made welcome. 🐴
Gloomy Saturday 🐴
It’s raining off and on, but not enough to keep us inside:Kanna hasn’t woken up yet:
Pumpkin is all by herself at breakfast:
The other cats are having some canned food:
Finally, Danny Fairbrass and Patrick are on lockdown with the mallards this morning. Why?
They chased Edina into the fence and got her neck twisted up in it.
Poor Edina. We’re glad she’ll be ok. 🐴
Cats: 2, Birds: 0 😺
Betty’s stalking practice has paid off:She finally got a sparrow (which she seems to be enjoying no-end):
And Finn caught a swallow:
Finn has really worked over this poor bird:
But even though he looks thoroughly mangled, he got away and off he flew!
That bird will think twice about dive-bombing Finn again. 🐴
I earn my keep 🐴
Here I am trimming the grass last Tuesday night:This morning, I had breakfast where I could keep an eye on the highway:
Henry was content to have breakfast in his usual place:
And so was Iris:
Betty is trying to supplement her breakfast:
But those sparrows are just too quick! 🐦
Downpour during breakfast 🐴
We’re eating hay in the stable this morning:Henry and Charlie found flakes all for themselves:
Misty and Stormy are sharing:
And so are Chavez and Iris:
Schrödinger laps up some rain water:
Since these ducks ran across the street, they are on lockdown for duck crime:
You’ll notice that Betty is keeping an eye on the miscreants. It’s her day for “duck duty!” 😺
Lazy kitties 😺
Lazy Onslow:Lazy Finn and Betty:
Lazy Onslow and Schroeder have a lazy cat fight:
(We all know nobody really fights on the farm—they just play fight.) 😺
Normal Monday morning 🐴
Peek-a-boo!Not too much going on. . .
The cats are having breakfast. . .
Somebody killed a mole. Oh, and while you can’t really tell it in this picture, Baldy has just wolfed down a wolf spider:
Finally, we’re glad our well water is at last clearing up:
All the recent rain had made it so muddy. 😾
Sunny Sunday 🐴
The swallows are back in the stable:Charlie is keeping Jewel company this morning, since Rose and Iris are at a show with Mary and Mara. Here’s Chezzie “helping” Charlie eat her hay:
Here’s a redwing blackbird, stopping by for some leftover corn:
Finally, it’s only 9:30, but the ducks are already hunkered down for a long day of sleeping:
Don’t work too hard, ducks! 🐴
A lovely, sunny Saturday (but it’s still muddy) 🐴
The leaves are green and tender:Onslow discovers a mole hole:
Here I am visiting with Betty:
Oh, and here’s Betty again. . .
What’s holding her up? 😺
Finally, a sunny morning! 🐴
Betty is looking up at the blue sky:The ducks are enjoying a bath:
RC, Stormy, and I are having some store-bought alfalfa:
Then, we headed out to pasture:
The line forms at my rear! 🐴
Misty Tuesday 🐴
Pumpkin contemplates her reflection:It looks like Finn’s going to cause Onslow trouble—so he’s “calling for backup.”
“Let’s get her, Betty!”
Oh, and this was found in front of the garage this morning. It could only have been put there by one of the cats:
Think of that the next time you let a cat kiss you. 😾
Muddy, messy, Mayday 🐴
I’m the only good one this morning:Rose’s food door was knocked down, and Misty’s stall door was mysteriously opened overnight:
On the plus side, it’s not raining, so Rose and Jewel can spend the day outside:
The ducks are keeping them company:
Finally, we have apple blossoms:
Onslow thinks they’re pretty, too. 😺