FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/22/2026
84 degree morning! 🐴
What is that spot on the wall? 🐴
Oh, it’s a baby bat! 🦇
You better stay on that wall until your mother comes, baby bat! 🐴
Did someone say, Baby bat? 😺
Hot Friday 🐴
We’re waiting for breakfast, and we’re grumpy because we know it’ll be hot today:
Henry already has a little sweat around his eyes:
On the plus side, everyone’s fly masks were washed last night, so they’ll at least be dry and fresh. 🐎
I think I’ll spend the day by the blower. 🐴
Hot weather is back 🐴
Q: What is this?
A: It’s the last thing a worm sees!
Now let's watch a video of the ducklings cleaning up in the big pool:
Birds and Burrs 🐦
Here’s one of the swallows feeding its young:
She’s got to fly away and get more food:
Oh, and what’s the deal with Schrödinger?
I don’t know what kind of weeds you’ve been running through. . . 🐴
But look at all those burrs! 🙀
Ukie visits 🐺
Don’t you just hate it when someone stops in front of you for no good reason? 🐴
Oh, and Ukie visited the farm. Here she is saying hello to Rose:
And here’s Mary and Rose doing—I’m not sure what:
🐴
Fowl deeds 🐦
Here we have three baby swallows in one of the many nests this year:
A starling picks up a duck feather for her nest:
And the ducks are eating mealworms and enjoying all the water:
Here’s a video (there’s a break in the movie at the 43 second mark because we had to break up a duck fight between Patrick and Pooter):
Horse Crime! 🐎
Poor Jewel has a bite on her butt:
The perpetrator was Stormy:
He’s very sorry (sorry he got caught). 🐎
Don’t worry Jewel—your hair will grow back and you won’t have a scar. 🐴
Sunny and not too hot 🐴
Here’s our Bill, lunging Jewel:
It’s nice to run around, just to let off steam. 🐎
Afterwards, the ducks go lunging after some mealworms!
🐴
Drizzly Friday 🐴
Stormy raids the food bucket:
And I knocked down Stormy’s food dish:
The whole stable is having a “bad hair” day. 🐴
Will it ever stop raining? 🐴
The clouds keep rolling in:
But yesterday, it was dry enough for two lovely little visitors to sit on the grass with the baby ducks:
Baby ducks are cute, but. . .
Baby people are adorable, especially this precious pair! 🐴
A rare sighting 🐰
This morning, among all the rain, we saw a rabbit 🐇:
We don’t see too many bunnies at the farm 🐇:
That’s because we see too many kitties! 😺
Horses are way more trouble than cats or ducks 🐴
Stormy, Iris and Misty are out in the front pasture by themselves, while the rest of the horses share the far pasture with Jewel and Rose:
These three are the worst for biting and kicking the new girls.
The ducks got used to the new ducklings in no time:
And if a cat doesn’t like another cat, they just take a break and find some place to be by themselves:
But horses take a long time to welcome newcomers into the herd. 🐎
Peaceful duck and horse coexistence 🐴
The baby ducks are getting along with the other ducks just fine:
And this morning, horse-wise, Chavez will keep Rose and Jewel company, while the rest of us are in the front pasture:
Oh, and here are the baby ducks doing synchronized leg stretches:
I wonder if they are doing aerobics or Pilates? 🐴
Horse high jinks 🐎
With the baby ducks garnering all the attention,
Charlie and Chezzie decide to protest by refusing to leave the stable!
Their “strike” was settled when the cat-cops agreed to deliver extra hay for breakfast. 🐎
80 degree morning 🐴
I am going to spend all day parked in front of this fan:
The baby ducks are spending the day outside:
They are meeting the other ducks,
And staying cool in the pool. 🐴
Oh, great, more buzzards 🐴
Someone left 4 domestic ducklings with a nice lady who rehabilitates wildlife. She couldn’t keep them because the animals she rehabilitates include coyotes and raccoons, who can’t be trusted with baby ducks. 🐴
So, since this place has never seen a baby duck it didn’t like, the duck population has gone from 14 to 18. 🐴
Below is a video of them wolfing down mealworms. 🐴
We’re not exactly sure what breed the darker ducklings are, but they might be rouens. Of course, if you ask me:
I don’t care—it’s just 4 more buzzards to delay my breakfast! 🐴
Cat capers and duck doings 😺
Ferdinand enjoys some quiet time in the bushes:
And Noodle has a drink from a duck pool:
Around here, you have to be quick to catch duck water while it’s clean. 😾
Sunny and drier today 🐴
Here we are heading out to the far pasture:
You’d think this bunch could manage their way around fence post:
At least Henry has it figured out:
Here I am bringing up the rear:
Let’s hope it stays cooler today. 🐴
Cloudy humid Tuesday 🐎
We’re out in the field as usual:
The swallows are gossiping on the fence:
And we had a visit from Tux:
Have some breakfast, Tux!
😺
Slow news Monday 😺
Not much going on today.
Kanna and Finn visit the ducks,
before having chicken eggs for breakfast. 😺
Wet Sunday morning 🐴
Iris is rocking her new braids:
And Henry is looking as bright-eyed as a colt this morning:
Jewel and Rose are going to a show, so we’re in the front pasture:
Let’s pay a visit to the unsung heroes of the farm—the goldfish at the bottom of the horse tanks!
They keep the mosquito population down by eating the larvae! 🐟
We’re having our hooves done today 🐴
The farrier is here today,
So I’m eating grass while the gate’s open. 🐎
Superstorm Francis 🐴
The bats knew rain was coming, even last night:
This morning it was so rainy and windy we just didn’t know what to do:
We didn’t want to go outside:
The rain was blowing in the door so hard, we were getting wet wherever we stood:
I’m trying to stay out of everyone’s way:
Here’s a little video of the rain blowing in on us:
But it finally let up. Today we’ll spend the day in the front pasture, and let Jewel and Rose run around in the paddock:
Warm Thursday morning 🐴
Stormy demonstrates what happens when hay is left unattended:
Meanwhile, Noodle is keeping me company during breakfast:
Noodle does important work:
He keeps our empty supplement wrappers from blowing away. 😺
Everybody works at the farm 🐴
Evil Cat is in charge of minding the ducks this morning:
Like all the other cats, he gives up:
Rose is by herself in the front pasture (where are RC and Jewel?).
RC sneaked off to the far pasture,
(after a refreshing drink).
And Jewel is getting ready for a ride. 🐎
Cat Patrol 😺
Schroeder is still half-asleep this morning:
Until Stormy gets gates to his stall, Noodle is in charge of keeping him in it:
Noodle does a great job (as long as there’s food in Stormy’s dish). 😺
Good help is hard to find 🐴
We expect the gate to the far pasture to be open by the time we finish breakfast:
If you could see under their fly masks,
you’d see Stormy and Iris giving dirty looks.
As for me, I’m just going to sit down until we get some service. 🐴
Cool Sunday morning 😺
Schrödinger lounges in the middle of the new building:
“This will make a great litter box!” 😺
Finally, it’s a little cooler 🐴
Yesterday was very hot, as evident by the bats being out early:
But this morning it was nice and cool!
Finn is keeping warm by snuggling in our fly masks. 😺
Wet Noodle 😾
Noodle is back from the vet, and he’ll be ok. 😺
But we don’t know why he’s all wet this morning. 😺
The horses are eating in the newly-mowed front pasture. 🐎
As for me, I’m staying out of this hot sun. 🐴