FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2026
Dunkin’ Dukie! 🐎
We need some serious weed-whacking, don’t we?
Betty would say Good morning, but she’s not quite awake yet:
Dukie and Sophie are waiting patiently while chores are done:
Finally, Ann asked Dukie if she’d like a drink:
But Ann didn’t say, “Jump in!” 🙀
I feel free! 🐴
Travis is here today doing our hooves; so I have the run of the yard:
Sophie and Dukie are here, but they’re in the house now. They wouldn’t like the noise Travis makes when he nails on Stormy, Misty, Rose, or Jewel’s shoes:
Other than that, the baby swallows are ready to leave the nest:
They are almost full-grown. 🐦
Wake up, Onslow! 😺
It’s a slow-news morning. But it’s cooler today, and dry:
Good morning, Sophie! We’re always happy to see you!
And look at you, Onslow!
A big s-t-r-e-t-c-h will help you wake up! 😺
Let’s catch up on a movie! 😺
Hmm, we have a woolly bear caterpillar this morning. Did you know that there are two generations of woolly bears each year? One in June through July, and one in late autumn:
Of course, there is only one Stormy. He’s in trouble this morning because he broke the chain to his stall:
Well, now you’ve got a tougher chain, Stormy. But don’t worry, we’ll let you out if you promise to take it easy on the gate. 🐎
Let’s go from horse crime to cat crime:
Kitties should not be cross with each other! 😾
June bug in July! 😺
Dukie says, “Good morning!”
Look at this pretty June bug:
I’m having breakfast with the chickens:
I’m having alfalfa pellets—and they’re having an “all-natural” breakfast of worms and bugs! 🐔
Two good things (and one, not-so-good) 🐎
We have sweet-smelling fly masks, fresh from the washer!
And cold, crisp carrots!
Misty says, “Yummy-yum!”
Iris was scratching her butt this morning, and knocked her door down:
Don’t worry, Iris: the cat-cops put it back up easily! 😺
A bunny says, “Good morning!” 🐰
Hello, little rabbit. You better stay away from the kitties, and keep an eye out for hawks. It’s not safe for a bunny to be out in the open!
As a matter of fact, I would even avoid the chickens if they are looking especially hungry:
I hope you aren’t looking for carrots, Mr. Bunny:
I’m afraid we’ve eaten them all! 🐴
Oh that Chavez! 🐎
Chezzie lost his mask yesterday:
It was found this morning, way out in the far pasture:
Try not to lose it again, Chezzie, at least so fast:
It’s a brand new mask! 🐎
Oh no! “Storm damage!” 😿
Jewel’s all by herself this morning, finishing her breakfast. Mary and Mara were going to take her and Rose to a show, but not now:
Oh no, Jewel! What happened? Where did all those bruises and cuts (treated with white medicine) come from?
Well, a nasty storm blew through at midnight, and Rose must have gotten scared by the lightning. She panicked and started kicking. She even lost a shoe!
You can see that Rose is very ashamed of herself. Jewel forgives you Rose; we all know you didn’t mean to. 🐎
A gift for me! 🐴
Misty and Stormy say, “Hello! Let’s have breakfast!”
And look at me! I got a brand-new mask!
Mary and Mara were shopping, Mara noticed it—it was “yearling” size—and said, “Francis has to have it!” It’s so rare to find a mask small enough for my delicate dimensions:
I’m ready to go! What a wonderful gift! 🐎
Kitty capers 😺 and horse happenings! 🐎
Ok, Schrödinger and Alfred, no fighting at breakfast. I know you’re grumpy because you’re hungry; but there’s no excuse for fighting (Don’t worry, a cat-cop broke it up):
Jewel is on lockdown this morning. She has to be readily available, because our friend Travis is coming to replace a shoe that she lost yesterday:
I’m enjoying the front pasture today with Iris and Rose:
And there’s sparkling fresh water everywhere, but Onslow is drinking dirty chicken water before the cat-cops have had time to change it!
Yuck! 😾
Spray those flies! 🐎
Good morning! I have a smile just for you!
Let’s wake up and feed those birds!
And spray those horses!
Bye, flies (for a few hours at least). 🐎
We wage chemical warfare on flies! 🐴
Onslow is getting dive-bombed by a disgruntled swallow:
Excuse my yawning; it’s still early:
Anyway, last night, I accidentally-on-purpose lost my fly mask. So this morning I’m wearing a “roll-on” mask!
It doesn’t cover as much as my real mask:
But it does help keep the flies off the eyes! 🐴
New arrival! 🐴
I hear a bunch of truck noises, so something’s happening on the other side of the hay barn:
Oh! The new chicken coop everyone’s been talking about has finally arrived!
It’s painted the same color as the house!
It has a little chicken door:
Say goodbye to under the hay barn, chickens:
Your getting a new home! 🐔
Something new on the menu 🐔
Good morning!
Iris is all masked up, and ready to spend the day in the front pasture with Chavez!
What do you see, Betty?
Oh! The chicks are eating cucumbers!
They seem to be loving them! 🥒
A day of Discoveries!
What are you looking at, Onslow?
Oh my goodness! It’s a baby red bat! We’ve never seen one here at the farm before!
We’re glad whoever dragged it in didn’t eat it. Don’t worry, a cat-cop kicked it away then disposed of it (but it is something that we’ve never seen a red bat here before):
Other than that, the chicks are discovering the front pasture. It’s another wet day, so there are more bugs and worms than they can eat!
And sometimes, Buttons is late or absent for breakfast. Where does she go?
Oh! She’s on the old boat trailer in back of the feed shed:
Now the cat-cops know where to look for you! All kitties should eat breakfast, just like horses, chickens, ducks, and donkeys! 🐴
It’s raining, it’s pouring, it’s Friday 🐎
This toad would say, “Good morning!” But it can’t, because it’s a TOAD:
It’s a very wet morning, so I’m staying dry:
But apparently some of us don’t have sense enough to come in out of the rain (I’m looking at you, Jewel):
The chicks, however, have sense enough to go out in the rain—they know the rain brings delicious worms!
But they must learn to look for worms on their own property! Just look at these two miscreants trying to go into the neighbor’s yard!
Thank goodness our fence prevented them from committing a “chicken crime!” 🐔
More Fowl Deeds 🐓
Oh boy, what are those chicks up to today?
They are getting braver all the time. Here they are, by the hay barn steps:
Once one decides to go in the door, they’ll all be in there!
And Hansel is looking for the hens:
“We’re in RC’s stall, Hansel!”
“Time for a dustbath!”
Fowl deeds 🐴
What are these ducks doing here? It’s not that they're not welcome, it’s just unusual to see them out of their pen. I think it’s because our friend Officer Mike was helping us trim the grass, and the mower noises scared them up here:
Oh! Look at the wonderful job Mary and Mara did straightening up our feed cabinet:
My paddock is already filling up with chickens. There are a lot of bugs in the weeds, mud and manure:
They knocked over the “perching fence” overnight:
Luckily these birds are fast, so no one so far (thank heavens) has been caught underneath. 🐔
Changing of the guard in the chicken coop 😺
It’s nice and crisp today; I think I’m only standing in the shade out of habit:
Jewel says, “Good morning!”
The birds are lining up to be let out:
Onslow is waiting to be let in:
He loves his spot in the coop:
It’s breezy! 😺
Let’s do something fun on this rainy morning! 🐎
Here I am at the Arch of Constantine (remember, I visited Italy last month). Constantine was the first Christian emperor:
The Arch was right next to the Colosseum:
What fun I had! 🐴
Finally, let’s watch the latest video!
The chicks are 3 months old! 🐔
Sunny, pleasant Sunday! 😺
What’s going on here?
Mary and Mara are taking Stormy and Jewel for a ride:
We’re all saddled up and ready to go! 🐎
The chicken coop gets some remodeling 🐔
Rose gets a breakfast carrot:
And so does Iris:
Hey, “catering,” hurry up with ours!
Percy and Ferdinand get some extra space added to their pen, and lots of fresh and fragrant cedar chips:
The chicks have been too big for their pen for quite a while, so it was set on its side, making a “jungle gym” for chickens!
And who’s already at the top?
Onslow, of course! 😺
Who says chickens can’t fly? 🐔
Good morning! I’m masked up (of course!) and ready to head out:
Lucky Calla and Dukie—they can stay in an air conditioned and fly-free (pretty much) house:
The chicks are three months old now, and we don’t have a fence high enough to contain them:
Chickens may not be able to fly very far from here to there; but they are great fliers when it comes to up and down! 🐔
Dogs 🐝 silly! 🐴
You’ll notice our friend Mara (Iris’s “mommy”) is helping with breakfast this morning:
Oh no! I have a bump on my leg. Ann will look at it tonight:
The horses can’t decide what to do with themselves this morning, so they’re just standing around:
Finally, let’s watch Mara’s dog Nixie have fun in a kiddie pool:
What a funny doggie! 🐎
Hot, hot Tuesday! 🙀
Stormy is especially relishing his carrot:
And so are RC and the rest of us. Those carrots are cold from the refrigerator:
Rose and Iris are waiting for their carrots, too; having spent the night under the hay barn:
And here are three baby swallows:
They are big enough to fly, and they’ll have to, soon. It’s going to be close to 100℉ today, and it will be too hot to roost near the roof:
It’s fly or fry! 🐦
Smiley cat 😺
We’re about to have a rainstorm. I better eat my breakfast before it gets soggy:
Oh no! Has this hen gone to chicken heaven? 😿
No, thank goodness! It’s just Petra taking a dust bath:
Evil cat has a piece of grass on his evil nose (don’t worry, the cat-cops took it off):
And look at Betty!
She looks like she’s smiling! 😺
Discontented cat 😾
Onslow doesn’t like chicken-sitting:
All that peeping and clucking keeps him awake:
And I lost this mask on Friday:
So I’m wearing my “spare” today:
How do I look? 🐴
The sun shines on the olive-eggers and the ducks! 🐴
Good morning! Do you see the swallow above my head?
This olive-egger will spend a little time outside, trying to pick up a stray bug or worm:
If she can’t find anything. . .
She can always join Ferdinand and Percy for corn and mealworms! 🐔
Bad cat behavior 😾
Iris says, “Good morning!” from under the hay barn:
And so does Rose:
Alfred is curling his tail:
We know what that means: Onslow is trying to pick a fight with him:
Be a good kitty, Onslow! 🙀