FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/19/2026
Carrots are a great after-breakfast treat! 🐎
Buttons poses under the salt lick:
Iris is scratching her butt:
Hey! That’s cold!
Get these carrots off my back. . .
And get them into our tummies! 🐴
Good job, Mary! 🐎
Wake up, Buttons! Let’s go see what the horses have done today!
If you remember from yesterday, the horses tore up this fence:
The fence was put in place to protect the feed cabinet that they tore up that morning. Anyway, our Mary replaced the fence with something a little stronger:
And it survived the night without a scratch! Not only that, Mary replaced these stall doors:
Oh, didn’t we mention that Rose tore these down yesterday?
It was a busy day of destruction. 😾
Finally, let’s watch Jewel (1) scare a ground squirrel, and (2) knock out a field camera:
🐎
What are you trying to tell us, horses? 🐎
If you remember from yesterday, the horses tore off the doors of the supply cabinet:
So our Bill and Mary repaired it as well as possible, and put up a piece of fence to keep the hoofed vandals away until we can think of something more permanent:
Anyway, overnight, somebody (some horse body) let “management” know that they weren’t finished with it yet:
The fence held up, but just barely:
It must be the hot weather, or something. 🙀
Horrible horses! 🐎
Just look at what the cat-cops had waiting for them this morning!
How on earth did Stormy and Iris manage to tear down these doors?
I certainly had nothing to do it!
Unbelievably, Bill and Mary got the doors put back, but the shed won’t be the same:
So now they’ve put up an extra barrier:Behave yourselves, horses!
My breakfast was late! All because of you! 🐴
Don’t worry, Jewel’s ok. 🐎
What’s this? Poor Jewel has caught her hoof in the fence. I’m doing my best to comfort her until help comes:
One of the wires has slid under her horseshoe:
We reviewed the security camera, and luckily she was only caught for about 3 minutes (we’re so lucky she didn’t do this at six o’clock last night)! Uncle Bud cut the wire and her shoe went back in place. Mary will check it out tonight.
You’re spending tonight in your stall, Jewel!
Rescue 911 🙀
Two baby swallows were found in Stormy’s stall. Apparently, little birds, you couldn’t fly as well as you thought you could!
Luckily, the cats were distracted with breakfast!
Our Bill is putting them back in their nest:
Here they go. . .
Try to stay up there!
Good job, Bill! 😺
We have to rethink our fly control 🐴
Good morning, Miss Praying Mantis!
I'm trying another mask this morning. I conveniently “lost” my old one yesterday:
Security Chief Schrödinger is investigating this panel that fell off the garage. He says, “No foul play; no vandalism. You just need to nail it back up.”
Yesterday the new fly traps caught Chavez’s tail, and today they caught another one!
This time the victim is Stormy:
He didn’t lose as much tail as Chezzie did:
I hope the cat-cops get the message: either put them up higher or get rid of them! 🐎
Oh no! Chezzie, what’s in your tail? 🙀
After yesterday’s clouds and breeze, the heat is back with a vengeance!
Baldy is keeping cool in the hole he dug in the shade:
And what are you swinging around, Chavez?
Oh no! A fly trap has caught a pony!
No other remedy than to cut it out:
Don’t worry, Chezzie. . .
Mary, our chief horse tail “stylist,” will fix that cut! 😺
Slow news day 🐴
Not much going on this morning, except nasty clouds are moving in:
Oh, remember that baby bird?—that we rescued from the last Wednesday’s storm (that blew down a branch)?
We’re pretty sure that he’s going to be a cardinal!
He’s taking a nap now, with his head under his wing. We'll set him free, of course, when he’s gotten big enough to be on his own. 😺
Up in flames 🙀
Yesterday I refused to cross that green line in the dirt:
And our poor chicken coop just couldn’t hold up that branch any longer:
This morning, it’s leaning a little more. I wouldn’t lay there, Evil Cat:
Pumpkin has a drink, before the ducks take a bath in it:
We all know how the kitties love to play on the wood pile. . .
But today it went up in flames! 🙀
Sorry cats. All good things. . . 😾
Cloudy morning 🐎
I need to talk to “management:”
I’m getting lost in the weeds out here:
And we have Sophie, Calla, Nixey and Dukie with us this morning!
It’s a four-dog Saturday! 😺
Finally, let’s watch Rose and Jewel check out the new trailer!
🐎
No relief from the heat 😾
Peek-A-Boo!
RC says, “Oh, it’s going to be a hot one!”
The cats aren’t too unhappy, though. . .
They’re eating from a just-opened bag of food—so it’s fresh, dry, and tasty!
Let’s watch a little video of the birds getting let out in the morning:
Nothing special about it. It’s just a little diversion for a Friday. 😺
This can make any day a good day! 🐎
What could this picture mean?
Why, clean masks, of course!
Nothing like a cool, sweet smelling mask to brighten the morning:
I feel as fresh as this flower along the creek:
🐴
Look what we got! 🐴
Good morning!
Betty says Hello too:
Here’s Schrödinger, trying to get a jump on breakfast:
And look what arrived yesterday! 🙀
A shiny new horse trailer!
It can fit 3 horses!
It even has it’s own tack room!
We’ll keep it inside the riding arena for the time being:
It’s too beautiful for birds to poop on! 🐦
What would we do without Farmer Rich? 🐎
It’s time for the cat-cops to take a walk around the far pasture and look for fly masks. This one looks like Chezzie’s:
And this mask is mine:
You’ve seen me wearing it before:
And look at all the new, fresh hay stacked in the barn:
Farmer Rich and his helpers delivered it yesterday. They even brought us a new tire for the manure cart (the old one went flat):
What a great neighbor! 🐴
Dewy morning 😺
Drops of water are everywhere!
And the sun is out!
Here’s a better picture of the baby swallows we talked about yesterday:
Speaking of pictures, here are all our cats in the same shot:
And, speaking of cats, get your drink fast, Onslow:
You’re holding up the ducks’ bath time. 😾
That’s a lot of eggs 🐔
Don’t I look good in this picture? I’m feeling good, too; because it’s a cool, dewy morning:
The ducks say Hello:
Stormy and Iris are grooming each other:
The second clutch of swallows will be ready to fly soon:
And yesterday, someone laid 4 eggs:
That’s a lot of eggs from one chicken in one day. 🐔
Peeping bird 🐦
It almost qualifies as “cool” this morning, so we don’t mind standing out in the sun:
Finn is having a drink and looking at fish:
Security Chief Schroeder is checking our water: He declares that there is too much algae in it, and the cat-cops must change it by tonight!
The “orphan of the storm” is doing well:
Time to wake up and ask for breakfast!
Let’s listen to it in this video:
😺
Aftermath of the storm 🐓
Is it Friday already? It will be autumn before we know it:
One thing we will like about cooler weather: No more fly masks!
Heeeeee-hawwwww! 🐴
Anyway, let’s watch a video of the branch falling down last Wednesday. . .
And of the little bird we found on the ground. 🐎
Storms keep passing through 😾
It’s sunny right now, but it won’t be for long:
Clean up has begun on the branch that fell down yesterday:
Branches have been piled up, and wood has been stacked up:
This branch was a big chunk of the tree:
We hope the whole tree won’t have to be cut down. On a positive note, we found a baby among the mayhem:
We are feeding it, and hope it will be ok. 😺
Nasty hot weather brings nasty windy storm! 🙀
Finn was saying just the other day, “The only thing that will break this heatwave is a storm!”
She was right. I’m looking at it right now:
A branch blew down and squashed another chicken coop (Luckily the chickens spent last night in the other coop with the ducks):
But let’s look on the bright side. . .
The cats will have someplace to play. 😺
Hot, hot, hot! 😾
I think I’ll stay in the shade all day. It’s 82 degrees at 8 o’clock!
Today I wish I were a duck. . .
I would hop in my pool and stay there!
Oh, and here is a young swallow on the fence:
Watch out for those kitties, birdie! 🙀
Finally, let’s watch Mara and Mary work with Stormy!
Considering Stormy hasn’t been ridden in many months, everyone did very well! 🐎
Cloudy Monday 🐴
Yesterday afternoon, the security camera found RC keeping cool in front of the stable fans:
This morning is nice and breezy outside:
These chickens are enjoying the flies and other bugs on our poopies:
Nugget, however, would rather catch bugs on the grass:
To each chicken, their own. 🐔
Dukie visits the farm 🐎
Last night, Mara rode Stormy. He behaved very well, for a horse who hadn’t been ridden in months:
This morning, we have a very green grasshopper:
And Dukie visited the farm!
She checked on us:
And got to play with Sophie, Nixy and Calla!
What fun!
Oh! And a little earlier, here’s Rose laying down:
“Come on, Rose! It’s too early for a nap!”
“You’re right, Stormy, I’m up!” 🐎
Hot weather is coming back 😾
Onslow and Betty are “chilling” outside the duck garage this morning:
We’re out in the front pasture today, so we’re easy to grab:
Grab for what? Why, a ride, of course! Stormy is first:
And after a ride, there will be a bath! 🐎
Mask modeling 🐴
Betty and Onslow are chewing dead leaves on the brush pile. Why? Who knows!
I have two new masks to try on. What do you think?
It’s very funny. But—oh no!—it’s too small!
The straps won’t meet under my jaw:
This other mask was a little bigger:
It’s nice looking:
But—darn it!—it’s too small, too! The straps won’t meet unless it’s pulled way too tight:
Poor Ann—she went to all the trouble to measure me, too—but she’ll have to send these back and get a larger size. 😿
Clouds are moving in 🐎
Betty and Onslow pick the funniest placest to hang out. Here they are on some hoses in the riding arena:
We are still glowing from our visit from the school children:
After Mary showed them how to saddle-up Rose, she took her for a ride:
And Ann was so happy with my behavior,
She gave me a big kiss! 🐴
What a fun day with very nice children! 😺
Yesterday, I’m afraid we upset Betty. We needed to cut the grass, and she was taking a nap:
We had to get the yard ready for the guests we were having today. I’m even wearing ribbons!
Everything had to look nice for our visit from the children across the street at Geneseo Child Care:
Rose and I (and Mary and Ann) put on a show!
Our Mary told them all about saddles:
And I got lots of pets:What a good time! 🐎
Movie Time! 😺
The barn swallows are still with us:
Misty wants to know knocked down her door?
Don’t look at me, Misty. . .
I’m too short! 🐴
Finally, lets watch some new movies!
🐎
Keep those masks on! 🐴
I’ve got the yawns this morning:
Rose and Iris wonder why this car is parked in front of the gate (it’s delivering food):
Stormy is wearing a new mask this morning. He and Chavez both lost theirs last night:
The masks were found way out in the far pasture:
At least, now that the grass is cut, they were easier to see. 🐎
August already! 😺
Good morning. It seems like every day there’s a new discovery. . .
This morning we found a giant moth on a tree. It has “eyes” on its wings:
Other than that. . .
If you’re happy and you know it, raise your wing! 🐔