FRANCIS'S BLOG 08/22/2026
We’re grateful for our friends! 🐴
I’m attentively watching as our friend, Mike, is “escorting” practically all our weeds to the burn pile. I was beginning to think they would swallow us all:
I wish you wouldn't stick your head so far down in that hole, Luna. You might not be able to pull it out:
Good morning, “Dad.” Those two dots on your nose certainly set you apart:
RC is having breakfast in Stormy’s stall:
“A change is as good as a rest.” 🐎
Please stay well, our dear Dukie! ❤️
“Good morning! I’m keeping an eye on Dukie. She’s feeling and acting ok today, but in the middle of last night she had a scary seizure! We were all so upset when we heard😿, and aren’t letting her out of our sight!”
Oh, poor Dukie! We’re glad you’re watching her, Greg. Luckily she woke up the house, and Ann was there.
“Good heavens, Francis! I’ll make sure all the outdoor cats know, as we love her and the five dogs in our lives (Dukie, Sophie, Anya, Calla and Nixie ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️).”
Thanks, Marbles. You kitties can all help by staying on the farm and not going missing for days. “Management” can worry more about Dukie if they have to worry less about cats! 🐴
Moody me 🐴
Good morning! I’m afraid I’m “not making any friends today,” as the cat-cops are fond of saying:
I ignored my own food, and immediately went over to clean up RC’s spillage:
“Don’t worry, ‘catering,’ I’ll make sure Francis’s food won’t go to waste!”
No doubt, Stormy.
Anyway, time to wade through the weeds (I must admit there aren’t as many as there were before), and head to the front pasture:
And one of the three babies is in hiding…
I don’t think the cat-cops will ever give them names. They’re thinking of calling the gray ones “Thunder” amd “Lightning,” because Lightning has a white streak that runs up its left rear leg (not too imaginative if you ask me). 🐴
Oh no! 😿 We missed a very important day yesterday! 😾 (video)
Good morning! Did you get a nice new mask, Stormy?
“Good morning, everyone! No, Francis, it’s one of the three masks we horses accidentally-on-purpose lost behind the stable.”
Ann found them yesterday when she was tractering-down the weeds.
Anyway, you’ve got cat-food on your nose, Marbles. You were also very bad for being gone all day yesterday:
“Well, shut my beak! I can smell the meal worms in this box!”
You’re very perceptive, little Bard Rock. 🐴
“Good morning! Yesterday, August the 17th, was National Black Cat Appreciation Day! If I lived on the farm (instead of East Moline), I’d have made sure that Tyrus, Greg, and Eva knew it was a day to celebrate!” 😺
I just told Tyrus, Bruce. . .
I’ve never seen him so excited (ha-ha). 🐴
A little of this, and a little of that, and a lot of mud and weeds 🐴
Good morning! Look what I have for you, to cool you off—a beautiful moth in the shade, whiter than snow:
It’s still pretty hot, although it should mercifully stay in the 80’s:
There’s still mud everywhere, but becuase there won’t be any rain today, we’re back in our masks:
A few days ago Ann got out the big tractor and hacked down most of the monster weeds in the front pasture. Last Friday. . .
This morning. . .
But we still have to slog through mud and weeds to get out there:
Sigh. . . Anyway, breakfast is over, so Patches will wait here, and probably take a nap, until. . .
Dinner is served! 😺
Please don’t rain anymore today (and latest YouTube) 😿
Good muddy—I mean, Good morning!
We’re all getting an extra soaking in spray today: the flies will be out in force.
”Would you please get out of the way, Buttons, so I can make a ‘soft landing?’”
And Tyrus is just finishing up his morning calisthenics:
I wondered how you stayed in such great shape, Tyrus! 🐴
Anyway, here is our latest YouTube, in case you missed it:
Oh those Borzois! 🐴
Strike a pose! 🐓🐥🐔
Good morning! More clouds and rain (same as usual):
Thank goodness you decided to show up today, Marbles. You’ve been gone four whole days! Where on earth do you go?
Anyway, this Bard Rock is posing for a glamour shot. . .
And so is this Buff Orpington:
Beautiful birds. 🐔
Safety incident in the chicks’ coop (video) 🐥
“Good morning. For the third morning in a row it’s been raining.”
“It looks like Patches and I have the honor of escorting Rose to the front pasture:”
Ha-ha, Luna. Anyway, with all the rain, and the front pasture being closed for a few days, we’ve got some tasty grass:
Finally, does anyone see a problem in this picture?
“I’m just a half-grown Bard Rock and I see: This electric cord has fallen among the wood chips!”
OH NO! I’ll see that is hung back up right away!
In the meantime, chicks, let’s have a fire drill:
That’s it—walk quickly, but don’t run! 🐴
How’s my acting? 🐴
Good morning! As delighted as I am to see you, I’m trying to look as depressed and pathetic as possible so “catering” will pity us and bring us some molasses hearts:
It always works—we got three hearts each:
I wish I had more for you. Anyway, unnamed black kitten is getting bigger, but still cute. . .
And so are unnamed kittens numbers 2 and 3:
Honestly, cat-cops, get on the stick! 🐴
Stormy on patrol (video)! 🐎
“Good morning! It’s raining again this morning and very dark.”
“It’s so dark, the cat-cops couldn’t see our food without the light.”
That’s true, Rose. In fact, the rain right now is so bad that Ann brought in some hay, so we won’t have to go out and graze right now:
Speaking of going out, Stormy was in his stall, eating his grain, when he ran out—startling everybody. Why? He saw a suspicious vehicle:
It of course was just one of our road crew friends, but nothing gets past a horse (or me)! 🐴
Finally, this video is not too exciting, but it proves Stormy was indeed in the middle of breakfast. . .
Did you notice? He was still chewing! 🐴
Oh, those indoor kitties 🙀 (and a video)
“Good morning, everyone! Goodness, Greg, these masks really do smell ‘springtime fresh,’ just like Francis says:”
“Smells like cheap laundry detergent perfume to me, Tiger—and, ‘Good morning!’ to everyone, too.” 😺
We won’t wear them today, cats, because it’s pouring. Here’s a look at the tempest (more after video):
“I wouldn’t call it a tempest, Francis. We’ve seen worse.”
Point taken, Stormy, but the cracks of lightning have been fierce. Anyway, it looks like the chickens are running between the raindrops to get in here:
Finally, back in the house, it seems the place to be is Ann’s egg bag. First, there’s Greg. . .
Then, Tiger:
There must be something about that bag that only cats understand. 🐴
Monday morning treats of carrots and eggs (3 videos)!
Good morning! Breakfast is underway!
Betty doesn’t seem hungry today. One of the kittens has come in to “help:”
Please get those carrots off of my back and into our tummies!
While I like to chew my carrots slowly, and savor the flavor. . .
Stormy and Rose would rather just “inhale” theirs. . .
Finally, regular site visitors know there’s one thing that can pull a chicken out into the sun, no matter how hot it is (and it’s HOT). . .
An egg! 🥚
I’m so sorry we missed YOU 🐴!
Good morning! There was so much going on yesterday, I couldn’t get my hooves on the keyboard:
First, I forgot my mask was wet with fly spray, and absent-mindedly rolled in the dust:
As you can guess, I have a backup:
Time got away from me, because I was having so much fun with all these visitors:
Lucky Rose was the center of attention. Georgie already had experience on a horse:
Liddy was content just to sit in the saddle, even though Rose promised to be good:
What fun! 🐴
I learn something new every day! 🐴
Good morning! No matter how hot it gets, I can’t keep from smiling when I know you’re with me!
As usual, clean water for everyone:
“Aren’t we colorful?”
I’m not sure who said that, but yes indeed, you are colorful.
Anyway, this is fascinating, and oddly attractive, I think. Do you know what it is?
“I’m pretty sure I know what it is, Francis…”
“It’s cobweb fungus on our poopies:”
Thanks for the info, RC. 🐴
Crunchy cats and Delinquent Duck Videos 🐴
Peek-a-Boo! Good morning to you!
Patches is sneaking a peek at breakfast. “Today, we not only have fresh food, but they’re in just-cleaned dishes:”
“We’ll all do a little crunching before the canned food is served:”
Finally, these two bad ducks were caught by dash cam:
BAD DUCKS! You’re a danger to yourself and you scare the cars! 🦆
Taste test! 🐴
Good morning! It’s raining, here and there. I’m trying a molasses heart. They are delicious, but I prefer the aroma of the peppermint hearts:
“May I try one, please?”
Of course you can, Stormy (Stormy knew he would get one, but this morning he wanted to show his “horse manners”):
Needless to say, Rose got one, too. . .
As did RC:
Finally, please stay away from the road, ducks:
Not only is it dangerous, but there’s nothing across the street that you can’t find here! 🦆
Weeds, weeds, everywhere! 🐴
“Good morning! I’m about to help myself to some water, and then some delicious canned cat food. I know it’s made from chicken, but tasty is tasty!”
Thanks for greeting our friends, Ruth. Enjoy your act of cannibalism (omnivores are freaky).
Anyway, Stormy is trying to vacuum the few grains of RC’s breakfast that lay on the ledge (“waste not, want not,” I suppose):
Well, time to head out to the front pasture...
Our friend, Mike, has cut down a nice path to it:
I think we still need your help, Mike:
Farm weeds aren’t like flowerbed weeds: they’re taller than a horse and have stems thicker than my leg! 🐴
Swallows are careful with their babies (video)! 🐴
Good morning! Fans are dual-purpose: they keep you cool and blow away your flies.
Apparently the chicks are tired of waiting to be served breakfast, and are taking matters into their own beaks:
Marbles has been gone for 4 days. What a bad kitty! When you’re gone for so long, you always come back skinny and starving! You're also delinquent for hopping up in a car—suppose you get locked in? 🙀
“Then I say it’s the cat-cops fault for leaving the car open!” 😾
Poor Patches looks all frizzled because he just walked through some very dewy raspberry bushes:
And Luna just can’t get to those tasty little swallow fledglings:
Let’s watch the video of a perplexed pussycat:
😿
Chickens can be jerks (video) 🐔
Good morning! The sun is back, and so is the heat, and so are the flies (well, one, at least):
“Good morning, everyone. How about a smooch?”
“Put your lips away, Rose, go get your mask on, then come join me by the fan:”
RC, you guys should come out here now. It’s not going to get any cooler:
Either these baby swallows are about to be fed. . .
Or they’re singing Ave Maria! 🐴
Finally, if you watch carefully, it looks like the Wyandotte in the front walks around and pushes one of the buff orpingtons into the pool:
Now I call that “fowl” behavior! 🐴
I stand corrected by Tiger 🐴
Good morning! Oh my, look at those clouds. Lucky for “catering,” it’s let up to just a drizzle (cat-cops get grumpy when they have to wear raincoats):
All day yesterday in the pleasantly cool rain has made my coat quite smooth:
Oh look, one of our Eurasian collared doves has stopped by:
Hmm, looks like there’s quite a pond between us and the pasture gate. I guess we’ll go graze in the far pasture today:
Since the rain is keeping the flies away, it’s a good time to throw them in the wash. I see Security Chief Onslow is keeping them safe for us:
“Actually, Francis, if you throw anything on the ground, a cat will lay on it:”
Thanks for the info, Tiger! 🐴