FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/21/2026
Betty plans her day (movie) 😺
Good morning! We’re saying Goodbye to September with a warm day that will be in the 80’s:
There’s a Woolly Bear caterpillar in the manure cart. They say (I think), that the longer the brown part, the milder the winter will be. But is this little guy’s brown part considered long or short?
Anyway, these chickens are staking out cool places under the manure spreader. . .
And these chickens want Misty to finish breakfast, so they can eat up her leftovers:
Finally, Betty says, “Now that I’ve had my breakfast, I think I’ll take a nap until dinner.” 
Here’s a movie of me getting comfortable:
“This may take me some time!” 😺
Sunny Pumpkins! 🎃 (And a Baldy video 🐓)
What do you see, Dukie?
Oh, that’s Eva having breakfast. She’s got a mouthful of canned kitten food:
Good morning! I’m happier than I look, because I’m about to get a carrot:
Speaking of orange, the chickens will have lots of pumpkin to snack on, from now until snowfall:
Ok, Baldy, say ‘Good morning!’ to everyone:
Nobody says it quite like you! 🐓
You made your point, Jewel 🐴
Good morning! My eyes are smiling to see you, even though you can’t see them!
Chezzie says, “I don’t mean to ignore you, but this breakfast isn’t going to finish itself.”
Iris says, “I’ll say ‘Good morning!’ for us both, Chavez.”
I think the cat-cops better open the front pasture before Jewel breaks the fence:
Anyway, have a good Saturday. . .
And let’s watch Gail and her brood scratch through our poopies:
Scratch those poopies into dust! 🐔
Beautiful sunset videos! 🐴
Good morning! As you can see, we have clouds:
Chezzie says, “I just can’t yawn without sticking out my tongue, and dreary weather makes me yawn!”
Buttons says, “Leave my breakfast on the hay, please, and I’ll be right down.”
Finally, let’s watch two videos from last night, when the sun was low and bright.
Here are Turken and family (sorry we don't have names for Momma Gail’s other two chicks), et al, having some cat food:
And lovely me. . .
Aren’t I gorgeous in back-lighting? 🐴
It's a girl 😺
“Good morning! The cat-cop consensus is that I’m female. I’m so glad they finally figured it out, and will now just call me Eva.”
I’m glad it’s settled, too, Eva.
The sun this morning is highlighting how mottled Iris’s coat is, like a pattern of stars or flowers:
Speaking of flowers, we have some beautiful fall blossoms:
And please stay away from the road, ducks!
That’s better. . .eat your worms!
Finally, I just need to mention that Dukie’s here!
And Jewel’s tail is glowing in the sun! 🐎
These videos are FOWL! 🐓
Good morning. Management is having trouble finding my fly mask:
This one is a little big, but I like the color:
Especially if it comes with a carrot.
Anyway, let’s watch the chickens come out for breakfast:
And what are the ducks doing? . . .
Taking to water! 🦆
Read the sign, Jewel! 🐎 (and 3 videos)
“Good morning! Francis is grazing outside the gate.”
Right you are, Misty!
The chickens are up on the manure cart. They can scratch through our poopies, and have a nice view of the farm!
And Jewel’s decided to lean over the fence for some grass:
Don’t get tangled in the wires, Jewel. 🐴
Finally, here’s some videos! 😺
Evil/Eva is checking out the “upstairs” of his/her house:
Iris has a carrot. . .
And so does Jewel!
❤️
Mary and Sophie send their love ❤️
I’m back, and brought cool weather and a blue sky with me:
I snapped this picture of Sophie napping in her new home, way up north in Mason City:
What are you doing in that bucket, Martha?
That was a silly question, wasn’t it?
For a moment, I thought this was Turken, but it’s a Wyandotte molting:
Grow those feathers back quickly, because winter’s coming! 🐔
You’re in charge, Turken! 🐴
“Good morning! Francis will be back Monday. He’s going to visit Mary and Sophie!”
“He’s busy packing, but he gave me a video to show you.”
“Here Evil/Eva, frolicking before dinner:”
“The ‘kitty under the coop’ gets braver every day.” 😺
We’re up early! 🐴
Good morning! Here I am from last night, finishing RC’s spillover (I was soon to be “escorted” out):
We’re being fed an hour earlier today, so the sun is streaming through the stable:
Betty says, “What? Breakfast’s an hour early? That’s GREAT!”
“But I still need to s-t-r-e-t-c-h!”
And Dukie’s here!
Rose just gave her a kiss. ❤️
Cock-a-doodle. . .Oh, hello, Jewel! 🐓
Good morning!
Wake up, Betty! What are you sleeping on?
“I’m awake, Francis. I’m asleep on an old fish net.”
“You wouldn’t think it, but it’s quite comfortable.” 😺
Finally, here’s Baldy, making sure Dukie knows it’s morning:
“Just to be safe, I’ll get out of Jewel’s way.” 🐓
Cats in the red squares 😺
Good morning! Let’s have a carrot!
“It is a good morning, Francis! I’m feeling and looking gorgeous, even if I say so myself.”
Betty and Mac are finishing Buttons's breakfast:
And Evil/Eva ate breakfast completely out from under the coop this morning. . .
That’s good, but what’s even better is that the other cats aren’t trying to run her off.
As you can see, Schroeder and Betty are going about their day, like new kitty is just one of the family. 😺
Waste not, want not (and videos) 😺
It’s always nice when Dukie joins us for breakfast:
It’s almost as nice as a carrot!
Schroeder says, “Good morning! It’s a good morning to ‘strike a pose.’”
Evil/Eva is getting bigger every day. We think he’ll be a smaller cat, like Betty and Onslow; but at about 2 months, she still has some growing to do:
He has a healthy appetite, doesn’t she? And what kitty won’t eat. . .
The chickens will! 🐔
Wave that tail like a flag! 🐎
Good morning! I’m actually in a much better mood than I look in this picture:
Your tail has quite a flair to it, Stormy:
Baldy is checking out Jewel’s stall for leftovers:
And remember these kittens (click here and here for past posts)? They are weened now:
Those we don’t have homes for will come to the farm. 😺
Kitty capers! 😺
Good morning! What are the cats up to?
Schrödinger is having a drink:
It’s just cool enough for Betty to appreciate a warm car hood:
Onslow says, “How about a wheelbarrow ride?”
And Evil/Eva is enjoying her customary breakfast of canned kitten food on a bed of dried kitten food:
It’s always haute cuisine at the farm! 😺
When is a crib not a baby’s bed, or slang for cheating? 🐴
Didn’t I give you quite a riddle this morning? I’ll answer it in a minute. In the meantime, Stormy wants to say good morning. Take it away, Stormy!
“Good morning! I know the answer to Francis’s riddle, but I’ll let him tell you later! In the meantime, don’t worry if you noticed all the poopies, ‘maintenance’ is about to shovel them up.”
Little Evil (or Eva, if she’s a girl) is getting chummier with the cat-cops every day:
Look how close they can get this morning!
Finally, in answer to the riddle: “Cribbing” is when a horse puts their chin on a “crib,” tightens their neck muscles, and pulls back. A crib is a wooden rack for storing horse food (the same as a manger), but a cribbing horse will use any board or whatever that is at chin height.
Our Misty will demonstrate. She knows it’s a bad habit, and can cause problems if done to excess:
But she only does it after breakfast before joining us outside. And since our dear Misty is about 35 years old, it can’t be too bad for her. 🐎
We are well-oiled at the farm 🐎
Good morning!
Evil Cat and Ruth are getting acquainted:
And what’s on Stormy’s front feet? Nail polish?
No, it’s apparently hoof oil, that’s suppose to keep our hooves lubricated, which prevents cracks and infections.
Dukie says, “That’s nice. . .”
A little from last night and a little from this morning! 😺
Before the sun goes down, Betty is already in bed:
“It’s quite cozy,” Betty says, “it’s half-full of baling twine that has flattened and softened over time.” 😺
Also from last night, is a video featuring Turken!
“Like the cats, the sun may still be up, but we’re safe in our coops, and getting ready for a good night’s roost! 🐥
Good morning! Aren’t I looking smart?
Here’s Jewel, “raiding the pantry.”
She left when asked, but took a little with her:
The chickens are having tomatoes—yum!
Finally, here we are a little later, way out in the far pasture:
It won’t be long before this green pasture is brown or white, so we’ll enjoy it now! 🐴
The new kitty is growing 😺
Iris and Dukie say, “Good morning!”
Jewel and I are already heading out to the far pasture:
And the chickens are dust bathing under the manure cart:
The new kitty has been with us almost 6 weeks. Here’s his/her (we still don’t know) first video:
And here’s the kitty this morning:
She (or he) is getting friendlier; because, at dinner time, he looks for the cat-cops to come feed her:
We’re thinking of naming it Evil Cat 2. The original Evil Cat was, of course, a very good kitty that we loved. We just gave him that name for fun. 😺
A little of this, and a little of that 😺
Iris says, “Good morning!”
Yes, it is a good morning! We are getting carrots!
“Yes, Francis, and our fly masks are fresh from the washing machine!”
Now it’s time to check-in on the chickens!
Here they are getting let out for breakfast:
Slow down, birds! You know there’s food for everyone! 🐴
Squash those squash bugs! 🐴
Stormy says, “Good morning! It’s in the 40’s again, so we’re feeling good and ready to eat!”
Yes, Stormy, any sunny morning below 60 and above freezing is a gift!
Ferdinand and Paschal are feeling good and looking snowy white!
But we have a bit of an issue among the pumpkins. . .SQUASH BUGS!
As you know, pumpkins are squashes.
I just told you any day above freezing is a gift. Well. . .
. . .Maybe we need a day or two below freezing to clear out the bugs! 🙀
Who’s that lurkin’? That’s our Turken! 🐔
It was only 47℉ this morning! It seems to have made Chavez, Stormy, and me a little drowsy:
But I’m up now, and have a smile just for you!
Ferdinand has had his bath and now it’s Paschal’s turn:
Finally, is this a chicken or a turkey? Turken says, “Of course, I’m a chicken!”
People call my breed a turken (or turkin) because I don’t have feathers on my neck or head, like a turkey—but I’m very much a chicken! 🐓
Here I am in action, just one of the flock:
Did you know that I’m quite a common breed in Europe? I’m also known as a “Transylvanian Naked Neck.” But here at the farm, I’m happy to be just called Turken. 🐔
What’s on the menu, chickens? 🐔 And, who’s peeping? 🐥
Good morning! I drew a circle around my face, in case you couldn’t find me:
We have a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins, with more on the way:
The chickens will eat them once they get overripe and soft. 🎃
Of course, the chickens never want for things to eat. Let’s watch!
In addition to their regular chicken feed, they have apples. . .
And mealworms, ducks permitting. . .
Oh! I forgot! Here’s a video from earlier, of Mommas Gail and Opal, and the kids, getting let out:
If you want to remember what they looked like way back on their hatch-day, click here and here! 🐴
Itchy Iris 🐎
Little black kitty is still too shy to say good morning:
But Dukie and Rose are happy to welcome you to today’s post!
I suppose we still have a month’s worth of flies left, but we're getting tired of masks (and I think the cat-cops are tired of putting them on):
Here’s a very quick video of Iris scratching her ear:
If that keeps up, Iris, we’ll have it looked at. 🐴
Carrots 🥕 and cats 😺 (and a video)!
Betty says, “Good morning!”
Buttons and Onslow aren’t quite awake yet:
Indira is waiting for Chezzie to leave his stall, so she can have his leftovers:
Other than that, I don’t know what could make this morning nicer:
Let me think. . . I know—carrots!
Iris agrees:
Finally, here’s our latest YouTube video, in case you missed it:
One-year-old Walnut is a good big brother! 😺
The kittens are getting cuter! 😺
We hope you had a nice Labor Day weekend. We were visited by Mary and Mara; so, of course, Calla, Nixie, and Sophie were here having fun, too!
Betty says, “Good morning! This warm car hood feels pretty good today.”
I’m having my morning scratch on the manure cart:
Chavez, Stormy and Misty are having a chat over hay:
And in a few minutes, we’re all out in the far pasture!
Finally, the kittens are only getting cuter!
It’s hard to believe, but just a month ago, they were a hungry, frightened clump of abandoned babies:
Now we’re well-fed, warm, and happy! ❤️
Splish-splash! We’re having a bath! 🦆
Good morning! It’s nice and cool:
Let’s watch Buttons come down from the rafters for breakfast:
And the ducks are enjoying clean pools full of fresh water:
It’s happy duck bath time! 🦆
What a pleasant morning! (and a movie) 😺
Good morning! I wish we didn’t need masking, but the flies are having their “last hurrahs,” as it were, of the summer:
Buttons is having breakfast. . .
And, of course, the kitty is, too!
Mary and Mara are visiting ❤️! Mary put a new wrap on Chavez’s ankle, and he really is walking better, in spite of him sticking out his famous tongue:
Poor Misty had some blood on her leg, so Ann took her out for a bath (we’re not sure where the blood is coming from). You can see that Stormy and Iris are concerned:
What a pretty pumpkin!
Finally, let’s close with the chickens eating their fill:
You don’t have to be a turkey to “gobble-gobble!” 🐔