FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2026
Halloween fun! 🐴
Phoenix and Sophie are keeping an eye on Mara and Mary:
But Iris and company are keeping an eye on all the fun across the street:
Miss Rene’s school is having an outdoor, socially-distant, mask-wearing party called “Trunk-or-Treat.” The children gathered candy from the back of cars. There were fun balloons and banners. She even had hay rides, thanks to our farmer neighbors:
But look who else was there! Chavez! He’s masquerading as a bunny. And just look at this pink lead and halter:
He was visited by many very nice children:
How sweet!
Chezzie was petted many times! 🐎
Sunny morning 🐴
These ducks are enjoying their breakfast worms:
Percy and Ferdinand have had worms, and are cleaning up:
Misty and I are sharing our morning hay:
And here comes Iris:
I’ll let Misty and Iris have this bale, and check out the front pasture:
Lots of “elbow room” out here (not that we have elbows). 🐎
Warmer but windier 🐴
Here’s a picture from yesterday afternoon: Chezzie and I “invited” ourselves into Rose’s stall:
This morning, Betty’s looking for birds:
And Finn’s in the stable looking for. . .well, just looking:
The ducks join Onslow and Betty for the dry-food portion of breakfast:
The tree in our front yard has become quite pretty:
Finally, let’s watch Schrödinger, Zelda, Betty, Finn, Onslow, Pumpkin and Evil Cat wait for canned food:
It’s not very exciting, but it shows all the cats together. 😺
Somebody needs to break the ice! 🐴
Our tree has brilliant fall leaves:
It’s too bad this August’s “derecho” wiped out most of them:
Schroeder (with his tongue out), Betty, Onslow, and Zelda are trying to stay warm in the sun:
Don’t worry, kitties—it’ll be over 50 this afternoon. 😺
Finally, let’s watch some movies—made fresh today! 🐎
Don’t worry: The ducks had their ice broken—and I was let out, right after I “sounded the alarm.” 🐴
No ice or snow today 😺
Baldy has a drink:
It’s cool but above freezing:
Finn is tagging along with Chezzie:
Betty is looking for birds in the tree over the feed shed:
Oh, and two mice drowned in the ducks’ water bucket:
That’s why it’s important to put a fence around your pool. 🙀
A little morning snow 🐴
The ducks survey the snow:
And so does Pumpkin:
Iris is more concerned with breakfast than the weather:
But breakfast came soon enough:
Because of the snow we’re having lots of extra hay:
Speaking of hay, Onslow has found a nice “pillow:”
But only for a while (watch the video!)
😾
Chilly Sunday, but no wind 😺
I don’t know at what Stormy and Misty are looking, other than “fall color:”
Get in here, please. Time to eat. 🐎
Percy and Ferdinand are keeping warm in the garage today:
For a change, let’s see how the creek looks this morning:
Finally, here I am, having a disagreement with management: I wanted another carrot after breakfast—and I was told, “No, you already had four.”
I said, “It takes four of those skinny, organically-grown, hippie carrots you buy to make a mouthful.” (I think I won the argument.) 🐴
Duck doings 🦆
I’m getting first crack at the hay:
Stormy is begging for carrots (he’s already had three):
And what’s all this water in my stall? I’m afraid I knocked over my water bucket (I’m sorry):
As we know, the ducks have always found a secure resting place around the brush pile:
But now, it looks like they’re playing King of the Hill (or Queen, in Nina’s case):
If she’s still up there by this evening, we’ll make sure she’s helped down. 🐴
More rain overnight! 😾
Here is a picture taken from last night. Oh no! What is this mess of feathers?
Oh—it’s ok. It’s just Petra having a dust bath. She’s a smart girl for finding one of the few dry places on the farm:
This morning, we’re having hay in the stable:
Let’s watch a little video:
The noise is rain on the roof. 🐎
Foggy, soggy Thursday 🙀
Hey, Finn, how much rain did we have last night?
Oh, wow!
Dear hens, please let someone else have a crack at that hay:
Chezzie was laying down in the far pasture this morning, and was moving slowly. So, he had some pain medication, and will spend the day in the stable. If he wants to lay down again, it will be warmer and dry:
Jewel and I will keep him company:
🐴
Fresh eggs, every day! 😺
Finn is checking out today’s selection:
She and Onslow will lap up those delicious yolks in no time:
This has left Zelda with her choice of bowls:
Chezzie is having breakfast in Misty’s stall:
And Misty has gone back to her old stall:
This way she can’t spill her food on the ground—so I won’t eat it:
Which means I should be able to stick to my diet without being locked up. Yippie! 🐴
Oh no! Snow! 🙀
Yesterday afternoon, we had some wet snow:
But it won’t stop us from keeping our ducks in a row:
We’ve decided it’s just too soon for snow:
But I guess that’s what we decide every year:
As for this morning, I’m saying “No!” to the rope:
I just don’t feel like being cooped up, so I ran away from the cat-cop until he got too tired to chase me:
I’ll spend the day in the front pasture, thank you! 🐴
Finally, let’s watch a video of Stormy asking to be fed by holding up a food dish!
Mary took this video some time ago, but it’s still great! 🐎
Happy Monday! 🐎
Wake up, Iris!
Come help RC and Chezzie de-rooster the stable! (Not really, roosters are welcome, but noisy.)
The kitties have had their dry food and are waiting for the canned:
Finally, let’s watch a new video of Sophie and Phoenix in the riding arena:
What fun! 🐺
Rain, off and on 😾
Pumpkin is enjoying her “balanced” breakfast:
It’s a great way to avoid the competition:
You can see, from the stream of water (from a stable downspout), that it’s been raining. You can also see that Stormy is holding up breakfast. Come in, Stormy—you’re the only one not in your stall!
One important thing to keep in mind about eating carrots:
You have to “watch the fingers:”
Just keep in mind, “Carrots are cool and hard; fingers are warm and soft!” 🐴
Chilly Friday 🐴
There is ice on the duck water, but it shouldn’t last long:
It should climb into the 50’s:
Here’s Betty, sitting with the ducks:
Where is she off to now?
Why, breakfast, of course! 
The cat food is especially tasty and aromatic today: it comes from a newly-opened bag. 😺
Movie time! 🐴
It’s a slow news day—let’s watch some movies!
Remember Boots?
And Bruce?
She and he are orphans, and were going to be farm kitties, but Ann adopted them, so now they live with her.
Let’s watch them watch AnnsHorseFarm videos!
And now, Stormy demonstrates why we can’t have nice things at the farm:
We are moving that dish as soon as possible. 🐎
Getting back to normal 🐴
Onslow is enjoying a yolk, that is still warm from the duck:
And look how nicely our friends at Joe’s Water Treatment and Pump Service filled in the holes that they had to make to replace our pipes. Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Like it never happened. 😺
Busy morning! 🐴
Mr. Justin will have our plumbing fixed and our yard patched up today:
The horses are in the front pasture:
That’s because there’s no longer a gate:
Why was it done? Well, the existing gate was getting too many sharp edges for safe horse passage. And also, letting the horses graze in the front pasture will help them keep me company:
Because I’m on lockdown again. I’ve been eating too much of Misty’s leftover grain. I’ll be able to run free again, as soon as we make some changes in the stable. 🐎
Gloomy Monday 😿
It’s dark and windy and trying to rain. I think I want to go back to bed:
The sky is full of leaves:
The cats need a light to see their breakfast (not really):
Pumpkin has a drink:
Oh, and people came with a machine that bored a long hole for the new water pipe:
We’re another step closer to getting these dangerous holes filled in. 😺
Lazy Sunday 🐴
When we bought Brunhilda, we thought she was a hen. But we’re beginning to think that he’s a rooster:
And we are definitely moving Misty’s feed dish:
We are each given our own special kind and amount of horse food twice a day (in addition to hay and carrots), and nobody’s staying on their diets. 🐎
Including me—I can’t reach over and raid her dish, but I can eat up what she spills. 🐴
The geese are on the move 🐎
The geese are going south:
We wish we were going with them:
We also wish the cats wouldn’t sit on our masks. It makes them hot (and smell like fur):
Oh great: 6-dollar-a-pound mealworms and the starlings are eating them:
And finally, the hens are eyeing one of the holes for the water line:
There might be some delicious worms down there:
But they don’t trust Finn:
She looks ready to fill in that hole!
😾
Another day, two more holes 🐴
Good morning from the far pasture:
Mr. Justin was out early today:
He dug some more holes:
The blue pipe is for water:
The upper white-and-gray pipe, by the way, is the electricity to the riding arena. The blue pipe takes water to the stable:
The bit of metal pipe you see will be replaced, so we’ll have all new, blue pipe.
🐴
For those of you not interested in our plumbing, here’s a video of Onslow!
😺
Clean mask Thursday 🐴
It’s always nice to wear a just-washed mask. I think the “springtime fresh” scent repels the flies:
Get off our hay, little hen. You can’t be trusted not to leave a “surprise” on it. 🐔
And what’s this? Are you ok, Stormy?
Does your tummy hurt? All you ate was your grain (and half a carrot). Try to get up, Stormy, so we can see that you’re ok.
We’re glad you got up. Maybe you weren’t sick, but still sleepy (or getting ready to roll).
We’ll watch you for a while. The cat-cops have the vet on speed-dial. 😺
Oh darn, more water problems! 😾
Tuesday morning we noticed the ducks playing in a puddle of water. And by Tuesday night we had this in our yard:
Our friends Rusty and Justin had to work very hard, and dig way, way down to find the leak:
We were so afraid that we would be without water, but they were able to temporarily patch the pipe. See that little silver section? That’s the patch:
Here’s Security Chief Schroeder inspecting the operation:
Assisted by Deputy Finn:
Rusty and Justin will fix us up with all new pipe! 😺
Other than that, Betty caught a sparrow:
And I’m kicking up some dust after my roll:
It gives me an amber glow. 🐴
Warmer weather coming 😺
Not much going on this morning. Baldy is having an egg:
I’m having a scratch:
Betty is having a lick:
Finn is having a climb:
And we all are having woolly-bear caterpillars:
Winter’s coming. 🐛
37℉ morning! 🙀
It’s quieter this morning, because Hansel and Baldy spent the night in the same pen, so no cock-a-doodle-doo-ing across the yard:
Everyone’s already in the far pasture, except for me:
I’m still cleaning up the hay:
There’s more hay than usual on the ground today:
That’s because one of the feed bins is out of commission, due to an unauthorized poopie:
They can’t blame that on me! 🐴
Welcome back Evil Cat 😺
Good morning:
It’s chilly but sunny—and the hens are ransacking the cats’ breakfast, as usual:
But that’s ok, they have moved on to the canned food:
And look who’s back! Evil Cat! We haven’t seen you in over a week:
Your eyes look a little runny. If you would let us catch you, we’d take you to the vet.
In the meantime, enjoy your breakfast. 😺
Everybody’s misbehaving this morning (except me!) 🐴
Brunhilda is picking fights:
Schrödinger is in the road:
Chezzie is in Iris’s stall,
Because Iris is in Rose’s stall,
Because Rose is in Stormy’s stall,
Because Stormy is in Chezzie’s stall:
Anyway, let’s watch a video of me having my carrots:
🐴
Freezy Friday 🐴
We know it will get a lot colder, but our first 40-degree-morning has us grumpy, and not wanting to wake up:
Me included:
I just can’t seem to stop yawning:
The only people wide-awake are Baldy and Hansel:
But it’s part of their job:
Before alarm clocks, farmers (and farm animals) all over the world would have overslept without roosters! 🐓
Chilly Thursday 🐎
We’re soaking up the sun:
And so is Pumpkin:
Baldy has a quick breakfast. . .
Before joining Hansel to check out the stable:
Speaking of chickens, Brunhilda has grown to be the biggest one on the farm:
Finally, here’s a picture from yesterday of Onslow:
Mr. Buster’s bulldozer is well-guarded! 😺