FRANCIS'S BLOG 10/06/2025
Halloween visitor! 🙀
Heaven help us! Look at this horrible ghoul! You stay away from me, you fiend from the underworld!
What do you have there, you unspeakable terror? A carrot?
Two carrots?
Stormy says, “Don’t look at gift-ghost in the mouth:
Well, he may be a hideous specter from beyond the grave. . .
But he does give away good carrots! 🐎
More Halloween decor and costumes! 🙀
Evil, Schroeder, and Alfred check out the decorations for the cats’ Halloween party:
And I’m trying out a new costume:
I don’t think Stormy can believe his eyes:
He called over Misty to have a look at me:
I must admit, I am “rocking” these stockings! 🐴
Dog days at the farm 🐺
Sophie is here:
And Nixie:
And Calla:
And I’m trying out a Halloween costume:
What do you think? 🐴
Any day above freezing is a good day 🐓
Hansel says, “Good morning from the stable!”
It’s crisp and cool, but sharing hay with Stormy and Chezzie is warming me up:
And Misty is having a quiet drink:
The tank heaters are in, so she won’t get a chill in her tummy! 🐎
A sign of the season 🐴
Sorry, I don’t have much to tell you, other than the ducks are in the front pasture:
But it looks like Iris might run them out:
Oh, and what is our “sign of the season?”
Steam on our poopies! 🐎
The rain brings out the worms! 🐴
Good morning! It’s cool but sunny!
Hey Ginger, go outside! You’re missing all the worms and bugs!
There’s lots of mud and puddles, so the worms should be all over:
The ducks are out, too:
Finally, let’s look at this picture, taken by Ann, of Onslow, through a window of the hay barn:
How artistic! 😺
Here is the rain 😾
Onslow apparently approves of breakfast:
We’re having hay inside because of the rain:
And Dukie is taking a little snooze:
What a patient girl! 😺
Rain is on the way 🙀
We’re enjoying this 70 degree morning while we can. It will be normal fall tomorrow:
Onslow is poised to pounce on someone:
And Ginger and Astrid are enjoying an apple:
Yummy! 🍎
In case you haven’t seen it, let’s look at our latest video:
Oh those chickens! Oh that Betty! 🐴
Chicken issues 🐔🐓
Good morning! It’s a wonderful, almost balmy day:
Our Dukie is looking bright-eyed today:
The chickens are being let out today:
Uh-oh. . .
It looks like they’ve discovered the door to the hay barn:
There she goes!
Attention cat-cops (who are also the chicken-cops): You now have another hiding place to check! 🐴
In the 80’s today? 🐎
We’re supposed to have near-record warmth today, but for now it’s in the 60’s. The security camera catches Iris still snoozing:
Chavez is still yawning:
But I’m always bright-eyed by 8 o’clock:
I’m ready for breakfast! 🐴
We’re climbing into the 70’s today! 😺
Hurry, Mr. Sun, and warm us up!
Betty has found that the wood chip pile is slightly warmer than the ground:
The chickens tell me there are no eggs for the cat-cops yet:
But they are working on it:
🐔
Why do only doggies get to go in the house? 🐎
Sophie says, “I’m not quite used to these chilly mornings.”
“I like it better in here with Dukie:”
Jewel is ready for a ride:
I am ready for a carrot!
And so is Iris:
And it’s no surprise. . .
That the eggs keep coming! 🐔
Hurry warmer weather 🐎
It’s another sub-freezing morning, but we hear warmer weather is on the way. In the meantime, Evil Cat and Schroeder are soaking up the sun. They are lucky black fur absorbs heat:
Onslow and Alfred are in the sun, too!
And, of course, so are we:
They say it will be in the 60’s tomorrow. Let’s hope so! 🐎
What a cold snap! 🐎
It was only 26℉ this morning! Get up, Chavez. Come on guys, and get a carrot!
I’m having mine:
Stormy says, “Good morning!”
And it’s a food-delivery day:
Thank goodness! We were about to run out! 🙀
It’s cold enough for a coat! 🐎
The chickens say, “Good morning! It’s cold!”
Iris is wearing her coat:
And so is Rosie:
Finally, let’s watch a video—of me!
🐴
Yummy treat for people with beaks! 🐔
Iris says, “Good morning!” even though she knows she shouldn’t talk with her mouth full:
Dukie is watching the chickens, and the chickens are watching right back:
She also kept Jewel company during breakfast:
And our friend Mara brought the chickens an enormous seed block:
Everybody dig in! 🐔
Ice on the water! 🙀
Good morning! There was a little ice on the cats’ water (my water is heated):
Betty wants to go into the hen house:
But once she gets in there, the chickens decide they want to see what she’s doing:
And once they’ve satisfied their curiosity. . .
They are not sure that they want to let her out. They like her that much! 🐔
An almost freezing Friday 🙀
There’s no frost or ice this morning, but we’re close to it (34℉). Breakfast is helping Iris warm up:
Speaking of breakfast, I’m asking Chavez if he would like me to help finish his:
The answer was no:
Anyway, we have one new olive egg this morning. We’ll see if we have more this afternoon:
And Onslow is in with the chickens:
He seems to have made one of the Wyandottes unhappy:
That’s a dirty look, chickie! 🐔
No news is good news 😺
We don’t have much to tell you today:
Chezzie says, “Tell them it’s very chilly!”
“But at least it’s sunny!" 🐎
We keep our ducks in a row! 😺
The ducks are keeping Rose company:
They are all in a row!
Schrödinger says, “Good morning!”
If you look closely, you can see that poor Schroeder lost a piece of his ear in a fight. A very good reason for cats not to fight. 😿
Finally, a little rain 🐴
Don’t I look sharp this morning?
I’m topping off my alfalfa pellets with some grass. . .
And some hay:
There are clouds in the sky, and the rain is sprinkling down here and there:
Last night one of the olive-eggers laid an olive egg (what else?) outside a nesting box. As you can see, the wyandottes are asking themselves why she did that:
We think Ginger didn’t like the new, straw nesting material Ann put in the boxes:
But this morning, everybody seems ok with it! 🐔
Beautiful October Monday 🐴
Good morning! How about a big, sloppy, donkey kiss?
Iris is smiling, too, because she and Rose were fed first:
The cats have already eaten, and Buttons is having a nice stretch:
Out come the chickens!
They won’t be running outside the fence today, as they haven’t quite learned to go home on their own (but they’re learning):
But they’re not too upset. They’ll spend the day taking dust baths. 🐓
Chickens on the run! 🐔
Wake up, Iris! Show us those bright eyes!
See how wide-awaken Sophie is?
I’m already following Misty, Stormy and Chavez out to the far pasture:
Today the coop has adopted an open-door policy:
The chickens are running (and sometimes flying) free:
Here they are, out by the front gate:
Careful, birds! Don’t go near that road! 🐔
On the farm, a “dog day” is a good day! 😺
Jewel is having a drink:
And so is Dukie, from the chickens’ new waterer:
And she took a look at the chickens:
I’m glad RC is a sloppy eater:
He leaves me plenty of food to clean up:
Sophie was at the farm, too:
But the above picture isn’t from the farm, it’s from our lastest video.
Let’s watch it!
Oh those doggies! 🐴
Chilly Friday! 😺
Something tells me more than one chicken used this nesting box:
“I’m up here, Schroeder.”
“I’m on lookout, like a good Security Deputy.”
Jewel is getting a little exercise and enjoying a little grass:
And I’m enjoying a little hay:
Although I know I’m not supposed to be here. 🐴
Dukie’s back! 😺
Hey, Onslow! Wake up and tell everyone Good morning!
We haven’t had a “carrot morning” in a while:
So it’s about time!
Carrots are always overdue as far as we’re concerned:
The weather’s warmed up a bit, so we’re back in fly masks:
And look who’s here! Dukie!
Look how patient she’s being, waiting for us to be fed before she can get her walk. Good girl! 🐴
Where’s Onslow? 😺
Jewel says, “Good morning!”
And so do I (along with Iris, in the background)!
What do you have for us, Ginger?
A lovely egg! Good girl!
Onslow says, “Do you see me?”
“I’m in here somewhere!” 😺
A horror story and it’s not even Halloween yet 🙀
Our 7th olive egg is a little speckled:
Oh! Evil Cat! Stop eating that dead rabbit!
Don’t lick your lips! It can’t taste good:
Let’s look at something nicer, and get this awful site out of our heads:
An olive-egger taking a dust bath—now that’s nicer! 🐔
We’re doing better today! 🐎
Misty is feeling well enough to say, “Good morning.”
You recall that she fell (we think) and broke her nose on Friday. As you can see, it’s still swollen. Dr. Dana says it will hopefully heal on its own:
I’m happy to keep her company while we have our hay:
We won’t feel better until Misty gets better! ❤️
I was too busy to blog yesterday! 🐴
I’m still catching my breath from yesterday:
The first thing I noticed was that Jewel was out of her private pasture. How did you get out, Jewel? You know Stormy likes to bite you (which is very bad of him):
Oh no! Look at these bites! (Stormy is really ashamed of himself and promises not to do it again):
But how did you get out, Jewel? Oh!—the fence wires are down! Did you do it?
Wait a minute! Oh my goodness! What happened to you, Misty? How did you cut your leg?
And your face is all marked up, and your nose looks swollen:
Mary has seen enough. She is calling the vet!
Dr. Dana says your nose is broken, Misty!
We’re glad you’re feeling better today. But it has us thinking: maybe Jewel didn’t break the wires.
Maybe Misty fell asleep, and fell into the wires. I know it doesn’t sound likely, but she has done it before. Here’s a video showing her fall asleep, and barely catching herself:
Oh well, our Mary and Mara fixed the wires, and we hope there are no more calamities. I can’t deal with things that disrupt my breakfast:
Thank goodness I found some spilled food. 🐎