FRANCIS'S BLOG 03/19/24
The fog comes and goes 🐴
It looks pretty clear now, doesn’t it?But then, just a little later, we found ourselves in the fog.And here are the ducks at the feed shed:Everyone lines up for mealworms! 🐴
Let’s melt some snow! 🐴
It’s above freezing this morning. Here’s Jewel enjoying some “pan drippings:”The ducks are happy: they’ve been locked up for over three days.We finally found the hose from under the snow—so it’s bath time for everyone:And Onslow has a peek around the corner at Patrick and Danny Fairbrass:It might be in the 40’s over the weekend! 🐴
Cold kitty capers! 😺
It was only 11℉ this morning, so Schroeder knows a warm car hood is the place to be:Or, you could be like Evil Cat, and stay in the hay barn:Onslow is using his cage as a jungle gym. Don’t worry, kittens, you’ll be let out soon:And fluffy white Betty meets Kanna:Kanna says, “Don’t come out in the snow, Betty. No one will be able to see you!” 😺
Sunny and cold 🐴
Yesterday, the snow around the water tanks kept me from drinking. . .so here I was last night at dinner time, tanking up. 🐴
This morning I'm completely hydrated, having breakfast in the sun!
This morning the kittens do some more exploring and socializing with the big kitties:Onslow ventures out into the snow:But he soon decides to turn around:He was picked up before he ate too much of the big-cat food:It’s too rich for little kitty stomachs. 😺
Deep, deep snow! 🙀
The blizzard started Sunday night:Just ask Charlie. 🐎This morning, there were 3 and 4-foot drifts. Look at this drift—its looks like a can opener or something:The next few pictures demonstrate just how snowed-in we were:There’s a lot of plowing to do today, but that will wait until after we’re all fed.Speaking of fed, we’re getting two bales of hay this morning.Chezzie’s up to his knees. 🐎At least we’ll be dry today—provided we can resist the urge to roll in the snow! 🐴
Cold and rainy Sunday 🐴
It’s raining outside, and it might be snowing by this evening. You can tell from the look on Charlie’s face that I’m about to get kicked out of her stall:I guess I’ll try to stay out of the way for a while:We’re having hay inside, so we can dry off, if we want to—some of us would rather run around than stay dry, like our Iris:Good old RC will always share hay with me:It looks like Stormy’s pretty dry, and so is Chavez, who is in Henry’s stall, as usual:Where’s Henry?Oh, he found a nice bale of hay all to himself—lucky horse! 🐎
Kittens play king of the saddle 🐴
Here I am, having my usual hay a la carte:Tux sneaks a drink of clean water, before it’s turned into “duck soup:”And if you can’t find the kittens, try looking up:Onslow is “king of the saddle:”He also gets a good view out the window. 😺
No ice today! 🐴
Stormy is first out for hay, enjoying the 43 degree morning:There’s plenty of water to splash around in:Onslow and Schrödinger play peek-a-boo:And Betty has a look outside, too:Here’s Onslow exploring the same cat-carrier that brought him and his sister to the farm:There’s a whole 10 acres to explore outside the tack room, kittens (when you’re older). 😺
Busy Thanksgiving Day 🐴
We’re sorry, no Pilgrim and Indian costumes this year—we’re already out in the far pasture:The cats are munching down hot food (it spends all night in front of the tack room heater)!Patrick’s head is under water, and he sent up a big blob of bubbles!And Mary and Ann are riding Rose and Jewel. But Ann had to switch to Rose, because Jewel was just too feisty!
Here’s Mary letting Jewel work off some steam:
Happy Thanksgiving! 🐴
Count your chicken blessings 🐓
Baldy is glad he’s a chicken and not a turkey this time of year:Other than that, it’s a nice mild morning, and we’re all facing the sun sideways, to absorb the most heat:A lot of the snow has gone:We’re sure it’ll be back soon. 🐴
The kittens have names 😺
Presenting Onslow! 😺And Betty! 😺Onslow is named after Onslow from the BBC TV show Keeping Up Appearances, and Betty is named after Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Jennifer Rachel Abergavenny “Betty” Slocombe from Are You Being Served? 🐴
Sunny Monday morning 🐴
We’ll be out in the far pasture today.Oh, and the ducks have left us a surprise under the snow shovel:Seventeen eggs!That’s quite an omelette! 🐴
Movie time! 🐴
There was more snow overnight:
Let’s watch the ducks eat mealworms:
And the kittens play in the tack room:
And finally, here we all were, yesterday morning, when it was snowing:
I’ll admit, we weren’t very active (we were still a little sleepy). 🐎
More snow! 🐴
At least it’s a degree or two above freezing:I’m accumulating snow:Rose is always cheery:Iris knows we will have many deeper snows, so she’s being a stoic:And Kanna is looking kind of Christmassy under the heat lamp:Thanksgiving is just around the corner! 🦃
No kitten news today 😾
Yesterday we had a lazy, sunny afternoon in the far pasture (Chezzie is laying down):But today it’s cloudy and breezy (although it’s nicely above freezing):Look how Charlie’s winter coat comes in a bright auburn:And the Department of Horsefarm Security camera picked up the kittens playing at night:Oh, I guess we did have kitten news after all! 😺
Oh those kittens! 😺
I opened another bag of sawdust last night:You would think that someone would move the bags. 🐴
Tux was down at the creek this morning:
And let’s watch the kittens play:
It’s a chilly Wednesday morning, but there’s no wind! 😺
The kittens get a little supervised time to explore:And I’m about to get asked to leave RC’s stall:🐴
Pumpkin says Hi! 😺
Pumpkin gets some sun on this 20 degree Tuesday:The kittens do some exploring:And me, I got chilly last night. . .So, I broke into the saw dust. . .And made myself a nice, cozy bed. 🐴
I’m a little twitchy this morning 🐴
For some reason, I get a little defensive when I’ve got Jewel on one side and Rose on the other. I do a lot of twitches and almost-kicks. Check out the 1 minute 10 second mark for a “kickette,” and start watching at 1 minute 30 seconds to see me finally have enough of Jewel.
Oh, and here is how we found the kittens this morning:Snuggly and cuddly! 😺
Water, water everywhere! 🐎
The hose thawed out today, so the ducks had lots of clean water for morning bath time:The kittens are exploring their new home:And we are having our breakfast hay in the front pasture:It’s going to be a sunny day. 🐎
New arrivals 😺
I don’t know what’s keeping the help around here from spreading out my hay:I guess I’ll have to do it myself:Oh, now I know why the service is so rotten this morning:We have two fluffy new kittens:I have to admit, they’re pretty cute. 🐴
Oh no! Here comes snow! 🐴
We had a little snow overnight:Since it will be hard for the ducks to forage for food, they had mealworms on the blacktop. . .and then they had their dinner for breakfast:Hansel’s having breakfast under the heat lamp:The kitties are having canned cat food that’s been warmed up by the heater in the tack room:And finally, here are RC and I, having hay before everyone else comes out:And here they are:We think the snow will be gone by this afternoon. 🐴
Gray and gloomy Thursday 🐴
It’s not the nicest weather, but hay after breakfast always cheers us up:We’ll be getting hay twice a day, now that the pasture grass is withering away. 🐎
An icy and leafy Wednesday 🐴
The ducks don’t need sawdust today. . .The wind has blown in a nice carpet of leaves.
Blustery voting day 🐴
The wind is blowing this Tuesday. I’m not sure I want to go out:Anyway, Henry has taken well to switching stalls with Iris:And Iris likes Henry’s old stall, too:As I said, it’s windy—too windy for Baldy:He came running back into the garage. 🐓
Guess which ducks are spending the day in the garage? 🐴
Security Deputy Pumpkin reports a duck crime in progress (and it’s a doozy):It’s bad enough that they crossed the street:But they just kept running!Where are you going? Downtown Geneseo?If the old school had anyone inside, they’d be getting quite a show.Keep walking, birds; don’t stop until you get inside the garage. You’re on lockdown! 🐴
Dark and rainy Sunday 🐴
On rainy days, when I’m feeling ornery, I knock the hay over inside the stable instead of outside:And for that, look at what Mara and Mary did to me:When Ann comes to the farm—I am soooo telling on them! This is people crime! 🐴
Moving on: It may be a dark and wet day outside, but it’s always bright and dry in the riding arena!Ukie and Phoenix are becoming friends. 🐺Mara is riding Stormy (Iris is drying off in the stable—she likes standing out in the rain).And Mary is riding Jewel.Stay dry next time, Iris, and you won’t miss any fun! 🐎
Kanna’s catch 😺
You may remember from a few days ago, a mouse had broken into the mealworms:Well, Security Deputy Kanna reports that the perpetrator has been apprehended!What’s the sentence?You don’t want to know. . . 🐴
Frightening Friday 🙀
Halloween may be over, but the tricks have kept coming. For the past two nights, Gretel has been a “free-range chicken.”She must have found a cozy place under the barn, but we just couldn’t see where. Luckily there were no raccoons on the prowl. We’re glad you came home, Gretel—don’t do it again! 🐔
Oh, and look at this trick:YUCK! 🐴You can’t blame me for that poopie! 🐴
November already! 🐴
The kitties have breakfast:And here are Chavez and I, whispering to each other:Oops!—we’ve been caught!No—we weren’t talking about you. 🐴