FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/18/2026
New Year’s Eve 🐴
It’s 6 below zero (again):
It must be nice to be small enough to fit under a heat lamp! 😺
But at least it’s sunny and there’s no wind. 🐴
Drifting snow and only 3 degrees! 🐴
It’s a snow-covered and freezing Saturday:
The cats aren’t happy. 😾
We aren’t happy. 🐴
The only one happy around here is the cowbird we rescued yesterday. He’s in with the ducks, enjoying the amenities of the garage. 🐦
Bird Rescue 🐦
Here we have Finn stalking the birds around the rooster pen (we put red circles around the birds to point them out):
Yesterday Finn got lucky and caught one, but Ann rescued it.
Luckily, kitty didn’t bite down too hard. The bird had a hurt leg, but his wings look fine.
He is a brown-headed cowbird. 🐦
He spent the night in the farm house. And this morning he was transferred to the garage with the ducks. He’s hopping and flitting around just fine, and we’ll set him free tonight.
You are very lucky, bird, that you were caught by one of Ann’s cats! 🐴
Heat Wave! (it’s 5 above) 🐴
Even though Finn is hogging the heat lamp right now, the poultry still have it pretty cozy:
They have straw on the floor, and plastic sheeting all around to keep out the wind. 🐔
Freezing Wednesday morning 🐴
Oh no! It’s 8 below! 🙀
Breakfast can’t come soon enough when it’s this cold. 🐴
We’re out in the front pasture today, so we can huddle under the hay barn and stay warmer. 🐴
It’s only 2 degrees this morning! 🐴
Dot stays cozy under the heat lamp:
It also sets her off in a nice rosy glow! 🐔
Snowy Christmas 🐴
It started to snow the day before Christmas, and left us with about 3 inches:
I’ll admit, the snow is making me feel more festive:
Merry Christmas, again! 🐴
Have a Francis Christmas 🐴
Here I am with all the snow we’re going to have this Christmas:
At least, I think it’s snow. . .
I say that because Schrödinger’s eating it.
I was hoping to be able to use my skis. . .
But I think they’re not made for four feet.
So, forget the skis. . .
Anyway, for Christmas I’m getting everyone a cat. . .
I’m going to give even the cats a cat. . .
Merry Christmas, everyone, your gift is Noodle! 🐴
Duck in danger 🐴
Ffion (it’s Welsh for Fione) was stuck this morning between a trash can and the garage door track!
What was she doing back there, anyway?
Oh. . . 🐴
It’s a Cat-astrophe 🙀
Kanna was accidentally locked in the chicken/duck coop last night. 🙀
It couldn’t have been too bad, Kanna. You had heat, water—and corn! 🐴
I want to be hand-fed, too 🐴
“I have a complaint!” 🐴
“I think the chickens around here are getting preferential treatment!” 🐴
“How come nobody holds my bowl up to my mouth?” 🐴
Sunny Wednesday 🐴
Here’s what we do when it’s 49 degrees in December:
Kanna and Pumpkin clean up, too:
We have guests for breakfast 🐎
Henry, RC and Charlie share the pasture with about a three hundred starlings:
We wish they would hurry up and head South! 🐴
Sunny Monday morning 🐴
Sunday afternoon was a little cool and cloudy, but Charlie and Iris got a nice ride!
Charlie is rocking those fuchsia support socks! 🐎
Do not try this at home with your own donkey 🐴
Iris and Stormy got a ride Saturday afternoon:
And I got sat on:
But since it was Mara, I didn’t mind—too much. 🐴
Cat crime (almost) 🙀
This doesn’t look good—Evil Cat and Major Tom, ready to fight. . .
Fortunately, the cat-cops broke it up.
It seems like there’s always a fight around dinner time—or at least there’s some hissing and caterwauling. 🙀
Everybody loves cat food 😺
The chickens like canned cat food:
While, if you’re a duck, you prefer dry:
The chickens will also eat horse feed, but luckily our bowls are high off the ground. 🐴
Privileged Poultry 🐴
The ducks all line up for the breakfast buffet:
Actually, they are all about 2 seconds from being chased out! 🐴
The Department of Horsefarm Security never sleeps 🐴
The DHS installed some new night lights in the stable:
Now it’s easier to check on us during the night. 🐎
Roly-Poly Schrödinger 😺
Schroeder comes up from the creek. . .
And takes a dust bath:
I thought only chickens took dust baths? 🐴
Dunking Ducks 🐴
The ducks haven’t had liquid water in their pool for quite a while. . .
So everyone was in the tub!
Good, clean fun! 😺
We’re everybody’s favorite 🐴
Look at all the starlings. 🐦
All the wild birds know. . .
We have the best cracked corn. . .
And the laziest cats! 🐴
Cats in the sun 😺
Nothing special this morning, just the kitties enjoying breakfast in the sun (it’s cold again):
And as usual, Noodle walks down with the cat-cop to supervise the opening of our gate:
😺
Cold ducks 🐴
The ducks line up for their morning mealworms:
They hope it warms up by this afternoon. . .
All their pools are frozen over.
Freezy weather is back 🐴
On cold mornings, we stand sideways toward the sun:
It’s the best way to warm up. 🐴
Henry spends some alone time 🐎
This morning Henry was out in the far pasture all by himself:
The rest of us were way back by the stable, still eating our breakfast hay:
We guess he just wanted to be by himself:
But he did eventually come back with us and had some hay!
🐎
“Boxing” is our favorite game! 😺
The kitties love empty boxes.
Especially Schrödinger and Noodle!
Don’t forget to jump out before Sunday pickup! 🙀
Don’t we make a pretty picture? 🐎
Here we are enjoying a beautiful morning in the far pasture (I’ll admit we’re hard to see):
Here’s Henry and Chavez and RC. . .
And Iris, Stormy, Charlie, me, and Misty!
Grazing is easy now that the pasture’s been mowed! 🐴
It’s a nice December morning 🐎
Poor RC is slow again this morning. Stormy and Iris have beaten him to the breakfast hay.
Oh, here he comes, but he’s walking slowly.
We’ll try and get you some medicine soon, RC. 🐎