FRANCIS'S BLOG 04/19/2026
Anya is no longer a puppy! 🐴
Good morning! Anya turned 1 year old today (12/31/2025). Happy Birthday, Anya!
The last day of 2025 is turning out to be pretty nice—it’s about 35. No ice on anybody’s water:
Oh dear, here’s someone who wished the duck water was frozen 🐭:
Poor little mouse is in Mouse Heaven. Mice can be a nuisance, but we don’t like anything bad to happen to anyone at the farm!
Anyway, I’m trying out my New Year’s Eve party “crowns.” I can’t decide between this one. . .
Or this one. . .
Which one would you wear? 🐴
Aurora Borzoi-realis! (video) 😺
“Good morning! Ignore my grumpy look, because we’re always glad to see you! I snuck into the tack room to get a headstart on breakfast, but I think I’m about to be evicted.”
“You know we had a little snow yesterday, but it was nothing compared with what our Mary, Sophie and Anya had!”
“That’s quite a drift, Sophie. I’m glad you have an attached garage with its own door to the backyard.”
Thanks for doing the blog today, Onslow. Anyway, look at the light show a few days ago in Mason City! 🐴
Full disclosure: It’s not the aurora borealis, but rather a cop car stopped across the street. 🐴
How did THIS happen? 🐴
Good morning! It’s down in the teens, and very windy:
I know I got in here somehow:
But I may need some advice on getting out (don’t worry, I got out). 🐴
Farmer Rich to the rescue! 🐴 (and a video 😺)
Good morning! We’re having a super-soaker day, but are grateful it’s too warm (52!) for ice or snow:
If I were a little taller, I could have seen what Rose and Stormy were looking at yesterday:
It turns out it was Farmer Rich emptying our manure spreader over his field:
Back to this morning, Greg snuck out of the farm house to visit with Patches and Luna:
He won’t be allowed out for long. 😾
Speaking of Patches, he’s another fan of mealworms (like Betty):
I’m sorry, Patches, all I can say is, “Yuck!” 🐴
Slow news Saturday 🐴
“Oh! I didn’t see you! Good morning! I’m afraid this is the slow time after Christmas. I’m just helping Security Chief Onslow ‘clear’ the hay.”
“The hay is clear, Deputy Juno.”
“Francis is busy keeping Patches’s and Smudge’s feet dry.”
That’s true, Onslow. 🐴
WARNING: video contains fowl behavior 🐔!
“Good morning! We may look glum, but, other than a little mud, we’re really enjoying this weather in the high 40’s!”
Thanks for doing the honors, RC. Here are a couple Christmas cards Ann made, staring lovely me (I showed you my “official” Christmas photo yesterday):
Anyway, here are some of the hens trying to dust bathe in the sawdust. Does that work, chickies?
Don’t worry, you’re about to be let out. Even though it’s damp out, there are still many places, like under the tool shed and manure cart, where the dust is dry and powdery. 🐔
Muddy Christmas! 🐴 (and 3 videos)
Good morning! Santa Francis here, wishing you a Merry Christmas! This Christmas has brought us temperatures in the 40’s, which melted all our snow and ice:
My elves, Dot, Patches and Smudge, wish you Merry Christmas, too!
Baby Tux says, “All I want for Christmas is a mouse—and I got one!”
And the cat-cops got out the hose and gave the ducks big tubs of water! 🦆
Bathtime fun! 🦆
Clean feathers 🦆 and a mouse 😺 for Christmas! Well done, Santa! 🎄
Christmas visitors! 🎄 (video)
“Good morning, everyone! It’s Christmas Eve. It looks like we have visitors, Francis!”
That’s right, Dot. Be careful on that post.
It’s our Sophie and Anya! ❤️
Here they are in the pasture with our Mary ❤️! At the end of the video, you can see that Anya has learned to come when Mary whistles:
Good girl, Anya! We’re so happy to have Anya, Sophie and Mary with us for Christmas! ❤️ (And YOU too! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️)
Come on in, Stormy. 🐎
“Good morning! We’re taking advantage of this 47 degree weather to get clean, fluffy butt feathers!”
Thanks for saying hello to everyone, Paschal. Stormy can’t be lured inside, even for food!
And Rose wouldn’t come in, either. She skipped the grain, and just had some hay:
Anyway, here’s Smudge, drinking from a puddle on the iceberg (in the tank that’s normally not heated):
Finally, here’s Marbles:
“Good morning! Now I ask you, aren’t I adorable?” 😺
We do NOT dream of a white Christmas 🎄(but we have a video of RC and me 🐴)
Good morning! We’re enjoying a few days above freezing:
During the foot-deep snow we had at the end of November, “management” had no choice but to pile up manure in the stable:
We’re counting on you, chickens, to peck through each nugget. It’s a good deal—you get bugs to eat, and we get a light pile of dust that the cat-cops can shovel with ease:
It’s a win-win situation! 🐔
Oh, in case you need something to watch, here I am trying to hog RC’s breakfast:
It’s “catering’s” fault for not locking RC’s door. 🐴
Witchiness at the farm! 🐎
Good morning! I’d love to chat more, but I’m hurrying up to finish RC’s leftovers:
And what’s this in Stormy’s mane? It’s a “witches’ knot (look it up).” Sometimes the wind, rain or mud can cause them, or rolling and shaking with wet hair. Horses chewing and grooming each other can create these tangles, too. . .
But I think a WITCH did it! 🐴
Let’s start off with a video! 🐴
Good morning! I’ve finished my grain, and ready to go outside (it’s 42!), but first I have to let Smudge and Patches finish their Goo-Tube (more stuff after video):
The chickens are out enjoying the weather:
I’m about to have some hay:
Relatively speaking, 42 degrees is pretty warm, but Buttons isn’t giving up her new favorite spot on the heated pet pad:
Looking good, Buttons, but don’t burn your butt—that thing churns out 130 degrees! 😺
Buttons makes a discovery! 😺
Good morning! Pay attention, Patches, our friends are here ❤️!
It’s only 10 this morning. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you on a heating pad, Buttons: 
“I know, Francis, and this one is warm, too—and bigger, and it has a nice view. I think I’ll spend tonight here!”
Smart move, Buttons. 🐴
Rain, please don’t turn to ICE! 😿
Good morning! It’s pouring right now, and it’s rather warm (42℉):
“But nasty winds are blowing in, Francis, and temperatures are dropping. We hope there’s no ice before our afternoon feeding!”
You’re preaching to the choir, guys. I just had “catering” check the bins, and it should hold out for another day or two (you know how it scares cat-cops to deliver food in slippery weather):”
The rain is blowing right in the cat garage, so the big door is definitely closed:
Don’t bother her, Nikita. Buttons doesn’t often eat with us, and up on the storage box is her special place:
Anyway. . .
We’re glad the ducks are happy! 🦆
Almost 40! Let the poultry free! 🐔 (and a cat video 😺)
Good morning! Melt, snow! Melt, we say!
Here come the hens!
I’m glad you’re getting less skittish, Not-Dad. Come join the cats for breakfast—there are extra helpings of hot canned food today!
Finally, what are the inside cats up to? Well, it looks like the first thing on the agenda was to give this toy a good soaking:
Second thing, stake out the crack under the door and look for outdoor kitties:
Here they are in action!
We admit, it’s not much action. 🐴
RACCOON CRIME! (video 🦝)
Good morning! Rose and I have sent Patches up to the house to hurry along breakfast:
“I brought along Marbles to show him how it’s done.”
“I don’t think I’m tall enough yet to stand up and look in the door, but I will be soon.”
Finally, Sunday evening, this raccoon cozied up to Security Chief Onslow on the heating pad. Onslow knew raccoons can be dangerous, so he kept “Ricky” in the corner of his eye—Onslow was right!
Don’t worry, Onslow wasn’t touched and that bad vermin soon left. 😺
These winds are welcome 😺
Good morning! Excuse me a moment while I finish Stormy’s leftovers:
“Go ahead, Francis. I didn’t leave much.”
It’s a little windy, but it’s warmer air that’s blowing in. And just look at that sun shine!
Buttons is joining the other cats for breakfast for a change:
We love seeing you out of the hay barn, Buttons!
We’d love to see more of Not-Dad, too! 😺
Below zero 🐴 (video 🐔)
Good morning. It’s -7℉. I wish I were an indoor cat.
Tiger’s only contact with ice is watching it melt in a duck bucket:
Heck, I’d even try being an in-coop chicken:
28 chickens must generate some heat 🐔.
Only 6 degrees this morning and snow all day! 😾 (and an Iris video 😺)
Good morning! It’s freezing, and we’ve already had 2-3 inches of snow.
It looks like Rose has 2-3” of accumulation on her back:
On the bright side, we got a quick visit from our friend Mara, who stopped off on her way to visit our Mary in Mason City. She left us a picture of our dear Iris:
What a glamour girl! 🐎
And here they are having a riding lesson!
Don’t miss their jump at the end! 🐎
Just say, “NO!” to SNOW! 🐔
Good morning! We had a little snow overnight, but mercifully it didn’t amount to much (Patches and Smudge say “Hello!” too, by the way):
Smudge is joining me for a drink:
”Tell everyone to come out, Mac! It’s not that bad out here!”
“We’ll take your word for it, Martha.”
🐔
Luna does the greeting (and our latest YouTube) 😺
“Good morning! Welcome to my home in the hay barn.”
It looks nice, Luna. I’m glad you gave us something to talk about. I’m afraid I didn’t have much, other than Patches, Dot and Smudge tell me the view is great from my back:
Oh, here’s our latest YouTube, lest you miss it:
Cat-mas is coming! 😺
There’s a marsupial in the mix 😾
“Good morning! I’m having to keep an eye on my breakfast. . .
Everybody always wants to “help” me with it:
“Didn’t you just eat, Nikita?”
“I haven’t eaten, Buttons!”
“I’ll be grateful for anything you can spare, and please don’t tell the cat-cops I live here!” 🙀
Tiger the plumber (2 videos) 😺
“Good morning! Oh, Francis!—how could you publish this picture of me with my tongue out? Our visitors will think I don’t love them!”
I’m sorry, Patches, I’ll speak to my photographer. Anyway, anywhere there is running water, Greg and Tiger come a-running:
What’s that Tiger? A leaf is clogging the drain?
And finally, why are the ducks squawking up a storm?
Oh Betty, leave some mealworms for those poor ducks! 🐴
Everyone’s welcome at the farm (video) 😺!
Good morning! It’s supposed to go above freezing for the next two days, even though it was only 10℉ this morning:
We hope it reduces some of this snow by Friday, because that’s when our friend Travis is coming to do our hooves:
Everybody who visits us regularly knows that cat food from a just-opened bag is especially tasty and aromatic:
Not-Dad would like to enjoy the bounty, too. But Security Chief Onslow isn’t having it:
Don’t worry, the cat-cops “overrode” Onslow’s decision, and Not-Dad didn’t go away hungry. 😺
Marbles gets to greet you (and a video)! 😺
“Good morning! This bright sun has turned my kitten pupils into teeny slits.”
Deputy Security Chief Betty reports, “It snowed at least 3” overnight, but the snowplow came before breakfast.”
The sun feels pretty good today, even though we need “sun-blinkers!”
And, “Your caretakers have been feeding the chickens inside the coop for days, now. Could you please ask them to toss their leftovers out on the snow?”
Don’t worry, sparrows. I’m on it! 🐴
In the meantime, you could always go see what the cats are eating. . .
Never mind—they might say, “We’re eating sparrows!” 🐴
Clean ducks 🦆, unfortunate mice 🐭, and a cute kitten video 😺!
Good morning! We couldn’t wait to greet you, especially Stormy!
It’s still below freezing, just a little. But it’s nice enough for the ducks to clean up:
Let’s fluff up those feathers!
Oh no! Poor mice went swimming in the duck buckets overnight:
And I’ve collected seven cats this morning:
Speaking of cats, here’s Marbles and Tux at play:
Your breakfast is getting cold, kittens. That hutch will still be there when you’re done. 🐴
Kitties love you, too! 😺
“Good morning! We cats just wanted to say, we love seeing you as much as we love hopping on Francis’s back.”
“Nice try, Dot. We all know that the cat-cops feed you goo-tubes up there.”
“You said it, Rose. Did you know Patches tried to hop up on my back the other day?”
Don’t buck him off, Stormy, next time. The cat-cops will reward you will a peppermint heart, especially if they get a video to show our friends! 🐴
Oh no! Three below! 🙀
Good morning! I don’t have much for you this morning, but at -3℉, as much as I love you, I’m only concerned about being fed:
This is NOT a good day to get locked in the feed cabinet, Patches:
Betty (by the bag of cat poopies) and Dot are doing their best to soak up the sun. Thank goodness there’s not too much wind:
Let’s get warm with this picture of Sophie and Anya in Mary’s house in Mason City:
What nice Christmas decor! 🎄
It’s above freezing! We’ll take it! (and a video) 🐴
It’s about 35℉. Such a (relatively) high temperature makes me feel especially kissable this morning:
I don’t even mind kissing Patches:
I’m afraid that’s all I have for you today. I’ll try harder tomorrow. 😿
Well, I do have a cock-a-doodle-doo video spooled up:
There’s still too much snow on the ground to let you out chickens, but you’re getting extra mealworms to make up for it. 😺
Borzoi business (video) and a horse crime! 🐴
Good morning! I’m eating my hay first this morning. Why?— because someone made a poopie in my feed dish!
“It’s something we cooked up just for you, Francis!”
You shouldn’t have, Stormy. Anyway, here’s a lovely picture of Anya and Sophie in front of Mary’s tree in Mason City:
And here they are, playing in the snow!
I’m glad some people like snow! 🐴
Chickens on lockdown (video) 🐔
Good morning! What a mess!
I will say, however, that it was even messier before our friend Officer Mike plowed out a few paths for the cat-cops:
The younger cats are out in the snow:
But the older kitties, Betty, Onslow and Tails, and the babies, Marbles and Tux, are staying toasty:
But where are the chickens? Well, they are on lockdown until things melt a little:
But they are not complaining! That snow is cold on skinny chicken feet! 🐔