Sassy & Sweet Notes

Meow!

Well well well ... look what we found asleep in the flower bed!

Meow, meow, meow, MEOW!

Meow, Meow, Meow!

Surprise! One by one, another litter made their way to my Etsy shop! I've been working on these wee ones all week, and must say that they smell so good, and turned out cute as can be!

I also put together an e-Pattern, if you are so inclined to want to make your own litter, which is also available in the shop. It is a 3-page document that includes full instructions, a supply list, pattern, and my tea dying technique for the kitty, seam binding ribbon, and paper tags tags.

Purrrr!

Girly Kitty Themed Pillow Case

Seems I'm on a bit of a kitten kick these days! Here's another kitty themed project I have to share. Alan and I know a girl who really seems to like kittens, so when I saw this fabric Saturday at Joann's, I picked up a yard to make a pillow case for our young friend.Tonight it was raining CATS and dogs (haa!), so it seemed a good time to do some sewing.

I made this case a bit fancier than usual by making the decorative strip along the cuff a ruffle instead of just a coordinating color band. I like how it turned out, though it does make the case a bit heavier than usual. The fabric I used for the ruffle (a Michael Miller print) is from my stash, and the pink/daisy print I used for the cuff is another piece I picked up at Joann's on Saturday. Their calico wall was on sale, and I do love a good fabric sale! Hard to tell in the photos, but the pink/white daisy print matches nearly exactly to the pink color in the kitty print. The green polka dots coordinate just as nicely! Yay!

I also spent quite a bit more time on this case than usually required on pillow cases -- every seam is a french seam, and the ruffle has a double top-stitch. For the amount of time and miles of sewing done on this, I could have finished 4 or 5 regular cases. *grin* But I love how it turned out, and it is certainly worth the extra time and finishing touches.

Hope you've enjoyed your evening ... I had a good time sewing! And I'm looking forward to seeing the rain gauge tomorrow!!

Purrrr.....

Sorry for the silence for the past couple/few days, but I've been busy sewing and stitching and baking! Meet Milla, Mabel, Berry, Chutney, Maude, Mille, Lemon Breath, Mocha, and Lola, all posted in my Etsy shop.

Phwew.

Meow!

New Prim Kittens!

 

I had so much fun making the primitive snowmen earlier this week, I decided to make a litter of kittens! Meet Clover, Ginger and Nutmeg.

MEOW!

One by one, they found their way to my Etsy shop! *grin*

Happy 2012, Happy January!

I'm back in Texas now and life around the farm is in full swing. Alan picked me up at the Dallas airport Saturday night, and we rolled into the driveway at 11:30pm. Daisy, Farley and Twiggy gave me all kinds of love, and then it was nighty-night time for all. I spent yesterday just doddling around the house, not doing too much of anything important. Today it's time for celebration, as the Oregon Ducks play in the Rose Bowl -- Go DUCKS! And we'll have Alan's parents over for dinner tonight, and will exchange gifts for Christmas, since I was out of town (state) for the holiday. Should be a fine, fine day.

I have a lot of catching up to do, so if you don't see photos of crafty projects for a day or two, excuse the delay. (Dad!) *grin*

Hope you enjoyed your holidays, and rang in the new year with gusto!

The photo above is of Toad, and is the January photo in the 2012 Life on the Farm calendar.

Holiday Treats for our Furry Friends Part 2

I finished more critter treat packets! This time, cats and big dogs.

For the cat toppers, I used the Whipper Snapper image called Sanders. Perfect fit, and perfect image for such an occasion.

I filled the packets with catnip flavored Temptations. Mmmmm! And festive, too!

For the big dogs, I used the Whipper Snapper image called Smiling Lab. I tucked a wrap into a long, narrow cello bag, and added the topper.

Labs of all colors!

You will find my first post of holiday treats for our furry friends here.

And by the way, I'm entering these toppers in the current Touch Twin Markers & More challenge.

On the Farm 2012 Calendar

First of all, thank you for all your support to those who purchased the On the Farm 2011 calendar last year. We had a great response to last year's calendar, and have decided to offer On the farm 2012.

A small portion of all purchases comes back to the farm, and all proceeds recieved go towards the care and feeding of the animals here on the farm. The calendars make fantastic gifts, and are ideal for personal use. The calendar is available in 3 sizes. All of the photos in the calendar were taken by me; I hope you choose to spend 2012 enjoying photos from our farm.

Order your own copy of On the farm 2012 today! Some of your favorite farm critters are featured in the pages of our calendar! Even Baaaaad Boxcar Betty makes an appearance!

HOT SALE! Today through November 20th, cards are 50% off, and calendars are 20% off when you use coupon code CARDSCAL2011 at order checkout. In addition to the 2012 calendar, you will also find all kind of lovely cards in my Zazzle shop as well!

 

Zazzle Coupon Details:
Enter code: CARDSCAL2011 at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box 50% of the greeting card, invitation, photo card and postcard net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying products are purchased. 20% of the calendar net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying calendars are purchased. The coupon code CARDSCAL2011 must be applied at checkout to apply these discount offers. Offer is valid until November 20, 2011 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Temptations Treats Coupon

Mom and Dad have two cats...

Tippy...

and Streak.

And as you might have guessed, they're spoiled rotten.

I thought of them today when I came across a coupon for their FAVORITE treats! Temptations (Tasty Chicken flavor only, please) by Whiskas.

Want your own coupons? Go HERE and fill in their info form. Upon submitting the completed form you'll be presented with a coupon for $1 off two bags. The coupon prints via coupons.com, and if you've never printed a coupon using the coupons.com "coupon printer", you'll need to install their printer application prior to printing the coupons. But it's easy ... follow the instructions, and before you know it, you'll be printing up your own Temptations coupons!

Once the first coupon prints, press the BACKSPACE key on your keyboard, and then click the "resend" button on the pop-up message to reload the print page and print a second coupon. And don't worry, you're allowed two coupons. Just not any more than two. *grin*

Welcome to June... welcome to Summer?

Today's forecast is promising a high of 99*. Tomorrow's forecast is promising a high of 99*, too. Jeepers... Time to get the frozen water bottles in the chicken waterers. I'd best gather eggs early in the day, too! Don't want those chickens brewing up any deviled eggs when I'm not lookin'!

The purple pole beans are putting on blooms, but no beans just yet. I think they're so pretty as they grow up the wire trellis.

We've got a wild mama cat who has 5 kittens under our shed. They stay out of the heat, and lay in the shade. Oddly enough, the girl kittens are the friendliest of the bunch. Usually the boys are. When they're old enough they'll go to the vet for a little snippity snip! Alan thinks he might be able to catch the wild mama next week now that the kittens are old enough to eat kitty food and spend the night away from their mama while she's at the vet's office for snipping! This little gal is a cutie, isn't she! I think I'll tell Alan her name is Tangerine. Unless you want to ADOPT her, and then you can name her anything you'd like! *grin*

There's a sweet little torty-grey female, too. She has the cutest nose and broken stripes.

But don't let these sweet faces fool you ...

ROAR!!

ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!

The rattlesnake pole beans have almost all sprouted around the tee-pee trellis, and I can't wait to see them start vining up the poles! I took this photo two days ago, and already the plants look noticably different, now that they're starting to get more leaves. It's amazing how quickly things change.

Here was the garden on May 1...

And here is the garden as of June 1!  BIG difference! (Click image for a larger view...)

Remember our little house chick, Dolly? Well, seems that Dolly thinks SHE is a HE, and is practicing crowing. Yes, yes it's true. Just little squeaks, but that's CROW enough for me! Dolly lives outside now, in a fancy new brooder with two chick-sized friends. Happy as can BE, wild frizzled feathers, and all!

Dolly, looking down into the brooder at his friends, who are cheeping wildly, apparently lost without him.

So, speaking of summer ... did you see this image predicting how summer weather is going to progress? UNCLE!!!

I think that calls for daily dips in the pool. Bottom's Up!
Whipper Snapper Designs: Poolside Chicken - #CT954

April: On the Farm Calendar 2011

If you picked up a copy of the 2011 On the Farm calendar, you might already know that you get to enjoy cats for the month of April! There's Popeye (top left), Junior (bottom left), and Sparky (right).

Meeeeeoooow!

And if you haven't picked up a copy of the 2011 On the Farm calendar, well ... it's not too late! *grin*

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Boop in Pink!

I'm settling in for a long week this week. The appointment I was scheduled for this coming Thursday to have my broken molar pulled and the implant post put in has moved to March 16. You'll have to wait a bit longer for the update on how Alan manages with me after the appointment and "the drugs". Haa!

So with that , how about another Whipper Snapper card! This is Boop, giving a little springtime friendship cheer. The sentiment is from the Sending Happy Thoughts cling set.

There sure is lots of pink on this card ... maybe I have a fever?!

Springfever that is! *giggle*

Today in the Barnyard

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know we have two goats: Baaaaad Boxcar Betty, and Callio-Pea. Betty is a little bit of a troublemaker here on the farm. Callio-Pea, however, is much more reserved. In these photos of Callio-Pea, she was interested in Alan who was talking to her just to the right of the photo frame.

Callio-Pea is curious. And she LOVES to try to steal buttons, tug on pockets, boot tops, pant legs, zipper pulls, shirt sleeves, shoe laces, watch bands, pony tails, ... and apparently gloves.

Callio-Pea doesn't get as many photos taken as Betty, because she's always in my back pocket -- much too close for the camera! I went out in the barnyard today to take photos, but couldn't actually get any photos of her while I was in the barnyard because she was too close. I had to go OUTSIDE the fence, and these photos were the results.

She was interested in Alan's glove, looking for treats no doubt.

"I'll just start with a nibble..."

"I am pretty sure this will taste delicious, if...I...can...just...get...a bite!"

If you're wondering about the photos I took while I was in the barnyard, and while Callio-Pea was trying to steal the buttons off of my jacket, here they are...

This is Toad, sitting "cute" in the snow.

This is Dash, making long shadows on the powdery snowcovered barnyard.

And this is Baaaaad Boxcar Betty, who paused from eating long enough for me to snap this photo.

Go back to eatting, Betty... it's gonna be a chilly one tonight!

Snow Day (Video)

I went out earlier and took some quick video clips of the farm activities. The snow was really coming down, and still is! About 4" have accumulated now. Fun!

Enjoy the video! ...oh, and you might notice that there isn't a chicken to be seen! They were ALL in the coop. Sissies!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can see the video HERE on YouTube.

Happy Snow Day!

PS: For those of you with relatively slow internet connections (Mom and Dad!), start the video, then press the PAUSE button (the button with two vertical bars) and allow the video to download. You will see the download progress by watching the red/pink progress bar extend. Once the progress bar is almost complete, press play again. This will allow you to watch the video without lots of stops and starts.

Hay!

Yesterday before dawn, on the coldest morning we've had so far this season (29*), we had 37 round bales of hay delivered. Alan was busy with the tractor all morning, unloading the bales from the delivery truck trailors, and moving the hay to the area on the farm we store the bales. The critters were very excited! They love hay delivery day!

Alan mounts a big metal spear to the front of the tractor bucket, and uses the spear to pierce and lift each bale. The bales are very heavy, on average weighing about 1000 pounds.

Alan set out a bale in the barnyard for the goats, and any cows we put temporarily in the barnyard.

The goats give the new hay two tails up.

Callio-Pea still comes to say hi, and check for cookies.

Alan also set out a bale for the cows and donkeys. Houdini and the cows give the new hay four hooves up... mmm, hay!

Curly gives the hay her stamp of approval, too. The first ray of morning sun shining on the new hay is a perfect spot for a nap.

Charlie (or is this Geoff) stalks Curly while she naps... lookin' for trouble all the time!

Out in the pasture, Stix watches Alan as he moves hay bales past the pasture. She isn't too sure about hay yet, and I'm sure she doesn't understand the excitement of new hay!

Dixie left the hay bale long enough to give Dumbo a bath. In the early morning sunshine is the best time and place for a bath.

Calf Update

Yahooooo!! Dixie's Dumbo has started nursing on his own!! This was the BEST thing that happened on the farm this week. We weren't too sure how many more times Dixie was going to allow Alan and I to "trap" her in the chute. Her patience seemed to be growing thin, as was ours. Thankfully, we have witnessed Dumbo nursing off of Dixie several times a day, Thursday, Friday, and today, and he's keeping her udder down to a "comfortable" looking size. He is clearly behind developmentally for his age, but he has started trotting a few paces after Dixie when he's lookin' for a snack. It's encouraging, to say the least.

Pixie Stix, on the other hand, has all kinds of energy, and we look forward to the day we get to put Dumbo back in the pasture with her and the rest of the herd. Stix is quite independant, and often times comes up to the barn without the rest of the herd. She can see Dumbo in the barnyard, and is interested in him, but she doesn't have the attention span to stick around long enough for him to show any interest in her. One of these days, they'll get to be friends.

She's not to sure of me, especially when I have the giant camera around my neck and I squat down to get eye level with her.

Stix: "Do I know you..."

She pretends to be interested in some bushes, but watches me the entire time.

On the other side of the fence, Boop was busy hunting grasshoppers. Her coloring, along with the leaves in the grass, make for a pretty "fall" colored photo!

It's a lovely fall day here... for the past few days I've been dealing with a fever, so here's hoping the clear-air day knocks it outta me! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday!

Dexter Calf Update

Just before Halloween, Pixie Dust had her first calf - a little heifer (girl). I first introduced you to her here. We've decided to call the baby Pixie Stix, in keeping with the Pixie themed names. Pixie, Pixie Dust, and Pixie Stix = grandmother, mother, daughter -- and they all live here on the farm.

She's getting bigger and stonger each day, and has to be just about the cutest thing on the farm these days. She loves napping in the sun.

Grow lots of fuzzy fur, Pixie Stix... I think we're in for a cold winter!

Here she is with her mama, looking for a snack at the wrong end.

Still a little underbite, and those hair twirly swirls above her eyes are pretty cute!

Getting a little love from mama...

We've determined that Dixie's calf is a little bull calf, but we haven't decided on a name just yet.

These two photos of him are from his first day on the farm. He's a couple days older now, but I haven't had time to pop out with the camera since I took this photo.

Houdini (the father of these two calves) enjoys napping in the sun, too. Workin' hard, Houdini, workin' hard.

Betty is less than impressed with the new additions to the farm.

Toad could care less, too. As long as he's being held, his world is perfect with, or without, baby cows.

Here's hopin' you have a wonderful weekend! It's a lovely fall day here on the farm!

Oh!, and any suggestions on a name for Dixie's little bull calf?

I'm adding this photo of Princess, who is also expecting a calf. She's always so round, we call her our hippopotamus cow... Ha! She has the CUTEST babies, so we're excited to see what her and Houdini create. She has only ever delivered bull calves for us, and only black in color. This year we're hoping she delivers a dun heifer. Come on, Princess, surprise us!

Kitty Update

I thought I'd give you an update on the litter of kittens who were abandoned in our equipment garage when their mother was killed on the county road by our house. You first met them during a bath time. Alan became their new guardian, and cared for them daily. They were really quite young and required bottle feeding multiple times a day for several weeks. Alan had a brooder area set up for them until they got big enough to be outside with the other farm kitties.

This is Charlie. He's the only long haired one in the litter. I think he has the prettiest eyes, and he's soft as cotton.

In the background is Dash, the only girl in the litter. She really thinks she is something else (once she gets over her initial fear of the camera). She stalks everything, and even though she's the littlest and the only girl, she really gives her brothers trouble! (In the foreground is NotStreak, one of the older kittens from the mama cat we haven't been able to catch ... yet.)

Here is another photo of NotStreak. She was very curious about me with the camera. Isn't she a cutie! She has one brother named Geoff, and one sister named Streak (who is ALSO yellow!). They're almost old enough to go visit our vet for a little snippity snip snip.

This is Toad. He loves Alan... always comes back to Alan for snuggles, and then off he goes again to play.

Toad, getting more snuggle time in with Alan.

Here is Dash, on the prowl.

Dash, hunting one of her brothers.

Toad, back for more love.

The fourth kitten in the litter, Willie, won't sit still long enough for a photo. He's always on the move. He looks like Toad, but with smaller ears. *grin*

We put calls in to local area vet offices to see if there is anyone interested in adopting a kitten (or four), but as you can see, they're all still here. Anyone local to my area interested in adopting a kitten, just let me know! They're spoiled rotten, and litter box trained!

what do i see here?

 
We have two female cats that we haven't been able to catch and get to the vet's office for fixing... they are wild and crazy and NOT interested in our efforts to catch them. This is one of those cats. Alan calls her Speck. She is a young cat, and the daughter of the other cat we haven't been able to catch...

 
...and as you can see, she has a couple of kittens.

 
We knew she was pregnant with a litter (her first), and when she showed up one day rather on the SKINNY side, we knew she'd delivered. But we didn't know where, or how many. First-time mothers don't have great success with their first litter, so we weren't even sure her kittens had survived. We've seen some rather large snakes around the farm recently, including near the shed, so odds weren't good.

 
Weeks went by and we would see Speck now and again around the farm, but never saw kittens. Until a few nights ago, when Alan saw them under the shed. Two kittens, no others. A little gray striped one, and a little yellow striped one ... both female.

 
Yesterday, she started bringing them up to the back porch and keeping them in the row of shrubs we have at the back of the house. I'm guessing it's cooler under the shrubs than it might be under the shed, and it is certainly closer to her food and water.

 
The kittens are quite playful, and love playing on and around the trunks of the shrubs. Speck is lightly napping in the background. Even if she's not watching me I know she always has one ear on me, ...just to be sure of things.

 
The kittens still can't see too far in front of themselves and they're not too coordinated yet, so Alan has been able to pick up the babies -- usually when they back themselves into a corner. He'll continue to pick them up every chance he gets. Eventually, when they're old enough, they'll go visit "Uncle Mike" (our endearing name for our vet, who is no relation to us) for a little snippity-snip-snip, only to return to the farm destined to be lazy trip hazards on the porch.

 
We are very diligent about getting the cats born on the farm fixed, which is why it is so important that they're able to be caught. Even if we can only catch them once, in a kennel they go, off to see Uncle Mike! We wish our neighbors were as diligent...

 
The little gray girl was curious about the camera...

 
...while the little yellow one was more interested in chewing on the soaker hose.

 
Snack time ... while Speck watches me, very aware of what I am doing.

Affection

 
Junior loves Alan...

 
...he is completely spoiled rotten...

 
...by far the "favorite" cat on the farm...

 
...just ask him.

Meow x4

Early on Saturday, a feral cat was hit by a car (a neighbor, no doubt) on the small county road we live on, just past our driveway. We thought she may have a fairly recent litter of kittens somewhere on the farm, so Alan spent some time looking for them. He found them in the equipment garage in a metal garden tub stored under the workbench. Four kittens; three pale yellow striped males, and one striped gray female.

 
The kittens were in need of some relief from fleas, so Alan gave them a quick bath using a mixture of warm water and Dawn dish detergent, careful not to get it in their eyes or ears.

 
I was on hand to take photos, of course!

 
They didn't really enjoy the bath all that much, but it was quite necessary.

 
The kittens are far too young for any kind of tick/flea medicine, but we've found dawn dish detergent really does the trick on the little buggers, and it's safe for the kittens.

 
Some of them protested more than others...

 
Some of them found it exhausting, and required a nap!

 
After their bath, they were all cleaned up, rubbed down, and dried off.

 
Alan's parents were in town so they picked up some kitty milk and a bottle so Alan could bottle feed the babies. For the first couple of bottle meals, there's lots of disgruntled baby faces. But then they get the hang of it, and are eager for the warm milk.

 
These cute little kitties need a home where they can be raised. We will put calls in to local area vet offices to see if there is anyone interested in adopting a kitten (or four).

Anyone local to my area interested in adopting and hand raising a kitten, just let me know!

Random Thoughts

 
Here's what it's like to walk Daisy and Farley. Notice the out of focus appearance and stretched tight leashes ... probably because I'm being DRUG down the road and it's amazing I don't come home with a skinned chin.

 
Ever freeze-frame a quack?

 
Isn't it true that yellow striped cats are most often male? Why are the majority of ours female?

In other randomness, tonight Alan and I watched (rather quickly, thanks to the DVR) the American Idol finale. Talk about a random show! I'm still not sure how they pulled that lineup together... or why.

 
Did someone say QUACK?

We Should Probably Name Him....

Murphy Jr., being the crazy mama kitty that she is, has moved the babies out to the big round bales of hay. Alan has been taking food and water out to them, since Murphy Jr. isn't quite as "motherly" as she should be.

The kittens are big enough now where they're starting to explore their area a bit more, and tonight I found them playing on top of the hay. (Usually they're down on the ground, in between some of the big bales.)

I thought I'd share some of the photos I took of this cute little FUR BALL!

Here he was stalking a piece of hay that I was moving around on one of the neighboring bales.

 
He thought he could hide from me .... hardly. *grin*

And here's one that I thought looked cute as a black and white photo. Don't you just want to squeeze his little fluffy body!

We should probably name him ... he has three (nearly identical) sisters too (we think). They weren't too hip on the idea of coming out from under the tree limbs that hang down onto the bales.

We're open to suggestions - leave us a note!

and then there's Junior...

We can't go down to the barn without Junior making an appearance, and "assisting" with whatever it is we're doing.

Today, he was "assisting" me take photos of Thurston. He's such a good helper, though I'm pretty sure he thought I was doing it ALL wrong.

Towards the end he was telling me to hustle it up with the canned food. I think that had more to do with it than anything...

Can you say CUTE?!

Here's another photo of the kitty I posted yesterday -- this one's for you, Michele! *grin*

Kitty ... x 4

Last week we were surprised to find some new babies on the farm... four of them, to be exact. All of them are gray. All of them are striped. I caught this one playing yesterday evening. What a cutie!

This one was a bit more shy, and hid under our shed. ....this one is probably a girl!

Cute Wild Kitties

We have a real wild mama cat who lives here on the farm. We haven't been able to catch her and get her to the vet yet. Her name is Damn Cat for that reason.

Last fall, Damn Cat had three kittens. We've been able to catch one of the kittens (Shazam) - and we've only been able to do it once. But once was enough to get her to the vet to be fixed! This is Shazam. Still wild as can be if we get too close to her. She will come up on the patio to eat but dashes off if we get to close.

The sun was peeking in under the covered patio, so I sat in a chair and just waited (camera in hand) for something to happen.

Shazam hopped up in one of the patio chairs in a spot of sun and decided it was a great time and place for a bath!

I got these two shots taken, and that was enough bravery, and bath, for Shazam.

Off she went.

Larry, another fairly wild kitty, found a place in the sun too, right next to my sad looking Petunia plant. She looks awfully cute. Yup, Larry's a she. Usually yellow striped cats are males, but we seem to have a high percentage of female yellow striped cats! Damn Cat included! And Curly! And Curly Too! Sometimes they get named before we learn if they're male or female. Sometimes, it's only when Uncle Mike (our vet) does surgery that we learn what gender they are...this is how Larry got her name. Oops!

All of the animals around here are very well fed. Wild cats included. These two don't really look all that wild in these photos, but I'd like to see you try and catch them! *grin!*

The cats are always very aware of where we are, and what's around them. And if one of us has a fish net in our hand, you can bet there won't be a cat in sight. That's ok with us though. As long as we can catch them at least once, that's all that matters. We'll get Damn Cat eventually.

PS: Thank you for all the kind comments about my photos. I'm so happy to know that other people enjoy them, as I do. I'm grateful that they allow me to share our life on the farm with you.

Some of you have written to me and asked about the camera I use. Here's some information I wrote last year about this time that goes into a bit of detail on my photo gear. Since writing that post, I've also added a Canon 180mm Macro lens to my bag, and a Canon G9 to my bag as well. I'm probably a junkie. *wink*

Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

Farm Critters to Share

The setting sun provided some pretty light this evening, so I popped outside with my camera and took some photos. Here are two that I like!

Curly was laying on the hood of the tractor watching the world go by until I showed up. The wind was whipping her L O N G whiskers around! I was only able to get a couple of photos taken before she decided she'd had enough. She's a little on the wild side.

And this is Lucy, our little red calf. Isn't she just a cutie! Edited to Add: Lucy was born July 11, 2007. So, she's not a baby... but she's pretty small, and still has some growing to do.

The light from the setting sun was on her, making her look awfully pretty! We're excited for her to get old enough for having babies of her own. We're hoping she gives us more little red haired cuties! She's the smallest cow on the farm. To give you an idea of how tall she is, her back is about mid-thigh high. She's not very tall. But one of these days her horns will grow in long enough that she can boss ol' Ribeye around. He's the next smallest cow on the farm, standing maybe waist high. Maybe. Edited to Add: Ribeye was born April 11, 2007.

I think it's funny how the grass in the pasture looks like a golf green! We didn't mow it ... it's just coming up for spring. I love seeing the green!

Curly... & Junior

I took this photo of Curly today after the rain stopped. She was in her usual spot ... in the back of the fire truck. I'm pretty sure she thinks Alan brought the fire truck to the farm JUST for her.

I thought she looked pretty against the red of the truck. Kitty kitty... she's a very sweet kitty.

I think the animals are all getting camera shy. They all seem to look away now when I've got the camera out.

I was trying to take photos of Junior today too, and he was being a PEST! You should have seen the looks he was (and wasn't) giving me! He's SO rotten.

In this photo, Junior looks anything BUT sweet.

But eventually I'll win and get a photo that makes him at least appear to be sweet... some day.

Critter Update...

Thanks to all of you who've left notes and sent emails wanting to know how the farm animals have been doing. I'm so glad you appreciate them as much as we do! Just for you, I went out this evening and took some new photos. It's been a bit cloudy and windy today so getting photos was a bit challenging, but I managed to get a few good ones.

First, I thought I'd introduce you to a new critter. (Not new to the farm, just new to you.) This is Junior. Spot Junior, to be exact. He's one of the barn cats. He's a very good helper while we're out at the barn -- always making sure we get things done right, I think.

Even though it doesn't look like it in this photo, he really does have two eyes. I think he was just dozing (aka "working hard") when I caught him sitting on the tractor seat. I couldn't resist taking his photo. Of course, as soon as he heard me take his photo he jumped down off the tractor and flopped over on the ground begging for a belly rub. Yes...a real WILD animal. As WILD as they come.

The new calf has a name now... meet Ribeye! He's a wild animal too! So wild in fact, it's very difficult for me to get a photo of him because he has to get so CLOSE to me! I can't focus on something close enough to touch noses with! But he's sure a cutie. He sleeps a LOT during the day, but when he decides it's time to play he sprints around the barnyard chasing anything he can find. Chickens, cats, shadows... I can't believe he's 13 days old already! What a monster!

We don't think Ribeye will have horns. When a cow naturally doesn't have horns, it's called "polled". Polled Dexter cattle seem to have a bit more value than horned Dexter cattle. Ribeye's mother, Princess, is also a polled cow. A lot of people consider polled cattle a bit safer to work with than horned cattle (duh!).

Dixie's Chick is getting BIG, and like the rest of the "hard working" animals on the farm, she's lazy. In this photo you can see her horns starting to come in -- they're about an inch long now. Her mother, Dixie, has long forward pointing horns. Ouchie-waawaa if she were to head butt anyone! We hope Chick's hair continues to lighten up a bit to a nice chocolatey brown. She's so pretty in the sun! And we don't need any more black cows!

Fitz is getting HUGE! Growing like a weed! Still ornery just like his mother. When Ribeye gets a few weeks older, we'll separate Chick, Ribeye and Fitz from their mothers, and keep them in a smaller barnyard where we can work with them a bit more than we can now. They're all friendly enough animals, but Fitz tends to get bossed by his CRANKY mother a bit too much. We don't want her lack of social skills to rub off on him. So we'll put the babies in the barnyard, force affection and critter cookies on them, and teach them how to socialize with people.

Should be a rodeo.