While still not common around our feeding station, Baltimore Orioles have become regular visitors. :-)
Critter of the Day: Baltimore Oriole
Critters
This and that and kitty cat
This morning, after dropping my daughter off at work, I immediately headed out to do some work by the main gate before things got too hot.
I was already too late.
Continue readingShare this:
Critter of the Day: iridescent
Just loving how the colours shine on those feathers.
The females aren’t all shiny, but you can see detail on them, much more easily.
Share this:
Sanctuary
When we decided to move out here and take care of the farm for my mother, we had some ideas of what to expect, and what we might do in the future.
We were not naive about it, though, and knew that things would have to change with circumstances.
One thing I did not even think of at all.
That we might become a cat sanctuary.
Now, this isn’t all that unusual. Every now and then, I’ll read something in one of the local papers, or see a news clip someone shared on Facebook, about farmers and the 40 or so barn cats that they take care of. Along with their cows and goats and chickens or whatever.
We don’t have barn cats. The house came with yard cats. My dad loved them, and taking care of them was just a given.
I think it’s gotten a bit beyond that, now. LOL
Continue readingShare this:
Critter of the Day: Good Mourning
We had a new bird show up at our feeding station in May that had us pretty excited. It was clearly a dove, but not one I’d ever seen before.
My daughter did some research and identified it as a mourning dove, and mentioned that we’ve been hearing them many times.
This was when I discovered that a hooting owl sound I remember hearing throughout my childhood growing up here, was not an owl at all, but a mourning dove!
Share this:
Critter of the Day: strange bird!
Critter of the Day: windblown!
Bonus Critters: Accepted
We spotted this adorable scene this evening.
Uncle Doom Guy has been fully accepted by the kittens! :-D
Share this:
Staying cool
Today has been a day to stay inside, where it’s cooler – and to allow my body to recover from yesterday a bit more.
Which means I’m feeling decidedly unproductive.
I did manage to finally clean the windows on the outside, around the house, and on the inside in the sun room.
The kittens didn’t know what to make of that!!
I tried to get some pictures of bees, too. The problem is, with the bright sunshine, I can’t tell if my phone is focusing where I want it to, or not!
I did manage a good one, though.
This is a smaller variety of our native bumble bees. So pretty. :-)
One of the things I tried to do today was remove those bottom hinge pins on the gate posts. We’ve been spraying them with penetrating lubricant regularly, in hopes that would help.
It didn’t. The hinges themselves can rotate freely, but those nuts are just not moving. My older brother had managed to get a few turns on this one, and that was as far as it would go.
I suspect they will need to be cut off.
The next thing to consider is how to clean these in preparation for painting. I’m hoping the detergent we got to wash the gates I’ve been painting will be enough to remove the lubricant.
As for the gates, they’ve been flipped in preparation to do the other sides, but if I am able to do it at all today, it will be after things start to cool down!
Looking at the forecast, it looks like we’ve finally reached that time of year where the only productive work outside will have to be done in the early hours, or the evenings, to avoid heat stroke.
The Re-Farmer
Share this:
Critter of the Day: in the dirt
In reading up about how best to feed birds, and how some types will eat at feeders, others prefer raised platforms, while still others prefer to eat at ground level, we made sure to have all three covered.
I have since discovered something.
It makes no difference. They all eat anywhere.
The Re-Farmer 