Dude’s got an attitude! :-D
kitten
Crab apple picking
Catching up on stuff that I intended to post about yesterday…
I finally got a chance to pick some crab apples.
I had help.
It was starting to get pretty late in the season to pick these. A lot were already on the ground, other had signs of being eaten by birds. There were some I could not safely reach, even with the ladder, but that’s okay. The birds will enjoy them.
The one tree that was giving larger, sweeter apples this year resulted in about 2 1/2 gallon buckets of apples.
There is one other tree that had larger, sweeter apples last year. Though the apples are much smaller this year, there are lots of them. When I do my rounds, I have been tasting them. As the season progressed, the apples on this tree did start to develop that sweet-tart taste crab apples are known for. There are a couple of other trees with lots of apples on them, but they are pretty… unpleasant.
I decided to pick some from the one tree with good apples. Just a bucket full, I figured. So I dragged the ladder over and went to set it up under the most apple laden branches.
There… weren’t any?
These apples have been getting a very deep red as the season progressed, and there had been lots of them, but suddenly, there were hardly any at all.
Of course, my first thought was to check the ground, to see how many had fallen, but the ground was clear of fallen apples.
I finally went to pick some. Most were already too far gone and starting to rot at the stems. This is all I got.
Barely enough to cover the bottom of the bucket!
You can see one with a hole at the stem that I accidentally picked. Most of the remaining apples I saw had much larger holes like that.
I am guessing that the apples were eaten by something. I’m good with feeding critters. What I found interesting, though, is that it was just this one tree. There are trees on either side of this one that are full of apples, and I can see apples on the ground beneath them.
I guess whatever has been eating the apples from this tree found it tastier than the others, too!
Anyhow.
For the larger amount of apples, I am planning to make jelly. For the smaller amount, I’m going to try making apple cider vinegar.
We shall see how they turn out! :-D
The Re-Farmer
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Critter of the Day: I know there’s food here, somewhere!
We started leaving food out for Junk Pile Kitten and his mom beside the junk pile, since the other cats crowd around the food bowls by the house, and sometimes chase them away.
Then the other cats discovered we leave food there.
In fact, it’s now become routine for the other kittens to follow me as I put food out, ignoring the food by the house and eating the food being left at the junk pile.
I’ve taken to leaving little piles of food on the ground beside the bowl, and even on the log I’ve set up as a seat. I started doing the same thing by the pump shack, too, since not only have some of the kittens started following me there, so do Butterscotch and Beep Beep!
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What happened, and what didn’t happen
I will start with the good news, first.
Mild Cheddar went through surgery very well!
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Bonus Critter: playing
While switching out the empty hanging bird feeder for a full one, I noticed Junk Yard kitten was out.
So I sat down on the log I placed near the junk pile as a seat, and tried to lure him in.
There was a cat toy I’d found while cleaning out the old wood pile; one of the ones we’d left for the kittens that were living in there for a while, last year. Between it and the tree branch I wiggled around, I was able to get him to come within 3 ft of me and play!
He (she?) is such a beautiful cat! Those dark framed, golden eyes are just amazing!
The Re-Farmer
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Matched Set, and hot water woes
When doing my morning rounds, I used to get followed by at least Beep Beep and Butterscotch. Sometimes, other cats would come along, but it was usually those two in particular. That changed after they had their kittens. Butterscotch no longer even likes to be picked up anymore (I think it has become uncomfortable for her) and she’s become a lot more stand-offish. Lately, I’ve been seeing her as infrequently as the male cats.
Beep Beep is a lot more homey and, while she doesn’t like being picked up as much as she used to either, it doesn’t seem to be out of any sort of discomfort. She has started to follow me again in the mornings, and the kittens are beginning to expand their territory.
Even Big Jim came out to see what was going on.
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Critter(s) of the Day: cuddle pile
Critter of the Day: breakfast
These are from this morning, when I brought kibble to the bowls I brought back to the pump shack.
Rosencrantz had already come out and looked to be heading for the house, but hung around when she saw me, then came to eat after I put food in the bowls. She comes to the house for food but, for some reason, Beep Beep and Butterscotch (especially Beep Beep) have been very mean to her and chasing her away. So even though I was mere feet away, I think she was glad to get food here!
Digital zoom, here. My apologies for the poor quality of the image.
She has the strangest dark patches on her cheeks, below each eye!
I had to walk past her to go back to the house, which made her nervous, but not enough to leave the food.
Where those noises I could hear in the pump shack?
Why, yes! Look who’s getting brave!
Since discovering them back in the pump shack, I propped the door open a few inches in such a way that it can neither blow open more, nor close, so it’ll be easier for them to come in and out. I think they like that.
Pump shack baby is also hungry!
I want to snuggle. That. Face!!!!
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Good Bye, Little Guy!
This evening was both exciting and sad.
The family that had come to look at the kittens a few days ago called back today. They had made a decision and asked if they could come by to pick up their new fur baby.
Zesty Nacho Blast had to be awakened from a nap by his new humans!
He is now at his new home, with his new human family, where he will have new animal companions and even a new name.
Happy to see him adopted by a good family.
But we are going to miss him, too!
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 