Critter Pics and… sadness

January 29, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

I only have a couple of critter pictures for you today, and both were taken with my phone camera.

I took many photos using the digital camera we keep on a tripod by our living room window, but then the camera died.

Then it worked again.

Then it died again.

Then it started doing weird things, like the viewfinder going completely black and the shutter getting stuck open. Not being able to focus. Error messages showing up.

My husband is the camera guy, and he opened it up, did some cleaning and checked it out. The cleaning seemed to have helped a bit, but then the problems all started up again.

It looks like the camera body is on its last legs. We hadn’t used it for so long, then suddenly we were taking probably an average of 150 photos a day. It may not have handled that well!

When I uploaded the memory card onto the computer, there were only a few photos, taken later in the day. Everything I’d taken before then was gone.

Our older daughter has offered to lend us hers; she has a Nikon D80, too. I’m now paranoid that if I start using her camera, it’ll end up like ours.

Something else to add to the list of expensive things we’ll need to replace. As much as I love my phone’s camera, it still can’t do as well as a good DSLR and some quality lenses.

*sadness*

We did get one deer visit today.

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This is Barbecue. Hungry Girl didn’t show up today. At least not that I saw.

I later saw that my brother’s dog had come out to check on his van, and that may be what has the deer’s attention in this photo.

The van is parked in front of the main entry, outside the kitchen window. It was when I noticed the dog that I also saw this…

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Nasty Crime Boy and Rolando Moon were checking out the dog – and me! – through the window.

The Re-Farmer

Busy Out Our Window

January 24, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

We got quite a bit of action outside our living room window today!

The beauty of digital photography is that you can take lots of pictures and not worry about running out of film, then go through them later to pick the best ones.

The downside is that you can take lots of pictures, and then have to try and choose the best one! Today, alone, I took about 200 pictures. Oh, how to choose!

Well, here is a sampling.

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The pine grosbeaks were back. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. I forgot how big they are! Almost as big as the blue jays.

Speaking of which…

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The blue jays are funny to watch. They have a definite preference for certain seeds, and are large enough that they can use their beaks to flick through the seeds, flinging them all over, just to find that special one! They’d eat the others, too, but only after picking out their favorites.

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I got some really good photos of the outside cats that showed up today, like this one of Butterscotch, who is staring at our mama cat in the window.

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Then there was Trüllbus the Crime Eater… also checking out our cats in the window.

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Nasty Crime Boy also made an appearance.

I have a hard time telling Crime Boy and Trüllbus apart when they are not right next to each other. :-D

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Even The Mothman made an appearance today! It’s been at least a week since I’ve seen her. Then I realized all over again, what a big frikkin cat she is!

She spooked the deer, too.

Yes, we got deer as well. Two of them; the nasty one and the one that stays close to him for some reason (see video)

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I picked this photo, not because it was the best one, but because you could see the difference between the two, a bit. The little one looks thin, and its coat is rougher, compared to the round belly and smooth coat you can see in the other deer in the background. It’s not as clear in this photo, but you can see her hip and shoulder bones sticking out more prominently, too.

They did eat together for a while, then something spooked the little one. She went off to the side for a while, but she she tried to come back, the other one chased her off. She then went into the spruce grove and hung around. At least she has things to nibble on in there, even if it might not be as good as the feed I’m leaving out. Still, the poor thing looks quite hungry. :-(

The Re-Farmer

Stare Down

January 18, 2018July 17, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

And the cat wins, without making a move.

Priorities

January 11, 2018January 11, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

On bringing the cats food and water this morning, it was clear where their priorities are. One of the food bowls still had lots of food, but when I gave them warm water, that’s where they crowded around.

In these cold temperatures, warm water is more important than food.

From left to right, Squishum, Nasty Crime Boy and Trülbus the Crime Eater.

Oh! Hello, there

January 8, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

My daughters had a visitor at their second floor window this morning.

Hello, Rolando Moon!

Trying something

December 24, 2017December 27, 2017 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

As I was using a spade to chip the water bowls out of the ice, I noticed one of the cats doing a bit of a dance, shifting its paws back and forth, to keep as little contact with the cold ground as possible.

So I decided to try something.

I lay some cardboard on the ground and put the food and water bowls on it, to help insulate their tiny little feet. At least a bit.

I do believe that is Squishums on the far right! Haven’t seen him in a while.

They weren’t too sure about it, but the call of food and warm water was enough to convince them. It probably won’t last. Especially when we need to shovel at some point. But cardboard is easy to replace.

Our current temperature has warmed up to -27C, with a wind chill of -34C.

I found this under our door this morning.

Checking out the frost…

Yes, we have weather stripping, and it’s in good shape.

The Re-farmer

The Mothman Returns

December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

My daughter went to do the outside cat food while I got the warm water ready. I started hearing the strangest meowing.

It turned out to be the Mothman, under the kitchen window.

I have got to get a recording of sounds this cat makes, one of these days!

As he moved closer to the door, our inside cats were all over the screen door window, checking him out. I had to chase them off just so I could open it enough to put the bowls (now free of ice) and pitcher of water outside.

The Mothman returneth…

He gets a food bowl all to himself, it seems.

I get a pretty good view from my office window, too.

The Re-farmer

The Hand

December 18, 2017December 22, 2017 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

I was finally able to get a picture of The Hand. The Hand is one of the shyest of the cats and was not very happy about me coming closer for a photo. Food won out, though.

As skittish as he (she?) is, its not quite as much as Squishums, the last of the cats that hang out here, whom I have yet to get an identifiable picture of.

Sometimes, they go onto the roof of the newer part of the house and watch my daughters through the second floor windows. Much to my daughters’ delight.

The Re-farmer

Cat Whisperer, and more

December 14, 2017December 14, 2017 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

My younger daughter is some kind of cat whisperer!

Last night, when she headed out to give the outside cats some warm water for the night, The Mothman came out. He’s been hanging out more often, and even taken over one of the old dog houses at times. The other cats are nervous around him, so they won’t go in with him, like they do with each other. When she came out, there were cats all over for some reason. Then Mothman came out of the dog house and she saw why! Continue reading →