While going outside to investigate some animal noises (the visiting toms were at each other again), my daughter and I were surprised by another noise.
A tiny, squeaking noise.
Coming from the old dog house.
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Looking around
We had a very foggy morning today, and there was still fog when I went out to do my rounds. I decided to see if I could get some good pictures from behind the barn, and ended up checking things out further. I have not actually gone done this way, this far, since we moved here, so much of what I was seeing was new to me.
The first thing I stopped to check out was some fencing around trees. There used to be a pig pen and a manure pile in the area. I can see that the fencing went around the trees, but I am unsure of why. It was done long ago, and much of it has fallen.
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A new bed
My husband went out to visit the cats in the sun room, and found the kittens squirming around on the floor!
He put them back in their spot and told me about it, so I made them a new bed. Hopefully, the walls will be enough to keep them from rolling off the bench seat they are on.
Unless Butterscotch is the reason they were down. She’s been using the box next I made in hopes that Beep Beep will have her kittens there. I thought she might have tried to move her kittens there, but when I went in later, I found her in the box, and the kittens on the swing bench.
The theory is that mama needs a break from the babies. :-D
While mama was snoozing in the box, her babies were snoozing on the bench. Even when they started mewing as I moved them, Butterscotch stayed right were she was!
If nothing else, it’s clean and warm. :-)
The Re-Farmer
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Strange things
Today, we finally got our monthly shop in the city done. We got the main shopping done at Costco, and still had energy enough to take in a couple more stores. It made for a long, achy day. I forgot to take pain killers before we left. Ah, well.
We encountered a couple of strange things in the process. The first was at Costco, when we stopped to look at a food dehydrator. I had one but passed it on before the move, and will be wanting to replace it by the time we start gardening. The one on display was tipped over on its side, so while we were maneuvering it around so we could see it properly, we got a good look at the settings.
We both did double takes.
Living food? What on earth is “living food” supposed to be? It’s already got settings for yogurt, so not bacteria, and bread, so not yeast. I’m familiar with the raw food diets and the claims about enzymes, but there’s fruit and vegetable settings there, too. I’ve even been doing searches, and I’ve found a Living Food Institute, living food as a brand name for, among other things, dehydrators, and raw food diets that define living foods as “all natural and uncooked.” Which doesn’t explain having its own setting.
Very strange! :-D
Then as we were heading into another grocery store for things we don’t want to buy in bulk, we walked past a cart corral and spotted this…
Someone left their liverwurst behind, and there it sits, all sad and lonely. Strange, indeed! :-D
It was a productive shop, though the Costco was very busy for a Tuesday morning! My daughter and I were both pretty sore and tired by the time we got home. My younger daughter had a shift today; we dropped her off, then headed straight to the city. One of the things we got were cat treats for the mamas in the sun room, so before I headed out again to pick her up, I took some time to sit in the sun room with them.
Beep Beep could not get enough cuddles!
I spread cat treats in different areas, including the box nest I hope Beep Beep will use when she has her babies, as well as tucking some under the blanket for Butterscotch. She would be in this picture, too, if the blanket were lifted up. :-D Beep Beep was a real greedy guts and ate up all the other treats, then came over to me and demanded all of my attention!
Having a heavily pregnant cat try and roll around on your stomach and chest is truly amusing.
And painful. She kept slipping, and she has very sharp claws!
I’m happy to say that, by the end of the day, I could see that both cats had used the litter box. I was really hoping they wouldn’t find the litter too odd and just used the floor or something. I’m also happy to say that Butterscotch seems quite okay with me being around her and the kittens, and purrs up a storm when I reach under the blanket to pet her, and even touch her babies. They are so adorable!!!
There is one thing about having them in the sun room that makes things less convenient; we can’t go outside through it right now. I don’t want to take a chance of either of the mamas getting out. The bags of outside cat food are kept in the old kitchen, but the deer/bird feed is in a bin in the sun room. That means getting the cat food from the old kitchen, then walking through the house to the main doorway, then back to the sun room, from the outside, to the cat’s food and water bowls. Then going back through the house, the old kitchen and into the sun room, to get a bucket of feed for the birds and deer. I don’t mind, but it is kinda funny.
I was almost finished the last bag of deer feed, so on the way to getting my daughter I stopped to pick up more feed. I am now switching away from the deer feed (which is a mix of mostly oats and sunflower seeds) to straight black oil seed. I don’t expect the deer to be coming by as often, now that things are greening up and food is more available in the bush, and the birds prefer the black oil seeds. The deer are more than happy to eat it, too, so it’s win-win. :-)
The Re-Farmer
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I found babies!!!
I was late putting food out for the critters this morning, though I had put some extra out last night, so I knew they would be fine.
While refilling their water bowls, Butterscotch came out of the sun room and I cuddled her a bit. After putting her down, I found bird feathers on my chest, from her paws! Then she took off.
I figured this would be a safe time to peak behind the box we used as part of our cat shelter in the sun room, and see if that’s where her kittens were.
I was wrong.
They weren’t hidden behind the box. I picked up the corner of the blanket, and they were just there on the swing bench cushion!!!
There’s nothing but the big crochet blanket to hide them.
Oh, my melting heart!
I can also see where the feathers came from. Butterscotch is still the mighty hunter, bringing food back with her when she returns to her kittens.
Over the next little while, I’m hoping we can find a way to close up both Butterscotch and Beep Beep, who should be having kittens pretty soon, in the sun room, with their own food, water and a litter box. Of last year’s kittens, there are still 3 that we were unable to socialize. I’m hoping we can avoid that, this year.
The Re-Farmer
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Still working on that whole “spring” thing!
It’s been a chilly few days, with even a bit of snow during the night. Nothing like what they got in other parts of the country, that’s for sure! I actually wouldn’t mind more snow right now. Or rain. Instead, as of yesterday, we are now under a burn ban. It’s just too dry out there.
I had a bit of company while doing my rounds today. Just Rolando Moon this morning.
It’s funny that such an ornery cat acts so affectionate at times. She’s gotten better at letting me pick her up, but not for long. She either jumps down after a few moments, or starts biting at my fingers. Not full-on bites. Just enough to feel it. Then she jumps down. :-D
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Seasonal things
I’ve been able to spend more time outside in the last few days. Aside from cleaning up the downed branches in the yard and burning them in the fire pit, this has mostly been assessing things and making decisions.
I was checking around the garden area and could clearly see where the deer were coming in at the corner.
Even with the snow gone, the path the deer made through the ditch and over the fence is clearly visible!
I was also noticing some changes. Like this.
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Back to work (and update)
Today, I finally went through the yard to pick up the winter’s fallen branches.
I got three wheel barrows full. One of them was just branches from under the willow tree in the south yard. Another was almost entirely from the ancient willow in the maple grove.
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Happy Easter
A joyful and blessed Easter to you and yours!
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Blessed
Today, we took our basket in for the traditional Easter blessing of the baskets, or Święconka, in Polish.
