It’s still hard to believe it’s been … only? … already? a year since we moved out here.
After finally being reunited, we didn’t have much time to rest. There were some unexpected runs into the city to get things like a small tank for our fish. Too late for them, unfortunately. Continue reading
This morning, my husband told me to look out the bathroom window – and to make sure I had the camera on my phone ready!
Too funny!
So once the water is gone, our set up does double duty as a butt warmer!
Big Jim was prowling around Doom Guy, trying to stick his face into the bowl.
That was my cue to head out!
Yeah. They were pretty thirsty.
I’m going to have to make sure to top that up again earlier than usual, considering how much was gone by the time I was heading back into the house. The water outside isn’t going to stay liquid for long.
As usual, I had escorts while doing my rounds this morning. By about half way through, I had Butterscotch in my arms, licking my fingers. Beep Beep climbed up my back again, and was perched on my shoulder. Both were purring up a storm. Rolando Moon was following along, Doom Guy was trying to climb the back of my leg, and even Big Jim came by to see what was going on!
They make my morning chores outside both fun and difficult. :-D
The Re-Farmer
This was taken out my office window this morning.
He started by the feeding station, walked completely around the house, then meandered his way over towards the barn.
Checking later, yeah, the wire for the electric fence is pulled up a bit again.
Need to look around for some kind of ribbon I can attach to the wire, so they can see it.
The Re-Farmer
While doing the morning routine today, I had quite the escort, following me along!
During the night, we noticed (by the glowing light in the bathroom window!) that the cats had knocked the water bowl off the concrete block again. This set up might work for chickens, but not so much for cats. I was thinking it was time to take it out and figure something else out.
Until I looked through the window and saw The Outsider, sitting on the edge of the block, leaning over the warmth of the light!
Well, at least there’s that!
After putting food and water out for the cats, then topping up the deer feed and bird seed (I can see that the deer have been coming in during the night), I did my usual rounds.
I had quite the following, in the process!
We have two trees with crab apples still on them. One has larger apples, some of which you can see have basically exploded as they froze. I was able to shake a few down for the deer, but they’re very stubborn.
Beep Beep climbed up into the other tree with apples on it, so I didn’t try to shake that one. :-D
By the time I was half way through my rounds, I had Butterscotch, Rolando Moon, Beep Beep and Doom Guy following me along!
Beep Beep insisted on up, so I carried her for a while. When I needed two hands, though, I tried to put her down.
She would NOT go down.
Eventually, after several tries, I got her to go onto the top of a fence post.
There she stayed, until I was done and could pick her up again!
Too cute!
By then, Doom Guy was climbing up my leg, for for a while I had him on one shoulder, and her on the other.
Yeah. I’m a suck. :-D
The Re-Farmer
Today marks one year from when the movers came and we were officially out of the co-op we had been living in.
My daughter and I were exhausted, but thought we were near the end.
Oh, how wrong we were.
Things did not turn out at all like we expected.
What a disaster it was, on so many levels.
After all this time, I don’t even want to think about it. Of all my moves, this one is in a fight for the top spot for worse moves ever, in competition with a move during which we all got sick, and I literally collapsed from exhaustion and illness.
Yes, Mamacat. My sentiments, exactly.
The Re-Farmer
I had squirrels escorting me while doing my rounds this morning!
I was really looking forward to today, and my appointment with the dentist.
Yes. I was looking forward to seeing the dentist.
At the same time, I was dreading it.
For the past while, I’ve been having a lot of pain – especially once I lay down in bed – on the right side of my face. From what I was feeling, it was 3 teeth that were giving me trouble. One was a wisdom tooth that I seriously considered getting pulled the last time I was at the dentist. (The dentist actually remembered pulling the remains of that tooth!) Then there were two more, top and bottom, halfway along my jaw that had a lot of pain. Continue reading
After our deer visitor left this morning, I went out to feed the cats. Once again, I saw the black and white dad-cat on the dresser in the sun room – and once again, he ran off as soon as he saw me. The rest of the cats were milling about as if they were starving. The girls had put food out for them last night, but the bowls were completely empty by morning. The braver of the cats were eating the food before I even finished filling the bowls!
Then I stepped back to let the shier ones get to the bowls, and watched them for a bit. There’s Rosencrantz (or Guildenstern) at the top; Butterscotch and The Outsider on either side. Big Jim and Bob next to Beep Beep and Doom Guy, then Rosencrantz and Guilden… wait…
What?
Three of them? Continue reading
Heading into the sun room this morning, on the way to putting food out for the cats, I discovered not one, but two of the dad cats, running out of the room with the kittens! The black and white one was back on the dresser. I just caught a flash of the grey and white one, as he ran out the door.
They quickly took off out of sight, but that still left 8 cats to crowd around the food bowls!
Guildenstern (or Rosencrantz) had to push her way in – which she clearly didn’t want to do. Neither of the calico-torties are very assertive, at all.
Jim is now called Big Jim! He’s gotten so burly, I’ve been mistaking him for Rolando Moon more often!
Beep Beep was my escort this morning, though I was joined by Rolando Moon, later on, too. :-)
We had some blustery weather overnight, judging from the branches I was picking up this morning.
When finishing up my rounds, I got a chuckle at the many tiny paw prints in the fresh snow on the sidewalk to the main entry.
From the size of some of them, I could see we got visited by my brother’s dog again, too! :-D
As I came around back to the feeding area, I saw the third dad cat, slink away. I’d seen him earlier, going through the maple grove and then through the tall grass in the main garden area. It was my presence that had him moving away from the house, so I was glad to see he’d come back, while I was doing my rounds.
He let me get within about 8 feet of him, as I made my way back to the sun room doors to go inside, before finally slinking away.
Of the three dad cats, this one looks the most like a house cat. He’s in good shape and, while certainly not willing to go near us, doesn’t demonstrate actual fear or anxiety in the process. I wonder if he belongs to one of the neighbouring farms, and is just coming to visit?
Inside the sun room, I found Bob, already back on the swing bench.
Just look at that beauty! No longer the skinny, scrawny little kitten with a head too big for his body!
He even let me touch him, though he wasn’t too happy with me coming close. Even Doom Guy was more jumpy around me than usual. I think it was because of the heavier coat I was wearing today. The fabric of the outer shell makes a lot more noise. *L*
Bob, however, not only let me sidle up to him and touch him, he let me scritch his ears and cheeks! Not only that, but even as tense as he was, he started to purr and relax a bit. Until Doom Guy came over and disturbed him. :-D
Then I saw a bit of movement out the window, so I snuck over to the door to take a peek.
Look who peeked back!
He moved away after I took the photo, but I went inside the house after this, so I hope he came back for food soon after.
I like my cat-filled morning routine. :-D
The Re-Farmer
We are now up to three, regularly visiting, adult cats that we collectively refer to as the “dad cats.”
Not sure that’s what they actually are, but it works. :-D
It has been a chilly, blustery day today – as I write this, the temperature is at a not-to-bad -3C, but the windchill puts it at -12C! – so it was a good day to stay indoors as much as possible.
No surprise, of course, that when I went through the Old Kitchen to feed the outside cats this morning, the kittens were in a big pile on the swing bench they love so much. They started to scatter as soon as I opened the second door, which is when I noticed an extra cat, sitting on the dresser I use as a tool chest! He ran off as soon as he saw me, as he usually does. It was the black and white “dad cat.”
I’m glad we found a way to prop the doors into the sun room, just enough for the cats to get in and use it. There’s no insulation or heat in there, but it’s still better than outside!
After putting out the food and fresh water, I started heading towards the garage and noticed another cat, sitting in an area where I’d cleared a path to some Saskatoon bushes over the summer, watching me. It was the grey tabby with a bit of white we’ve started to see more often these days.
As I went by the feeding area later, I saw him again at a food bowl. He ran off, but just around the corner of the house.
I couldn’t get close enough for a decent picture. The kittens and their moms don’t seem to mind him at all – even Rolando Moon went by without hissing at him at all!
Then later this evening, after it was full dark, I glanced out my office window to see the grey and white cat peeking in at me!
He took off before I could try for a picture of him. When I looked out, I saw the food bowls were empty. I was thinking the grey and white cat might not have had any food at all, yet. I had some leftovers set aside for the outside cats and, since it’s so chilly out there, I decided to warm it up and bring it out for them.
I didn’t see him around when I got outside, but Doom Guy and The Outsider immediately came over, then both went at the warm food as soon as I put some into the first container. The Outsider even let me pet him! Though it may be he was just too interested in food to notice that I’d touched him. :-D
There was snow in their food bowls, so after I put some food into the second one, I moved it under the little shelter over the basement window (which is what the dad cat climbs on, to be able to look into my office). Then I took the bowl the kittens were eating from and moved it under, too – after prying it loose from the ground it had frozen to. Doom Guy moved over to sniff at the bowl I’d used to carry the food out, but The Outsider just stayed there, staring at the circle of snow-free grass that was under the food bowl. Like he was trying to figure out where the bowl went! :-D
So I reached over, picked him up, and moved him to where I’d put the bowl of food.
And he let me!!! Didn’t flinch or try to get away or anything. He just started eating, right away. Yay!!
Then I picked up Doom Guy and moved him over, because he was still snuffling around.
With Corvo still gone who-knows-where, we currently have 5 kittens, plus The Outsider, the two moms and Rolando Moon, here pretty much all the time. Add in the three dad cats that now visit regularly, we are up to a dozen outside cats.
It should get very interesting, if more of the cats we were feeding all last winter start showing up again!
The Re-Farmer
The Thanksgiving family dinner we had planned last month got rescheduled to today. Since moving here, we did have one large family dinner, before Christmas or so, so it’s been almost a year.
I think it turned out rather well.
I think Doom Guy agrees. Continue reading
