Princess

I take back what I said about Princess not being as fearless as Keyanna. Princess went right over to Jelly even while he was hissing and smelled him. She is walking right up to Pepper who could step on her and it would be over. She is walking toward the other dogs like it’s no big deal. So, I take back what I said. She is as fearless as Keyanna. Now, I wish they would get over it already. 

Scared Jelly

Jelly is coming back more and more. I saw him this evening when we were feeding. He acts so scared of everything now and I don’t know why. He hisses at everything. When he sees me though, he meows so sweetly and then flips over to be petted. I got to see him twice today and I’m grateful for that. He is still not friendly with the kittens but hopefully in time he will be. I’m just glad he is coming home more often. That means a lot to me. I told him to get the other two to make an appearance, so maybe they will. 

Sweet Bubba

My sweet Bubba is 12 years old. He hasn’t been doing the greatest the last couple of years. He is slowing down. I know my time with him is short these days. He was never an overly friendly cat but lately he is being one. As one of us walks by, he will put his paw out so he can try to grab you and make you pay attention to him. However, when he is finished with the attention, he still bites you and runs away. I love it and it makes me sad at the same time. He is a special cat and he is so loved. I know he knows that. 

Dangers of Halters

You hear the dangers of halters and not keeping them on your animals when they are out in the pasture. I understand that. We had left a lead rope and halter on Red while he was in the pen to help halter break him in case we need to take him to the vet or whatever. Usually the vet comes to us but you just never know. A few days ago, I went to feed and his halter was off, we left one on him that he could get out of since we didn’t have it on tight. I was looking around and sure enough, it was caught on a T-post. Looks like the part that was wrapped around his ears was what was caught. I have no idea how that even happened. I am grateful that Red was able to get it off without injuring himself. I knew there was a risk and that’s why that halter was on him. I will never again leave a halter on an animal. Now that I have said that, I need to hurry and get Mattie halter broke so I can take his off. 

Lost Cow (Not Ours)

There is a cow in the pasture across the road, which is a highway, that knows how to come and go from the fence. He comes and goes as he pleases. He kind of scares me a little since he is getting closer and closer to the road. He runs back to the fence whenever a car comes by. I don’t want to see him get hit by a care. He is a calf, cannot be very old. Bless his little heart, he needs to not be getting out anymore. He does it every day though. Our goats have started noticing him and they are trying to entice him to come over. I hope he doesn’t. I have called a neighbor to find out who owns the cows and she knew but the cows always get back in the fence. This is a cute little cow. I hope he stays on his side of the road. 

Oh Jelly

Ronnie and I let the dog out last night for the last time before bed. Pepper was just standing in one spot and kept looking at me. I then hear a cat hissing. I look over and see Jelly. I move Pepper along so Jelly can go around Pepper. I then go in the shop and wait for Jelly. Sure enough, he jumps in the window a few minutes after that. He goes over to the bowl and starts eating. Here comes the kittens, watching Jelly closely. Jelly had the bowl so close to him it was about to tip over. He would look up at the kittens and growl and hiss and then go back to eating. He stopped eating and then jumped up on some stuff we have in the shop to watch the kittens. He then decided he wanted more to eat and jumped back down. I’m just so happy to see him now. I went over and picked him up and loved on him. I want him to know that he is still my cat and this is still his home even though there are kittens in the barn with him. Jelly was still here the next morning so maybe he really is here to stay. He really hates the kittens though. Hopefully when they get bigger the other cats won’t hate them as much. 

Never In A Million Years

I walked through the pasture checking on the donkeys in the heat of the day. Ned wanted nothing to do with me which was odd. I didn’t realize Pedro and Pete were in the barn. Ned wanted nothing to do with me because Pedro was close. Pedro still went after Ned even though Ned didn’t get close to me. While Pedro was chasing Ned, something happened that I never thought in a million years would happen. Pete stepped out of the barn and walked right to me. He stopped right in front of me and stood there. I started petting him and he never moved. I was even able to kiss his nose. This is a huge thing. I never thought he would let me that close, but he did. He is starting to like me, finally. It makes me so happy that all that hard work has paid off. Now if we can just get Noma to like us. 

Amazing

My friends that came by yesterday brought me a gift. If you know me, you know I’m all about small gestures and small things. They brought me a small statue of a horse. They had gone on a trip and had stopped in a Navajo shop and found these figures made from soap stone. That means they can be fragile also. The animal you choose is supposed to be the trait that is inside you. A horse was chosen for Ronnie and I. When they looked up to see what that meant, it meant healing. My friend said it was fitting since we were working on the type of nonprofit we are. It really meant a lot to me. I do have amazing friends. 

More Visitors

I had a friend call and say her and her family wanted some time with the animals for their mental health. We all need to practice good mental health practices. I know the animals help with mental health. These guys love coming to see the animals. They had not met the sheep yet, so they got some fun time in with sheep. They got to love on Red which they had not done except through the fence. One of them caught a chicken to love on, not sure the chicken liked it but I make the chickens love me just like that also. They tolerated it. They got to see the baby chicks and the kids even got to catch one to love on. It was funny to watch the determination on their faces to catch a baby, but they were able to. They always have smiles on their faces out here with the animals. I’m so glad they come out and hang out with the animals. 

Hmmm…

I saw some chickens sitting around a water bowl trying to cool off. It took me a minute to actually figure out what I was seeing. As I looked closer, there were two of my barred rock chickens and one baby chick was sitting on top of one of them. That baby was accepted by these chickens. The baby was pecking on the head of the one it was sitting on. I laughed. At least I know the babies are being accepted. 

Left The Coop Opened

I decided to leave the coop door opened in case Suzie Q or Edith really did want out. When I came back to feed that evening, Suzie Q was still in the coop but Edith wasn’t. I saw Edith close to the coop though. When I walked toward her she ran back into the coop. I guess they feel safe in there. I will leave them be. It looks like they are happy just the two of them. 

Excessive Mooing

It was time to put another hay bale out in the area for the cows and the donkeys. They are in an area that doesn’t have much grass, so we supplement them with hay. One day our goal is to have all the animals roaming the entire property together. We have a few steps to get there but I think it can be done. So, Ronnie gets the tractor and goes to the front yard to get a hay bale. I guess the cows were standing where they could see what Ronnie was doing and they started mooing. They did not stop mooing until they were able to eat on that hay bale. I was cracking up. They are something. They were making their needs known. 

Home

Jelly has decided to come home. For several days now he has been seen hanging out in the shop and eating. That makes me so happy. I shouldn’t worry but I do. I care about their well being. I know it’s hot out and I know cats do their own thing but I just hate the thought of them not coming back. Rona did that last year and it broke our hearts. I don’t want to go through the not knowing. At least Jelly decided it was time to come home. 

Visitors

We had visitors from Arkansas over the weekend. They came to help start another pig pen. We came up with some great ideas for getting the nonprofit up and going. These guys got to see first hand what we are doing and how we plan to help these kids. They brought lots of treats for the animals, which we have been using and the animals love it. It was a great time. They loved the animals. I’m so grateful they came even though it was super hot that weekend. It is a rough job around here getting everything we need to do and want to do up and running but it’s happening little by little. Hopefully we will have some fundraisers up and going soon. 

Too Smart

Gloria is too smart for her own good. She knows where to go to not get ran out of the shop. She cracks me up. I ran several chickens out of the shop and Gloria knew what was happening and was able to get into spots where I couldn’t get to her. I later found her back outside so she knows how to get in and out on her own. Chickens are smarter than the get the credit for. 

Well That Stinks

I came home and saw Keyanna running around but no Princess. I could not find her. I was starting to panic. I mean she is so small and fragile. I hated the thoughts going through my mind. I didn’t want to panic but I was. I kept looking for her and so did our farm hand. I kept thinking she was gone. Finally the farm hand says he had found her. After all, they are his kittens anyway. She had found a cool spot and was sleeping in the shop. She was fine and I was overreacting again. 

Found Her Way Back

Gloria the former shop chicken found her way back into the shop. I know the roosters have been stalking her some. She found her way back in to relax some and not be bothered. She is hiding out in the corner of the shop so no one bothers her. I can’t say I blame her. It is hot in the shop but it’s hot everywhere. I’m not sure how she made her way back in the shop but she did. 

Jelly Sighting

Ronnie went out the back door the other night and was startled by something. Jelly ran out from under the porch. He ran out fast. We didn’t see him again that night since he ran off. We knew the cats were coming to eat, we just had not seen them. It makes me crazy to not see them everyday now. I worry about them since I don’t know where they are staying during the day and night. At least we saw him. That gives me hope. 

Jealous Pedro

Pedro is not the same since his injury. He got spoiled while he was recovering with all the attention. He is now the most jealous animal we have on this property. He is trying to fight with the other donkeys to get them away from us trying to live on them also. Pedro has always done that but it’s so much worse now. I’m not sure how to fix that at this point. Pedro is even more protective of me now than he was before. I hope once Red gets back over there in the pasture Pedro will calm down. 

The Garden Experiment

I have a lady that got some eggs from me. She wants several dozen eggs from me. She was going to use them in her garden. I thought it was interesting. She used the eggs directly into the ground to help with the vegetables in the garden. It worked for her. Her garden is growing like crazy and she says it’s from the eggs. We are planning to try it here. We are probably going to use hay bales and we need to get on this experiment. I’m intrigued. 

Down To 8

Well last week the weather got a little cooler. In reality the high one day was 104 and the low was 49. That’s a huge drop. Rena ended up loosing 3 chicks when the weather got cold. I think there were too many to get up under her to stay warm. She has been an amazing momma to her chicks. I feel bad for her but she is fine. She is still with her chicks and teaching them what they need to know. She is a helicopter mom for sure. 

No Keyanna!!

This cat is going to give me more gray hair. I literally watched her hunting the baby chicks. She was on one side of the fence and the chicks with their mom were on the other side. Talk about heart stopping. That momma chicken could easily take out that kitten. It would not take much to do. Then I look up and their is a rooster on top of the fence. Luckily I was able to stop Keyanna from trying to go through the fence to get to the chickens. She may try again but I stopped her that day. I’m telling you, she is fearless. 

Becoming Adults

The five chicks are definitely becoming adults. They are funny to watch. Each of them are doing their own thing. They are learning where to go and where not to go. They are learning where to get their food and water. Each of them is going their own way. I see a couple of them together on occasions but it looks like they are just doing whatever they want. They are learning the ropes. 

Now I know

I wondered where the bigger baby chicks were roosting. I did not question it much but I wondered. Chickens have to roost somewhere to reduce the risk of predators. There are 5 of the bigger chicks that have survived and they are not with Josephine anymore. They are doing their own thing. As I walked by the bushes in the front by the house, I noticed the inside of the bushes looked rough. It looked like the bushes were dying on the inside. As I got closer, I heard something in the bushes which made me jump back. I then decided to look closer and it seems the baby chicks are roosting in the bush up front. That is probably not the best spot to roost but at least they know enough to roost somewhere. This picture is the best photo ever. I laughed so hard when I took it. The chicken was not amused which is evident on the chick’s face. 

Suzie Q and Edith

Suzie Q and Edith and something right now. I don’t know what they are doing. It looks like they are pecking on each other but they don’t want to be apart. They are digging lots of holes around the coop but when one gets out, they sit next to the other one left behind. It’s almost like they have a love/hate relationship. I’m just not sure what to do for them anymore. Neither of them are laying eggs anymore which makes me think they are not real happy with their living arrangements. I let Suzie Q out the other day to see what would happen and she wanted back in, like will not leave the area of the coop. I ended up letting her back in. Both of the chickens were unsettled without the other one. I don’t know what’s happening. 

Nature

Have you ever slowed down and just looked at the nature happening around you? I was out walking around one morning and I saw some blooms on one of our cactus plants. I find the blooms beautiful so I got closer. I was able to watch a bee getting the pollen in the flower. I have not ever just stopped to watch that process. It is amazing to watch. I do not know how long I stood and watched the bee but it was a long time considering all of the pictures I took. I am so grateful I was able to watch that process. The saying stop and smell the roses comes to mind. We should take the time to stop and see what is going on around us. I know it’s hard because life is so busy for us all, but we miss so much when we don’t stop. 

Visitors

I had a lady contact me about coming by with her daughter to see the animals and see what we had going on around here. She is a friend of a friend. They were from Oklahoma but they were coming through the West Texas area where we are. We set up a time and they came over. It was a nice visit. They got to enjoy hanging out with the animals. It was a cooler day and the animals were up and around. I do love when visitors come by want to learn about these animals and the nonprofit we are working on around here. I appreciate all the support and having visitors here. 

Cleaning Pens

Darla and Gus love to see us coming with the rakes to clean out their pens. It’s like they wait for it every week. Gus sees the rake just lays down. Him and Darla both love to let me scratch them with the rake. They just lay over and relax the whole time. It’s funny to me. Of course I have things to do, so when I’m trying to clean up in there, they are following me and trying to get me to rub on them more with the rake. 

Comical Mattie

Mattie was laying down beside Noma. He decided it was time to get up. Mattie is still young enough that he has not completely grown into his legs. He tried to roll over but his legs but he rolled over toward Noma. Then he tried to scoot away from her but just couldn’t do it. Watching him continue to try to roll over to get up had me laughing hard. I felt bad for him at the same time but it was funny watching him try to get up and he could not do it. I have seen him do this several times. Mattie is comical all the time. He did eventually get up. 

Lazy Cows

We have two very cute and sweet cows. However, they are also very lazy. They will just lay in the spot and eat what they can while laying down on the ground. It really cracks me up watching them lay down and eat. They lay around most of the time. They just hang out on the ground. Of course, I mean, what else are they going to do? They are just living their best life not having to do anything at all. I don’t expect them to do anything. It’s just funny to me to watch them eat while laying on the ground. 

Maybe, Just Maybe

Noma was laying down in her spot outside. Mattie was laying beside her. Mattie got up and Noma stayed down. Normally when I get anywhere close to her, she jumps up and gets away from me. This particular day she did not get up. I was able to get close enough to pet her on her back without her jumping up. Once she got tired of it, she did get up. I felt it was a small step to winning her trust. I just wish she knew how much we loved her. Maybe one day she will realize it. I’m waiting not so patiently. 

Problem Child

Keyanna is going to be the newest problem child. I can already tell. She has no fear of anything or anyone. Princess isn’t as fearless as Keyanna but she does show some fearlessness as I have said in an earlier post. Keyanna does not want to stay in one spot. She is starting to roam further and further. She is climbing trees now also. She does this when the weather is cooler and most of the night. In the heat of the day she does stay in the shop. Keyanna is the cutest thing but she is the newest problem child on the farm. 

Fearless

Keyanna is one fearless kitten. I truly hope she starts to get some more common sense and stops being so fearless. It may be good she is fearless but not to the point of being reckless. This cat walks through the 3 big dogs like it’s no big deal. She tries to eat out of the dog bowl while the dog is eating. That’s crazy. That will get her hurt. She gets right up behind the donkeys like they won’t step on her. She is in and out of all the pens and the pastures without a care in the world.  I mean she scares me with all of that. Ronnie thinks we should rename her Athena like the Greek goddess. This kitten is truly fearless. Princess is a little more reserved on that stuff and stays back behind Keyanna. She is not as fearless. I guess we will see what happens next with these 2. 

Still Missing

It has been so hot outside. Peanut Butter and Jelly are still not home like they should be. I’m still saying they are coming and going because there have been signs that they have been here. I hate not seeing them everyday but at least they are coming and eating. I just want them to come home and stay home. I miss them. I know they were mad about the kittens but surely they are over that and just saying in a cooler spot. 

The Great Escape

Years ago, Persia used to run outside whenever she could. She never went anywhere but she wanted outside for a few minutes. She has not done that in a very long time. However she has done it twice this week. She didn’t go anywhere and she comes right back but good grief. She needs to stop that already. She is definitely in the country now. I think she realized quickly it was hot and she did not want to stay there. 

Looking Out Longingly

The kittens have found their way around the yard and various other places. Oreo was watching them play on the back porch. He seemed like he was looking out longingly at the kittens. He sat there for a long time just watching them. The kittens love to play and fight with each other. Oreo almost looked jealous. I know Oreo does not want to go outside and live with the kittens but he looked like he wanted to be apart of them playing outside. 

Living On the Edge

Hercules decided to live on the edge one day. He was playing with Pete’s tail. While watching Hercules was hilarious, the potential to get kicked was pretty good. Pete is docile so it would not have been probable that he would kick anyone but if it had been another donkey, Hercules would have been in trouble. You just never know what will happen around here. 

Dangerous

I took the dogs out one last time to go the bathroom one night and they dogs were acting funny. I thought it was because of the kittens. It wasn’t. Bella was barking like crazy and she does not normally do that. She is one of the quieter ones. I finally looked up to see what Bella was barking at. It was a big silver balloon stuck in the tree. I know some people see it’s just a balloon. Around here, it’s not just a balloon. That balloon carries potential death around here. The animals do not realize that it can be dangerous and some will try to eat that balloon. If any of the animals would have eaten that balloon, it could have been bad. There is no one around here that would have balloons so that balloon traveled a long way. I know people release balloons for all kinds of reasons, but please remember releasing balloons can have a catastrophic impact on livestock and wild life. I’m glad I’m the one that found it and it was stuck in a tree. 

What a sight.

Jasper was out eating where he always eats. Noma, Mattie, and Alex were eating with Jasper. They were all out eating and they were finishing up when out of no where a chicken runs and jumps up on the trough and started trying to eat with them. Jasper moves his head and literally head butted the chicken off the trough and when right back to eating. The chicken was a little stunned but then walked off. Jasper is a mess. 

Victory!!

Pete let me pet him again!! I thought the first time was a fluke thing but apparently it wasn’t. He let me pet him again. He just stood there and actually acted like he enjoyed it. When I stopped petting him, he followed me over to the gate. When he did that, our farm hand was standing there and Pete let him pet him. I was so shocked. It happened though. I got pictures, so I know it happened. It really warms my heart after all this time to be able to interact with him. Patience really does pay off. 

Kitten Fun

The kittens and Earl have become friends unless Earl is plotting to get rid of them. I cannot decide which way it’s going. Earl shows up and automatically tries to take the kittens to a different location and they almost fall for it every time. I see them chasing after Earl. He is starting to tolerate the kittens well. They have a funny love/ hate relationship at this point. I wonder where it will lead. 

Growing Up

These chicks are growing up fast. They are getting to where they are not staying with their mom. They are running all over the place these days. I cannot believe how fast they grow. They are even hanging out with the big chickens without any problems. That’s a huge deal. The last several chickens were terrorized by the bigger chickens, but they made it through. These chickens have it much easier. They are getting so big. 

106

It has been 106 some days already and it’s May, supposed to be spring. That’s not spring. That’s miserable. The animals are taking it like champs. They are staying in the shade, drinking plenty of water, staying in the water, etc. They are doing whatever they can to stay cool. We are doing everything we can to help them cope with the heat out here. This summer might be miserable if we don’t get any rain. 

Mud Hole

It amazes me how smart these pigs are. Last year and this year, they have used their strong noses to dig a big mud hole. Once they would dig some, they would pour their water troughs out and dig more. They have made a nice big mud hole for their summer cooling off. It is working and everyday, they make it bigger. These guys will fight over the mud holes and water. It gets hot out here and they need the mud holes. When summer is over they stop digging and the mud holes fill in. The pigs are smart. 

Retraction

I do have a retraction from a post I made a while back. The chicken that hitched a ride with Ronnie and flew out did not make it back home. I saw her recently down the street at someone’s house in the front yard. I debated on going back to get her and bring her home, but she was gone when I got back over there an hour later. If I see her again, I will try to bring her home but she looked happy. It makes me sad to think of her not being here but I’m not sure I could catch her even if I tried. We will see if I see her again. I have been down that road everyday and have not seen her again. 

Turkey

I was headed to work one morning. I know there is a lot of wildlife around here and to be careful. Out of no where one morning, a turkey starts running straight toward my car. I know you aren’t supposed to swerve but I was not about to hit that animal. There was only one which I thought was odd. I swerved to the side enough that I guess he saw the car and started flying to make sure he did not hit me. Luckily, he did not hit me. I looked back and he was gone. I know he was fine and I was grateful for that. This picture is not the one I almost hit. I saw these close to the house a week later. 

Baby Teeth

When the vet was out the last time, she was checking on Jeb. She was checking his teeth. Jeb is starting to lose his baby teeth and grow in his permanent teeth. Jeb is not cooperative enough for me to get a picture of that, but I sure thought that was interesting. Apparently Jeb is right on target with his teeth and his age. He is growing fast for sure. He is a big horse already.