December 26

 Somehow between yesterday and today, the weather got cold. There was frost all over the ground when I got up this morning. It was cold. It is a pretty sight to see, but I do not care for the cold much. The animals do not seem to be bothered by the cold. They are smart and stay in the shelters. 

I could not find Persia while I was trying to leave. I finally went to the closet and got the cat food out and started shaking it. She came out from under the couch. Silly cat. I wonder what she was doing, besides hiding that is. 

We have a big white rooster who roosts in the front of the house in the big bush they killed. He is such a weirdo. He will crow all night long. I have heard him at all hours of the night. I think he has misunderstood his duties as a rooster. 

The using separate bowls for the goats seems to be one of the best ideas I have had. It is still working well. 

Cinderella is still terrified of us humans. She wants nothing to do with us. I try not to scare her too much to make her faint, but it does happen some anyway just because she is so scared. What she is scared of I have no idea. We have not ever tried to hurt her and I know her previous owners did not either. 

Mattie came to the fence for some petting tonight. It is almost time to let him out of the pen and I have no idea what we are going to do with him. 

The cows are actually trying to eat their feed and not get into everyone else's feed at the moment. I know it will be short lived, but I am enjoying it for now. 

It took a lot of coaxing to get Jeb to get away from the big feed trough and go to his feed bowl. He finally did, but I did not think he was going to. He is such a brat right now. 

I watched Yeller and Onyx hanging out in the goat pen tonight. That does happen a lot. That pen must be something special. 

I fed the pigs and had no issues with Darla. However, I did throw some feed into the pen before I tried to go in to distract her and it did work. I wonder how long it will take her to figure out my trick. 

Remember I said I had found a bunch of eggs in the shop. I figured they were not any good since I did not know how long they had been there. Let me tell you, I am a little traumatized about those eggs. I decided to throw them to the chickens to eat instead of throwing them in the trash. I did not want to take the chance on eating them. So, as I am throwing them out, I realize that most of them have been fertilized and were producing chicks. It was the early stage, but I was traumatized by witnessing that. I threw the rest away. There was not a chicken sitting on them, so they would not have survived, but the trauma was enough for me. Sometimes the choices we make are not the right choices and we must pick up and deal with it. It is not always a fun thing to do, but I did learn a lesson right then and there. 

After the traumatizing incident, I noticed Carlos was not looking good. He looked a little swollen and was standing around one area. I got the bright idea for Ronnie and I to get out there and worm him. That is always easier said than done. He was not having it. After getting him in the barn and chasing him around, I asked Ronnie to just put the meds in the feed. Well, none of the goats would eat it after that. So, the feed was dumped out. Ronnie went and got the spray out and sprayed them with wormer. At least that is done until a later date and we can get the meds down him. He could just be puffed up because of the cold also. 

The full moon was really pretty tonight. 

Persia and Bubba were living the good life in the house on the back of the couch like they like to be. I wonder how much longer I will get to see that from them. 

Word of the day is choices. James 1:5

December 25

 It is Christmas Day 2023. I did end up having the day off which does not happen often. Ronnie and I did some relaxing to enjoy the day together. We opened a few gifts and he cooked dinner later in the day. It was a good day. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and I hope everyone was remembering the reason for the Christmas season. 

Bubba did some cuddling today. He is such a sweet cat. I know his days are numbered which makes me extremely sad, but we are enjoying every minute we have left with him. Persia is doing better than Bubba, but she is slowing down also. She was soaking in the sun today. 

Mattie is doing better. He is starting to really act like himself. I am glad he is doing so well. He was braying a lot of the day today wanting more food and attention. It makes me smile. 

The full moon was starting to come up as I was out feeding tonight. It sure was a beautiful sight. 

The full moon usually brings wild behavior from the animals. Jeb did not disappoint. He was trying to unlatch the gate to get to some feed. Silly horse. 

I was able to give the sheep love and attention. They really are the sweetest little things. I am glad they are here. They can brighten anyone's day. 

I did get pictures of most of everyone today. They were liking the weather. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. 

Snowflake is still doing well. It looks like she is going to make it after her little issue with the string. 

I did think Gus was going to literally climb the fence to get to the food tonight. He acts like he is starving. I promise you, he is not. 

Willow was wanting some attention tonight and I gladly gave it to her. She was enjoying eating the rest of the hay bale on her own. 

The tree chickens looked a little creepy tonight with the big full moon behind them. 

I found 19 eggs in a spot we had not looked in a couple of weeks. I decided to leave them and I would pick them up tomorrow. 

Word of the day Christmas. Luke 2:7

December 24

Since I have the time off, I continued on with my projects. I am getting some things accomplished and that makes me feel productive. I feel like we all need that in life, just to feel like we are productive at some things. It also feels good to be able to mark things off a list, at least it does for me. Peria does have to always be up in the middle of things. 

Snowflake was out and eating with the other chickens tonight, so that is a good sign. I was happy to be able to see that from her. 

I watched Hercules out in the pasture. He was standing in one spot and watching the cows across the road. He just stood there watching. I wonder what he was thinking. 

The weather took a cold spell and the animals were all acting crazy tonight. The full moon is coming also, so it is a toss up to which thing is making them act crazy. The roosters were all wild. Chloe wanted no part in any of it, so she hid the best she could away from it all. It seemed to work for her. 

The horses all ate where they were supposed to. That is a good thing. I call it a win for the day. The cows and donkeys did, too, so that is a triple win. 

Mattie is starting to remind me of Cracker Jack. Cracker Jack knew what time it was and would bray when we were late with feeding. He must have taught Mattie to do that. He has started doing that also. I always think of Cracker Jack when I hear the braying at feeding time. It makes me both happy and sad at the same time. 

There have been no more incidents with the pigs. Ronnie has been feeding them and Darla has not tried to get out with him feeding. They are all doing their normal thing. 

The animals are all doing fine even with the cooler weather coming through. 

I fed Bubba and Persia some wet cat food. I do not think it is working like it was. Bubba is still losing weight at a fast pace. He is not well. Persia is doing better than Bubba, but I think she is slowing down as well. It is heartbreaking to watch, but I will continue to do what I can for them. 

Word of the day is productive. Ecclesiastes 9:10

December 23

I was working on more projects today and getting ready to get into the new year. I always give myself goals and I am working on things already for next year as well as getting the rest of the goals finished for this year. It did rain most of the day, so I was able to not feel guilty about being in the house instead of being outside working on those projects out there. 

I noticed out the window Porky was literally laying on Buckwheat. Sometimes I think they do not like each other at all but seeing that showed me they do love each other. I was glad to be able to witness that. 

I checked on Snowflake as soon as I walked outside, and she was roosting with the other chickens. She seemed like she was doing fine. I was happy to see that also. I needed to make sure she was okay. I think she is going to be okay. 

Willow is so beautiful. It was getting dark before we went out because of the rainy day. Willow was just acting like Willow. She did come over to me today, so I guess if she was mad at us, she is not anymore. 

The cows ate their own food tonight. We must be feeding them enough these days since they are not trying to eat everyone else's food. 

I watched Willow while she was watching Onyx. I guess she is getting used to the cats because she did not try to chase after Onyx for once. 

We still have the chickens roosting in the tree. I do not know why that makes me laugh so much, but it does. It probably is because I have not seen that before, at least not over a period of time. 

I think all the animals were comfortable tonight even with the rainy weather. Be comfortable with where you are in your life. 

Word of the day is comfortable. 2 Corinthians 1:4