Stylin'

Soooo, this happened today...

This is Honey. She is one of our Greek cats. But this sweater was not knit for her!
Our cat Naomi has lost fur on her belly and legs due to having a form of kitty alopecia. My friend Pam decided to knit a sweater for Naomi.

But when Pam visited today, Naomi was (oddly enough) nowhere to be found. So we tried the sweater on Honey. I don't know if you can see, but it is a Downtown Abbey yarn and has silver sparkles in it!

Honey was rockin' this look. I swear she was modelling for us.

Later we did find Naomi, and put the sweater on her (it fit her better!) She promptly ran under our bed.

Never a dull moment around here!

Purrs

Oh Millicent...

I don't think Millicent is meant to be a barn cat. Last week, I noticed she was bleeding from a wound on her back end. Turned out to be a huge abscess that had opened up. So off she went to the vet...

...and back she came with a cone and a drain, after surgery and an overnight stay.

I decided to bring her into the house to recuperate. She started out in the downstairs bathroom...

...with her very own kitty-cat nightlight!

But it was hard to sit in the little bathroom and cuddle her, so now...

...she's enjoying the comforts of Gordon's office, upstairs. It's much nicer to cuddle her in there. She is healing quite well and we should be able to take out her drain later this week.

When we took in Millicent, I was under the impression that she had always been a barn cat. Now I have my doubts. She has not integrated with the barn cat crew, and she seems really unhappy there, spending most of her time hiding, which pains me greatly, especially since she's a real sweetheart who just wants love.

So I'm not putting her back in the barn. We really don't need another cat in the house (she would make 12. TWELVE!) ... I could possibly set her up in the back of the granary, which is heated and quiet. But for now we'll see how she does in here. My first goal is for her to recuperate and heal up fully. She is just such a dear little cat. She purrs constantly and when she's really happy...

.., she sits around with her tongue sticking out.

I don't know how a cat this sweet and friendly and cuddly could ever end up in a situation where she was abandoned to the elements and left to starve. I just want her to have a happy carefree life now.

Meanwhile...

...Daisy, among others, is less than impressed with the rowdy new puppies.

This is so hygienic. Not.

Pip, Daisy, Mootie and Mimi. They love it there because it's warm from the dishwasher!

Same spot, but slightly different array of cats: Annuk, Daisy, Honey and Mimi.

Meanwhile, Emerson was hanging out with me in the garage and decided he just HAD to suckle my finger...

....whereas Annuk and Honey are happy to sleep.

Purrs to you all, you wonderful blog readers!

xoxox

Good night, sleep tight...

I went down to tuck in the barn critters tonight...

Roo and Sandy thought maybe I was bringing them some food!

Keaton wanted cuddles!

Buttercup and Redford were just hanging around... those faces! I love them so.

And this face...

...belongs to sweet Esme. Yesterday marked two years since she and her friend Finney came to live here after being seized by the OSPCA. Esme is a lovely girl and likes a good-night kiss.

And Finney...

...is now "broke to ride!" My riding instructor Rose has been working with him. Today he took his first trail/road ride... 8 km and he was GOOD AS GOLD!

He even crossed the Beaudette River at the back of our property!

He has come a long way in two years, and I am so proud of him. He's about 4 now. When he arrived, he was freshly gelded and completely lacking in manners. But he's super smart and has learned so much. And now he's turning out to be an awesome little riding pony, and it's so much fun watching him trot and canter. So proud of my chestnut pony!

And Saul...

...has his own stall again.

This one was built for him a while back, but he'd been using another stall until tonight. But right now we are boarding my friend's horse, so we finally got the door on this to free up some stall space. Saul is adjusting!

When I was a kid, my Dad used to say the same thing to me every night...

Good night, sleep tight

don't let the fleas bite

and let the guardian angels keep you safe all night

...all while making the sign of the cross on my forehead (Irish Catholic, don'tcha know!) Even after he and my Mum split up, he would call me every night before bed (I usually spent Friday night and Saturday with him) and we would say the verse to each other. This continued on well into my high school years.

Sometimes when I am having trouble sleeping, I think of my Dad saying that to me with love, and it helps. Maybe I should start saying it to the equines! :)

Puppeeeez!

This little gal was spayed today...

Poor Chloe, she absolutely hates the car. She drools so much she soaks everything around her, and she pees in her crate. But her spay went well and she and Gordon are on their way home as I write this.

Dodger missed her a lot day. He was quite subdued. I kept telling him not to worry, she'll be home soon! They really bonded in foster care.

I have just started taking them for off-leash walks around the farm and they are excellent! They stick close and have great recall, the way Sophie and Tristan did. It's a blessing.

And what a happy pair!

Chloe has happy ears!

We've had some unseasonably warm weather the past couple of days, and the dogs are really enjoying it (not to mention the other animals.)

This guy has the body of a whippet, and he runs like one too.

Last night I was tidying the garage, and I had the pups with me for company. But I needed something to distract Chloe, who was into everything. This did the trick...

...Dodger managed to get in on it too!

And we can't forget this puppy...

Monty turns 9 months old on November 15th and is absolutely huge!

He's a goof and a sweetie, and he takes coyote patrol seriously. He will be neutered soon too.

And this year, I asked people to bring me their Hallowe'en pumpkins for the goats, pigs and birds.

People were dropping off pumpkins all weekend! Some people (I am looking at you, Rox and Kirsten!) even drove in from Ottawa, a good hour from here. We couldn't be more grateful. We must have gotten 50 pumpkins this weekend and the animals are so happy. A great way to recycle post-Hallowe'en pumpkins.

Hope you are all having a good evening, especially you Americans biting your nails over the election. The puppies (all three of them!) send kisses.