Kitty update

Say hello to REDFORD! Deb from Just Cats suggested his name and we loved it. Yes, HE. This is not Emerson's Mama! I wonder if he's Emerson's papa? I think they were dumped here together.

The trapping went perfectly last night, and Redford was scared but calm and quiet when I drove him to the vet in the towel-covered trap his morning. He has now been neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas and ticks, dewormed and I'm getting him microchipped. They also removed his two extra front claws (he is polydactyl) as the vet was concerned about him having problems with them when he is older, particularly since he will be a barn cat. I am also getting him microchipped. 

He's staying at the vet until Friday to ensure he is fully healed before he's allowed outside again. Gordon and I both feel very relieved that he is looked after now.

Cat #7... geez!

Sweet things

It's a rainy, chilly (for August) day here today. Just 18C/65F. I don't mind!

Look who showed up at my new window hummingbird feeder:

Little Miss Ruby Throat. I just love my new feeders! I have three different versions. They are from a great Etsy shop in Arizona. You can see another one at the upper left of this photo:

The little cups that hold the syrup are dishwasher-safe. They are small, but that encourages you to clean them regularly. I bought extras and just switch them out every day or so, throwing the dirty ones in the dishwasher. Much easier than cleaning  the traditional glass-bottle feeders, and I think these copper ones are beautiful. I've ordered two for my mother-in-law.

And here's something else sweet...

The first crop of honey. It's going to be a fantastic honey year. My bees are awesome.

And an update on Garage Kitty. The trap worked last night (Raincoast Trading tuna, only the best for our cat!) I got up this morning to find her lying quietly in the towel-covered trap. Not a peep out of her (him?) on the way to the vet. They are going to spay/neuter the cat, vaccinate, deworm, treat for fleas and ticks, and do a health check. Dr. Dave said they may remove her extra toes if they are going to present a problem for her in later life. He is going to let her recuperate at the vet clinic until Thursday or Friday before we her loose. We want to make sure she is completely healed up and free of infection before we let her outside. I am so relieved she is safe at the vet's, being well looked after! I'll give you another status update when I have one.

Not a bad day!

Peek-a-boo, I hate you!

Peek-a-boo!

"I hate you!"

Sigh... we're putting out traps for garage cat tonight. As soon as we catch her, she's going to the vet for shots and neutering (and we'll find out if she really is a girl!)

I think she's Emerson's mama. Do you see the resemblance?

Their fur is the exact same: light ginger tabby.

I had really been hoping garage cat would warm up to me so the trap wouldn't be necessary but alas, she still hides every time I go in there. We did have a little winking session at each other through the garage window the other day, so I guess I've made the teeniest, tiniest amount of progress, but I feel awful about having to trap her. The vet is going to keep her there until she has recuperated from whatever surgery she's having (spay? neuter?) then we'll bring her back her and let her loose. She's been hanging around here long enough now that I do think she considers our farm home. I'm hoping that maybe I can teach her to come to the garage or barn every night for supper and bedtime. I'll keep you posted. Every time I think about trapping the cat, I start crying... I know it'll be very stressful for her, and she's already stressed enough but we want to make sure she's healthy, vaccinated and fixed, then she can be our pet as much as she wants to!

Meanwhile, Charlotte is an absolutely brilliant mother to her three little chicks...

My geriatric hen and her children, none of which are biologically hers.

She has gone full broody and is doing such a great job! But because she trusts me so much and is so used to being handled, she doesn't flip out when I handle the babies. I am hoping to bring up three little mini-Charlottes (or Charles... Charless.. Charleses, as the case may be!)

Such a sweet little hen mama!

Other than that, I am struggling to keep up with my bees, who are going absolutely nuts this year and making more honey than ever. I am really lucky they are doing so well but I keep running out of equipment (honey supers) for them.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

New mother and a massive piglet head and oh yeah, #7...

Look who's a new mama...

Charlotte, age 5. She has now hatched out all three of the eggs that were under her and has two yellow chicks and one black. None of them are her biological children! She is a Sex-link hen, a breed meant for egg production (the the stewpot!) All the broodiness was supposed to have been bred out of her, but this month she got all maternal.

And she is an excellent mama. I watched her teach her little ones to drink and eat. Today I took them a few wild black raspberries. Charlotte broke them up with her beak, the clucked at her babies to come eat. It was utterly adorable. My little hatchery hen is turning out to be an excellent mama, and what's really nice is that because she is so tame and trusts me, I can pick up her babies without her freaking out.

It's so touching to so my oldest hen  tenderly caring for her little ones. She has not gone broody once in the past five years. I guess it was time. And she's a natural!

Meanwhile, look what I got in the mail today:

My friend Penny sent me this fantastic t-shirt. Looks just like one of my little piglets. Well, back when they were still little. Now they look like breadboxes on high heels.

And guess what's in our garage? Cat #7. We think she's Emerson's mother, as they are the exact same colour and she shares his delicate features.  We're not 100% sure it's a she, especially since she's a ginger. Orangey cats tend to be males. But she's definitely an adult and has big mitten front paws: polydactyl!  And unlike Emerson, she's totally wild and almost unapproachable. She has been hanging around for a couple of months, but we've only caught glimpses of her in the garden. I had been planning on trapping her to get her spayed and vaccinated, but then she wandered into the garage. I've been feeding her in there and will be trapping her and taking her to the vet in the next few days, something I am not particularly looking forward to, as it will traumatize her further. But it must be done. Afterwards we'll release her here and she can be our barn/garden cat. I think she considers this place home, considering how long she's been hanging around. And now she'll get free meals twice a day!

We have been making the slightest amount of progress in the garage. I know her hiding spot now and can look at her from a reasonably close distance. Today was the first time she looked at me with squinty eyes instead of the usual dilated-pupil pits of terror. But of course trapping her will set back our progess... sigh. She is at least a good eater, and as per my friend Deb's suggestion, I put some logs on the floor of the garage for her to scratch and laced them with fresh catnip. Judging by the amount of bark on the floor, she's been enjoying this very much. And she seems to like the cat toys and treats I've left out for her too.

Apart from that, I've had my head stuck in my beehives a lot lately. More posts to come!

Today's burning question...

So we put up a white board in the barn, mostly so I can leave notes for Gordon on what needs doing for the evening chores. He has taken to calling it the "Gord Board". This is a sampling of what you might find there...

Ahem.

Meanwhile, there are just too many things going on around here!

Mama Emma and nine chicks in the garage. The babies are going off to be part of my friend Pierre's backyard laying flock.

I picked the eggs for this batch. Quite the genetic assortment here! THey are growing like weeds.

Meanwhile, we've had the front  of our bank barn trenched, and gravel and drainage pipes put in. 

Whenever it's wet, we get water pouring through the stone wall in the lower level, That side of the barn was incorrectly buried when that section of the yard was filled in and the ground level raised. We're trying to correct those drainage problems now!

And bees...

This is one of my marked California queens on my friend Pierre's hand yesterday. Yep, she's really from California! And her hive is doing great...

In fact, all ten of my hives are doing great right now. Fingers crossed that it continues!

And in other news, we've been having a pasture fenced for the pigs...

Here's Bert and Findlay putting in the 8-foot gate.

This will be a nice spot for the piggies to hang out.

A view of the hay fields! Not quite finished cutting.

We are building a new pig palace in the carriage shed at the back of the granary above. The pigs will have access to the pasture though a little door we're going to put in the side of the carriage shed.

We will also build them a little shelter for shade outside.

That hill is steeper than it looks. They had a bit of a hairy time getting the tractor and the backhoe up and down there!

That big tree is one of our beautiful black walnuts, around 90 years old now.

And that little tree at the back of the carriage shed, about 1/3 of the way into the photo, is a young black walnut tree that grew by itself while we weren't looking! It was surrounded by sumacs that were cleared out yesterday. The other little tree on the left seems to be some kind of willow.

The piggies will have a nice view from their little pasture.

We used goat fencing!

And this was delivered yesterday for the new barn drainage.

We're going to put some of it in the muddy end of the "aviary" which will mean I'll get some practice using the bucket on our tractor!

Just so long as my fat little pigs are happy!

And of course the turkeys, too. Aren't they looking fine these days? We still need to get them a couple of lady friends!

Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Of beds and boats...

We have some great (if hairy) dog beds from Gertie Gear. The problem is, the cats keep stealing them from Tristan...

So I bought a couple of cat-sized beds, and this is what happened...

Which I pretty much saw coming! But most of the time, the beds are being used by the correct species:

Emily says "Four paws up!"

Alex concurs!

And on another note, we went kayaking last Friday evening on the St. Lawrence River. 

I like to pimp out my float, so to speak.

And I actually was in the Naval Reserve, so the sticker is legit!

Like Gordon's shirt? I got it here. I shudder to think what would happen if we put a cat in the kayak!

We keep our kayaks at Hybrid Marine in Summerstown.  Fantastic marina, and a great place to rent a kayak or trimaran, or send your kids to summer camp!

It was a spectacular evening. Water like glass, hardly any other boats in sight.

We watched the sunset.

Calgon, take me away!

It was the night before the "super moon."

Can't wait to go back!