It's always exciting to see bears in the wild. And this sighting was for 5!! We saw a mother with 2 cubs and then these 2 adults that were sort of mock wrestling and playing. It was very exciting to watch them and see them engaged in play. The Mother with her babies went into the brush before we got a photo but these to young adults - possibly cubs from a previous year- hung out as we watched from our car. Very exciting!
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I really don't know how I get any work accomplished when there are baby goats around. As they cavort on rocks playing king of the castle and learn how to but heads, it is endlessly entertaining. I smile every day when I'm feeding them. One mom, a small pygmy goat needed assistance during birth and permitted us to help. We gently tugged on the baby when she was having contractions. It worked and her babies emerged successfully. She had twins. Another mother successfully gave us triplets... all girls. What a magical experience to watch.
How exciting to have so many babies this fall!There's nothing better and cuter than babies and goats and piglets especially make me smile. It's been a joy to watch the moms instinctively know what to do. They are watchful feeding and protecting their young. It's a privilege to watch. Fascinating.
All of my beloved animals were safely evacuated to the local fairgrounds. Here is the goat barn, with my Bert front and center saying hello to me. It's so strange to have the pastures where they normally live empty. I feel like I'm missing my two front teeth. I spend my evacuation time visiting them and bringing their favorite treats to share. I'm so grateful to the many people who helped me get them to safety. People with horse rigs who came to my home and helped me load them and whisked them away to safety. We have an awesome community. Now we are working hard to help the poor families that lost their homes. So far 127 houses were destroyed. I know personally at least 6 of the families. So we do our best to support them financially and materially. I've been taking advantage of peach season and making peach pies for some. I could never do all of this alone and am incredibly grateful to the young volunteers who come and lend a hand. Each of them have their skills and talents and the one thing they have in common is their love of animals. It's fun for me to see the look of wonder in their eyes when they hold day old bunnies or play with the baby piglets, who are endlessly entertaining. They also enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when we complete big tasks like removing manure to the compost boxes, cleaning our pens or cages, tending to the raised bed garden or doctoring various animals that might be uncooperative patients. Their young energy is infectious and reminds me of my own wonder at the magic of animals. I love my animals but sometimes one gets lost in the forest.. They help me see the trees. Thank you Shiloh and Evie!
Free ranging rabbits give me joy!This year my garden was dismal in its production of food. I think we got less than 20 tomatoes and 6-8 zucchini's. It was so frustrating fighting the drought, heat and insects. Combined with daily visits to my poor rabbits confined in as large of cages as I could arrange for them. I began to see an inequity that I could fix. With our triple digit temps, I couldn't act quickly as the rabbits required cooling devices we had in place to protect them during the brutal heat waves. This gave me some valuable planning time. I also met many green horned tomato worms. They were so beautiful that I did some research and discovered that they were endangered. They turn into these amazing moon shaped moths. Well that clinched the deal. I sacrificed my non-producing tomatoes to the green horned worms and began to convert my garden for the rabbits. We reinforced the fencing to keep them in, and the dogs/cats out and also put up a 2ft exterior barrier on top of the soil to prevent rabbits from digging out. I finally transferred my 8 females and a couple young males to freedom. I can barely get any work done since it's so much fun to watch them playing and chasing each other among the raised beds. And the best news is that I can still garden in some of the raised beds that are too high for them to invade. I'll probably just plant carrots for the buns ;) We are still figuring out how to deal with storms, but they won't come until January/February. We'll figure it out as we move forward. In the meantime, my buns have a joyful life and freedom. How amazing to see the baby bunnies as they grow and mature from tiny peanuts to lil scampering friends. It's really amazing. Mother nature at work!
Finally, much needed precipitation in our mountain community. It's so beautiful... and we need every bit of moisture. Thank you Mother Nature!
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Farm NewsIt's never a dull day at the Kitty Hotel. Springtime means new arrivals & births, eggs hatching, coats shedding and seasonal preparation for summer or winter. Fall brings harvest, canning and winter prepration. We are always entertained by our many animal friends.
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