Category: Animals

I took Fate to the Vet for her shots this morning.  It was the first time in over two years that I was able to go into the office.

I imagine it’s easier and more efficient for the doctors and technicians to get their work done without us people there.  And Dr. Suzanne Fariello said that some people prefer to wait in their cars and read.

It certainly isn’t necessary for me to go into the Vet’s office for a routine visit. And I did cringe a bit when I was in the small exam room so close to two other people even though we had our masks on.

It will take some getting used to again.

I always enjoy talking to  Suzanne. She’s impressive in how she’s grown her Veterinary business.  There is an ease to how the office runs and you can tell by the attitudes of the people who work there that it is a good environment to be in.

I also appreciate the young interns learning how to hold Fate and draw blood from her.  Fate is content to be held and scratched and cooed at even if she is getting poked and prodded.  Nicole one of the technicians, who used to farm sit for us, always makes sure to trim Fate’s rogue nail that grows longer than the rest.

And I got to see Jon’s photos hanging on the wall in the exam room of Red, Fate and the sheep.  It took seeing those pictures to realize how my flock has changed.  The four rescue Romneys were there, thick with two years worth of wool.  I had to look closely to distinguish Zelda from Liam.

Suzanne spoke lovingly of Red.  Although she only saw him when he came to the Vet, she said he was one of her favorite dogs and she likes having his photo in the office.

It was such a strange thing the first time I went to the Vet when covid hit and I had to wait outside. Now it’s unusual to go inside. And for a moment, I couldn’t remember the names of all four of the Romneys.  I don’t need to think about Red every day but it was nice to see him again in the picture.

I find it curious what we remember and the things we forget. And how we adapt to change so what was once natural can, over time, become unfamiliar.

When Fate was a puppy she used to sleep on my shoes all the time.  When we got back from the Vet, I found her under the dining room table using my sneakers as a pillow. Maybe, after getting three different needles this morning, she was finding comfort in something she was remembering too.

Jon and I stopped into The Mansion for the first time in a while today.  They were closed to visitors when the covid numbers got high again.

It was a good day to visit because they were planting the vegetable garden.  Claudia and Peg were there and I got to meet Barbara, someone new, to me at least.  We pulled some weeds together and got to know each other.

I’m still working on getting the book we made printed.  There have been some problems along the way.  The printer I usually use couldn’t do it so I’m taking it to Staples to see if they can.

I hope to get back to teach another art class soon.

Now I have to get the sheep and donkeys in from the back pasture(they get to graze for two hours twice a day)  and then I’m off to my Bellydancing class.

Once again the Starlings have made a nest in the rafters of the barn taking over an old Barnswallows nest.

I haven’t seen any birds in it, but it’s such a messy thing hanging like an unwashed beard on an old man’s face. I see hay, leaves feathers, scraps of bailing twine, and I’m not sure what that touch of blue is up top, but it could easily be a fabric scrap that escaped from my studio.

I guess I’m messy too.  I’m always trailing loose threads and strands of fabric around the farm.

The barn swallows are much tidier.  Their mud nests are like little clay pots reinforced with grass and hay.

The nest in this picture is the same one that was lined with feathers last year.  They do this for insulation, and also to help hide the eggs.

Maybe this barn swallow is trying to trick the starlings into thinking the nest has already been taken over.  I didn’t get too close, but it looks like there’s a broken eggshell attached to one of the feathers sticking out of the nest.

I haven’t seen any baby birds yet, but I’ll know they’re there when I start to see bird poop on the barn floor under the nests.  There are five Barn swallows nests in the barn this year.

I was in my studio when the wind picked up and the rain we had been hearing about all day finally came.  Jon called me from inside the house to let me know the storm was close. I turned off my computer,  unplugged my sewing machine, and met Jon on the front porch.

That’s where we go to watch the summer storms. Jon tracks the rain and lightning strikes on his iPhone.  I take the time to relax into the sound of falling rain, and wait for the lightning, hoping the thunder doesn’t get too loud.  I like it at a rumbling distance.

This first storm of the season reminded me that it would soon be time to get our firewood for next winter.  All I did was mention it and Jon was on the phone. I tend to procrastinate about making phone calls but Jon never hesitates to make a call.

We’ll get our first load of wood on Thursday.  There was just under a cord left from last winter stacked outside the woodshed.   So this afternoon I moved it into the shed.  It will be the first wood we use in the fall, and well seasoned.

There are always lots of insects living in the woodpile.  Today I came across a few spiders, a yellowjacket, and big black beetle. I also found this insect wing. It was about 1 1/4″ long and I’d guess it belonged to a dragonfly.

I found a few snakeskins too. And when I picked up the palettes the wood rests on to keep it dry and off the ground, I disturbed the resting place of this garter snake.

I love the perfect “s” the end of her tail makes and how the rest of her body mimics a meandering river.

I’m posting this picture of Robin because it made me smile and I hope it makes you smile too.

I’m not sure if Kitty and Anne are looking at Minnie lovingly or with envy.

They either came to invite her for tea but don’t want to wake her or want Minnie to get off the chair so they can sit on it.

I really wanted to work in my garden this morning, but when I opened the dining room window for the first time since closing it last fall, I was struck by just how dirty it was.  A thick milky spider web loaded with dead bugs stretched across one pane of glass between the Victorian era window and the aluminum storm window.

Yesterday I washed the curtains (made from a red and white scarf that someone had given me) and I couldn’t get myself to hang them on the dirty windows.

So I got out the Windex, a rag, and newspaper and started cleaning.  I took the storm windows out then got the ladder and unscrewed the screens from the outside of the house so I could hose them down and clean the outside of the house windows.

When I got done I cleaned the woodstove (fingers crossed we won’t use it again till the fall), which is between the two windows,  inside and out and dusted everything around it.  I even took my crocheted chair outside and hosed it down. (I have no idea how else to clean a crocheted chair.)

If I clean two window every weekend, I’ll have them all done by the beginning of July.  I just don’t have the will to clean them all in one day.

By 1pm I was in the garden pulling weeds and putting in seeds.  As I finished up Flo came over to one of the areas of freshly turned soil covering Zinnia seeds and peed on it.

I knew I’d have to cat and chicken proof these sensitive areas, but I didn’t expect Flo to claim her territory in front of me.  Usually the cats are more private about doing their business.

I had the little metal fences ready to go up, but they don’t work without the thorny brambles.  So I got my clippers and scoured the fence line for sticker bushes, then laid them over the bare earth.

In the past they have worked to keep the cats and chickens out of the garden.  I also leave a small patch of dirt so the cats still have a place to do their business.

I think it’s a good compromise but I’m not sure how Flo feels.  I guess I’ll find out.