It's official.
Grizzabella is a Grizz, not a Bella.
Yes, Grizz is an un-neutered male cat... a stray, I believe.
He's seemingly here to stay.
Amazingly, the other cats don't seem to mind his presence,
and basically ignore him.
He typically finds a spot to call his own,
and then hisses at anyone who might want to disturb him.
We will continue to feed him with the hopes that we can win him over.
Little does he know that the ultimate result of his domestication
will be the loss of his testicles.
Shhhh.. don't tell him.
Don't let the cat out of the bag!
With a new cat in the barn, we added another heat lamp above the refrigerator.
Cold weather is coming, and I want all of the kitties to be toasty warm this winter.
We had the perfect pre-Christmas weekend here on the farm.
It was quiet, as planned...
which gave me plenty of time to catch up with ex farm chores, pasture cleaning,
cookie baking, and a little last-minute sewing.
We said goodbye (temporarily) to Black Sammie on Friday.
He went home to his family.
He'll be back for more visits, I'm sure.
Because we had had several soggy days of rain,
I needed to strip out the duck hut and spread new dry bedding.
The chicken houses were in need of a little cleaning as well.
So, while they were out enjoying the pastures,
I did a little housecleaning.
As for the sheep... when it rains, they stay inside their houses...
pooping right where they lie.
Sheep truly are dirty animals.
Into their houses I crawl on my hands and knees with a scraper
and a dust pan.
It's the dirtiest job on the farm.
While I was busy working in the sheep houses,
the pigs were doing a perimeter check to see if I might have left a gate unlocked.
An escape to freedom is nothing more than a ploy for Ritz crackers!
I brushed all of the horses, who had somehow managed to come back in
from the front pasture covered in mud.
With Sunday's colder weather, I needed to get the mud off of them,
so that their furry coats would offer adequate insulation against the cold.
The donkeys, divas for sure -
because they hate inclement weather, are never messy.
Sunday afternoon we took the dogs for a hike in the woods.
It was brisk and windy.
Hiking in this kind of weather is my favorite.
Breathing fresh cool air into my lungs and getting some much needed
aerobic exercise makes me feel so healthy.
At first glance, the leafless trees and the dried undergrowth
give the woods a brown and dead appearance.
Here and there I see a patch of bright green
and am reminded that the land is very much alive...
just getting its well-deserved rest.
I started and finished a special order bag
for my Etsy shop....
a waxed canvas laptop bag with a quilted lining.
I baked a couple batches of Christmas cookies...
Russian tea cakes...
and frosted shortbread cookies.
This coming Saturday is our family Christmas celebration,
so, this week will be filled with cooking and baking.
All of the other preparations are complete.
It's great to peacefully coast into the holiday.
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Sara