Be thankful you’re not one of my chickens. My poor hens get the pot once their egg production drops. Roosters strut off into the freezer even sooner since they tend to squabble and hurt the hens. I mentioned to Greg that my two black marans have stopped laying thereby sealing …
Winter on the homestead is the time of year that tests your mettle. It’s easy to get your chores done when the weather’s nice, but when an icy wind bites your face off it makes you rethink your retirement plan. The weather keeps waffling between 70 degrees and hard freezes. …
Jammy, our foundling kitten from last summer has turned into a handsome boy. He was called Jazz in the beginning, but it was clear he was more of a Jammy. When he was little, his speckled fur feathered out at the edges. It made him look like he was wearing …
There are no words to express our sorrow and pain. We lost our brave boy suddenly. His great, big heart gave out. There wasn’t even time to get him to the vet. Our baby died in Greg’s arms. We were so very close to getting him well. The sutures were …
You might have noticed I’ve been missing. It all started Thanksgiving Day. I’d been running around like a headless chicken, cleaning, cooking and prepping for company. That’s the only excuse I have for not noticing Iko’s injuries sooner. I did notice that his fur was matted with a gummy slime. …
Have you ever had a problem trying to clip cat claws, or do some necessary examination on a fidgety cat? I was shocked at how well this trick worked. I thought it was so clever I had to pass it on. Jazz went through all sorts of indignities but didn’t …
Jazz, our stray kitten who came in out of the woods to live with us is now in his teenage stage. He’s come a long way! When we found him he was only one pound. Now he’s six pounds. He’s still on the lean side, his head disproportionate to the …
Homestead life goes on even when it’s hard. Garden: My garden is all over the place. Some things were successful, others still need time to show their worth. Part of the problem came from the flip-flopping temperatures in March. Usually, I have everything planted in March and harvested by May, …
Greg spotted this little kitten first. He was in the garden, perhaps feeling safest there since there was plenty of cover and a fence to boot. He hightailed it out of there as soon as we appeared. That night, I found him racing out of the chicken yard as I …
Life slowed down just in time for Nana, the border collie, to get hurt. We stopped all our other outdoor activities on the homestead and have spent the last two weeks keeping Her Royal Border Collie company while binge-watching Babylon 5 from start to finish. The first week was a …
We pay our own way. We always have. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy. When we took Nana in to our regular vet, she felt Nana needed more complex surgery than she could offer and referred us to a specialist. She estimated what we thought was a large sum of …
Nothing is more important to me than our fur kids, so I will move heaven and earth to make sure they get the best care. The best care starts at home. Good food. Clean water. A place to exercise. And lots of love. But what happens when they get sick? …
It’s only natural that we buy a little Christmas for our furry, feathered, and scaly pets. I mean–something besides plopping a Christmas bow on their heads every time we open one of our gifts. We’re always buying our fur-kids treats or an extra nice bed, though why we buy …
