Gorgeous January Weather!

Usually in January, we'd have at least a couple feet of snow and we'd be looking forward to temperatures around -25 C. (about -18 F.): really, really cold.  Instead, in this odd year that began with flooding, we have very little snow and yesterday it was melting and dripping!  Global warming?  Once in three-hundred-year weather pattern?  That's a whole other blog post!  This kind of weather is actually bad for perennials, trees and shrubs.  Plants that are hardy for us need their freezing period and snow is our best insulation.  Warm weather with patchy snow cover, inevitably followed by very cold weather, is damaging to root systems and drying for stems and branches!

However, the critters are all enjoying this weather immensely.  Sometimes I feel bad about keeping animals in the winter here.  Heck, sometimes I feel bad about keeping us here in frigid weather!  Wouldn't we all be happier in the warmer climes of southern Ontario or the coast of BC.  But, that's not where we live, so we are really going to enjoy the balmy weather predicted for this week!

Doodles getting some sun.

We took the goats out for a walk yesterday.  A little romp, a chance for them to enjoy some natural food.  Goats love leaves and even like the brown, fallen leaves that are exposed right now.  They nibbled in the tomato field, chowed down in the willow shelter belt and really enjoyed the corn field.  We like to leave a certain amount of plant material in place for the winter: it acts as snow fencing, trapping and keeping the moisture of snow in place.  The added bonus this year is that is provides a little treat for the goats!  The dogs, of course, were with us and got some great exercise.  The house cats, Blondie and baby Doodles, hung out by the front door, sunning.

Busy in the chicken pasture.

The chickens have been basking in the sun and enjoying their natural dirt baths since there is no snow.  Usually this time of year, in extreme cold, they would spend most of the day in the coop with heat lamps on!  We try to supply them baths by providing large cat litter boxes filled with peat, diatomaceous earth and wood ash.  Natural is better, don't you think?  Even the barn cats are getting out for a little sunshine! Love the harmony here at Aagaard Farms - cats and chickens mixing to enjoy the sun.  I sometimes find it unbelievable that the barn cats seem to understand that the chickens are off-limits and everyone seems to get along well.  Well, except Grizzly Bear, who just can't seem to grasp the concept that the barn cats have a place here, too.  We'll keep working on him!  Peace and harmony, that's what we like!

Barn kitties and chickens hangin' out!

A Reprieve in the Weather

A couple of the barn cats grab some sun!

The Chickens grabbing some rays and a dust bath!

The Goatlings get out and about.

We've had a nasty cold snap for November: the kind of temperatures we'd accept in January just seem so wrong right now.  All the animals, and us, have been huddled in our respect homes for a few days but yesterday turned into a beautiful day.  Winnipeg set a record high and Brandon

I thought the sunflower heads were for the birds but...

came close!  Time to get out and enjoy, and get some of those last chores crossed of the 'to do' list.  Farmer Man still has firewood to collect and is still gathering wood for fence posts from our shelter belt.  A good time to let the goats do a little free-ranging while he could keep an eye on them!  Everyone soaked up a few rays and enjoyed it immensely.

Meet Doodles!

Doodles and the very hairy Grizzly Bear cuddling
on Farmer Man's lap.

Farmer Man had put his foot down a few years ago:  No more pets.  There was hardly any room in the bed for him between the little doggies and the cats.  But then, we lost Peanuts.  And then, he met Doodles.  Doodles is one of the barn kittens.  From the outset she was friendly, curious and would follow Farmer Man in that galloping, unsteady way that kittens have.  He described her as 'doodling around' the barn.  As the weather has taken a chilly turn the last few weeks, Farmer Man would appear, doing light chores, with the kitten stuffed in the front of his vest.  She would try to follow when he took the dogs for a walk and would end up tucked into his jacket, getting a full tour of the farm.  As we started to try to find the kittens home, to my surprise Farmer Man said that Doodles wasn't available.

Two nights ago, Doodles became a house cat.  Farmer Man brought her into the house and set her down to explore.  It was just kind of assumed she wouldn't be going back out to the barn.  It's a delicate situation with a small pack of doggies and one rather surly house cat, Blondie.  I got the pet carrier and set it up with an old towel for bedding, a small, plastic sandwich box for kitty litter and a small bowl for water.  We showed her to all the dogs and told them to be nice; growling or baring teeth received a correction.  We kept a close eye on her as she wandered and explored; it was all so exciting that she quickly settled in for a nap on Farmer Man's shoulder.

The good thing is the Grizzly Bear seems to have taken to her.  We still supervise every minute, but he really seems to be fascinated in a good way.  He's even given her a few 'kisses' and let her curl up on his back this morning.  If Doodles has been down and wandering, we just look for Grizzly, who seems to never be far behind.  He wants to play, but we admonish him to be gentle because he's so much bigger.  We're hoping they end up good friends.  The rest of the doggies are stand-offish and so far Blondie the cat seems to be afraid of the kitten!  Teddy Bear seems rather put off so far; poor girl started out as an only child and now has to share the attention with a number of other 'friends'!

At bedtime, Doodles is secured in the pet carrier.  When we left Saturday morning to do the Farmers Market, Doodles was secured in the pet carrier.  That will be the way, for a while.  There are hazards in any house, although ours is pretty pet safe!  We also can't completely trust the doggies and Blondie - these are animals and remain unpredictable.  And Doodles is just sooo small right now - and too nice for this crowd!

Kittens Meet the Chickens!

The kittens are scampering in the protection of the greenhouse!

 We've got kittens in the barn, again!  We tried not to, but just really don't have the budget to spay or neuter all of the little colony that has taken up residence in the barn.  I had an appointment at the vet's for the one we call Little Mama, but she disappeared about a week before the appointed day.  When the day came, I couldn't find her so I took one of the friendly males.  About three weeks later Little Mama reappeared, obviously pregnant.  She disappeared again for a number of weeks, then reappeared slimmer.  About two weeks ago, kittens appeared in the barn and not newborn.  She had obviously had a litter someplace, then started carrying them in.  They are, of course, just adorable!

Yesterday, Farmer Man was out working in the back yard on a little patio he's constructing and Little Mama decided a walk was in order.  She's quite bold what with the doggies around, but I guess she assumes Farmer Man and I will protect her.  The kittens and the free-ranging chicks found each other quite interesting.  We actually intervened at one point because we thought the chicks were going to start pecking at the kittens!  The June chicks are almost full grown at this point; quite a contrast in size!  A great adventure for the little kittens, I just hope they don't start free-ranging themselves yet because it's a dangerous world out there!  Anybody looking to add a kitten to their home?

Look What We Found!

You just never know what you'll find when you take a stroll around a small farm!  Egg production has been down significantly the last week or so.  We thought maybe it was the change in weather, shorter days - something like that.  While I was out this morning, camera in hand, I heard some squawking from the trees beside the chicken coop.  The squawking a hen makes when she lays an egg!  Investigating, I find one of the Browns, nesting in the bole of a large willow tree beside the coop!  There are at least six or eight eggs under her! A second chicken seemed to be waiting her turn!  No wonder egg production is down!  I didn't disturb her; for safety sake all the eggs will have to be garbage.  Why the little hen would decide to start laying outside is a mystery - but at least we know where to look now!

A few nights ago, preparing to bring the goats in from their pasture one night, Farmer Man heard some tiny meows!  Investigating, he found two little kittens out on the barn floor!  Afraid the goats would trample them when they came in, he looked around and found a little nest in some hay with two other little kittens!  The mother is not very friendly, so he placed the kittens in and we've largely left them alone since then, except for some peeking and a photo op.  The kittens definitely have the genetics of our barn cats with their orange or beige coloring.  I haven't been able to check their tails because a bob tail or short tail runs through this colony, too.  They are as cute as the proverbial buttons, for sure!  Anyone looking to bring a new kitty into their homes?

A Walk On A Late Summer Eve

Grizzly Bear up front, Scamp in the lane, the goats
and a few chickens in the background.

Little Scamp on the safety of the compost pile!

It's been a gorgeous run of weather this week.  Hot in the day and, typical of a Prairie fall, cool in the evenings.  After our usual crazy busy Friday/Saturday, with two Farmers Markets in two days, we had a relaxing evening and a light dinner.  We know the animals get a little neglected on Friday and Saturday, and heaven knows they all love a little (okay, a lot of) attention!  So we decided to take the dogs for a walk and thought we'd take the goats for a frolic with us.  On our way to the goats' pasture, we cross through the chickens' pasture and a number of the Hens and Chicks started to follow us, hoping for treats, undoubtedly.  As we came out onto the lane beside the hoop house, some of the barn cats were playing, and the friendly little Scamp decided to come along for a walk, too!  Quite the procession!

It's never a long walk with this crowd.  The Hens and the Chicks soon get distracted by new pastures to peck, and fall out of line.  The Bears hassled poor Scamp for a minute until sternly corrected, but by then the little barn cat had fled to the top of last years compost pile and decided to stay there.  Two of the goats, Chocolate and Mabel, became engrossed in some of the weeds growing on the compost pile and stayed to browse.  So Farmer Man, myself, the dogs and Goldie the goat strolled around the windbreak separating the top field.

As we returned to our starting point, Farmer Man noticed the two goatlings left behind were ambling over to the watermelon patch.  A quick grab of some willow branches and he got the attention of all three goats and led them back to their pasture.  The Hens and The Chicks returned to their usual stomping grounds, the barn cats disappeared and the dogs were all heading for the house, looking for a drink.  Just a typical stroll on a gorgeous evening here at Aagaard Farms!

Good Bye, Old Cat.

I'm an old cat and I'll push my food
around with my nose if I want to!

It's a sad day at Aagaard Farms today.  This morning our old cat, Peanuts, passed away.  He was an incredible age of twenty four and the last link to Farmer Man's Dad and Step-Mom.  Peanuts had been declining but up until yesterday he knew when dinner was, knew where his cozy bed was and could get to the water dish.  Yesterday we noticed he seemed very unsteady on his feet and early this morning he could hardly get on his feet.

Peanuts was a beautiful jet black cat.  He was a little unusual in that he had one brown eye and one green eye.  He was an excellent mouser - after we had been on the farm about a year he started to bring home his catches to 'share' with us.  We figure he led an awesome cats' life: he never wore a collar, he was free to roam and chase mice to his heart's content and he always had a good bed, a bowl of food and lots of scratches on his head to come home to.  He was never a snugly cat but he would come and curl up someplace in the room with us on long winter nights.  This past winter, he had taken to sleeping in the bathroom, beside the baseboard heater.  We've grown accustomed to stepping around him when we get out of the shower.  We will probably continue to do so for some time.  Old Peanuts will be missed!

Little Kitty Exploring The Farm!

The little Kitty Mommas had their kittens up in a high place in the barn.  Last week, one bold or unlucky kitten came down; we don't know if he fell or went exploring.  We couldn't catch him so he remained down, while the other three continued to frolic around their high perch.  Thursday night at dusk, while all the dogs were off with Farmer Man, I took my cameras and went for a little stroll.  I was hoping, without the doggies around, to catch some deer or some of the incredible birds that are around the farm right now.  As I came around the east end of the barn I found part of the little Barn Kitty family, out playing on a beautiful, calm evening.  Because I feed them, they are fairly comfortable with me and allowed me to sit down quite close.  If you're interested in how I met the Wild Kitties check out here, here and here.  I must have sat with them for fifteen minutes and I got almost seven minutes of video, which I edited down.  What is quite amazing to me is what a little community these cats are.  The smaller golden one is the mother, and brown tabby is another female and the bigger golden one is an unneutered male, the gold momma's brother.  I have seen a couple of the other males in the group, neutered and unneutered, baby sitting, watching over all the kittens.  The group plays and hangs out together, mostly in harmony, even at feeding time.  I suppose that is why they call feral cats 'colonies' because it really is like a little village.  It takes a village to raise a kitten!

Goats and Kitties, Hanging in the Rain

Saturday's weather was steady rain all day, with stiff breezes.  Not what goats like, at all.  We didn't mind; we declared it a 'day off' after a busy week.  We left the goats, for part of the day, free to roam in the barn.  We checked on them regularly - goats are known to be able to find trouble.  On one check, we found a pastoral scene of goats nibbling on hay with barn kitties lounging about.  We even witnessed a little  nose touching and sniffing going on!  In my bucolic vision - I see goats and kitties cuddling up together on the cold days of winter!  Hopefully, fast friendships are being formed!

Kids and Kittens

Things are picking up around Aagaard Farms, as the snow melts and things get warmer.  Our garden plot renters are starting to drop by, to register and to see how the gardens are doing.  Michelle was by to drop off her registration a few days ago; she had her four children in tow.  When asked if they would like to see the kittens in the barn, well, the kids were enthusiastic, to say the least!  Michelle's youngest is only around two, so we had to keep an eye on her.  Michelle's oldest is about six, her second is maybe five; they helped their two younger siblings by holding the kittens.  Much 'ooohing' and 'ahhhing' ensued.  Nothing like kids and kittens!  Of course Rocky started crowing over in his pasture, and our next stop was to see the rooster and The Hens!  Love giving kids a tour of the Farm!

It's a Great Day: Kittens and Garlic Are Growing!

A Happy Easter Sunday to all!  We're finally having a day with the temperature hitting double digits (in Celsius)!  That should help get rid of the last of the snow!  We've been out for a wee stroll around the farm.  The garlic is up!  And we've had excellent germination.  We love our garlic for cooking, and we just can't bring enough to the Farmers Markets.  We planted almost double last fall - so good to see it coming so well.  A short row of 'fancy' garlics is about an inch taller than 'Music', our standard.  Those are showing a bit of frost damage on the tips but seem to be growing strongly.

Also had a peek at the kittens in our stroll.  They are growing well, too!  Starting to rather clumsily wander from their 'nest'.  They are soooo cute and a perfect experience for a lovely Easter Sunday!  We hope you all enjoy your day!

Uh, Oh....We've Got Kittens

When we discovered a colony of feral cats on the property, the whole point of feeding them/caring for them was to get them spayed and neutered.  We know there are too many unwanted cats and dogs, it's a huge issue everywhere and the notion of so many animals being euthanized just breaks my heart.  My thinking was that I could befriend them, and once I could handle them a bit, I could get them to the vet.  If they were quite friendly, I hoped to find them homes.  A little naive, perhaps.  Some of the cats have never become comfortable with me, and now we have kittens.  I feel so bad about this - I could have tried harder and trapped the unfriendly cats.  In making some inquiries, I found that the local rescues, like Funds For Furry Friends, are over-whelmed with cats.  People look for the 'free' kitten ads in the paper, and balk at paying the small fee the rescues require.  The fee includes spaying or neutering and shots, and is really a great value compared to what the people would pay on their own at the vets.  People who get the 'free' kittens quite often don't get them spayed, and more kittens arrive.  It's an unfortunate cycle, and now I've contributed to it.  I feel really bad.  In the meantime, I've never been around kittens, and they are soooo darn cute; even these little guys whose eyes aren't open yet.

Kitties in a Tree

It was, finally, a nice day here. Not snow-melting-nice or anything like that but nice enough that you didn't need to huddle down in the mondo parka with five layers on all body parts. I heard little feet on the roof this afternoon; I went to investigate and found a bunch of Garage Kitties sunning themselves. Bad blogger that I am, I did not have the camera with me. Now, the back of our house is built into the ground and it's quite easy to get on the roof at any time, and very easy right now with all the snow banks around! The Bears spotted the Kitties and a bit of mayhem ensued before I got them back under control. Later this afternoon, I spotted a couple of the Garage Kitties sunning in a slightly safer spot - ten feet up in an old spruce tree!

Love Is In The Air!

Happy Valentine's Day! The Garage Kitties are discovering love, slowly but surely. A few of them will let me pet them - and they just can't seem to get enough. The top photo is Mama and Big Orange getting some attention. The second photo is Beige, coming to greet me; she used to hide in the rafters when I entered the garage. The third picture is Mama, waiting for dinner! The last photo is the biggest surprise: our Blondie and Grizzly Bear hanging out together! Love can work miracles, and a lot of patience doesn't hurt either!

Just For Fun: But Important, Too!

Just for Fun: Ain't Mother Nature Grand?

Found this link on the Facebook page of

My Edbile Yard Urban Homestead

! It's just so cute, I had to share!

Love, love, love this!

This is a young (!) Brandon boy with a big heart for the animals. It's so exceptional that someone so young wanted to do something. The family asks that if you'd like to help, well, you can buy the toys that he's put on eBrandon or you can forward a cheque to the Brandon Humane Society or Funds for Furry Friends on 'behalf of Evan'. Then, let them know and he can track his progress. If you are reading this and you are not from this area - make a donation to your local Humane Society or no-kill shelter 'on behalf of Evan' and let them know!

Fun in the Sun!

It has been a nice, sunny day but very chilly. We're still slip-slidin'-away with a dusting of new snow on top of icy roads and walkways! The Garage Kitties (previously known as the Feral Felines and the Wild Kitties) were chasing some sun, so I opened the garage doors to let them sun tan on the back of the truck. I also got one of those cheap sets of little plastic mesh balls with bells inside. Seems Garage Kitties like to play, too!

Farmer Man Is A Big Softie!

Farmer Man has given me a bit of hassle about caring for the little wild kitties. He wonders what I'm going to do with them, how much our feed bill is going up and practical stuff like that. He shook his head when the little kitties started showing up in the garage, where Loud Cat already lived. The wild cats must have been following me back to the house, or following my trail and they've decided that the garage is better than the drafty old straw bale chicken coop. Loud Cat seems to have no problem with that, so they've all been hanging out in the rafters together. Makes feeding them soooo much easier. Farmer Man decided, with some really cold weather forecast, that we needed to replace the second, little heat lamp in the chicken coop. I thought the arrangement had worked well last year, but sure - a better heat lamp is always, well, better. Much to my surprise, the second little heater quickly re-appeared - as a warmer bed for the little kittens! Farmer Man has a bigger heart than he likes to let on! And just in time: we woke up yesterday to a morning temperature of minus 32 Celsius, which is about minus 32 Fahrenheit, too. Freak deaky cold; but we had the confidence that everybody in our little domain was warm and cozy!

Feline Feeding Frenzy...

Are you ready? Ready for dinner? You betcha! The little wild cats are getting used to the routine. They're getting a bit more comfortable with me, and don't run away when I arrive. With the weather very chilly, I think they're now spending most of their time in the old straw bale chicken coop, although three of the seven have shown up in the garage - just exploring, I guess. I climb right into the coop to feed them, spreading the food out in five or six different piles to avoid competition and fights. They've come to appreciate fresh water, and just in the last week or so most of them go for a drink right away. The water, of course, freezes solid before the next time I'm in there, but they're drinking a good half of the container before it freezes.

Night time temperatures are already getting down to -20 C (-8 F or so), so I was a little worried about them at night. To give them a more cozy space, I put in some boxes with an entry door on two sides, straw inside on the bottom and piled them with straw on top. I don't know how much they are using them, but they are using them because a couple of the smallest are coming out of the boxes when I arrive with dinner. I've been looking everywhere for some sort of solar-powered solution for water, but there's just nothing that will keep up to our cold temperatures. We're just too far from power to do anything electric. Might be dangerous, too in a straw bale house. So far, the little cats seem to be faring quite well!