Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Friday, April 13, 2012

RITUALS

"Damnit, she's still there!"
"I'll distract her and you grab what you can then we can switch roles."
Every morning I have to guard the barn entrances.  Why?  Because every morning Mame (top photo) and June (second photo) try to sneak past me to steal the cat's food.  They literally pick two different entrances and one tries to distract me while the other sneaks past me.  These girls seem to be addicted to cat food or else they are addicted to the ritual.  Regardless they have me well trained:)


A few of you may remember that David was born in a nesting box and her mother, Miss Hissy and Elenore Hen fought for custody of the kittens.  David has had two litters since then and returns to the same nesting box where she was born.  Yesterday morning she gave birth to three (and maybe four) new kittens. The nursery nesting box is her ritual.

 
One of Slim's rituals is to adopt every rejected chicken, kitten and now goat on the place.  She has befriended Ashenhurst, the twin kid rejected by mother Polly, and they hang around together at every opportunity,  Poor Ashenhurst has had his head slammed in the door on several occasions as he attempts to trot inside the house behind Slim.  That ain't gonna happen'!

28 comments:

  1. What a crew you have there on the farm....no need to go to the movies:)

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  2. Changes in the wind -- You are right about that. Lots of drama around here all the time. And if I want to laugh a lot, I'll just go to your blog post for today and play the videos over and over. If anyone misses your post today, they are going to miss a hoot and a half!!!

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  3. Chickens and kitties in harmony! That is perfectly charming. Love David's name and that she returns to the nesting box.

    On my way over to Changes in the Wind.

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  4. Oh I think that all is so cute and sweet, Like part of the family. sandie

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  5. And, one of my rituals is to turn to "Fools Rush In" every day for an animal fix.

    I sure got one today with a beautiful picture of David and her kitties. She is a beauty and I remember how much Elenore Hen wanted to be her Mama.

    It's nice that Slim is being a good friend to Ashenhurst. I know A. needs a friend.

    So, if all's well on the farm, then all's well with me here in the city. I feel I have a farm,too, just through being friends with you,Annie.

    BTW, have you ever had any more trouble with your "Trigger Finger?"

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  6. Animals are so funny, just a quirky as their human counterparts. I'm so jealous that you have David and her kittens. When I was a kid we had a cat that produced several 3-kitten litters a year. I love, love, love kittens and cats. Lucky you.

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  7. Great spring at your place. Lots of little babies. How fun. Chickens are smarter than we give them credit for.

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  8. "that ain't gonna happen." I'm with you on that one. The only difference between you and me is the line would be drawn in front of the dog.

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  9. Awwwww! That is all so cute!!

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  10. I'm with Cliff.. ha ha

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  11. Who wins in a fight between a cat and a chicken? My money would be on the cat. The chicken would make more noise, but the cat would land heavier punches.

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  12. Lynn -- The animal life around here does seem to be in complete harmony, including the human animals. The all fit right in with your "L" words or love, life and light, plus Monica's word of laughter!

    Chatty Crone -- Yep, it all makes or one big happy family around here. Your Fun Friday was spot-on as usual and I saved the ice cream summer site for my grandkids.

    Nancy -- "Mis animales son sus animales." I do love to share the adventures of NOL-NOC Estates with you because you seem to have learned the idiosyncrasies of all the clan. Can't wait for you next story. I check the Elder Storytelling Place every day and there are some good tales but yours are always the best. (Could I be prejudice?)

    Pat McKenzie -- Well you would love it here because it seems we've always got lots of cats and kittens. Though I name the cats, they are feral and only stay if the meals are plentiful and there are enough mice for dessert. Oh I loved your barn and church tour. Those are my favorite old buildings and I especially love old barns. If only they could tell the stories of their lives.

    Tabor -- Other than cats and chickens, we're about to reach the end of spring babies. We had hoped for more kid goats but the gestation time from TK, our billy, being in residence is about over and the other girls don't appear to be pregnant. As I said in answer to you post question, I am where I most want to live.

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  13. Cliff -- Really? No dogs allowed? But your wife is a groomer and runs a kennel? My housekeeper wishes I would not allow the dog in the house because she has to vacuum the dog hair. It is just that Slim is an exceptional dog and has earned her place in our family. Ron used to say no dogs inside but he even enjoys her company. So never say never.

    Riot Kitty -- Yep, it's all cute isn't it? Bet you wish you could have the kitties.

    Ancient One -- So, you and Cliff both. You're probably real country folk and I'm obviously just a misplaced city girl. The dog stays but I do draw the line at the goats coming inside. I haven't heard from you in a long time but still enjoy all your photographs. You should go to Pat MacKenzie's blog Pat's Ramblings and see her recent pictures of churches and barns. I think you would love them.

    Gorilla Bananas -- Hello stranger. I'm not too sure about your blog and it appears you might be a spammer. However I'll give you the benefit of the doubt until I check you out. I'm afraid the cats are totally subservient to the chickens. Hens are tough and never think otherwise. They battle coyotes but of course, the most often lose:(

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  14. I know your place has a great Feeling with all those animal spirits who reside there.
    My Aunt in wilmington nc had goats and she set up a slide for them to play on.. sooooooo funny, they were.

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  15. Great post! I love the part about the chickens acting in tandem to get to the cat food. No animals at my house at present. We are still hoping to travel if the economy recovers.

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  16. Your menagerie is adorable. And people say that chickens aren't smart...

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  17. sonny -- I have seen goats play on a slide before and wish I had one. Our goats play on Rooster Hill and see who can knock who off the hill. The new babies always love this game. Your cracked pot story was a great lesson. Glad you shared that

    Susan Adcox -- I don't know what I would do without all our livestock but will honestly say there are times of imagining being without the responsibility. Actually I would hate it. LOL Love you idea in you post today of "yes but" as one word "yetbut".

    Sparkling Red -- I don't know if chickens are smart or not, but I do know we can learn a lot from them. They definitely have a system of working well together. The story on your blog about inquiries into why people don't have children was astonishing. Sometimes it is difficult to believe why some people feel they can make such personal inquiries.

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  18. I love that they plan to get past you! Maybe it's just the adventure they enjoy :)

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  19. Dianne -- The amazing part is that the cats will step back and let the chickens grab what they can. You wouldn't think all the chicken feed in their bin would be enough, plus the 10 acres of bug,etc that belong to them! Nice story about the Newark Mayor Cory Booker! Now that's a hero.

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  20. Oh Annie, I'd watch your reality show and become a fan in a heartbeat! All your animals have such personality and style and attitude. LOVE it!

    Btw, I'm also loving your banner and quote. Best one yet! :)

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  21. Isn't it funny how intelligent and entertaining animals can be. Wonder if they laugh & enjoy us as much as we do them?!

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  22. You really deserve all the fun you must get from the animals because it mustbe a hell of a lot of work - and responsibiliity. I think it is a gift I wish I had.
    I'm going also to CITW.

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  23. oooo an animal post! Those chickens can be pretty smart, I hear- n even can play some piano I saw once. David looks so happy with her kittens n cozy-
    The goat just wants to be in Slim's "herd". Good luck keeping Ashenhurst out of the house-
    Scarlet's reality show idea wuld be fun- I bet they are all very entertaining to watch!

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  24. Scarlet -- I am very glad you like my new banner. There is not way I could have used all the portraits that have been done of me at the JKPP so I used the ones who picked this funny pose. Speaking of portraits, that is such a great one of you that Jennifer did. She really captured your look.

    Debbie -- You really stated an interesting question about whether the animals enjoy watching us. If they watch me very closely, I know they are laughing a lot. Looks like we need to start calling you and Charlotte The Sunshine Girls. It is nice the way you celebrate each other.

    Pat -- The animals are easy to care for until we need to go on a trip then finding a livestock sitter is a difficult task. It would be wonderful business for someone to start -- chicken sitting and goat sitting:) At least we can board Slim. Did you laugh over at CITW? I know you did. The two ladies reminded me of me and my sister when we get started.

    Snaggle Tooth -- Yes Scarlet would be a good MC for my reality show wouldn't she? LOL Great pictures today. Don't you think the phone lines just need a treble clef and some bars?

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  25. I always enjoy your barnyard stories. David looks so content with her kittens. You are a better woman than me. I would have let the goat in the house too, lol. Of course I have 3 dogs that are in the house. The two chickens trying to get the best of you gave me a good laugh.

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  26. I love hearing about your critters. The sneaky stuff these animals pull is a hoot.

    I feel sorry for the little goat. I have two large dogs living in our house and they often smell quite bad. How much worse can a small goat smell?

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  27. Bonnie --

    Cube --

    A goat in the house is very different from a dog in the house. The dog doesn't poop with every step it takes but a goat does. They leave a little trail of pellets everywhere they go. Nope, not in my house! The same with chickens. Perhaps if we had diapers for the chickens and goats.....

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  28. Thank you for clarifying that for this city girl. I will never allow a goat or a chicken live inside my house.

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