Duck...Duck....GOOSE!

We can usually find one of our buff orpington chickens, Daffodil, running loose all around our property. We try to keep the chickens contained to a certain portion of the yard so they don't destroy all of our plants up by the house. However, Daffy is a little on the small side in comparison to our other hens, so she is still light enough to fly out over the fence and roam freely whenever she wants--in the backyard, the front yard, the horse pen, the side pasture....pretty much everywhere. No wonder she stays so trim! 

Daffodil by the cedars

Daffodil helping with yard work 

Daffy and Jax by the wood pile

Daffy trying to blend in with the ducklings

Daffy checking out the new chicks, with Aslan supervising

For the most part, Daffodil finds enough to keep herself occupied without wreaking havoc in our gardens, so we enjoy letting her run free. She is a friendly but independent spirit. While she's out and about she often tries to dine with our ducks. We couldn't figure out why they always seem to back away and run off whenever our sweet Daffy unassumingly strolls up and invites herself to breakfast. 

Hey guys, wait for me!

Now, here's a short (10 seconds) video I captured this past week of Daffy trying to pal around with her duck mates. Be sure to turn up the volume and you'll hear my surprise when I discover our sweet little Daffy may not be as innocent as we thought! 

So THAT'S how the shower curtain ends up on the floor...

Jax loves to play in the bathroom. It seems to be "the" social place to be, if you are a cat--even Casper tends to forget she is shy whenever she hangs out in the bathroom.

A couple of months ago, I was working in my office and heard a loud crash coming from the bathroom.

No doubt, the door had been left open and Jax was--apparently--having a field day.

If I stroll away nonchalantly, I can pretend that wasn't kinda scary...

True confession time: I've taken way too many photos of my cat in the bathroom. But, really, the color scheme blends awesomely with Jax's blue eyes and the hues of his coat. I'll spare you by sticking with just the shower curtain shots today. We can save the "Jax in the sink" collection for another day... 😄

This is one of my favorites of young Jax playing hide and seek in the curtain.

Ready or not, here I come! 

Here is Jax outside the tub:

And here is Jax inside the tub: 

Here is Jax inside the tub DURING a shower!

And here is Jax fighting with the curtain.

Take that, you silly paisley drapery.

Previously, I had assumed the shower curtain must have fallen down when Jax tried to CLIMB it. But then: last night we saw THIS!

Jax!

This is totally normal; and, I can't hear you...

It never occurred to me that Jax might have been walking ON TOP OF the shower curtain! 

Hey, [looking in the mirror] who is that fine looking cat over there? 

I love this crazy cat of ours!

Casper the Friendly Ghost Cat

When we first brought Casper home, she was just a few months old and predominantly feral. She escaped into the brush in our backyard and we would catch sightings of her as she regularly crept out from behind the wood pile to watch what was going on from a safe distance.

She got the nickname Casper because she was like a little ghost hiding behind the wood pile, who would sometimes make a visual appearance. A friendly ghost cat.

As Jax got big enough to start spending some time outside, he became the lure that encouraged Casper to start venturing further out in to the open yard and up closer to the house.

Jax and Casper both came from the same place, so maybe Casper recognized her baby cousin. In any case, her curiosity or intrigue eventually gave her enough confidence to come in for a closer look. And even as much as Jax sometimes torments her, she is the sweetest thing who never bites or scratches. (Unless you count when she grabs your hand back because she is not quite ready for you to stop petting her: "More, please!")

Here's a photo of baby Jax and Casper playing in the front yard with their chicken gang. We always have to be very careful because Casper especially likes to hide in the underside of vehicles. Here she is examining the wheel well for a possible hideout source.

For many months Casper picked the John Deere mower as her safe spot (Aslan was much smaller then!). Jax would sometimes join her--the two are definitely quite bonded!

Somewhat ironically, once we finally got Casper indoors, she quickly became a homebody. Jax is practically bursting at the seams to get outside every moment of the day.  Casper, on the other hand, LOVES her safe warm place in the house and is quite content to have most of her needs met there. 

She is not strictly an indoor cat, but also enjoys some time outdoors. The other day I caught her checking out the new ducklings while they were sunbathing in the pool. I think she's completely mesmerized by them! 

I also snapped a little video of her watching them. If you watch to the end you'll notice her typical shyness as she suddenly recognizes she's being observed.

Casper and Jax have remarkably different personalities, but their bond is inseparable. It is so heartwarming to see. ❤️

If it fits, Jax sits...

This bucket looks super comfortable, don't you agree?

If I sleep in this bucket, then when I wake up my scratching post is right here!

Hold on, I need another nap...

Top Picks from Sam

Today Sam forwarded me a bunch of old photos from her phone that reflect a collection of some of her favorites over the past couple of years.

L to R: Paisley, Lomi, and Molé

We call this one The Three Amigos. This was taken a couple of years ago, shortly after our camelids had their first haircuts. Paisley and Lomi are llamas, and Molê is an alpaca that we rescued.

They are due for haircuts again now. We'll have to post an updated photo after this year's cuts.

Next up, is a photo of Jax, our polydactyl cat. Usually his front paws look like adorably cute little white mittens. But, as you can see, having extra toes also means he has extra scratching power. Thankfully, I was wearing jeans when he considered my leg might make a good scratching post!

This one is also one of my favorite Denali photos. To me, it just screams "Meme Generator!" I will have to figure out if there is a way to embed a meme generator directly in a blog.

I would love to see what you all come up with:

This is Falcor (any Neverending Story fans out there?). She is Sam's blue and gold macaw. She says, "Hello?" when the phone rings, and enjoys talking about apples and bananas (especially bananas! I guess when you stop and think about it, it is kind of a fun word to say...). "Mmmm good!" she says. I also have to admit, it is pretty awesome having birds that laugh at your jokes.

Last year we had baby ducklings for the first time. Actually, Sam has had them in the past...but it was my first time raising them. Oh. My. Gosh! Most baby animals are cute, but ducklings have to rank pretty high in my top favorites! Especially when they start pitter pattering around--they are like tiny bowling pins waddling around with miniature duck feet! We hatched three baby ducks last year. These are the baby pictures of Patches, Zippy, and Leon. 

Peep! (Translation: Quack!)

Chillin' in Sam's lap after breakfast

 Finally, here's another series featuring Denali. Just another one of those days when she was rolling around on the kitchen floor acting silly.