I got to see two new calves today on the farm. Sweet-Tart had a black and white bull calf...adorable. Jane had an all black calf a couple weeks ago on open pasture but Longhorns are very good at keeping their babies safe and hidden - because of this today was the first day I've been able to see her or him...Momma wouldn't let the baby close enough for us to find out.
So every year when we hay I have some sort of mishap. I've broken mower blades (pluaral), I've snapped a rake in half, I dumped a load of hay down the middle of the dirt road, I drove half a mile with a flat I didn't know I had and bent a very large rim...I annointed myself with at least five gallons of hydraulic oil....so this year I get the opportunity to try again...well I GOT the opportunity...kind of.
On the way out to talk to Kent's dad about hay equipment and hay schedules I drove my car down a prairie trail and proceeded to wrap the drive shaft in the equivilent of a square bale of hay. It wrapped TIGHT! Kent spent the better part of two hours getting it undone. This included a knife, a fire extinguisher, a pliers, a leatherman, wire cutters, to ramps and my expert assistance. Thank you Kent...so still interested in having me hay?????
Really does life get much better than this???
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Manx babies
This spring we were blessed with two separate litters of manx babies. The two pictured below are eight weeks old and looking for good homes. We have kept back a sister to these two for ourselves.
The little girl in the pink shots has mitten feet (polydactyl) on all four feet and is either a riser or a stumpy. Her small tail is kinked which makes me lean to the stumpy tail. However, it is very short. "Pinky" is a little shy yet. She plays well with her sisters - she just hasn't warmed up to her human family.
The other two pictures are of her sister. She is a rumpy. She is very cuddly and playful.
Both of these girls are for sale. As I said we kept their sister for ourselves. Tweetie is a light orange and white rumpy with a sweet personality. She is a little smaller (runt of the litter) so we wanted to keep her back for ourselves.
The second litter is a little younger - there are four babies for sale in that litter. Three tabby and one black. I'll get pictures of them when they are closer to ready to go. This litter was large and the babies are small yet so we want to give them more time to grow.
I added some info from Wikipedia on Manx Cats in case they are new to you. We love ours. They are excellent hunters and have unique personalities.
The Manx (Kayt Manninagh or Stubbin in Manx) is a breed of cat with a naturally occurring mutation of the spine. This mutation shortens the tail, resulting in a range of tail lengths from normal to tailless. Many Manx have a small "stub" of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless; the distinguishing characteristic of the breed and a cat body type genetic mutation. The Manx are said to be skilled hunters, known to take down larger prey even when they are young. They are often sought by farmers with rodent problems.
The hind legs of a Manx are longer than the front legs, creating a continuous arch from shoulders to rump giving the cat a rounded appearance.
Tail length
Dimple rumpy or rumpy - no tail whatsoever
Riser or rumpy riser - stub of cartilage or several vertebrae under the fur, most noticeable when kitten is happy and raising its 'tail'
Stumpy - partial tail, more than a 'riser' but less than 'tailed' (in rare cases kittens are born with kinked tails because of incomplete growth of the tail during development)
Tailed or longy - complete or near complete tail
Tail length is random throughout a litter.
The ideal show Manx is the rumpy; the stumpy and tailed Manx do not qualify to be shown. In the past, kittens with stumpy or full tails have been docked at birth as a preventative measure due to some partial tails being very prone to a form of arthritis that causes the cat severe pain.
The little girl in the pink shots has mitten feet (polydactyl) on all four feet and is either a riser or a stumpy. Her small tail is kinked which makes me lean to the stumpy tail. However, it is very short. "Pinky" is a little shy yet. She plays well with her sisters - she just hasn't warmed up to her human family.
The other two pictures are of her sister. She is a rumpy. She is very cuddly and playful.
Both of these girls are for sale. As I said we kept their sister for ourselves. Tweetie is a light orange and white rumpy with a sweet personality. She is a little smaller (runt of the litter) so we wanted to keep her back for ourselves.
The second litter is a little younger - there are four babies for sale in that litter. Three tabby and one black. I'll get pictures of them when they are closer to ready to go. This litter was large and the babies are small yet so we want to give them more time to grow.
I added some info from Wikipedia on Manx Cats in case they are new to you. We love ours. They are excellent hunters and have unique personalities.
The Manx (Kayt Manninagh or Stubbin in Manx) is a breed of cat with a naturally occurring mutation of the spine. This mutation shortens the tail, resulting in a range of tail lengths from normal to tailless. Many Manx have a small "stub" of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless; the distinguishing characteristic of the breed and a cat body type genetic mutation. The Manx are said to be skilled hunters, known to take down larger prey even when they are young. They are often sought by farmers with rodent problems.
The hind legs of a Manx are longer than the front legs, creating a continuous arch from shoulders to rump giving the cat a rounded appearance.
Tail length
Dimple rumpy or rumpy - no tail whatsoever
Riser or rumpy riser - stub of cartilage or several vertebrae under the fur, most noticeable when kitten is happy and raising its 'tail'
Stumpy - partial tail, more than a 'riser' but less than 'tailed' (in rare cases kittens are born with kinked tails because of incomplete growth of the tail during development)
Tailed or longy - complete or near complete tail
Tail length is random throughout a litter.
The ideal show Manx is the rumpy; the stumpy and tailed Manx do not qualify to be shown. In the past, kittens with stumpy or full tails have been docked at birth as a preventative measure due to some partial tails being very prone to a form of arthritis that causes the cat severe pain.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Fourth of July
Happy Independence Day everyone! I spent the morning relaxing with Kent and then headed to work at the golf course for the afternoon.
It was a beautiful day - two slight showers and a lot of sun.
The family had a Bar-B-Que at the farm and then went to Kelly's for fireworks. The kids seemed to have a blast with everything from pops to artillery shells. Even the big kids had a blast...right Uncle Kent!
Now it's off to bed to get up for another day at the golf course tomorrow. Tiger is in the final day of the AT&T so maybe I'll get to watch a little of that too!
It was a beautiful day - two slight showers and a lot of sun.
The family had a Bar-B-Que at the farm and then went to Kelly's for fireworks. The kids seemed to have a blast with everything from pops to artillery shells. Even the big kids had a blast...right Uncle Kent!
Now it's off to bed to get up for another day at the golf course tomorrow. Tiger is in the final day of the AT&T so maybe I'll get to watch a little of that too!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Miss me???
I haven't had a chance just to get on and type for a while...
June was a month of powerful connections to friends and just the power of friendship at work. I was in my first wedding in 16 years and I loved every minute of it. Kent and I were honored to be asked by the bride and groom to be attendants to their very special day. Kent looked handsome I can't wait to get some pics on here of him in his frock coat and black hat. What a rugged outlaw he makes.
I also had the joy of being contacted by some very old and dear friends. I am learning a life lesson...people are my friends and I have had a valuable impact on their lives. Boy this has been an adjustment in my psyche. Having moved so much I compartmentalized each past town as an experience and put it on a shelf. I did not realize that those connections made ripples back to me and that they don't have to be lost...they are very real and very alive. My self-value has shot up immensly.
This month I heard a baby's heartbeat, watched a mother cat give birth, saw the power of love commited to another and found the treasure of friendship.
This reminds me of an old song that I will share now.
Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
and the others GOLD!!!!!
Maybe I'm rich indeed!
June was a month of powerful connections to friends and just the power of friendship at work. I was in my first wedding in 16 years and I loved every minute of it. Kent and I were honored to be asked by the bride and groom to be attendants to their very special day. Kent looked handsome I can't wait to get some pics on here of him in his frock coat and black hat. What a rugged outlaw he makes.
I also had the joy of being contacted by some very old and dear friends. I am learning a life lesson...people are my friends and I have had a valuable impact on their lives. Boy this has been an adjustment in my psyche. Having moved so much I compartmentalized each past town as an experience and put it on a shelf. I did not realize that those connections made ripples back to me and that they don't have to be lost...they are very real and very alive. My self-value has shot up immensly.
This month I heard a baby's heartbeat, watched a mother cat give birth, saw the power of love commited to another and found the treasure of friendship.
This reminds me of an old song that I will share now.
Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
and the others GOLD!!!!!
Maybe I'm rich indeed!
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