Huge Heron

Sometimes my life is like 'Groundhog Day' walking the same paths, doing the same chores, etc. Any change in scenery pops out like a red flag causing me to do a double take. Our lonesome Great Blue Heron has returned to the pond though I have not seen him/her this close to the fence!

Upon seeing it, I was alarmed. What in the world was it doing perched near the fence? Was it stuck? Was something wrong and how would I help that thing if it were in trouble? Mind you, this creature is extremely large and extremely shy. There is no food source that I know of where it was standing either. I was at loss for words as I ran back into the house to grab my camera. Once it saw my slow approach, its graceful wings flapped to safety in the sky, this time with no protest. Occasionally a funny squawk will escape its pointed bill during flight.

Okay, since nothing was wrong with it, maybe he/she wanted a sunny spot to rest after eating a slimy pond victim.
Look how beautiful he is! What perfect form and pointed toes!

Now that is normally where he rests...at the edge of the pond!

No More Farm Fights!

There's been some fightin' around here! New Year's morning began with a fight that ended with Daddy Cat in severe pain. Cricket must have attacked him in the night and bit his paw. I took him to the ER since it was a holiday. He began the usual round of antibiotics. The bill was a hefty $119 with no xray. It took about 10 days before he could put weight on his injured paw. I thought maybe it was broken but eventually it returned to normal and now he jumps with no problem. My poor baby!

The following week Little Bear decided to attack Coty! She learned this dominant behavior from her deceased brother Black Jack. She gets right in his face with such ferocious barking. He must have initially snapped back but when I got downstairs, all I saw was him leaning on the couch, his front paws resting on the cushion with his back to her paralyzed with fear. She ended up with two small bite wounds, one dangerously positioned under the left eye that eventually became swollen. I applied Zinc 7 Derm (natural antipurific that works wonders) and had to put an E-collar on to prevent her incessant scratching. It is almost healed. No vet bill but almost had to go in...

Tiger always chases Big Rock into a corner but thankfully no wounds have resulted (knock on wood) and I do keep them separated but on occasion they just end up all together especially if a door is not closed tightly. What is up with my neutered boy cats?

We now have a new friend on the farm...a black and white male kitty. He has decided to adopt us and will now stay in the barn. With Daddy Cat barely healed, this worries me. Yes, I have an appointment to neuter him Tuesday. He is not dominant but will resume the feline fight position where cats tilt their heads and move sideways in slow motion all while emitting long screaming meows. He does not fear Callie and chases her. She hisses and runs away. Cricket stares at him and seems to be the dominant one. Daddy Cat wants to protect his barn but then his behaviors change from dominant to passive...who knows. So far there has been no contact with eachother. This little thing is friendly and a little licker! Just like baby Bridget! If he chooses not to stay then at least I know he cannot father any kittens. But if he stays, I might name him Sylvester!

December Dreams is Done!

Today was the first day of the year that the temps rose above freezing. Today was the first day in 2010 that I didn't work 10 hours + on 'December Dreams' my digital scrapbook. The beginning of our year was filled with a lot of snow, wind and bitter cold weather, perfect for cooking my book! Funny how the weather cooperated. My good husband's birthday is next week and I wanted to make him a memory book of our busy holiday season. It is a 99 page labor of love. Thoreau's quote 'Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake'... is so fitting. I absolutely love my life with my husband and family and it seems like I live in a dream hence the title! Wish you could see the cover but it is of our home and well, that is against Kritter Keeper's privacy guidelines. Seems like all of us are pals, but you never know who is reading your blog, therefore I picked mostly pet pages that will amuse you...

Yes, Jessie allowed me to put a large wreath around her neck, for real!! And Blue's hat is stuffed with bubble wrap and hooked underneath his halter! I had to be quick before it fell off. He was such a good boy and as always, Jessie was perfect! The kittie's bows are fake...

Santa was fake although he looked so real...so nothing weird was going on! :~)
You saw this in my last post but isn't their Christmas basket cute!!