Sunday, February 14, 2010

Farm Love

Happy Valentines Day! We have lots of love on this farm beginning with of course the good husband and I and our family.  But family on this farm includes all of our furry creatures too. 
Check out Ringo and Patty Pat (I guess Patty Pat is a girl though her antler stubs stumped me...She looks a bit pregnant too.  I had no clue they loved eachother until yesterday.  Bucks and does do not normally hang out until later in the spring and summer.  Patty Pat's name is taken from that silly 'Pat' on Saturday Night Live where we still don't know if the character is male or female.  Look how proud Ringo is of his Patty Pat!
Jessie and Blue can't even be out of sight with one another.  Today they finally got turned out but only rolled and kicked a couple of times.  They love being muddy and they love eating their grass!

Daddy Cat and Callie used to love eachother three years ago, for a day maybe...Cricket is living proof of their brief romance.  Callie is now tolerating Daddy Cat getting close to her.   She wanted him to take her for a ride today (on the Kubota of course!).



Look at Love Rock!  Isn't it cool?  The excavator was going to throw it over a hill but I noticed its unique shape and directed him to position it under the tree by the pond...a very romantic place to sit! 
Big Rocky is totally in love with Baby Bridget!  He constantly tackles her despite her squeals of protest.  After getting back on all fours and shaking herself, her tail stands straight up ending with that cute curve and she rubs on him for more.  What a little flirt!  And more he gives, wrapping his strong arms around her entire little body biting harder and harder until I have to separate them.  Then he hisses at me like a snake which I have to remind him that he is a cat not a reptile.  After that I recieve deep growls and long whiny songs all the way to the bedroom where I plonk him on the bed to give the baby a rest! My big Mountain Lion would have been a great dad...oh well. I wish I had a 'tackle' photo to show you how bad he is...
Just yesterday I discover that Beauty's Boy loves chasing my turkeys!  Bad boy! As hard as I work to get those birds to eat, then this little brat has to ruin it!  Usually the deer ignore the turkeys.  He is so cute and his mother is one of the prettiest does I have seen. I wish I had video yesterday but I couldn't tear myself away from the window to grab the camera.  He was jumping all over the place, backwards, straight up in the air and twisting his entire body loving every minute of his new found dominance.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my Dad's  passing.  Valentine's Day is now a bit rough as the day before takes a toll on my emotional well being.  As hard as I try to smile and keep up a good front and continue to do the daily chores, inside I am worn down and old, emotionally exhausted from the numb disbelief that my Father no longer exists in physical form.  He loved the outdoors.  He used to work on a farm when he and Mom first married and long ago considered moving up to Vermont.  He showed me the farm they picked out but could not afford it.  How different my life would have been had that happened!  But, each day I am reminded of him through myself.  I feel he is with me many times and strangely enough that stupid movie that we watched so many times together when I was a kid came on last night...all I had to do was hear that eerie tune and I knew immediately...see the good husband likes westerns and 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' appeared.  I just laughed and thought to myself that Dad is with me as that movie hasn't come on for years or my husband just didn't tune in at the right time...Love you Dad. There is a lot of love on our farm and I sure haven't and won't forget about my love for you!

26 comments:

TnTConnect said...

The pictures are great...sorry about your Dad.

V.L. Locey said...

Wonderful photos! So sorry to hear about your dad.

JC said...

Some Joy & some sad memories ...
While Valentine's Day is fun for me.

My Dad past away on Dec. 26th ... 20 years ago .. after being in the hospital for 26 days. So, the Holidays have never been the same for me.

I do toast a drink to him & enjoy the gift opening which is what he loved. A great glass of wine and taking forever to open those gifts.

Your deer are adorable. Love them ...
Oh, and your cats too of course ^,,^

Michelle said...

Happy Valentine's Day! What sweet, sweet, pictures...so full of love and fun! And a bittersweet Valentine's Day re your dad's passing. We can only fill ourselves with wonderful memories. My friend sent some pictures today of my father (one's I didn't expect) and pictures before his passing. So, this V-Day my father was thought of as well. *sigh* So sorry to hear about your father though. He looked like such a sweet man. :) I'm sure there's a farm in Heaven that he's working on. ;)

xoxo

Flat Creek Farm said...

As always, wonderful pictures and their accompanying stories. I always enjoy them so much! So sorry about your Dad. I'm sure it's been a rough day. What a wonderful picture. He is always with you. Hugs, -Tammy

Jessica said...

There sure is a lot of love to go around on your farm! Great photos! :) Pat is funny with her little stubs. ;) I'm very sorry to hear that it's been a tough day for you. I know exactly what you mean about coming to grips with the fact that your loved one is no longer around (in physical form as you so well put it). I hope you can continue to focus on the happy memories of him though and be thankful that he does live on through you. I know exactly what you mean about that too. Sometimes I look at a photo where I look like my dad and it makes me happy that I'm able to carry on his legacy. Happy Valentine's Day. :)

Pony Girl said...

Aw, great post! It must be hard to think of you dad at this time of the year, but what wonderful memories you have of him!
I just love all the critters at your place! They all look so happy and well-loved. That final picture of the deer is just lovely.
Fun header of your crew, too! ;)

Teri said...

How wonderful that you and your dad were close. I never had that. I'm sure he's smiling at you from Heaven, watching all that you do and share with your larger than life heart and the gentleness your pour into the animals.

Kritter Keeper at Farm Tails said...

i cannot express how appreciative i am of my blogging buddies and your supportive comments. so many of you have gone thru the loss of a loved one and i can sense you all have such a great strength! thanks for your generous words!

Rural Rambler said...

Kritter Keeper what more could I ask for in a blog post from you? Beautiful deer, fuzz face kitties, Jessie kickin' up her heels and Blue too, and turkey!! That picture of Callie in the back of the Kubota-priceless.

Your Dad has a wonderful smile and a face filled with happiness. I know how hard it is. My Mom has been gone for awhile but it is like it was yesterday. You really hit it with your words about the shock and disbelief that they are no longer here in their physical form. Holidays are always hard because my Mom loved and celebrated them all like a little kid. I am so sorry for your sadness, you will be on my mind today.

Erica Houskeeper said...

These are beautiful photos. I am so sorry about your dad, and the anniversary of his passing must be very difficult. There is clearly so much love at your farm, and having a life filled with love and compassion is a wonderful way to honor your dad.

lisa said...

Nothing beats the four letter word that is for sure.

AJ-OAKS said...

I agree, your Dad was with you watching the movie. Such wonderful memories you have. Love the pics of everyone. Had to laugh out loud with the turkey chasing though. Pretty darn hilarious.

Autumn Mist said...

I love these photos, you'd never see anything like that here. So sorry about your dad. Often it's not the big things, I've lost count of the number of times I've thought, 'I must ring mum about that,' and then realise I can't. But I know she's in the best of places, and I so look forward to seeing her again. We'll have so much to say!

City girl turned Country Girl said...

Well Patty Pat would be a special girl then!! Does can have "stubs", but it is not a common thing! The only female that can grow full antlers are Caribou! Beautiful pictures of them all! I think Beauty's Boy is gorgeous!

I am so sorry to hear that your heart is saddened...I lost my dad almost 5 years ago so I totally understand the pain and trying to mask it with a happy face. It sure is hard to do! I am glad you have your great memories, I know they are what get me through some tough times....Thinking of you..

Willard said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. It is very interesting to read about your experiences with the deer and turkeys as they mirror mine to a great extent. It has taken years, but I do have turkeys now that will ignore me to the extent that I can move about between different tripod mounted cameras. Like you, I have found that most deer ignore the turkeys, but I have the occasional character , that likes to chase them. Right now it is a 1 1/2 year old doe. I hope to return often to follow your wildlife adventures.

Mimi said...

Thank you for the story and the photos. I like your post. I'll be back soon to look for new post. :)

Linda said...

You do have a lot of LOVE on your farm. You captured it well. I'm sorry about your dad's passing. That is very sad--he sounds like a wonderful father.

I finally got your book in the mail yesterday. I was carrying it around with me but then left for Seattle without getting it done. So, finally, I mailed it yesterday. :)

Linda said...

One more thing, when I was mailing it, I had it out and the Postal worker (a woman) said--are you reading this? I answered that I was sending it out. She said I just checked it out of the library last week and finished it yesterday!!! Weird, huh? We talked about it as she weighed and prepared it.

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Thank you for the beautiful photos!

Vickie said...

Hello, I just found your blog - Sorry about your dad - he looks like he was full of life and joy! I hope that is a comfort to you...

I love all your animals and their stories. I'm going to follow you, so I can do some more reading! I'm an animal nut myself without many animals right now. So I'll just live through you until I do! Come by & see me sometime!

Vickie said...

I can't get the follow button to work for me this morning (I'm having some internet issues) so I will add you to my bloglist instead for right now!

clairz said...

Lovely photos, words, and tribute to your dad. You live in a magical place.

Cats of Wildcat Woods said...

You may not remember us but you stopped by our blog last fall and entered a give-away for Cat Fancy Magazine. Well after a major computer virus, serious financial problems, the holidays...I finally remembered I never did pick the winner for the give-away - your name was chosen using the randon.org site. Please email me your mailing address if you would still like to get Cat Fancy for one year!

Jen (emsun.org) said...

That black and white cat is just gorgeous! I love all the deer, pictures, too.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.

Rainy Day Farm said...

What a great post. I love the deer running through the turkeys...so funny. So sorry about your father. It is so hard to wrap your brain around not seeing someone anymore. My heart goes out to you! Hang in there and enjoy all the beauty that surrounds you!