As many of you know, we have a very small hobby farm and it’s been a while since I’ve shared about our animal adventures.
Raccoons- We have two that are not pets, but that have taken to eating off our back porch. The kids call them No-Tail and Yes-Tao;, for obvious reasons (one has a tail and one does not). We try to shoo them away, but they come right back and we can’t help but feel sorry for No-Tail. He’s a rather pathetic raccoon who gets sympathy points and extra cat food from the kids.
Cats- We were so worried – one of our barn cats was gone during an exceptionally cold spell we had. I was surprised how sad I felt at the thought of Maverick being gone. He’s been my barn/porch cat for years now. He rarely leaves the porch and isn’t even very fond of human touch, but he likes to stare in at me working and I like giving him treats. To our great relief both cats are thriving!
Goats- Remember those two tiny goats we got at the beginning of the pandemic? They are now little tanks on stick legs. We laugh at their funny shape and love that they love us. I think they’re kind of perfect pets. They love attention when we give it to them. The kids can let them out and they don’t run off, they follow the kid around, but if we aren’t able to give them attention they are content having their basic needs met. They’re like dogs that can have attention but don’t have to have it – Perfect!
Sheep- We still have three sheep who are pretty easy-peasy, but not as affectionate as the goats. They eat the field down and teach our kids responsibility but we aren’t nearly as attached to them as to the goats.
And last, Chickens- We still have 8. There have been a few losses this winter and the snow left our run in bad shape. We’re thinking about giving this group away and not getting more until we have made some repairs.
Oh! I forgot the deer. I know they’re not farm animals, but I love them. We see four or five deer on our lawn every day. I keep thinking we will get tired of seeing them, but I never do and neither do my kids.
Do you have animals?
I loved reading about your animal adventures as we love them so much. We feel very lonely not to have any right now because we have always had several varieties but we know it is for the best with our physical limitations. We enjoy feeling happy for others vicariously. Thank you for the animal update.