Mama Kitty and Minnie Mao

Teeny Tiny Minnie Mao has survived and thrived up to this point on formula.

Lately Mama Kitty has noticed Minnie Mao mewing when we open the back door. She is still uncomfortable, since she has never really been indoors, but we finally managed to get her inside. After nervously darting around for awhile she finally settled down under the dining room table. Minnie Mao quickly went to Mama and found comfort at her mother's teat. As you can see, both are looking very contended at this point. Soon after though, Mama Kitty decided that it was time to bring the little runt back out to the barn with her brothers and sisters. She is still way too tiny to compete with the others for food! As much as I would like to see her back with her mother, we know she would not survive. The mother would likely hide them all again and there is no way that we could get supplemental formula to her.

So sadly, after a little battle of the wills, we managed to get the mama back outside sans baby. Hopefully, she will become a regular visitor and more comfortable with the idea of leaving the baby here.

Teeny Tiny Minnie Mao

Teeny Tiny Minnie Mao

This little bit stole her way into our hearts just yesterday. One of the feral cats "Precious" had decided to stick around earlier in the year along with her sweetheart, Rocky. The two have been practically inseparable, coming around to the back porch to share their dinner bowl each evening. After some months of this we noticed that she was getting awfully wide around the middle!

They faithfully returned every day, hardly missing a beat. We were even able to gain their trust enough to allow an occasional petting. Sometimes Precious would show up first, however; and she would never permit us to touch her until Rocky came. He is the more assertive and I think she just felt safer with him there.

Finally, Mama Kitty (as we sometimes now call her) disappeared for three days. She was gone from the 21st of August and we did not see her again until the 24th. I knew that she must be off having her babies!

Sure enough, Mama Kitty showed up on the 24th minus the bulging belly. Wonder where those babies are? Three days later she led me right to them. They were up in the hay loft. She had found a little "cave" between some bales of hay and there they were.

I eventually found out that there were seven in all... everyone one of them so tiny and sweet. Eyes not open yet, but full of spunk and personality. Mama Kitty was so very protective of them, certainly--not even allowing her beloved Rocky anywhere near.

Over the next few weeks, she moved them around to various places. I guess to keep the predators (and peoples) guessing. Well, we didn't see them for about a week in the end of September and we wondered sadly if they had become some coyote's dinner...

One day DH went to pull the mower out of the barn and "Lo and behold", they were back in the barn again, this time downstairs by the barn door. The kitties were now about four and half weeks old and becoming very brave as they romped and played around all the junk in there...

...all except one. We found this little runt sitting quietly next to a bag of sawdust. Not playing. Not really moving at all. Just sitting there. I picked her up and she was just lethargic...not much more than a furry bag of bones. It was no exageration to say I could almost feel her spine where her belly should be. Husband said, "We've got to bring her in". I nodded in agreement. Poor thing could not compete with her six hardier brothers and sisters at the milk bar!

All we had was cow's milk to give her. I knew this wasn't the best, but I would make a trip to town the next day. Her tiny body just fits in our hands. I had a little dropper and I filled it with warm milk. She couldn't even really take it. I just gave it to her a little drop at a time.

By her second feeding, she was already beginning to perk up. I sure hope the little one makes it...

New Roof on the Chicken Coop

The coop is at least 80 years old. FIL says he remembers that it was used as a brood house when he was a kid. Indeed, I found penciled notes on one of the interior walls stating that in 1925 so many red leghorns and so many white leghorns (pronounced LEG'GURNZ, or so I hear) were purchased from Murray McMurray Hatchery...

I would guess that the roof had not been replaced in those many years. When we bought our chicks three or four years ago, we had to do some work to get it ready. One entire wall was missing. The door between the coop and the feed room was down. Roosts needed replaced, nest boxes hung...and a wire enclosed run needed to be added on. The roof was intact at that time, but some of the joists were cracked. The corrugated metal on top was pretty rusty and had some holes.

It lasted us for the first two years, but then with some heavy winds one winter, the metal roof was peeled back and that was the beginning of the end! Things soon began to rapidly rot and deteriorate and last winter was a messy mush inside. I have been using composted peat moss as litter. I have about a four inch layer...peat moss and chicken doody mixed with rain makes for a sloopy, sloppy mess! I had buckets everywhere! Nothing could be done about it until summer though. The chickies and I just had to deal with it! The floor of the coop was one place where freezing temps were welcome!

With many chores and things to do on the list, we finally got around to getting it done. We were not going through one more winter in that mess!


DH getting it done for me!

A nice shot of the interior with the new roof.

I also gave the nest box a new crazy paint job and painted one of the walls white. I did paint over the 1925 penciled notes.

An outside corner.

There is still work to be done. Not on the roof, but walls will need to be replaced as they continue to deteriorate. By the way, two years ago I used Behr's soy based water sealer on the two walls with new siding. It already needs to be redone! Guess it's back to Thompson's Water Seal, unless I can find something better.

Visit to Mom's: a Photo Essay

What's in Bloom?

This was a great day for pics in my own garden. I will have some posted soon...

Demonstration Gardens at Alwerdt's

Coming soon...

Rainwater Catchment Project

We were fortunate to get our hands on these old pvc drums. These were used for chemical sprays for ag applications. They probably held Round-Up or some such thing to be sprayed in the field. These are being phased out for some type of bladder bags, or so I hear. These sat in my garden until I had time to think about how I would like to use them. Many ideas came to mind, but finally I settled on rainbarrels. There are two perfect places next to the house and the rainwater will be perfect for watering my container plants.


Our starting point.


DH cuts the top portion off using a Skilsaw. We used the lip of the red base to run a space bar on to make an even cut around the circumference.

Viola! There's my rain barrel in the back and this top portion looks like it will make a great container for a water garden.

I used Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic to paint a brick pattern on this one to match the foundation of the house. I didn't like it at first, because the red was not exactly right. Too bright. I thought it looked like a Christmas decoration. I guess it's alright.

We also put a spigot in each one. I usually just dip my water can in the top, but it's nice to be able to empty it with a hose if I want to. If we are getting a lot of rain, I run the hose out to one of our new trees to keep the barrel from overflowing.

The finishing touch was fish for mosquito control. One barrel has feeder goldfish and the other has Gambusia, otherwise known as 'mosquito fish'. Surprizingly, the goldfish seem to do a better job of gobbling up those larvae.