Cider Bend-November

November is a busy month on the farm because we're doing all the last minute stuff to get ready for winter. We try to let the animals out in the dry lot as much as possible, because once the snow flies and the temps really drop, they won't be able to go out quite as much. Here's a little November recap...

Random Stuff:

The cows and donkeys enjoyed the last days of fall by kicking up their heels and playing.

We hired Sawyer to come work on the farm for a couple Saturdays in November so we could get lots of stuff finished before winter.

While the guys were working on farm projects, Larry said Amanda and I could go over to his yard and get the walnuts that had fallen from his tree. I've never collected walnuts before, so I was pretty excited. We each collected a big bucket full. I learned a lot and now I understand why walnuts are so expensive. The walnut is encased in a blackish hull that is soft and messy. This is where walnut stain comes from. I had no idea! After you remove the soft hull, you get the walnut in the hard shell like we are typically used to seeing. Those need to be washed and then laid out to dry for a couple weeks. Once they are dried out you can crack the shell and collect the nut from inside. I'm going to divide mine into one cup portions and freeze them in baggies so they will last a long time. I love learning new things, and now I want a full grown walnut tree to magically appear on my property.

We got our first dusting of snow!

The canal is empty, so now the deer are back. Aside from them eating our trees, I love when they hang out on our property in the winter.

Loving the beautiful sunrises.

We had a few sunsets this month where the whole sky looked like it was on fire!

I love watching the donkeys and cows interact with each other. They push each other's buttons just like human siblings do. It's mostly Willow and Ace butting heads, but if there is food involved, Clover will join in the battle, and usually wins. 😅 She might be tiny, but she can definitely hold her own. I filmed a fantastic video of the donkeys and cows each trying to take control of the hill in the dry lot. It was so funny. My video was over four minutes long, so it was too big to post to my blog. I cut it down a ton, and posted it in two parts. I had to cut so much out, but you can still get a sense of the rivalry that goes on between them.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Donkeys:

Sometimes Clover gets on one and just pesters Willow. It's my favorite. 😆

She is the cutest!

We woke up one morning to a pretty good amount of snow. I couldn't tell what the donkeys thought about it.

I love when they turn fuzzy for winter.

Look at that squishy lip! I just love them!

Cows:

I'm so curious to see how the cows do in the snow and cold this winter. They have done great so far.

Check out Opal's cute kick at the top of the mound. 😆

Opal is the sweetest girl! I just adore her!

I tried to let the cows out to see the snow before I fed them. Opal wanted no part of it! She was not leaving the stall until she was finished with breakfast. 😅

Chickens:

I'm still having a blast with Tillie and Fern. They have it made in the barn, and are lucky little chickens to not have to deal with the cold. They still like to get out of their stall and wander around the barn. They love Reeses, and often try to wake her up from her nap to hang out with them. 😂

They also love me, and follow me all around the barn. 😁

They love when I carry them around the barn. Did you know that chickens purr? They do, and Tillie and Fern purr just about every time I walk around the barn holding them. It's so cute!

A selfie with my best little chickie!

Cats:

Stormy made the cutest friend. He started hanging around our hay barn and having breakfast and dinner with her. He was coming by and staying more and more. We named him Niggles, started feeding extra so he would have plenty, and even bought him a nice warm bed (which he loved). I think Stormy loved having the company too. Right as we were getting attached, Niggles got hit by a car. 😭 We live off the Archer Highway, and cats get hit out there all the time. That's why we keep the two kittens in the house. I was so sad about it! My heart just broke for Stormy. I was excited for her to have a buddy through winter. It got me paranoid all over again that Stormy would get hit too. I don't think she goes out that way very often, but I'm sure she does sometimes. I guess that's why feral cats have such a short life expectancy.

Stormy and Niggles

Stormy loves to sit on the fence post and feel the sun as it comes up.

Mark filmed this video of Stormy following me out to the chicken coop. She has all of a sudden taken quite a liking to me, and she follows me around. She even started letting me pet her this month. I have a theory as to why, and I'll explain my thoughts a little farther down in this blog post.

I had pet her a fe other times, so I filmed it this time to show Mark and the kids. She got a little scared when I took my phone out, but still did really good. I worked on it all month, and she'll let me scratch her for the longest time now, and I can even scratch her head. She's been hanging around for a little over a year, and all of a sudden she follows me around and lets me pet her. Crazy!

As far as Floof and Mischief go, they are just living their best lives. If we sit down on the couch for any reason, we end up with a cat on us. 

I took a nap, and had a little buddy.

Mark ordered them this ridiculously large cat tower. Super pumped to have that in my living room. 😒 They love it though, so I can't complain too much.

Reeses: 

2008-2024

Our sweet girl took her final lap around the farm in November. 💔 We've known this was coming for quite a while, but that didn't make it any easier. We've loved this girl with our whole hearts for almost 17 years, and we all feel broken right now. 😭

To get a 6 week old puppy, watch her grown up with your kids, and then have the privilege of caring for her through her twilight years has been an honor. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of miles we've walked together. I've cherished every second of the time we've had with her. 

She was the first animal on our farm, and the one all the other animals had a special reverence for. It's amazing the instinct animals have. They all knew Reeses was old, frail, loving, and gentle. Not a single animal on the farm, including the chickens, feared her. They all loved and respected her in a way that was amazing to watch.

It makes my heart happy to know what a great life she had, and to picture the reunion she finally gets to have with Oreo, her lifelong bestie we lost a few years back.

Here's my theory about Stormy. Im convinced she knew Reeses was going to die. There is no mistaking that Reeses was old, and declining fast. Stormy has lived in our hay barn for just over a year, and Reese has gone out that back barn door several times a day to pee during that year. Stormy has never shown one bit of interest in Reeses. All of a sudden, the last week of Reeses' life, and Stormy came out and tried to interact with her every day. I filmed it a couple of times, because I thought there was definitely something to it. Then, the day after Reeses died, Stormy started letting me pet her. I think animals have amazing instincts and maybe even a sixth sense, and I think Stormy could sense a sadness in me, and was trying to help fill a void. Call me crazy, but I am convinced. I'm around animals most of every day, and I know there is so much more to them than people realize.

I set up a puzzle in the barn and just hung out in there for Reeses' last week. She was sleeping through most of her days, but she liked waking up to me being out there.

Bailey, Mason, and Nora FaceTimed me to say goodbye to Reeses, and Sawyer and Amanda came out the night before we took her in. I couldn't be there when Sawyer came. It was just too much. 😭 Amanda sent me a couple pictures though. Reeses was Sawyer's dog. He got her for his 13th birthday present. We knew it was going to be rough on him.

We took Reeses on her final walk around the farm that morning. I can't imagine not doing my morning walks with her. I've taken her on daily walks for almost 17 years. I'm typing this in December, and I still haven't walked around the property since. I know I'll still have to take the other animals; they love their morning walks too, but so far I just haven't had it in me. I'll get back to it soon.

Amanda teaches 4th grade, and she was sad on the Friday that we put Reeses to sleep. She told her students why, and the next day some of them came in with hand made cards for her and Sawyer. I think that's the sweetest thing.

I made the cutest reel of Reeses from when she was a puppy until now, but Instagram won't let me download it and add it to my blog because of the audio I picked. I'm so bummed about that! Go to my farm account and take a look. It's a fun trip down memory lane. We'll miss Reeses like crazy on the farm, but I feel very much at peace with our decision.