Sights from around Crooked Acres.
We’re growing a few pumpkins this year. So far they seem to be doing well!
I just cannot get over how gorgeous our tomatoes are looking this year.
The other day, Fred was complaining about how the okra plants looked nice, but he hadn’t seen any blooms. We pondered whether it was due to the amount of nitrogen he’d added when planting them. Then I actually went and looked closely at the plants – there are about 20 okra pods out there, ready to be picked! I guess we need to pay closer attention.
If you’ve never had Sungold cherry tomatoes, you are missing out. They’re our favorites. Fred’s stepmother ate so many of them she developed an allergy!
Unripe Sungolds – and Rupert. He likes to keep me company.
We grew cantaloupes again this year. I’m not a cantaloupe lover, they’re all for Fred. Unfortunately Fred reports that they don’t have much flavor. That doesn’t stop him from eating them, though.
We’ve got a few watermelons chugging along, but I don’t think we’re going to get many – they’re at the end closest to a huge pecan tree, and they get a lot of shade during the day. Note to self: Next year, plant the watermelons where they get lots of sun, dummy.
Gracie’s fang is cracking me UP.
They get a little excited when they know it’s almost snack time.
The Rock Star is fabulous, no?
Mister Duck, keeping an eye on me.
One of the roosters, high-stepping. He’s got places to go!
“Where’s our cookies, lady?!”
Do you see that wallow the pigs dug out for themselves? There was nothing but flat dirt there when we brought them home, and now there’s a wallow big enough to (barely) contain both of them. Fred was getting pretty irate because he’d go out there and fill up their water trough, and then they’d dump it onto the ground to soften it and make digging easier. They’re industrious, I’ll give ’em that.
“Is time for another cookie?”
We have a turtle in our pond! He’s a pretty big one, too. I tried to get closer to get a better picture, but he saw me coming and sank out of sight.
Eating grass and watching the chickens.
Goofy boy.
Mama Silkie and her chicks. Have I mentioned that Silkies are really good mothers? At least ours is. She keeps those chicks around her until they’re practically ready to have their own baby chicks.
“Youuuuu want to giiiiiiive me anoooooother treeeeeat…”
We have two Americauna hens. They lay blue eggs, which I love, but they don’t lay very often.
I’m not sure what that black hen in the front did, but judging by the reaction of the hen next to her and behind her, it was rude and uncalled-for.
This is the watering “station” I set up near one of the pumps. I fill it with fresh water every day. It’s definitely being used, I need to set up the game cam and see what’s using it. I’ve seen Rupert and Maxi drinking from the lid, and actually saw a squirrel there once, too. We like to keep the entire animal kingdom hydrated (note that Rupert is still following me around.)
“I was laying in my bed, all sound asleep, and Kennebec jumped on me and bit my butt.”
“It HURT!”
“So I cried, and that lady came and picked him up and told him he was a rotten, stinky little man, and she told him not to do it again. She’s RIGHT. He IS rotten and stinky!”
“So I came out on the big cat tree in the front room to get away from him, and he went off and pouted. Ha! Ha! Rotten BOY!”
The Taters are very much enjoying having the run of the house, especially the front room.
Stompers on the small cat tree.
And on the window sill, checking out the front porch.
Four Taters on the cat tree.
Stompers checking out the hammock.
He thought it was pretty sweet.
I love how he’s got three feet on the edge of the hammock.
He figured out how to get down off the cat tree without throwing himself off of it five feet from the ground, so that’s good.
The bigger kittens decided to stay up on top of the cat tree and fight.
“I’ll just stay here where it’s safe.”
“Lady, good lord. These feet are HORRIFYING. Have you never heard of a pedicure?!”
::thlurrrp::
I love how Dingwall Scotty stops what he’s doing, standing there right in the middle of their dish, to see what’s going on.
Sungold’s hogging all the cat toys.
Wellington looks so expectant, doesn’t he?
I swear he looks like a little baby bear, hanging there.
Hello, Joe, whattayaknow?
“I know it’s snack time, is what I know.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2011: “Ya know, I was just LAYING here taking a snooze, and before I knew it, these little monsters had latched on!”
2010: Random animal pics.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: They’ll be fine, they’ll be fine, they’ll be fine, they’ll be fine…
First of all, today’s post made me LOL. It is nice to see pics of Rupert! He is looking pretty!!! I will need to try Sungold cherry tomatoes! Yes, your piggies are resourcefull! I love the picture of the mud-butt! 🙂 I like the little, baby, black chick! He stands out in the crowd! Hello George and Gracie!!! I do think you should give them another treat! Stompers’ little body just could NOT be any cutier! He makes me melt!! Baby bear is making a funny face!!! You captioned the pedicure picture perfectly! Fiona, darling….bite him back!!! Hello, Joe Bob…you big hunk o’burn’n love! 😉
I think you should run a poll whats cuter
a/Stompies little paws
b/ Stompies little tail
c/ Stompies tight,fat little tummy after hes had his snacks!
D/ Joe Bob. 🙂
All of the above!
E/ All of the above!!!
Every time I see his cute little self, I paw at my screen, because I want to touch him with the fangers!!!!! Kristyn, is it you who is his new Momma? You are the envy of everyone who reads this site. I know Robyn and you love him up more than enough for all of us.
Stompers has absolutely no right to be THAT FREAKIN CUTE!!!
and I can’t believe you have a turtle in your pond.. I want a turtle in my pond (OK it is a fire pond, and there is a darn good chance there is one in there with all the frogs, but it so needs to be dredged and have the Cat O’Nine Tails removed so we can see the water again.. )
Every time we see a picture of Stompers we all have to yell “Our boy! He’s so cute!” Its getting a little ridiculous over here. My sons just might be a little excited to meet him.
I’ve been diligently training him to nap on me while I watch TV. I think it’ll be a useful life skill for him. 😉
Love Thursdays! Those piggies with the curly tails and mud-butts are almost as cute as Stompers and all his paws and floof 🙂
Are the pigs permanent residents or do you have… uh… other plans for them? It is so neat how they made their own wallow! How smart are THEY??!? Stompers still looks so teeny. He is so cute. That is the tallest cat tree I have ever seen. Is that a snapping turtle in your pond? OK I’m done with the 40 questions….
I’m not sure what kind of turtle that is, but I wouldn’t get my fingers near his mouth. 😀
And the pigs are not permanent residents. This Fall they will go away and then, completely unrelated, about a week later Fred will come home with a car load of meat. We refer to it as the pigs going away to Freezer Camp.
“I’m not sure what kind of turtle that is, but I wouldn’t get my fingers near his mouth”
This reminded me – when my brother was about 10, he brought home a smallish turtle that one of his friends wasn’t allowed to keep anymore. My mom was dubious, but she also has no staying power when it comes to Matthew, so he got to keep the turtle. A few days later, he was messing with the turtle while watching Saturday morning cartoons, and CHOMP. He screamed and woke everybody up, of course, and we all set ourselves to try to get the turtle to let go of his finger. The turtle was clamped down tight, though, and all the commotion was not relaxing him any. Finally my dad got a butter knife to try to pry the turtle’s jaw open. Matthew started screaming bloody murder: “You can’t kill my turtle!” and tried to hide the turtle… by sticking it DOWN HIS PAJAMA PANTS.
Picture the scene: A hysterical boy with his hand down his pants, mother and sister staring gape-jawed, father holding a butter knife, while the boy dances in place, screaming through tears about how no one is going to decapitate his turtle. (Almost sounds like a euphemism for something, no?)
Fortunately for everyone involved, the turtle decided that retreat (into its shell) was the better part of valor, so we didn’t have to explain to anyone how Matthew’s tallywhacker had come to have a snapping turtle attached to it.
OMG
Can’t stop laughing…
Me either!!!
HA – poor Matthew! I swear, you could write for a sitcom, Elayne! 🙂
Well, the thing is, if my mother ever found out i was *telling* all these stories… I’m 43, I think, but she’d still come after me with the flyswatter.
I swear, I myself have led a pathetically boring life, but so much of it has been spent in the proximity of *really* interesting or event-prone people – hardly an hour goes by that I don’t find myself thinking, “That reminds me of a story…” lol
OMG That story is too funny. Elayne, you really need to have a blog. We promise not to tell Mom. lol
Kristine, I do have a blog – have had for, much to my surprise, about ten years now. Just that lately I’m mostly all doom and gloom, and updating only sporadically, so I don’t like to link to it much. It’s hyperlinked here, though; there was a mildly funny incident a few days ago that made it up there.
Stompers almost looks like a cartoon parody of what a kitten should look like. He is crazy cute and I can’t wait to see him all grown up!
Bob sounds like a sweetie. Too bad I live nowhere near Vegas. I’ve been thinking about adopting an older cat.
How does Rupert keep his coat so clean? Rolling around in all that Carolina clay? Amazing.
BTW, I am obsessed with okra refrigerator pickles. Blanch/nuke ‘em for a few minutes with garlic slices then pop them into a cold water-lemon vinegar mix with lots of crushed dried thai peppers. It might be something you want to try.
Ooh, that sounds kinda good. I may have to try it! 🙂
Love the George & Gracie pics – reminds me of my brother’s Pyr (who after the tropical storm blew through Florida a couple of weeks ago was found in the backyard snoozing in the new “pond”). We “stole” your feeding tray idea and have a picture up today of the foster monsters using it for the first time…thanks again for the idea!!!
Beautiful kitties over there at Random Felines. Another website to add to my kitty fix in the morning 🙂
Fred – you’ll pass this on, right Robyn? ;-D ~ Plant Toscana cantalope next year. I am not a cantalope fan either but these are the juiciest, sweetest tasting cantalope I’ve ever had. My produce guy turned me onto them and now I buy a big one each week! Hey! Maybe I’ll grow one next year too!
That little Stompers just keeps getting cuter! If he was at my house, I would not be able to keep my hands off of him. And, cool turtle!
I hope Bob find a forever and lovely home!
Lovely photos!
Stompers still kills me!!!!!
How do you end up with other creatures in your pond? They just seem to show up one day!
I am glad Rupert is sticking around, he knows a good place when he see it!
“Rock Star” has uncanny resemblance to Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. Just my opinion. 🙂
HA – I agree!!
You have been served notice: the rock star is not best pleased with your comparison. She is particularly unimpressed by his hideous chicken walk.
Kathryn, have you contacted Best Friends Animal Sanctuary about Bob? I know they take in FIV positive kitties. Not that someone shouldn’t adopt him! FIV is not a death sentence and it’s not easily transmittable so if he is friendly he can live with other kitties too.
Robyn, why do the pigs get cookies? And do you bake them special ones?
Kathryn said over on Facebook that she’d contacted them, but they have no room, and a waiting list.
(I’m saving your pig-cookie question for tomorrow’s post!)
I just love the photo of Rupert framed by the green tomatoes.
I don’t think I could send the pigs to freezer camp. Not after living with them and feeding them cookies and seeing how smart they are. 🙁 But I admire you for your self-sufficient lifestyle, just the same.
P.S. Mud-butt!
This reminds me of when I was traveling for my old job. When I was setting up a site in middle Tennessee, one of the employees brought in sausage biscuits for breakfast one morning. I told the woman that was the best sausage I had ever had. The woman said “Yup, Harold was a good little porker.” Uuuuuuh – I got a little queasy. I’m kind of a city girl and I was not used to my sausage having a name.
I do think “Freezer Camp” is hysterical. Slightly sick, but still funny.
Yeah, we named our first set of pigs, but didn’t after that!
We are getting pigs next sprig for the first time. Freezer camp is the term we use now too. Thank you for giving me an alternative to …. well you know.
I should add that I didn’t come up with the term myself – I stole it from LisaNH on Flickr, it’s so much nicer!
Taters in the tree? Odd.. I always thought taters grew in the ground. The things you learn… hee hee
These are not your average taters. 😀
I really hope that’s not a snapping turtle in your pond… I was bitten by one of the darn things as a kid, and ow! A teacher of mine and I were walking down the sidewalk, and all of a sudden she goes ‘A turtle!’ and goes dashing into the road. She comes back with this great big turtle, flailing claws and all. I admit the claws rather made me go eep, but I was a ten-year-old kid, I was totally going to pet the turtle’s shell. Oops! for me, because I petted a little too close to the turtle’s jaws, and snap! No serious or permanent damage was done, but it left one rattled kid with a bitten finger and a story to tell. Turtle was rereleased in a local quarry, for the interested.
My story doesn’t hardly compare to the turtle down the pajama pants one though! Oh dear!
I had to laugh at JoeBob’s appearance today. My grandfather used to say, “Hey Joe whaddya know?”
I think in all the crazy turtle stories, we’ve missed an important detail… Robyn’s feet inspired the STRANGER DANGER suit! 😉 My toes are a little ragged too. Perhaps that’s why Eloise is so determined to chew on them.
From the looks of it, I’d say that black hen let one rip…
I yearn for Stompers to be my very own so much that it was stressful to read your blog. So…to the person out there who fell for him and adopted him, thank you so much for taking the stress back out of reading this blog for me. He is going to be a fabulous and amazing cat-overlord for you. And knowing he is not available lets me enjoys his cutie-pie antics without angst.
Oh, and Robyn, what kind of cookies do you feed the pigs and pooches? Just regular sandwich-style cookies or some kind of nutritional thingys?
Lovely to see your summer crops coming along so well. It is the dead of winter here, but I just put my seed order in yesterday – will be ready when spring comes!
Now – a pop quiz for you: what is the kittehs’ favourite toy/s? Besides the cat tree and each other, what is the thing that none can resist?
That’s one sweeet cat tree.