Sarah Goes Farming: Chatting with Chickens and Conversing with Cats….

I have been alone on the farm for about 2 weeks and though I have no problem being alone, in fact, I enjoy it; I seem to be in dire need of human conversation. This realization began when I started to question The Goon Squad as to the whereabouts of Sweetie. Sweetie is what I've been calling the Himalayan cat that lives on the farm. I don't know if it's a male or female but it's extremely timid around the other cats and was the last of them to trust me when I tried to pet him/her. I haven't seen Sweetie at all today and usually I get a glimpse once or twice. Anyway, I started asking Carl, "Where's Sweetie? Have you seen her?" (I usually refer to Sweetie as a female) I then started in on Lucy, "Did you see her? Is she ok? Did something happen? Did the coyotes get her?" Now, I know a lot of people talk to their pets- I have always talked at Wiley- but this time felt a bit too close to real. The cats, I think, felt so too and looked at me with what could only be incredulity.

The chickens, Wanda especially, have been interesting conversationalists. Unlike the cats, they have much to say on a wide variety of topics… too bad that it only sounds like "ooooooo bok bok… oooooo" They have gotten more and more comfortable with me and a few are now starting to eat out of my hand if I have especially appealing looking treats. Also, I've started them on an organic feed and they love it… though, they loved the old food from Purina too. They just love to eat. They love to eat and poop and wander around scratching at the dirt. That's a chicken's happy life. Now that they are free-range and on organic food, I'm going to start working on making a chicken coop tractor for them. So that they can be moved around the fields and have fresh greens and still be protected from the coyotes and raccoons and random dogs that wander around the area.

Whenever I see those dogs just wandering around with a stupidly happy look on their face, I always imagine them saying to each other, "Come on Cletus! We goin' on an ADVENTURE!" Part of their adventure, if they happen to wander in to my yard, is me running at them with a stick trying to look scary and menacing yelling," Go home! Bad Dog! GO HOME!" and swinging the stick wildly in the air in desperate hopes that these are trained dogs and know what "bad dog" means. So far, they are.

Wiley is in dire need of a playmate and so I've started looking for a suitable companion for him. I think I found the perfect dog- she is his age, about his size and is good with cats. Her name is Lucky and she's part blue heeler. I'm waiting to hear back from the adoption agency where she is. Keep your fingers crossed for us that she is still available and that she and Wiley get along right off. Her cuteness is insane! Here's a photo:

What a face! And she's friendly with all types- exactly the type of girl Wiley needs. Patient, fun, and friendly!

In other news, I've started getting the lower barn ready for chickens. It's gonna be awesome! I'll take some photos tomorrow. But there will be a section for ducks and a section for chickens and they will both have access to a fenced in yard that they will share. There will also be a section for chicks and ducklings. I'm really happy with how this coop is turning out!

Also, I'm just about ready to move into the studio space. The painting is done and now I have to install window treatment, lighting, and shelves. And decide where the furniture will go. Here are a few pics: