Little Miss Mini

Mostly just pictures today of the cutest little Jersey I've seen in a long time. She's only slightly larger than a baby fawn, and she's more than a week old. She was probably about that size when she was born.

Notice the fly by her eye? Yeah, she's that tiny.

I have small hands, and I can barely fit it between her ears.

Compare her to the calves behind her. They're only a couple weeks older.

Miss Pearl- One of the saddest things about farm life is seeing the abandoned cats. It's like people see a farm and think it's ok to drop their unwanted animals. This poor girl (Pretty as a Pearl) was not only abandoned by her human family, but she's often shunned by the other cats. She has the sweetest demeanor, though, and is always ready for a good cuddle.

The Kitties Are Ginormous! LOTS of pics!

Well, one of them is. Another is growing, and the third seems to have stalled at the teacup size. As some of you may remember, there was a fourth. He was one of the bigger kittens, but has not been seen since the mother took them to the haymow weeks ago. She has since returned the other three, but he remains missing, presumed dead. Sad, but that's the way of things on the farm.

Anyway, on to happier things! Check out these adorable kitties! The beautiful medium-sized tortoise-shell was sleeping off-camera and I was loathe to disturb her beauty sleep, so you just get the two and mama.They were born July 21st, so they're just over two months old. The orange kitty is Mo. He's the only boy left. The other two don't really have names, but I call the striped teacup kitty Tiny. The other one hides a lot, so she hasn't received a fitting name yet.

Family Photo- Tiny has to be different

Posing for the camera

Who says only birds can fly? Tiny begging to be put down, again. It's a good thing she likes the attention.

Who drank all the milk??

Check out that size difference! You wouldn't know they were only hours apart.

Tiny could sleep in the toe of my size 7 boots.

And one more sad thing: One of my favorite cows is horribly sick. No one knows what's wrong with her, but she has lost a ton of weight in the last week or so and she is really weak. It's not looking good.

I'll Take My Cow Over Your Weatherman Any Day

We've come to rely on our forecasters quite heavily in this technological day and age. Every day at six and six we turn on the TV and wait for the suit-clad men and women to tell us what kind of plans we can make for the weekend.

Borrowed from Anne Slaughter's Flickr Page

But ages ago, before television, radio, seismographs, and all those other fancy gadgets, what did people rely on? You got it. Nature. Nature has been doing this for eons. Trust the animals and trees. They know what they're talking about (figuratively, of course). You know that earthquake we had in D.C. just a week ago? Us humans had no clue it was coming, right? Well, the animals did. The National Zoo reported many strange behaviors just before the quake from numerous species.

Ok, so an earthquake is a pretty big thing. Let's stick to something more common: rain. It's bright and sunny out, the breeze is cool and comfortable, and you're getting ready to go hang out in the hammock for the remainder of the day. You look outside and all those lovely cows are laying down. Not a one is standing. No big deal, right? Wrong. Pack up that hammock and get ready to close your windows. Rain's a-comin'.

Don't have a cow handy? Check out the maple tree in your front yard. If the leaves are turned (you'll see the paler backside), there's a good chance it's going to rain.

My mom's dog Lindsey freaks out when a storm is coming. She could care less about a simple shower, but hours before a thunderstorm, she'll hide in the bathroom and refuse to come out. She gets this look in her eye like she's convinced the world is going to end. My stepdad's dog follows him around literally all day if a storm is brewing. Funny thing is, my mom's other dog Howie could care less.

And then there's the age-old adage "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." There's a reason that saying has persisted for centuries. It's very accurate.

The Farmer's Almanac offers 5 more fun ways that nature predicts the weather. Check them out. And let me know if you have any little tricks to use nature as a weather forecaster!

Sweet corn is one of those wonderful treats you really only get during the summer. Sure, you can buy a can or frozen bag from the store, but it's just not the same. Fresh-picked, homegrown sweet corn is the absolute best you'll ever get. It's wonderfully sweet and creamy slathered in a bit of butter. And there's something satisfying about shucking your own corn, as long as you can get all those stringy bits of silk off. Otherwise it ends up in your teeth and you get to pick it out for the next three hours.

If there's a corn stand near where you live, do not pass up the chance to stop by and help out your local farmer. They'll appreciate it, and you'll have a delicious accompaniment to almost any lunch or dinner.

Never boiled ears of corn before? It's easy. Shuck them and pick off as much of the silk as you can. Don't go insane trying to get it all off. It won't hurt you if you eat it. Bring a large pot of water (about half-full) to a boil. Drop in the ears of corn and let them boil for about five minutes. Turn off the water and let it sit for another few minutes. Using tongs, remove the ears and place them on a plate. I like to get out a stick of butter, roll the corn over it, and eat it straight from the cob. My mom prefers to cut the corn off the ear before eating it. Our dogs just like it raw. Experiment and find your preferred method!

Image courtesy of Stoonn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The kitties are getting huge, and their eyes are now open! They opened a couple days ago. And they're starting to move around a bit more. Soon, they'll be jumping out of the barrel they call home and start bothering the cows. Then the real worrying starts!

And for all you bacon lovers, PIGGIES!

It's a little late this year, but Mama Kitty had babies! Right now, there are only two, but it feels like she has more. So exciting! This is definitely one of the amazing things farm kids get to experience that I feel sad most other people don't. Babies of all sorts are just wonderful to see. Kittens, calves, pigs, horses, you name it. If it's in miniature, it's adorable.

And down below is a beautifully buggy-eyed baby calf.

Kitteh Update!!

Mama had two more babies, bringing the total to 4! There are two gray tabbies, one orange tabby, and a tortoise shell (like Miss Penelope).

*Taken by Dakota on his cell phone*

Born today - Brown Swiss/Holstein

Lily - Jersey/Holstein