Calves in the front yard

Today I let the calves out of the corral to roam in the front yard.  A couple calves were getting hay bellies and this way the calves can have green grass and I won't have much to cut for my final lawn mow of the year.

The calves were happy to have green grass.  So far they have behaved.  I did have to set up some corral panels around the bushes in front of the house and protect other trees and bushes.  I didn't put panels around the patio.  Well.... the calves were fascinated by the patio and the stuff in it.  They had to check everything out. Later half the herd decided to take their siesta in the patio.

Later afternoon Clyde was nosing around the patio again and then playing with the shrubs.  So I went and got more of my corral panels and put them around the patio.

I still plan to take most of the calves to the auction on Wednesday.  All this work for just over two days of eating.

Daisy wasn't too thrilled with the calves in the yard.  So far she is putting up with it.  The red heifer calf below didn't get a nose full of claws.  Clyde is the red steer on the right with white on his head.

Praying Mantis

This afternoon, to distract Daisy from asking me to come outside and be with her and do stuff in the yard, a praying mantis was on my front porch and caught Daisy's attention.  She wanted to sniff it but the praying mantis wasn't too keen on that.  Daisy eventually got around it lightly batting it before losing interest in it once I came outside.  The praying mantis walked off to live another day.

The praying mantis climbed up my bicycle tire in order to get away from Daisy trying to sniff it.

The bicycle frame was too smooth for it to climb any higher.

Daisy lightly patted the praying mantis and knocked it back to the ground.

Here is a 2 minute 31 second video of Daisy and the praying mantis: https://youtu.be/J3Ji08uxdTQ

Skeleton

Today was a rainy, cold and dreary day.  I stayed inside all day.  Partly because Daisy decided to either lay on me or strongly against me.  Until evening we both only got up once to eat and go to the bathroom.  By the end of the day I felt lazy as I hadn't accomplished anything.

Fortunately Buddy the bull didn't break down the fence again today.

Bat

Yesterday on my main Tall Pines Ranch blog I wrote about finding Daisy way over in a far away neighbor's field after I had hayed the field.

A few mornings ago I found in the driveway what I initially thought was a dead mouse.  No... it was a dead bat.  Daisy had found a bat to 'play' with.   Mice.  Birds.  Insects.  Turkeys.  Skunk.  And now a bat.   She is quite the hunter.  Thankfully she 'played' with the bat but did not eat it.

I'm glad I keep Daisy up to date vaccinated against rabies.

Rain and pocket gophers

This morning a cold front came through with rain.  Even though Daisy slept all night on the bed with me, after I moved some of the irrigation pipes before the rain started, Daisy came back in the house with me.  She had to wash off her wet legs and belly from the morning dew in the hay field.  We both laid down on the couch and fell back asleep for two more hours.

In the afternoon Daisy helped me set pocket gopher traps.  Once I dug and found their tunnel Daisy checked the hole out before I could place the trap.

Checking out the pocket gopher tunnel.

After we set the pocket gopher traps Daisy accompanied me when I went over to the neighbor's property to pick up apples from the ground.  I feed the apples to my cattle as a treat.  When I would pick up an apple laying near Daisy she would bat my hand with her paw - but not with her claws.

Daisy, fence, calves

Once the calves got bored looking at the new horses, and had checked out my fence tools, they turned their attention to Daisy.  Daisy knows I build good fences as she then walked through the fence a short distance to be away from the calves.

Big birds

A few times Daisy has accompanied me when I go to work on rebuilding the south pasture fence.  Usually from Daisy I hear several times, "Are we there yet?", as I walk along. Once we reach the fence some times she looks around; often she finds a low area near me and lays and relaxes.  Each time there were wild turkeys nearby but Daisy didn't see them, or didn't let on that she had seen them.  One time I disturbed a mouse but I couldn't get Daisy to come over as she was busy checking something else out.

The previous evening Daisy had come with me she was in a cranky mood as I stayed late working on he fence, then decided to take the long way home so I could check my pocket gophers traps in Wyatt's field.  Daisy walked in my pasture as Wyatt's field was rough having recently been cut for hay.  However Daisy had to eventually walk in Wyatt's field else get wet from my line of irrigation sprinklers.  At the next pocket gopher trap she plopped down next to me.  Unfortunately the twine holding the trap to the marker rod was between her back legs.  I gently tried to remove the twine and Daisy turned around and hooked one claw deep into my finger and was about to bite me until she realized what she was doing and stopped.

That was a few days ago and she hadn't joined me again until tonight when she saw me leaving and ran to join me.  So I didn't have my camera along for photos, which I regretted later.

No "Are we there yet?" calls to me this time.  Once we were at the fence Daisy relaxed and looked around.  Occasionally she would check out the fence post hole I was digging; other times she came over to rub against me and to be petted.

Later a large wild turkey came walking close by.  Man I wish I had my camera.  Each evening this turkey comes to roost in a tree nearby and each night I get closer as I move along the fence rebuild.  Tonight we were pretty close to its roosting tree.  The turkey came walking almost ten feet from Daisy.  That got Daisy's interest.  Soon she was stalking the turkey as it walked along.  The turkey was two to three times the size of Daisy.  She wanted to hunt the bird but the large size made her cautious.

The turkey started to walk up the leaning curved tree trunk but changed its mind and headed down the short hill next to the tree.  Daisy disappeared over the side too.  I had to walk over as if Daisy did decide to go for the bird I may have to rescue her.  Soon Daisy decided the bird was too big for her and she came over to me and hopped up and into my empty wheelbarrow where she laid down.

A short time later the turkey came back to the tree and walked up the trunk until the tree grew straight up.  Then with a hop and flap of its wings the turkey flew a short way up into the tree where it roosts for the night and watches the sun set.

When the turkey flew up in the tree Daisy's eyes got big and she did a double take before looking over my way as if to say, "Did you see that?!!".

Again on the way home I walked through Wyatt's field and checked my pocket gopher traps (three more gophers trapped in the evening).  Daisy was trailing behind me when an owl I had heard hooting earlier flew from my pasture out across Wyatt's field and away.  I turned around and Daisy was flat against the ground until the owl was in the distance.

Between the dew that was settling in, and threading our way through and around the irrigation sprinklers, Daisy's legs were very wet once we got home.  At least I didn't hear her complaining as we walked this evening.

Daisy and the calves

Monday Daisy accompanied me when I went out to fix the fence wire the bull had broken. 

Naturally since Daisy was in the same pasture as the calves they were interested in her.

Here is a 45 second video of Daisy and a calf:  https://youtu.be/1LwIwraFLDU


Also, from last week when we had a little rain, here are a few photos of Daisy drinking from the rain gutter downspout.

Resting kitty video

Today I found the video that goes with the photos of Daisy from yesterday's post.  The video is about 2 minutes long.

https://youtu.be/aW_Ta2n4kyg

Work cat

I think Daisy likes the hay field cut.  It is easier for her to hunt mice and to follow me around.  The day after I moved the hay bales to the north pasture I saw Daisy slowly stalking something near one line of bales.

Daisy likes to spend time at my neighbor Curtis's place.  He has lot of stuff in his yard for Daisy to investigate and look for mice.  Curtis has a motion detector security alarm covering part of his stuff near his building.  Apparently Daisy has visited and set off the alarm a few times at 4 am and other times during the night. Curtis said he doesn't mind.

Today it rained off-and-on, and around noon Daisy came inside the house and she was soaking wet.  First she had to do some kneading on her blanket and then she got down to washing herself and drying off her wet fur.  Then she went to sleep on my lap.

Here are some recent photos from a warm day after Daisy followed me around several pastures...

Supervising the power pole

The other day when I moved the power pole from the yard Daisy helped and supervised.

Salt and calves

Yesterday when I let the cattle into the middle pasture I also moved their salt blocks over there too.   Daisy accompanied me even though the grass is much taller than her and she had to push her way though it.

The calves were all excited to explore the new pasture. Daisy laid near the salt blocks.  The calves seem to be always interested in and fascinated by Daisy and here was an opportunity to get close to her.

In the next two photos this calf insisted on getting closer to Daisy.  The second photo shows Daisy's ears folded back.  I didn't get a photo of Daisy hissing at the calf and swiping her paw at him when the calf attempted to touch noses with Daisy.  The calf jumped back and then took off.

Between the tall grass and some calves wanting to run after her, Daisy had quite the time walking back to the north pasture with me.

Relaxing

Daisy was happy I was out in the yard this afternoon and evening so she could spend time with me.   She is getting tired of the cattle in the yard.  Manure all over and the calves are fascinated with her.  Depending on the calf they either follow Daisy around or run after her.

Wet weather

It has been a very wet weekend with over an inch of rain having fallen.  Daisy has been restless.  This morning since it was too wet to go outside Daisy ran around the house, meowed, and wanted me to open drawers and closets so she could check them out.  It was hard to sleep with all her commotion.  Eventually she settled down and slept on the bed with me - and ended up hogging the middle of the bed pushing me to the side.

When I went outside late morning to check on the cattle she insisted on accompanying me even though it was raining steady.   As I checked on Buddy's feeder and moved some hay Daisy sat in the red feeder and waited for me to finish even though it was raining steady.  She stayed there until I was done and then came with me back to the house - all wet.

The following photo is from weeks ago as I didn't have my camera with me today.

Late afternoon she decided to brave the rain and go outside.   Naturally she was very wet - top to bottom - when she came back inside.  Unfortunately she decided to lay on papers I had on the floor while I was sorting them.  She got a number of papers all wet.  She was so wet she only washed and cleaned herself a section at a time and tolerated being wet elsewhere.  I did pet and brush much of the water off her when she had come back into the house.

This is a cat not afraid of water and getting wet.

Sleeping while it rains

Working on tree stump 5

Today was a cool and rainy day.   Daisy and I mainly slept much of the day.

Last week Daisy accompanied me when I dug partway around another tree stump out in the pasture.

Here are 11 more photos:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/109566462412251958234/6286634603100155489?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIO7goixyoL6Gg&feat=directlink


Here is a 2 minute 47 second video of Daisy hunting something, then checking out the hole I dug:

https://youtu.be/ldQsE8SSGTM

-

Morning routine to check on cattle

Many mornings Daisy comes with me when I go out to check on the cattle.  She did again on Sunday morning.  After a few somersaults at my feet she lays and watches the cattle with me.  Notice that she insists on laying against my foot.  She also doesn't mind getting dirty.

Here is a 38 second video of Daisy laying at my feet.  The video ends with a pan up to some of the cows and calves, including calf 13 and his mother on the far left.

https://youtu.be/OJLTqH4zwJc

-

Drinking and sleeping

Friday afternoon Daisy was limping slightly as she walked.  But that appears to have gone away by Saturday.

In the morning drinking from the cattle's - I mean Daisy's - water trough.

Sleeping in the afternoon.  She didn't even wake up when I took these photos.  Notice the bent front paws, curled back paws, and her tail making a circle.

Insisting on getting wet and dirty

A weather front came through this evening.  Strong winds, cold and rain.  After waiting in the pole shed for Donna and I to finish working the newborn calf, Daisy was happy to come in the house with me.  She was clean and dry as she waited.

Once Daisy ate her "special treat" (wet) cat food her routine is go back outside.  This is what she wanted to do now.  But when I opened the door to the strong cold wind and rain she changed her mind.

Five to ten minutes later she was roaming the house and complaining.  She wanted to go outside.  This time she sat on the front porch's small carpet.  For about a minute or two and then came back inside the house when I opened the door.

Ten to fifteen minutes later it was more of the same.  Around and around the house she roamed.  Meowing loudly complaining about the weather and wanting to go outside.

After about ten minutes of listening to Daisy complain and coming up to me over and over asking to go outside I relented and let her outside.

This time I let her stay outside for 15 to 20 minutes.  When I opened the door she come running - fast.  So fast she slipped on the concrete front porch.

Daisy was very wet and her legs and belly were wet and muddy.

Once inside Daisy wanted to lay on my lap.  I had to get a blanket and put on my lap.   She laid down and began washing.  She is so dirty she can only wash so much before taking a break.  Her wet fur also smells.

Daisy... Daisy... Daisy...

At least she is satisfied with staying in the house now.  She is currently curled up on my lap.

The white spot below her face is were she licked the dirt off her leg.

In between washing she would lay with her head and neck against the table.  I had to turn sideways as I was afraid she would get a crick in her neck.

Irrigation shed work

I had wondered why the irrigation shed had been leaning on the river bank.  Initially I had put it down to the shed being there 60 to 70 years.  But I figured it out.  The rain running off the shed roof slowly washed dirt away.  I decided to fix this and add a rain gutter to the shed's roof.

Last night I was cursing up a storm due to the old bowed roof and the difficulty in getting the rain gutter installed.  (The cattle bellowing back at the corral didn't help).  Tonight Daisy came with me.  Even though the work still didn't go smoothly I was in a better mood.  It also helped that the cattle were quiet.

After a while Daisy wanted to go up on the roof to get a better view as I worked.