Wild things

 Or in this case,  not so wild. 

Ted and I visited the Medicine River Wildlife Center for their open house last weekend.

They had Otis the owl out for an educational talk. What a gorgeous bird- I did feature him on a previous post. Here is a writeup on him. 

   https://centralalbertaonline.com/articles/otistheowlturns-21

They let people come up to pet his chest so Ted did. 

Otis was tethered but showed off his wings a few times. 

Also on display was Bruno, a young porcupine that was rescued when he was 3 days old, found by his dead mother . I found him quite adorable, I do like porcupines!  

He loves strawberries! 

 

Also on the not quite wild side are the barn cats;  no takers for the kittens so they get to just live in the barn with the other cats. They are big enough now and are weaned. They will remain semi feral. 

 

They are so entertaining, using the bale stack for a race track and play fighting in a rolling tumbling ball of fur!

On the truly wild side we have a buck here that I hope makes it to next year..

He is pretty cagey and hunting season ends in 4 days so we just wont let hunters on the property. 

I was trying to get a photo of the kittens through Gussie's steamy breath and got this double exposure, no idea how . That is apparently Velvet who maybe moved her head in frame just as I took the shot?

Or maybe she was reflected in the steam? I don't know but it's a fun photo.

A few good things

 How to cheer oneself up when autumn turns to the dreary pre winter days:

Look for cool things and loved things....

like blue snow

Unedited photo, the snow had become icy and was reflecting the blue morning sky. 

Have a close up visit with Gussie. 

And Velvet....

Watch the kittens play with the light bulb

Admire the artistry of frost on a foggy morning

Drive on the hayfield and go deer spotting, yes that is our farm in the background. This is why we don't want hunters on that field, that is Velvet by the barn, right in line with the deer. 

Play peekaboo with Minou

And as always, cuddle with Thumper. 

And stood there amazed

 The last two nights have been all about those Northern Lights. We didn't get the intense reds that other places got, and the first night was a bit disappointing for seeing with the naked eye, although the cell phone camera did capture some colour.  

But last night, oh my! The Aurora was there in all her glory,  whipping the sky with shafts of curving light, sending up shafts of green and red, dancing among the stars, and leaving me full of gratitude and wonder at such an intense cosmic display- I even got to see one of the flaming meteorites.  

My photos are nothing compared to some of the ones online, but I am posting some here as a memorial, as this was the 16th anniversary of my mom's death. I sat by her side praying as she passed all those years ago, and this seemed like a gift from God to see just a little bit of  the Glory of His Creation.. 

Sunday Silence

 

Colder days are here

 Winter is closing in on us, inexorable juggernaut that it is. Every morning as I head to the barn for chores, the wind has an icy bite to it. The mares stand with their tails to the wind, hopeful eyes checking to see if they get to share the barn with the kittens ( they don't) as I prepare their ration. 

Timbits surveying the guardians at the door

 

Their coats are thick, the summertime dapples still showing on ole Velvet. 

The farrier was here yesterday, and they were both good for him. I asked him to not put Velvet's leg between his knees when he trimmed, as I am sure that was what was upsetting her - being so short,  the angle was just too much for her at her age, and so he just propped her foot on his knee to trim and she was much happier with that arrangement. 

I am the queen

I haven't ridden since last winter, not counting my work with Rally. For over a year I have had health issues that have impeded my mobility, hoping to get it all sorted out soon as I really would like to get a few rides on Gussie before she foals. Weather permitting of course!

The barn kittens are ready to go, but no takers yet for them. 

From top to bottom:

Timber (Timbits)

Minou

Matilda

They are starting to wait at their food dishes for me instead of scattering when I come in the barn. Minou is still fearful, she freaked out when I picked her up and it took her 3 days to figure out that I wasn't trying to kill her and is starting to come around again; the other two are quite content to be petted and played with.

 Thumper has old cat privileges, he now gets to spend 90 % of his time sleeping on the loveseat, and in the heated garage at night.

 He takes up a lot of room!