A Farewell

Autumn Notebook

Both Ruby and Winston enjoyed hanging out near the horses:

And Rosella tried to touch noses with Remy, though the electric fence prevented it:

The very last flowers which went to church. It was communion Sunday and all three vases were placed on a small table with a white cloth underneath. The vase on the left held pink Morden Blush roses. The vase on the right held neon red Emily Carr roses. The vase in the center held yellow Heliopsis, red Yarrow, magenta Rugosa roses and Peony leaves which were turning red:

The trees bordering my north field began to show some gorgeous color:

And I purchased a lifting harness for Seamus. He hasn't needed it much yet, but I know he has periods of lameness when it will be helpful for both him and for me:

My sister brought a new toy for the cats, and both Sammy and Daisy like it very much:

Caspar, Clover and Bugsy like to sleep together on the big, green floor pillow:

Blue claims the morning hay and won't let Remy have any, although he softens once his belly is full:

Remy likes to sneak a bite of vegetation from beneath the bottom electric fence wire:

The Box Elder tree finally began dropping seeds, so I've had to spend much time picking them up twice each day. There is still too much green grass in the pasture for me to let the horses out:

Blue and Remy, my mischievous boys:

I finally got a buyer for Winston, so the next morning I was able to trap him inside the barn. He bawled for his mother and his herd, but was not as upset as previous calves. The buyer also wants to buy Ruby when she's old enough:

Getting The Red Poll Cattle Ready For Winter

I now have most of the Red Poll cattle crowding the barn door for a bowl of grain each morning - unless I'm a bit later than usual, that is. If I'm late, they leave in a huff:

Ruby and Scarlett, in for a snack:

Ruby and Winston finally began to follow the big cows into the barn. Winston has tasted grain and decided he likes it, but Ruby is still wary of it:

The morning rush. I can't let them in, though, until both horses are walked, one at a time, out to their corral:

The girls eat their two cups of sweet feed so rapidly that I don't have time to put a bowl down for the calves. Luckily, the cows start eating the hay on the floor as soon as they've finished their grain:

Ruby watched while Winston tasted his first bowl of grain:

Jasmine:

Rosella, Scarlett and Ruby

This was midday, not morning grain time - so they didn't get any. Nobody needs grain, but I am trying to train them to come into the barn so I can have them inseminated, get vet care or trap the calves when it's time to sell them:

Winston and Amy playfully butted heads:

Scarlett and Rosella both needed minerals and salt, perhaps because they are both producing milk:

Breakfast time:

Happy Housepets At Home

Ready for more pet pictures? Maybe I should call them family photos. This first one is of all five dogs (Clover, Fergus, Daphne, Jack and Seamus) plus Caspar the cat. Notice the baby gate in the window, which I use to protect the window screens:

Caspar and Sammy: "Just keep walking, there's nothing to see here:"

Daphne, Fergus and Clover on the big, soft, green floor pillow:

Daisy meowing in one of the many pet beds:

Fergus, Daphne, Clover and Jack. Both Fergus and Jack are wearing absorbent belly bands to prevent peeing in the house:

Bugsy, Sammy and Caspar on one of the yoga mats I put down to help Seamus walk without slipping and falling:

Looking into the kitchen: Fergus, Daphne, Clover and Seamus:

Daphne, Fergus, Daisy and Seamus:

Sammy and Bugsy used to cuddle all the time, but now that they are getting older, they do it less often. It's still cute, though:

Speaking of cuddling, Seamus and Fergus do it also:

Clover and Daphne often have to share the morning dog food with all four cats. Fergus, Jack and Seamus were eating out of other dog bowls. I put down many bowls so there is no fighting and nobody goes hungry:

Madawaska Pond

My sister, Lynn, and her husband, Tim, were visiting from Ohio and we'd just hiked in to see the Santa Clara waterfall (see the previous two posts). Our next stop was Madawaska Pond, which required a five mile drive on rough, one lane "roads" through the forest. We arrived at the parking site and started walking:

The trail to Madawaska Pond is through a stand of large White Pines and is both beautiful and peaceful:

The dogs had already used up some of their excess energy, so they were much better behaved by this time. Seamus' back legs were beginning to fail him, and I eventually had to put him on a leash to keep him from falling or wandering off to unsafe places and getting lost:

The trail to Madawaska Pond was not only lovely to look at, but also wonderful to smell because the White Pine aroma rose when the sun hit the trees and fallen needles:

We took a side trip to a hill overlooking the marshy edge of Madawaska Pond. The red leaves you see on the hill were Lowbush Blueberries:

Lynn and Tim stood and took in the expansive views, backed by the White Pine forest:

But then we hit the trail again, which took us along the edge of the pond:

These miniature red-capped lichens were called British Soldiers. They are never large, but these were the smallest I've ever seen:

We found several water access sites. This one was marked as a canoe launch:

Recent rains had produced a crop of unusual mushrooms all along the trail:

And I got another a photo of Tim and Lynn:

I've never seen a mushroom like this, but its general lumpiness and orange color seemed appropriate for Halloween:

We walked to the end of the pond, then turned around and began the trek back to our car. We were all tired by this time, and happy to reach the car and sit down. We headed home for a nap and dinner:

Our Favorite St. Regis River Waterfall - Part 2

My sister, her husband and all five dogs had hiked in to the waterfall in Santa Clara, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). We'd seen the base of the falls, so we began climbing the rocky trail which took us upstream:

The trail was lovely and wild, and my sister enjoyed the Adirondack scenery:

I stopped for this scene with Partridgeberry, mushroom and Sphagnum moss. The red and green had a kind of Christmas look to it:

The little dogs ventured out onto some rocks which were too scary for Seamus and me, both of us old and lame. I put Seamus on a leash for safety and the two of us took the safest routes we could find:

The trail took us upstream, where we could see the St. Regis River rushing through a narrow gorge:

But the trail ended, so we returned to the base of the falls:

We took a side trip on another trail along the St. Regis River and stopped to see these two gigantic rocks. Alas, the photo doesn't convey their huge size, but they were mammoth:

The trail had veered away from the river but soon brought us back again:

And once again, the autumn views were lovely and serene:

But soon we were headed back out to our car:

Lynn and Tim posed for a fun photo in the forest, and then we got in the car and drove to another nearby hike. I'll post about that tomorrow: