New Critters on the Farm

There have been two lovely new additions to the farm family within the last month! Take a look.

This is Cassie - she is a Haflinger mare, and she and Chester hit it right off. The Gypsies and Haflingers seem to have similar laid back, people oriented personalities. We LOVE the cobby ponies! She's telling Chester about her long trailer ride from Grand Rapids, MI and her buddies she'll miss there. Chester is sweaty from running circles around her to show his admiration. Cassie is a 17 year old, been there - done that, type of girl. She was used by the Amish for her first 16 years to train younger horses to hitch. We acquired her from a new friend who hadn't had her long, but just wasn't using her as much as she'd thought she would, and Cassie was getting heavy - it doesn't take much for the cobs to put on a few pounds. She just arrived, and we are thrilled with her!

This is Happy - a sweet kitty we adopted from CARA - a local animal adoption group in Jackson. Her name was Patches, but because of her pleasant personality, she has been named after a calico kitty of my brother's. We grew up with Happy, and she was the most wonderful kitty. This Happy seems to be following in the original Happy's paw prints. The boys have decided this kitty's name is actually 'Patches Happy Lucy Jewelry' - she can be called any/all of these names at any given time. Galen added the 'Jewelry' - he has a thing for bling.

Natural Fly Control

Chester and a new egret friend have been hanging out this week.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_Egret

Chester the Gypsy Cob

This is our new friend, Chester (also known in the U.S. as Bo.) He is a Gypsy Cob horse we've adopted, and is just as sweet as the day is long. Here is a little more information about Gypsy Cobs http://www.gypsyhorses.com/ . He's a 5 year old, 13.3 hand, one eyed gelding originally bred by a gypsy/Rom family in Ireland - this boy has travelled! And now he is home to stay - time to settle down with a family. He's met many folks on his way to us, and touched many lives - I hope to write a children's book about it one day. How many of you know what a terrible procrastinator I am, though...? The Gypsy cob is a small draft breed which was originally bred by Irish Gypsies to pull their wagons and drays, and also as an all-purpose family horse. Kind and willing temperment is foremost, as the horses lived closely with the families and their children, and Chester exemplifies this trait. They are also quite beautiful with long, full manes and tails and feather on their legs ideally starting below the knee. Many are black and white spotted (piebald), but Chester is chestnut in a pattern called blagdon, with a bald face and high white on all four legs. The last time Chester was sold (through no fault of his own), he was bought by a kind lady in WA state who runs a horse adoption center. She wanted to make sure he wasn't passed/sold again, as many small horses are when they are "outgrown" by their children. If we find ourselves in a position where we can't keep Chester, he'll go to live with Suzanne in WA - she's even put him in her will. Have I mentioned this horse has touched a lot of lives? Here he is getting off the trailer from PA where he was fostered this winter by his Auntie Misty while we got ready for him. This boy has many gaurdian angels and Auntie's! This is his blind side - he was about 3 years old when he lost his eye in a pasture accident - it is thought he was kicked by another horse. He's adapted very well.

Chester gets schooled! Galen is teaching his very willing pupil from an anatomy/physiology book which he loves. "Chester, this is a person's skull...and, Chester, this is your brain, and your cerebellum, and your spinal cord...and, Chester, this is where babies grow inside the mommy." Oh, yes, Chester got schooled...for quite some time, sweet boy.

Galen also decided Chester needed a nickname. First Pink Panther...then Sponge Bob. Galen then thought that Chester, aka Sponge Bob, needed a TV in his pen to help him understand his new nickname (it's all about the education at Tulipan Farm ;). When told that horses learn better from books, Galen obviously took matters into his own hands. I must be doing something right?!

Hello, Kitties!

This is an introduction to our other farm animals, the cats! Angelo is our first family kitty - we adopted him from the local cat rescue through Petsmart. He's the best kitty and very patient with the boys - lots of purrs even after they chase him around. He has a blue eye and a green eye like Verdi! He's also a wonderful "roacher." No bug spraying for us, Angelo takes care of it the natural way! Lots of little roach body gifts of love left lying around...
























This is the newest addition to the farm "herd" - Piroska! We also found her through the local cat rescue which places cats through Petsmart. Piroska (peer-osh-ka), or Piri, is a cute little bundle of purrs and is about 8 months old. Finally another girl around the place! She appears to be a dwarf - her legs are thick boned and short, and she is small. Evidently (what did we do before google) "Munchkin cats" were originally bred from feral cats found near Monroe, LA - about 2 hours from here. She has the funniest facial expressions - her whiskers stick straight out!
http://www.the-dwarf-cat-association.com/Munchkin.html






















Angelo isn't quite sure he wanted a sister. Ok, I forgot to ask him... There is some hissing and yowling from Angelo, but Piri is all sweetness and play. Right now she's in the laundry room and he's got "his house." We're letting them get adjusted slowly - cats are so complicated. Lajos says "just like women!" Hopefully we'll have a unified cat family in the near future - no kittens, they're both fixed. Piroska is an old Hungarian name - piros = red. Little Red Riding Hood's name was Piroska.