Sage continues to get her eye medicine every 2-3 hours during the day. I don't see much difference happening. Her eye looks the same, she still has green nasty nose, and she's still fairly lethargic. She does eat and drink, and I caught her nursing today, so I know she's still taking in nutrition. Her follow up appointment is tomorrow morning. I am not looking forward to it, as it's possible there will be rain, it's going to be colder (likely in the mid-40's around that time), and I still have to treck on foot with a hairless kitten that can't be exposed to cold (tucked away in my jacket) and a four year old who doesn't like to walk that far without being carried at least part of the way back. It's a long trip for short legs. I get it. I almost wish we had the old wagon, but that got left at the old house.
While checking the barn for eggs, I caught the two barn kitties snuggled up in their favorite box. Luna (white) and Gypsy (tabby) make a great pair. One is camouflaged all winter, and the other is camouflaged all summer and fall. Luna is more stand-offish. She wants some attention now and again, usually only when she's hungry, but may allow you to pet her, most of the time. If she doesn't want to go in the barn at night she'll climb a tree and glare at you from just out of reach. Gypsy, on the other hand, will smother you in affection. She has an instant purr for anyone who acknowledges her. She can never get enough love and attention. They're so opposite that they get along well. Since the weather has warmed up, they can frequently be seen in the yard stalking each other. I have yet to get a video of this.
While visiting Sage for one of her eye-drop doses, Zombie demanded some time. She loves attention. I wonder how much of the temperament has to do with where she came from. Miss Zom came from the same horse stable that Gypsy came from, only two years apart. Not the same genetics either, because Zom's mom disappeared (likely taken by a hawk or hit by a car), so she was hand-raised by bottle. Gypsy's mom is a resident barn cat and mouse-exterminator for the horse barn. Either way, I think the cats coming out of that place are fantastic.
Here is a shot of Zombie's gorgeous green eyes.
If #5 will settle enough after the vet appointment tomorrow, perhaps I can pull up the GPS map of the property and plan out more of where we'll be putting all of these new plants. I got a notice today that our white blackberries and pink blueberries have been shipped. Today I also received the Monterey strawberry root I ordered on Friday. I can't pass up a "free shipping with no minimum order" coupon! That one will be going into a hanging basket as soon as I have time to transplant it. Probably tomorrow. For now it's soaking its roots in preparation.
Which reminds me, I also transplanted out some more of the tomato seedlings that have been coming in leggy in the starter pack on the counter. The light it literally on top of the plastic lid and they're still coming in long and leggy. What am I doing wrong? So in an attempt to keep the lid on to keep humidity up, I've been transplanting the tall seedlings out into plastic cups and then putting them in the window. Problem with that is that today I used the last of my plastic disposable cups, and there is no more space in the window for any more. Come on warm weather!! So far the germination rate has been well below average. Considering these were my rare seeds that I really needed to grow out, I'm not giving up yet. We have the little seed starter heat mat underneath - something I've never done before. I will be happy to get my counter space back for a while after seed starting is over and before harvests start coming in.
I did manage to get more much on the black raspberry row. Shortly thereafter I caught Big Red, Henrietta, and Phil kicking the mulch around. Silly chickens! They love to scratch and peck through the brooder shavings that we toss in the compost heap. They're the same color as the mulch. I wonder if they thought it was the same. It's different sized pieces, but who knows. It's not worth chasing them out and fixing - they'll just come back while I'm not looking. We'll just have to hope I used enough that even their scratching didn't deplete the depth too bad. Some day it'll be a good place for them to peck up bug snacks, so maybe they're just getting a head start or checking... Kind of like us when we're looking for tomato blossoms way before we could ever anticipate actually harvesting a tomato.
Today I would love a fresh from the garden cucumber. In a few months I will be so sick of them, I'll be giving them away. This year we will learn to make pickles so nothing will go to waste, and our harvests can feed us through the winter.