to all the cats I've loved before

First it was Clarence in Indianapolis...

...then Clotilde in South Carolina...

...and now we have a new face peeking through our front door...Claudia (pronounced Clow-dia)!

I've been a little worried about the resident barn cat. I rarely saw her, just sometimes a glimpse of her tail end - literally! -vanishing into the weeds.

But for some reason, she appeared on our porch yesterday and allowed herself to be stroked.  She's a darling, friendly cat, who deigns to eat a little cat food, but only after she's had some cuddles. 

This morning, she came strolling from the barn with the present of a dead mole in her mouth!  Quite a handy girl to have around the farm, although her purrs and cuddles while I'm working in the garden is payment enough.  I'm absolutely delighted to have a new outdoor cat! 

More good news...our barn swallow babies have fully fledged.

They took a halting flight this weekend when our electrician was laying cables for shop lights in the barn, but came back to the nest.  They weren't there today, though.  I counted 10 barn swallows flitting around in the late afternoon light yesterday...I wonder if our babies were among them?

More babies around...first it was the crowd of young red-wing blackbirds around the feeders, but now, 'tis the season for house finches.  Here are two wild-haired babies with dad.

Struggling for balance!

I love the finch mob we see every day.

And always a delight to see the "big boy" - a pileated woodpecker.

Our blackbirds are still around, ready to give me a good scolding when I dare to stray into their territory!

More frequent guests...our little rabbits appear around 7:30 p.m. each evening like clockwork.  They frisk...

...bathe...

...or sprint!  I guess even rabbits get the zoomies!

They have thoughtfully left both my flowers and pitiful little tomato patch alone.  I love looking out for them every day!

I'm keeping a sharp eye out for something else, too - black raspberries.  Our bushes are maturing and I've been able to pick enough fresh berries...

...for pancakes!

I can't wait until we have our fruit and vegetable beds laid out next year.  It's so satisfying to bring in food from the yard...even these puny tomatoes from this year's mini-patch!

It's such a peaceful experience to go out in the early morning, sun streaming through the stand of trees on the hill...

...checking the tomatoes, fussing over the flowers, and giving Claudia a nice head rub before breakfast.  Next year will be even better, when we add our livestock and geese! 💗 It's so hard to wait!

At least I have a little company while I wait...with our bath-hating dog...

...lazy cats...

...and a beautiful view from our soon-to-be-rehabbed front porch!

Have a great week!