Minestrone of news

Hey lovely people!

I am sorry if I am not writing often, let say that I am running like crazy these days.

First news on the list. Camille got her babies. 4 males. Super cute. Last Sunday as Martin was going to give food she was there taking care of them.

The picture isn't too good but I took it with my cellphone ...

She got 2 grays, 1 yellow and one black all of them are tabbies and got thumbs which brings us to the easy conclusion that the father is Tom.

She is a super good momma, and it's nice to see how caring she and some of the other cats (Auguste and Patou for ones) are too. 

It will probably the last litter to be born on Domaine Coquelicots as all the cats have been sterilized on World Spay day. I will try to find some funds to make Camille and her 4 boys too asap.

As for the renovation of the second floor, we had to raise back the house from 3 inches in order to put back the beams that were there 140 years ago into place. Well the beams aren't set there but they will be next Saturday.

I was offered a job at the village that I've turned down. I am pretty glad about it. That would have brought me back to the time I was not independent. It seems strange but even if I am pretty convinced on this self-sufficent/homesteading wannabe life, I have to put myself back on tracks many times a week. Being the outcast making it hard to focus on the real deal. I am pretty proud of myself though, normally I would have taken that job even if I wasn't sure of the fact I'd like it and even if the salary was a pity one. I was raised to never refuse work even if that would be "the end of me". So I am starting to learn, I am quite proud of myself.

We planned our garden for the season. So far, around 30 people will be fed by us, which makes it encouraging.

All of this makes a ton of work, but I love it.

My Auguste came back after his surgery, he has an eye less now ... he looks like Frankenstein. Never ran away from the barn when it's -30 Celsius outside and you have troubles with your eyes already...

Soleil and Paul are in the house right now. Muscade isn't really happy about it. But ... it's life. I am glad I can offer more heat and comfort to two more cats now.

Paul ordering pizza ...

The chicks are now older. We transferred them in a big cage in the barn. They are around 5 weeks old now.
We are selling a bunch. All our hens are reserved. It's going fast.

And some other pictures of the gang ...

Eole

Proud papa Tom

Miss Mousse

One of our guinea fowls

Chausson

Myrshouk

Azul, still wearing the scar of the Coyote attack on her nose (we knew she was probably with Baptiste that day as she had that wound since)

Biscuit, who we recently discovered was a female ... lol

The Farm first visitors!

Last weekend we had the farm first visitors. One of my husband co-worker brought his delightful family to the farm to visit the hens that were providing eggs for the summer.

I was pretty proud to show them what we are doing here even though it's not going fast enough and there are still plenty of things I would  love to do better or to make better.

They made amazing photos. I share you some.

(all pictures are copyrighted to the Cormier's family, I do not hold the rights of these pictures)

Biscuit, Soleil's Kitten - 3 months old

Coton - our Rex rabbit

Carla

Baptiste

Our Plymouth Rock - Rooster

Plymouth rock hen

Miss DeLorimier

Mousse- Soleil's Kitten

Azul - Mousse's sister

Auguste --- sleepy as usual :)

I was really happy to have visitors. I wish we can do that more often!

Dealing with Death

Left : Moutarde, Right: Leon, used as a bed : Tom

Leon died tonight.
I don't really know how.
I found him.

It was my first encounter with death. Face to face.

I am scared to life. I still can see his face, eyes open, open mouth in a very strange position.

I am a very sensitive person and I think this incident have scarred me for life.

Now I have tons of questions.

What did I do wrong?
Will my other cats be infected by the thing he had.

Of course, Leon was a dropped off cat. I arrived one day (two weeks) ago and that poor kitten was waiting so dirty and skinny in front of the barn.

I tried to fed him the best that I could. Nothing really worked it seems.

After my friends left tonight, I went in the barn and Leon was not there in his normal spot.
I felt in me that I had to find him, I search everywhere and when I arrive close to the barn, I saw some vomit spot. Plenty.
I saw him then, laying there between the wall and the hay. Dead.

It was a shock, it's still is.
I am sick to my stomach.
I try to forget the image, I just can't.

That's an image I wished never see in my life. Of course being there on a farm put the probabilities to a new high.

I just can't deal with death. As I can deal with mine, I just can't deal with others.

I was telling a lot of people that I was unhappy of never have found Isis's body... well I change my mind. I am very glad to be in ignorance. That's a kind of image I don't want to deal with.

He was 4 months old.
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Edit: I talked to one friend who made me realized that the position he was in was probably 'cause he was playing and fell, since he was weak he probably broke his neck. Fast death.

New pics of the cat colony

Pol

Mousse - 1 month old now

Sleeping Auguste

That's L.O.V.E (Pol and Moutarde)

Kittens-update

Ooopsie ...

My kittens are all ... female!

I've been confused by the color of fur, normally yellowish kittens are male so I've been told.

But nah, those are all lil girls.

They are well, two of them have some troubles with Feline viral rhinotracheitis but of course with the fact those are barn cats and the fact that they were given to us (I mean the others, not the newborns that are the first born here kittens) let say that they were not brought to the vet on a daily basis (I am not doing it on a daily basis either but I am at the vet like every 3 weeks or so since the beginning of the summer).

But we have meds for them and everything is going to be alright.

Here are the kittens!

Second born - 2 hours after birth

First born - a girl obviously - 2 hours after birth

The mom and her lovely 4 kittens.

I love my Soleil and I am soooooooo proud of her.