Sunday Stills Farm (Ranch) Animals (7-24-11)

The challenge this week is to show my farm animals. Many of these photos are from today, a few are from the last week or so, and a few are from archives.

Here are Louise and Thelma, my recently acquired alpacas. This is the first time I've been able to approach them when they're cushing (laying down). Alas, they both stood up right after the photo.

Of course, my two year old Arabian filly Yalla! must be included.

Here's Annie, Yalla!'s 18 year old Polish Arabian dam, stepping out.

Like mother, like daughter; Yalla! is  doing some fancy stepping with her tail flagged out too.

Nadia and Scout are enjoying their gallop. Nadia is my 28 year old Egyptian Arabian mare and Scout is part Appaloosa-Arabian and Paint. What a combination!

Here's Sandy, the stray dog who adopted us last summer. I think she's part Terrier and part Australian Cattle Dog.

She's always up for a frolic.

 And here is her best buddy, my Little Buddha, a Japanese Chin. He usually curls his tail over his back. I'm not sure why he's not doing it here. Several months ago he had severe back problems. Now he runs all around the neighborhood with Sandy, with the energy of a puppy. I worry about him because he's so little, less than five pounds, and we often have coyotes in the area.

Just today, I took this photograph of Terra, my 16 year old American Shorthair, enjoying the great outdoors for a little while. Only a few months ago, I lost her brother, Simba, to kidney failure.

 This large bull snake likes to frequent my yard and especially, the grill.

 

This time, he was trying to catch himself a lizard dinner. He may be the same bull snake that killed one of my neighbor's chicks. I hope not.

I have about nine nests in my barn right now and two on my house so I must include the barn swallows in my post.

Ravens abound in my barnyard and surrounding areas. During the winter, a couple of them roost in the rafters.

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