Oh the taste of SPRING!

Yes, I said it.... Spring like weather today. It is 10:30 AM, and ALREADY 52 degrees! Whoohoo! I am sitting here with my last cup of coffee of the morning.... the animals are already taken care of and I straightened up in the barn a bit. My plans for the day are to get into town and buy the pine shavings and straw I need to freshen up bedding. I will be working outside ALL DAY.. without a jacket! I am so excited to get out there...darned coffee is HOT! So... a few weeks ago, one of my favorite barn cats, TayTay came up missing. He is named after he lost the end of his tail when stepped on by one of the goats. Poor guy. But he is the sweetest barn cat. I went out to feed one day a few weeks ago, and noticed he was not there. I called...looked around, moved things..no Tay. :( Several days went by, I called and called for him, no Tay. After 2 weeks I just figured he had been taken by a coyote...a vehicle on the highway...or a stray dog. I never gave up total hope...but just figured he was gone for good. 2 days ago, as I went to the barn for the evening feeding...I hear a cat calling...loudly. I looked around, and from across the field...I see an orange figure running towards me. Could it be!? I called to him....and he answered...It was my Tay!! As he got closer, I crouched down...from about 5 feet away, he leapt onto my shoulder, wrapping his paws around my neck and purring so loudly. I was so happy...my boy was home. He was so thin...and his front paws look like he had been digging at something for a long time. I figure he was somehow locked in a shed or garage somewhere for 2 WEEKS! I carried him to the barn and put out the kitty kibbles. He ran from dish to dish, grabbing mouthfuls at each dish. He was starving.. poor boy. I went along doing my chores...and every time I was out of sight of him, he would call to me...I assured him I was still there. Once I finished chores, I headed to the coops. He didn't follow right away, but about half way there I hear him calling to me again. I stopped and picked him up... carrying him with me to the coop. As I finished my rounds in the Duck hut he followed me to the big coop where there are 4 separate pens I needed to go in to feed and water. He bawled at each door...wanting me to let him in. Once I finished and headed to the house...he tried his hardest to come in the house. Now, he is a barn cat and has never been in the house, mostly because we have 4 dogs. I assured him he would be fine now that he was home, and I came inside. It wasn't long before he was running his claws down the metal door... screeeeeeeeeech! *shivers* So, we decided to let him in for a bit, and see how he and the dogs get along. He was fine with them, they mostly just wanted to sniff out the intruder. He would walk around the house, bawling, calling to me. When I answered, he would run and grab on to me....jumping into my lap every chance he had. He found the kitchen, and immediately jumped up on the counter. THIS is why we do NOT have inside cats. I chased him down....and after a few minutes he was back on the counter. So, I decided to put him back outside for the night. Every time I go outside, he is there, at my feet. I am so glad our Tay is home. So...today I will have plenty time with Tay.... as I have a lot of outside work to get done while the warm weather is here. I am going to clean coops, get the rabbits back into their outside huts...put the rabbit mulch/bedding/poo on the spring garden, spread lime in the hog pen... boy does the warm weather bring up the scents of a farm! Whew! I also need to make a *Lime paint* and get the inside walls of the barn coated. This helps with the smell a LOT! Lots of project to do today.... and daylight is burning. So, I am headed out to see what I can get into. I hope the sun is shining where you are today...and warm enough to get outside. Put on those muck boots...warm weather means thawing mud/poo.