From 2 Rural Lanes in Oldham County, Kentucky~

This post will combine two rural areas that I can almost always bank on getting some kind of nature, or wildlife images.

There is a farm on the highway that leads to one of our daughter's homes, and that is where I gathered in a few images of the work horses and their goat friends.

Goats can calm stress in horses and are often used with thoroughbred race horses to keep them mellowed out too.

I am linking up with Mary for:

"Mosaic Monday"

at:http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cattle below are from another highway that I frequent. 
They are right in line with a pair of American Kestrels that I observe, as well as a really lovely Red--tailed Hawk. 
Of course this particular day...it was only cows that I saw~
 

What a beautiful feral cat this is. 
I have seen it near a barn, but I mostly see it hunting along the roadway...always thinking that it is fully hidden from me, but guess what? ;')~
 

It was sunrise over this field that overlooks the fence posts, that house Bluebird boxes, also used by Tree Swallows, and where I get so many of my Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow images during the warmer months of the year...
No, there were no Bluebirds, or Swallows this day~
 

 

 

Beneath is the property where the little Icelandic Horses live and graze, but even this day, they were in pastures beyond my view.  
I still thought the clouds and warmth of the view was worthy of a share~
 

Oh My...birdhouse anyone? 
How fun is this? 
I took a wrong turn one day a couple of weeks ago, and had to actually do a turn about to get this image...
I may have to return in the spring and see if there are any takers and if so how many species and what they shall be...stay tuned~
 

European Starlings abound in the country side, in the fields and trees, always taking flight at any slight sound. 
They are a mess, but still quite beautiful~
 

My neighbors Sandy and Dave give me the pleasure of feeding the wildlife that visit their yard from time to time. 
Sandy had told me about a large buck that had been coming and sure enough one evening, just before dark, there he was. 
There was a younger buck with him, but this big guy ruled the yard~
 

Remember the little fawn that I cared for back in late August...for those whom have followed my blog for a time? 
I wondered if this might be that little fawn and doe... 
There is one with twins, one with triplets and then this single doe with one...
I will never know for sure, but when I saw them...it made me have hope, that just maybe...~
 

 

 

 

Ferals, Florals and More~

A few weeks ago I began to volunteer once again a bit at the local Humane Society...a very worthwhile endeavor!  My oldest daughter helped rescue one of their newest kittens which had been dumped into the school's garbage dumpster...who does things like this....makes me so angry. 
Anyway, Plucky is now in good hands and healing well from an upper respiratory infection and the fear of the wild. 
I just had to place my favorite flowers at intervals, as I share these cat images. 
The cats that you see outdoors in these images are part of 3 feral cat colonies that I now also feed once a week.  They have all been spayed/neutered and then relocated back into their colony. 
Recently some bad press was reported when one of the local feral cat colonies were all poisoned and died.  Someone had evidently laced a tuna noodle casserole with a layer of  antifreeze...no comment would be worthy of how I felt about this horrible deed and can only hope that the culprit/culprits will be caught and punished!

Plucky is the newest kitten in a cat room of some 20 other rescues up for adoption.  Multiply this number times thousands nationwide/worldwide...it is quite sad.  Two of the cats in this room were confiscated from a home that had 70 cats in a filthy environment...again...no comment would rate my depth of feelings~

My Beauty, My Favorite~

Nine years ago this past June, a momma cat was killed and left behind several little orphaned kittens. She had been a beautiful momma cat and it was a tragic end to her life, leaving these young ones behind. I was the manager at a little shoppe at the time and the kittens lived mostly under the protection of a garden gazebo. Eventually all of the kittens were captured and given to loving homes, except one kitten, that refused to be captured.




Fast forward to November 3 of that year and I had watched as another momma cat had just been killed by an automobile and she left behind four kittens. I borrowed a Have-a-heart trap to capture the kittens and give to a woman on a farm. I was only able to capture 3 of this litter and had taken the trap back to where I had borrowed it. I was busy working when one of the employees came in and said..." Mary, you got that kitten". I said there was no way, that once the 3 kittens were taken to the farmer's wife, the trap was entirely empty. She said..."No, you got the kitten from under the gazebo". I could not believe how fortunate a day that was, with weather turning cold and winter upon us. I said that if the kitten turned out to be a girl, she would be mine, and she was. I name this beauty Chloe' Laurel and she has remained pretty much feral in nature, since she had been alone out in the wilds for much longer than she should have been.




Chloe' has learned to trust and love me and I am the only person in 9 years that she allows to pet her. She has the most amazing blue eyes and her purr is as loud as a gentle motor boat. This past week, she became very ill, almost over night. She has developed Fatty Liver disease and also has Gall Bladder issues. I have spent a whole lot of money on her the past two days, and yet it would cost more than I can afford to get her the treatment that she so desperately needs. Three times a day I am giving her subcutaneous IV feedings, and also force feeding her, but alas, it seems that she is not responding. I should have left her at the hospital, but the cost was double what I already paid. We are never promised our favorites for any length of days, so we must love them very carefully every day that we are blessed to have them with us. I am not certain how this is all going to turn out, and yet miracles can still happen, and that is what it would take.




My prayer would be that she survives all of this and yet if she does not, that she would not suffer, but just fall gently to slumber in peace ~

Mishposh ;)~

Mishposh...is there such a word...funny how sometimes one gets ready to load up images and a series just seems to develop on it's own merits. As would often be the case, I took a lovely drive out in horse country the other day. Along the way, I spied a pair of beautiful Saddlebreds, as well as one that was in bad need of a grooming comb, just enjoying their day as well. There was a peculiarly large wad of fur in an otherwise barren tree and it turned out to be a feral cat hunting from a high branch, actually a very high branch. Then there was the swift visit of a beautiful little Golden- Crowned Kinglet, which almost always when I spy them, they flit so quickly I realize what I saw and they are gone. The horse country around here is simply Grande and I feel abundantly blessed to have it so near where I can find such a tranquility in nature in a few brief miles away~