Q is for Queen...

I had this really neat kitty, big old longish haired, grey striped cat, bright yellow eyes.  It walked just like John Wayne, from the back.

So, I named him Duke.

Duke lived up to his name, he'd eat, and fight, and be the biggest, most aggressive cat.  Ran most everyone else off.  He loved me, though.  I would feed him on the bin where we kept the food, and he would purr so loudly, you'd thought his Mom was a Peterbilt.

We'd had him for about a year or two, where he came from was anyone's guess, people were unduly fond of dumping cats out near our place, since we were in the country.  (Snarl...)

But then I couldn't find him.  He was gone for about 3 days or so.  I was really worried, and Mom and Dad even checked the road, a definite danger to our animals there.

Then I saw Duke jump up on the bin like always, purring.  However, this time, I heard little squeaks...

Huh?

I peeked behind the bin, and there, by an engine block, were 4 tiny kittens.  This wasn't a real safe place for them, so we moved the kittens, and Duke, giving them a spot with a bit more warmth, and a bit less mechanical decor.

Oh, and I renamed her Duchess...

Chicks, kittens, llamas, stories, and socks.

I will have some pictures up soon of the new chicks at our house.  There is 2 hatched, at this point, and one hatching.  I can't see the other two eggs.  Taurus is notoriously nasty about letting me put my hand around her to see or collect eggs, so I am not surprised...

I will also be getting kittens pretty soon.  Our neighbor's cat exploded, blooey, kittens everywhere, and I have been given 'picks of the litter.' (I asked for 2.)  So, with any luck, you will see more kitty pics, too.

We still have the llamas on "cria watch", but so far, no one seems like they are even fat, let alone ready to give birth.  Sort of a disappointment, but they haven't been shorn, either, so it's kind of hard to tell.  We'll continue to hold them in the small field until about mid July, and if nothing has happened, we'll let them back out into the big pasture.  It certainly wasn't for Lorenzo's not trying!

I have been enjoying music from Sherlock (BBC), and was just picking some randomly from YouTube. I must have accidentally hit the wrong one, because I started hearing Cumberbatch (the guy who plays Sherlock in the series) reading Kafka!  Turns out it's a program from BBC radio where stories and books are read.  I proceeded to look up the radio's website BBC Radio 4 Extra.  What have we here?  Dr. Who?  More stories?  Yep, I am going to have to look, er, listen to this a bit more.  Plus, I found more stories on YouTube, so I am really beginning to like the 'hands free' method.   (I must admit, though, it's a little strange to go to a VIDEO website, to listen to something that is just the AUDIO portion.  Meh...)


I am knitting socks.  I should be knitting baby blankets, and fish, (more about the fish later), and finishing some other projects.  But I want to knit a pair of socks.  Do you ever have a fall back, you have this and this and that, but you do x?  Call it procrastination, time use, whatever.  I just wanted to knit a sock or two.  I will have to get back to my other knitting, but hey, we can all use socks at one time or another, right?