Tuesdays With Tag - In The Barn Again...

Hi, Everybody!

Well, I guess Mom let the cat out of the bag for today. She told you yesterday what I'd be talkin' about, and because I don't want to make her out to be a liar, here goes.

 

It really chaps my hide to see her do all this work for those stoopid cats, but it's obvious she loves 'em and wants 'em to be safe and warm all winter. I mean, she made that insulated cat house this summer for them, didn't she?

 

This is what you see when you first walk into the part of the barn that used to have pigs in it when Miss Shelly was a kid. Ha! I guess it's got pigs in it again now. hee hee 

On the left are Mom's two heavy wicker chairs. She took the cushions off them, but put them back together kind of like how they were last winter. She put a kitty bed, a kitty igloo, and a heat reflective pad on the seats in case they had a hankerin' to sleep there. She also put the board across the top so the canvas wouldn't fall in, but Crystal likes lyin' up there once in a while.

Crystal is sittin' on the chaise that's right in front of the basinette they've been sleepin' in most of the summer. That's were she was when Mom went out to take these pictures for my post.

 

Under the the end window Mom has a big bale of hay and on top of that are a couple cat beds and a blanket so the girls will be comfy on sunny winter days, just hangin' out and gettin' a little vitamin D. The styrofoam coolers were there last year in case the girls wanted to sleep in them. Claudette checked them out, but so far, no takers.

 

 

Another view of the wicker chairs and the basinette. Mom put the chaise there so that she'd have a comfy place to sit to cuddle the girls when she goes out to check on them at night.

 

 

You can see the cat house (dresser) is under the window where it will get the benefit of light (and maybe solar warmth) durin' the winter. She fed them on top of the dresser all summer, but when they came back into the barn, they hopped right onto the workbench where they were fed all last winter. Mom gave in and has their food and water dishes up there again. It will be easier to plug the water dish in so the water doesn't freeze. That's probably a better place for it anyway. 

The blue tarp on the right side of the picture hangs over the little door that opens into this area. Mom and Dad also hung up a big doubled canvas tarp to keep this room warmer when the wind starts to blow. Mom did a lot of insulatin' last winter, so she only had to add a couple more sheets of insulation to close up a few gaps this year. There are two areas she still wants to address, so she'll likely do that this week. It's already gettin' colder, so we're all glad this got done so Mom doesn't have to worry about her girls. 

Miss Shelly said she read it's supposed to be a "warmer than usual" winter this year with less precipitation. If that's the case, Mom won't need to get a warmin' lamp. If it looks like it's gonna be more "below zero" weather, she'll go the the farm store and get a brooder lamp, or that warmin' bed that our friend, Miss Jody told us about. For now, all the insulation, pads and blankets are gonna suit these fur balls just fine.

So, now you've seen it all. Try not to be too impressed. I mean, they're just cats after all. Exercise for Labradors. Annoyin', little creatures that always try to rub up against me. I might be more receptive to it, if Claudette hadn't tried to smack me every time I walked past her when she first lived here. I still don't trust her, even though she tries to be nice to me. Maybe someday I'll let her lie down next to me, but for now she can just keep movin' on.

Speakin' of movin' on... I think I hear breakfast bein' offered, and Lord knows I don't want to miss that! I gotta run.

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then... 

"Be A Good Dog."