Hey, people! Let's go for a ride!

Ok, Spanky (aka Little Rascal, Boo, Spankyliscious, or cat who thinks he's a dog ), where you wanna go?

Beach or mountains?

Have a good weekend all!

Spanky and the camera share a special relationship. He loves it and it loves him right back. Someday, I'll make this feline butt-head a webpage with media credits of his own because every film crew or photographer who has ever stepped foot on this property has devoted multiple megapixels and reams of film to this 25lb lump of fur. Spanky laps it up like a bowl of sweet cream. Seriously, the cat turns on the charm like a lightbulb and struts his ginger-striped self around like he's on some sort of catwalk.

[Cue the blowing fan.]

Well hello there... no, not you dumb human-person... I'm talkin' to the funny black box stuck to your face with the lens-y thing in front of it.

Lemme kees it. I wuvs it becuz it wuvs me. I know it does.

My thoughtful, stare-0ff-in-the distance pose with perfectly placed paws. This one should go on the front page of my website. I'm workin' it baby!

Here I am, babes ... Your daily dose of handsome. Be careful not to stare at me too long lest my extreme hotness cause you sunburns.

Puh-leeze. Someone at least get this guy an agent and rack in some endorsement deals (Hello companies of organic cat food and Temptations Kitty Treats?).

He already has a fan club of people. During school days, he sits at the end of the driveway so that the teachers at the school next door can love him up. Once class is in session, he saunters into the house, proudly wafting clouds of perfume from his fur like a badge of honor. "I'm adored..."

And yes, (sadly?), people inquire about him when we're out and about and tabling at events:  "How's Spanky?"     At events here on the Urban Homestead, people request his presence and Spanky obliges willingly, ever so content to keep his fanclub pleased.

So… sleeeeeepies… Being handsome is such HARD work!

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit, I'm a card carrying member of the I-love-Spanky fanclub and this post was written in between bouts of Spanky-snuggling with lots of snorgling and mooshing my face into his fuzzy wuzzy belly and making goo-goo blowing raspberry noises. He thinks I've finally lost my mind.  I'm not sure I can argue with him.

We have a pair of mockingbirds that have a nest in a nearby tree and they've taken to taunting Spanky on a daily, hourly basis.   They are doing what they instinctively should do - defend their babies from predators  However,  you see Spanky, is not really a predator or cat he's a a "wussy cat."  He doesn't hunt mice or even birds - he's a lover not a fighter.  No, siree, he'd much rather snooze on his favorite chair or lounge on hood of the car.   About the only thing Spanky is good for is a cuddle object by us mere humans but he can only tolerates a little love at a time.

While out with the goats in the morning Jordanne captured one of the mockingbirds trying to drive Spanky away.  But as you can see from his demeanor, he could care less the ruckus the poor mockingbird was making.   So, to give the poor mockingbird some peace of mind, I went and took Spanky down from his morning lookout post (he wasn't too thrilled about that)  and put in on his favorite chair on the porch.

Then only a few minutes later guess what?  The mockingbird spotted Spanky on the porch and flew in to taunt him once again.  Spanky, minding his own business on his comfy throne, decided he had enough of this crazed bird antics and went inside the house for some peace and quiet.

:: Field Hand Appreciation :: G&RW $20.   Thank you for your donation, we greatly appreciate it.

We interrupt our normal scheduled entries for some cute kitty photos!

One summer, four years ago, a neighbor rushed down a screaming baby kitty  She handed us the terrified kitty, telling us the some folks were killing the litter and if we didn't take him he'd be next.  Horrified over the brutality and seeing this poor little thing with its blue eyes barely open, taken from his mama we did what any good person would do we took him in to give him a chance in life.

Jordanne took over the mama cat role and being a bottle baby our cat thinks he's more human than cat.

We had a hard time settling on a name and finally came up with 'Spanky' after the character on Little Rascals.  Of course he's got a litany of  "akas" but that's he's Christian name.

Spanky loves hanging our in the garden with the chickens and ducks (for some reason the duckies love him!)  the goats not so much because Fairlight and Blackberry like to tease him by going after his tale.  Our other rescued, stray kitty Cassidy tolerates him until he decides to play!  She's sevens years old but only 9 lbs and he's like 25 lbs so she rather not be smothered by "the big boy."

He certianly has a special place in our heart, not to metion he's grown too!

Simply.Belinda Asks:

Hi Mr Spanky,

I have a cat that lives next door that insists on making a mess all over my veggie patch. What can I do to stop this outrage?

Kind Regards
Belinda

Well, Belinda, Mr Spanky's busy being cat (as you can see from the photo), so we apologize for his delaying in getting back with you. He tells me that those wire trellises that his owners place over the newly planted beds do a good job at keeping his kind from using it as a litter box. The trellises allow the plants to grow but deter animals from digging up the new beds. Once the bed's established then off come the trellises.

Not everyone has these nifty dual use trellises. Any of our readers have other suggestions to help Belinda deter the neighbor's cat from messing her garden. Care to share your methods or tips?

Now if you don't mind Spanky's going back to sleep. zzzzzzzzzz

Photo detailing what keeps Mr Spanky from using the beds his personal"John Box"

The other day the urban homestead and homesteaders were visited by a film crew from Brazilian TV. As if he doesn't get enough attention already (daily smooches and tummy rubs), our orange tabby has to hog the spot light. He likes to be where the action is.

Here he is joining Farmer D. I could see his interview going something like:

So, Spanky, what's the scoop here on the urban homestead, what are these people really like?

What are the perks or disadvantages of living with such radical hippies? (an endearing label given by our friends)

What question would you have asked Mr Spanky (a.k.a 'Boo') ? I'll pass it on....

Cassidy (a.k.a Cassa-sweetie) sitting pretty in the pansy bed

Why so many flowers you ask - can't eat them? Well, yes you can but we wouldn't possibly need all these pansies for our family. You are right! Instead we sell the edible pansies to a few restaurants and caterers in town. Though the pansies are gorgeous and looking absolutely stunning, this year sales have been slow - many of our clients are cutting back due to a sluggish economy and rising food prices. So instead of being picked and packed and used to decorate some plate or platter somewhere at least someone here on the urban homestead is enjoying the colorful display. Hopefully business will pick up soon with the wedding season just on the horizon.

The 100+ year old house next door is being renovated which means that for the last six months or so, we have had lots of activity there. And, the presence of a lot of men. Latino workers, that is.

Generally, this affects us very little. ...

Until, Fairlight gets into her once-every-23-days heat cycle and then those workers become the object of her desperate desire. When she and Blackberry are let out of their pen for their morning and evening walks and time out in the yard, Fairlight saunters directly towards the fence in the most ridiculous little head-tossing strut.

There, she will rub all over against the fence, pressing her pink nose through the bamboo privacy slats and searching with those beautiful long-lashed hazel eyes for ANY subject of her desire.

Her tail flirts in little flippy back-and-forth movements and she nickers her throaty "mmmrhh."

And then she finds him. Some poor unsuspecting young man who has probably never suspected in his whole life that he would be flattered by the full affection of a doe in heat. Fairlight's tail starts flagging ever quicker, and that husky throat-call gains his attention.

At this time, I don't know whether to laugh, hide, or to try to get Fairlight away from the fence as quick as possible. Usually, I end up doing the latter: Trying my darnedest to finagle my love-struck goat away from the attention of the baffled but obviously amused young man while feigning compete and cool sophistication. What? No, nothing bizarre here. Just y'know... something you see everyday. Nope, nothin' unusual here, that's for sure. Nice day, ain't it?

Needless to say, that young man most likely had an interesting conversation subject at the dinner table or the local bar that night...

POSTSCRIPT: I'm happy to report that the goats' heat season is coming to a close. Although Nigerian Dwarfs and Pygmy goats can "cycle" all year round, it becomes strongest during the months of Dec - Feb in So. CA. For the rest of the year, I sometimes notice slight signs such as a little more spunkiness or aggressive head-butting between the two girls on the day they cycle. But usually, to the average person, these small signs are non-existent -- I just know my animals well enough to detect tiny changes in behavior.

Another baby pic .... and now. Boy, does he sure fill up the chair

Orange Tabby

An urban homestead's not complete without its collection of cats. Over the years we've adopted our fair share of strays and abandon kittens. And our latest cat addition, 'Spanky' (a.k.a "Boo," "Boogger"), is another in the long line of cats we've loved over the years.

Spanky (named after one of 'The Little Rascals') came to us two summers ago. Apparently some people on our block were killing his mother and her kittens. A woman up the street, knowing Jordanne's love of animals, rescued him from apparent death and ran him screaming to our house. I remember the day clearly. I was in the backyard and heard the wailing of what seemed to be a kitten in distress and here was our neighbor carrying this poor little guy whose eyes were barely open, imploring us to take him and save him from the cruelty of some kids who had nothing better to do than kill animals. So, that's how this blue eyed, not yet weaned ("bottle baby") came into our lives. Of course, he has no inklings he's a cat and rather considers himself particular to the human species.

Yesterday we received this inquiry about our cat:

I just got my latest issue [Mother Earth] in today's mail and loved the photos in the See You gallery. But it has generated a bit of a disagreement in our home! The photo of the kitten ... could you please tell me if it is a housecat or a bobcat baby?I know this sounds silly, but it's gotten a pretty spirited debate going ....We're looking forward to your reply! And looking at more photo galleries on your website now that we've found it.Have a wonderful day,Julie Town of Poy SippiWisconsin

He's certainly not a "bobcat," but does his best to defend the urban homestead from other cats in the neighborhood! Julie, thanks for your positive comments and found the pictures to be enjoyable and even going as far as spurring a spirited debate! Hope that settles that family disagreement.

Sunday was a perfect day to break in the new wood stove. Since new stoves emit a smell we figured on taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon (crisp, sunny and cool) to break in the Jotul. The first break in procedure is to heat the stove up to 200, let burn for an hour then allow stove to cool to room temperature. Then fire up again till temperature reaches 300 degrees, let burn for another hour and once again allow stove to cool to room temperature. Repeat once more with temperature reaching 400 degrees.  With it being a nice day, we had the front and back doors open to allow the "new stove" smell to escape.  

For kindling we used scrap pieces of wood that were salvaged. The large logs were the non native eucalyptus that we bartered for with a friend of ours who has a tree trimming business.

Upon the first firing of the stove, we all stood around in a sort of hypnotic gaze as the soft flames illuminated the glass window.

"...We start from the premise that heating a house with wood, partly or totally, is environmentally appropriate (conditionally) and economically beneficial. That doing it is physically healthful, and that experiencing it is comforting to the body and soothing to the spirit. Big claims for a heating fuel.Like any other human endeavor, wood heating can be done badly or well. Wood can be harvested poorly, burned dirty and its heat wasted. Or, wood can be harvested sustainably, burned cleanly and efficiently, and its energy used to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. " - woodheat.org

More about heating you house with wood -- woodheat.org
10 Reasons Why Should Heat with Wood

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