I haven't written a Thankful Tuesday post in a while. I think I started writing Thankful Thursday posts, but Thursdays became Throwback Thursdays once Pinks & Blues invented those wonderful weekly specials.

Anyway, today I am thankful for:
* a husband who is so very supportive of me and who believes enough in me so that I can have my own business doing what I love (teaching ESL). Thank you, Hubby! :)
* being able to live on such a beautiful island.
* living a few minutes away from my parents so that I am able to have supper with them once a week! :)
* being able to witness little miracles each and every day.
* blue skies and sunny days!

Okay, I promise that my next post will not be about the barn kittens, my dog, the cattle or the farm. I realize I've been going just a tad overboard with all the cute animal photos here! I just can't help it though!

I am just so amazed at how tiny the kittens were when they were born and how quickly they grow! They are much more active and mobile now at a month old, and they are each developing their own character. One of the little grey ones is definitely going to be named Hissy because every time I try to get near him to pick him up, he hisses and spits at me! It's really funny to see this adorable, tiny fuzz ball looking so cute...and then hissing!

Another thing that amazes me is that this is Fred's/Mama Cat's second litter and she is such an amazing mom! I love watching her with her babies. She's an incredible hunter and really takes care of her kittens. Remember the time last year when she went on her hunting expeditions and brought her loot back to our house? My students were in tears!

Fred had her kittens a month ago and her daughter from her first litter last Spring had a kitten two weeks ago. It's the weirdest thing. She only had one kitten! I have no idea if she had more, but that was the only one that survived or if she did in fact have just one kitten.
Though we need a few barn cats, I am going to get Fred and one or two of the others spayed and neutered once the kittens are weaned. The rest will be given away to anyone who wants a kitten. We usually get a few people wanting some of our kittens. The ginger coloured kittens are quite popular these days. They are pretty cute!

The interesting thing about the mother cat and her daughter having kittens at the same time is that I noticed that they take turns watching and taking care of the kittens. I never knew that cats would do a tag team parenting thing! Hubby told me this morning that Fred's daughter from last year had all of the kittens sucking from her. I had no idea that cats even took shifts and shared parenting like that!

Look who was hiding from me when he heard the sound of my vehicle! Too funny!This little ginger kitten is the only ginger kitten in the litter. I'm thinking of calling him "Old Blue Eyes" after Frank Sinatra.This little black kitten is the newest one I was talking about. His eyes are still closed and he's not very mobile yet. He is so sweet. I told Hubby that I've never had a pure black kitten before. *Hint! Hint!* Hubby said, "He's not going to be completely black. He's going to turn grey...and the answer is no. You can't have any more house kittens!" *sigh* I tried! I really like the cute little six-toed kitten and the tiny black one.Hubby says that all the animals on our farm have jobs. The reason we have cats is so they can act as pest control. The reason we have a dog is so he can guard our property and our home. Yeah, right! Chance is quite possibly the friendliest dog ever! One time, our friend Super Girl came over and Chance didn't even let us know that she was here! She knocked on the door but we didn't hear her, so she let herself in...with Chance escorting her in! Some guard dog!

Well, I suppose if he doesn't know the person he does bark or growl.

Speaking of Chance, here's his hairy butt! He is so darn hairy! I came in this afternoon and spent over an hour combing his thick coat and trying to get his undercoat taken care of. My arms were so sore after! It was a workout and a half just to comb his coat! Oh, he enjoyed it. I was thinking of shearing his coat for the Summer because it's so thick, but someone told me that I shouldn't do that. They said that he needs a thick coat to protect him from the sun and bugs. What should I do to keep him looking nicely groomed?

Since I left Toronto four years ago, Chance has not gone to the groomer's. He was accustomed to a pampered lifestyle of being groomed a few times a year and going on trips to the pet store to choose his new toys. Now, he just looks so scruffy! Anyone out there have a hairy dog? What tips do you have for grooming him myself? I don't want to subject him to what I did to him last year. The poor boy was mortified.

Okay, next post won't be animal or farm related. I promise! :)