Is it just me or did 2019 fly by? Last year was a great one for us, but 2020 is sure to be very exciting. To celebrate the new year, the beautiful sunshine, and the fact that I got off work when there was still enough light outside to see without a flashlight (I miss summer,) I went out with my camera to visit the furry residents of the Brownfield Ranch.

The ranch has three guard donkeys. Don’t laugh, it’s true. Donkeys, like llamas and certain dog breeds are ideal for keeping herds safe from predators. Our three, M&M, Misty, and Lilly like to hang out with the cows and the horses. They love ear scratches, and she let me hear about it when I stopped scratching and stepped back to snap a quick photo of her sweet face!

Black cats always seem to have a bad reputation, but personally, they’re my favorite. Take this little dude for example. His name is Mr. Pickles (When I asked about the reasoning for the name the answer I got from the four year old who named him was “I don’t know, just ‘cause I like it.” How can I argue with that?) and he is the sweetest kitty ever. All he wants (besides food) is to cuddle. I crouched down and had just long enough to snap this picture before he leaped into my lap and made himself right at home.

He’ll slink around your ankles, which admittedly makes it hard to walk, especially when you’re trying to be careful where you step because of the mud in the pasture. Mr. Pickles followed me from the backyard all the way out to visit with the cows. What other cat would work that hard for affection? His twin is very much the opposite. Very shy, mostly staying hidden in the shadows. I’ll catch glimpses from time to time, a flash of black in the corner of my eye. It is my greatest ambition- perhaps a New Year’s Resolution- to get her to trust me enough to pet her. We shall see.

I have a confession. I am obsessed with animal noses. Does anyone else think they’re adorable? I can’t tell you how many pictures of dog, cat, horse, cow, etc. noses I have. Maybe I should gather them all up and make a post just with those pictures… but we’ll save that for later.

This sweet little lamb we believe is deaf. Our herd is a little bit wild, and they don’t like to let me get too close (at least when I don’t have treats for them to eat) but this little guy, with his eyes closed didn’t seem to notice me, or hear my camera clicking. I was able to get right up next to him and pet that adorable little nose before he realized his herd was leaving without him.

I’ll be completely honest here, I don’t like winter. I’m one of the few people who’d rather it be 110 degrees outside than below 60. I don’t like how bare the trees look without leaves, or how it gets dark so early that I feel like I can’t get anything done after work.

However, one of the best things (in my humble opinion) about winter is the cows’ winter coats. During the summer they’re sleek and shiny, but during the winter their coat gets long and fluffy to keep them warm. Sure, they look a little scraggly, that long winter coat really traps all that winter mud in and hangs on to it. But look how fluffy!!! Don’t you just wanna wrap your arms around his furry neck and snuggle?

I used to have a bucket calf who seemed to always be fluffy and he loved snuggling with me. His name is Monster and he was the cutest calf ever. He never did grow to be a normal size, in fact I think my German Shepherd is bigger than him. Perfect for cuddling. Unfortunately, eventually he had to be put back with his herd and I couldn’t just walk into the backyard with a book and a bottle of calf milk and hang out with my little buddy for hours. He’d still let me hug his neck if I made the trek out into the pasture to find him though.

Grace is an Akbash, and like the donkeys she guards the herd. She blends in with the sheep and scares off predators at night. She’s a good girl, for sure. She loves being petted and she very much enjoyed following me around the ranch as I took photos. She doesn’t blend as well in the daylight, because the sheep kept scattering away from me and my camera as she bounded up behind me.

All the ranch dogs are very good at alerting us to the presence of any visitors. As soon as someone pulls up to the front gate one dog will bark a warning and the rest of them (we have a lot of dogs) join in the noise. If you didn’t notice the car’s engine, you’ll definitely notice 8 barking dogs. They sound ferocious too, I wouldn’t like to be a coyote trying to sneak up on their herd.

This little beauty was named Vivian Rose when she was born last summer by the youngest Brownfield cowgirl. She came over to me and my camera, let me scratch her forehead and pet her sweet nose (I love them, don’t judge me!) but when the mini pony, Peanut Butter, and her baby, Batman, came over and my attention moved to them, Vivian decided that she would nibble on my jacket.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been bitten by a horse but it does not feel good! Luckily I had a thick Carhart jacket on and all she got was sleeve. I guess that is another point in favor of winter. She’s a cute little stinker though.

This little fur-ball is named Callie Oakie. Because she is a calico cat, obviously! Callie gets whatever Callie wants, be it belly scratches, to be in the office (which she is not supposed to be in), or the other cats’ food (don’t believe what she tells you, that is NOT all fur.) Look at that face though. She has you captured, doesn’t she? You wanna pet her now, right? It’s her superpower. She’s irresistible. There was nothing you could have done.

I so enjoyed walking around the property, spending time outside in the sunshine with all my four legged friends- and they enjoyed it too. I hope you all have had a lovely kick off to the new decade (wow, that went by so fast!) and got to enjoy the sunshine too!

Let me know in the comments what New Year adventures you’ve had.