Photo by Audrey Pavia Cheddar enjoyed his camping trip this weekend. One of the perks of being a professional writer is that you get to research the stuff you are writing about. When the editors of Cat Fancy magazine agreed to have me write an article on traveling with cats for their August 2012 issue, […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Mr. Mabel tempts face as he loiters dangerously close to Milagro’s hooves. I’m not one of these people who assume chickens are stupid. I know they have that reputation, but I think they are actually pretty smart. They learn quickly, have a surprising capacity to think things out and are very […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia This is one of the yards filled with critters I saw on my ride the other day. When I ride Milagro around my town of Norco, Calif., I almost always take the same route. We climb from the flatter, older part of town, where we live, to the higher elevations. It’s […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Mr. Molly, hanging out by the garage door. I recently wrote about how my chickens constantly follow me around when I’m in the backyard. Shameless beggars, they have no qualms about pattering around behind me as I do my chores. Lately, they have developed another interesting quirk. They have become obsessed […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Me and Quinna, Milagro’s mother. Most horse owners aren’t lucky enough to know much about their horse’s history. They have to research breed registration records or hire animal communicators to learn about a horse’s past. I’m fortunate in that my main man, Milagro, came from a breeder who is a friend […]
I am constantly tempted by the adorable baby chicks for sale in feed stores at this time of year. It’s that time again — time when I walk into the feed stores in town and see heated holding pens filled with oodles of adorable baby chicks. There they are: little yellow balls of fluff. And […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia A goldfinch outside my office window proves the beauty of urban wildlife. When I hear people who live in rural areas talk about their wildlife sightings, I feel pangs of envy. They have deer grazing in their backyards. They have a family of raccoons that visit the back porch every night. […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Bodhi is surprisingly athletic. If I were a rural farmer instead of an urban one, I’d have several barn cats that would spend their days stalking mice and chasing butterflies. But I have an urban farm, which means I not only have to worry about coyotes eating a barn cat, but […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Milagro and Rio tell me they love me. I’ve been in love with horses since I was a little girl. This unending passion started at around age 9 and never quit. For most of my horse-loving childhood, I rode rental horses at stables near my house. I’d fall in love with […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Bandit, my roommate’s Corgi, proved his herding instinct this week. Having one Corgi in the house is a blast, so having two should be double the fun, right? Well, usually it is. But Jellybean Bandit, my roommate’s Pembroke, seems to always be in trouble. Bandit loves people. When you pet him, […]
