This morning, we got an exciting surprise. Kittens! The farm's calico barn cat had babies a few weeks ago, but no one has been able to find them. She has hidden her past litters very well, so the task of finding them in the array of old barns and buildings on the property was daunting. Today, though, when we walked outside to let the chickens out of the coop and feed the horse, we saw mamma cat walking across the road towards the horse barn with a kitten in her mouth. The first kitten sighting! A neighbor who helps with work around the farm showed up right after we saw the momma cat and kitten, and he volunteered to climb into the old barn and search for the kittens. He came out with about a dozen eggs the chickens have sneakily been laying in the wrong place, and an armful of squirming, wriggling little kittens. 

They are just the softest little things. There were four in this litter. 

We brought them into the house so they can acclimate to humans and eventually find loving homes. 

We've been feeding this beauty, a retired rodeo horse, some apples that got old. They are her favorite treat. 

We left the farm this morning and are currently in Charlottesville, Va, on our way to visit our wonderful friends Gwen and Jack and their baby in Crofton, MD. We're also planning a visit to Washington, DC for the cherry blossoms. Apparently, they are supposed to be at their peak this weekend or early this week, which is later than usual, and very serendipitous for us! We've been loving the drive through Virginia's rolling hills on non-interstate roads, and spent the morning stopping at yard sales and a few amazing antique stores. We picked up a new treasure for the Etsy store, which we'll post soon. Happy Saturday...hope you are enjoying your weekend!