Fat Pony Farm

10/10/2026

Where to go if you’re voting in Shelby County, Tennessee. Early voting starts Wednesday, October 14. It’s my favorite time to vote because it doesn’t matter which polling station you go to. Pick any precinct. Make a date to go with a friend, coworker, or a family member.

Please post and share how you celebrated after you vote on any of these voting PSA’s that I share. Everybody needs good party ideas!

Make sure you know where to go for early voting. Be Voter Ready this election season. For more information, visit shelbyvote.com.

10/09/2026

Are you ready to vote? This will help in Tennessee:

10/08/2026

Free bird!

Um, free bird walk in Collierville!
FREEBIRD!!!

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with the Collierville Environmental Commission and discover some of the birds that travel through Shelby County this season!

Join us for a free guided bird walk led by Ryan Pudwell, Field Trip Coordinator of the Memphis Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and President of the Nonconnah Creek Conservancy.

📅 Saturday, October 10
⏰ 7:00 a.m. to approximately 9:00 a.m.
📍 Johnson Park
Free and open to everyone
No reservations are necessary

📍 Meeting Location:
Meet at the picnic tables under the trees next to baseball fields 6–9. From there, the group will gather near the path leading toward the lake and baseball fields 1–5.

The walk will follow the dirt trails at Johnson Park at an easy pace, with some uneven terrain.

What to Bring:
👟 Comfortable walking shoes
🔭 Binoculars (a limited number may be available)
📱 Smartphone with Merlin or eBird app downloaded (optional)
💧 Water

Come enjoy the outdoors, learn more about local birds and celebrate the incredible migration happening all around us! 🐦🌿

10/07/2026

Lovely photo of the monarch in the Turk’s cap this morning by Anne Ballentine. Then I caught the Bald cypress changing to rust in the afternoon sun.

10/06/2026

What’s up:
Whorled sunflower and some very, very happy bumblebees. The asters are just beginning to pop.

Both of these native plants are immensely valuable for wildlife. Helianthus species make around 77 kinds of caterpillars and asters make around 112 or so. They were all full of birds this morning. The goldfinches are back and plenty of mockingbirds too.

10/04/2026

Native bumblebees are so happy on all the blooming native goldenrod. They get very excited!

PSA
Tomorrow, Monday, October 5 is the last day to register to vote in Tennessee. If you’re in Shelby County, you can check your registration through Shelby County, TN Election Commission . Several other southern states have deadlines tomorrow as well. They are listed in the photos.

The Tennessee State website (and your App Store) also has a link to the GoVoteTN app:

http://sos.tn.gov/govotetn

10/04/2026

Lights out again tonight:

**Bird Migration Hits New High**

The weekend did bring that massive bird surge over the Great Lakes as expected, and the country set a new yearly high on total birds in flight just under 900 million. This was on Friday night, last night brought over 600 million. Tonight will be another epic night and worth keeping the outdoor lights off for a safer flight for the migratory birds.