A Thanksgiving tradition:
(Yes, I shot my favorite .22, too, but even better, I got to take Russell out for a ride!)Our Thanksgiving centerpiece:
Our menu, for those who are curious what vegetarians (like us and thecrazysheeplady) eat:
"Chicken" rice casserole
Homemade whole grain crescent rolls
Roasted Brussels sprouts (ala Crazy Aunt Purl):
Smashed sweet potatoes and yams with toasted sesame oil
Cranberry salad
Fresh veggies and olives from our centerpiece
Low-fat cheesecake topped with raspberry puree
We ate well, and I don't think I heard one single artery snap shut in the process. And the best part is there is plenty of leftovers for lunch today!
We had a lovely day together - until evening chore time. I opened the gate for the ewes, and out came four. Inky is often slow to bring up the rear, so I walked behind the others towards the fold - when they all veered off towards the Ram-ada Inn and the arena gate. It took some time and Rick's help to finally get them herded into the fold for the night - but Inky still hadn't shown up. I was sure I had heard her bleat from the pasture when I first opened the gate, so I took the flashlight and searched for her, hoping she was just caught by a branch and not down and unable to get up. Just that morning I had put a bigger coat on her, and she was unusually lovey. She is always calm and tame, but she has never shown any desire for scratches or rubs. But that morning she had stood for a long time, wagging her tail occasionally, while I rubbed around her ears. I thought of that as I searched in vain, and then started to panic as it became clear she wasn't there. Rick came out and searched again, to no avail. He muttered something about the only thing big enough to remove her from the little wooded lot without a mess is a big cat - and that added worry about the future of my remaining sheep to the twist in my gut over my missing one. I checked the arena, just in case she had wandered after the others and got left behind; nothing. I had already put the boys in the Ram-ada Inn for the night, but decided to walk through their pasture, just in case. And there, batting her black lashes through the gate at Blake, was Inky! I have no idea how she pulled off that sleight of hand, but my heart flooded with relief even as exasperation rose over the emotional rollercoaster she put me through - all because of hormones!
"Just who are you calling an "unhappy hussy"???That's it for now from . . .
17 comments:
Oh, and that gloriously-black-at-nine-years-of-age ewe above? The only thing "black" about this Friday for me. Can you believe some people spent the night outside to SHOP this morning? Worse yet, the Woodburn (OR) outlet mall opened last night -- and will be open for 24 HOURS STRAIGHT until tonight! Can you say craziness???
Oh, you BRAT!!!
You did that on purpose!
Had me all sad and teary eyed for "poor" Inky.
You COULD have just said: "Inky busted into the ram's pen"!
mumble, mumble, growl, growl...
;-)
Heh heh heh.... Laughing is good for the digestion, you know! ;-)
What a lovely and yummy Thanksgiving! I'm glad Inky is OK! Phew!
Looks like Inky really pulled one over on you! What a character! Glad everything turned out OK!
Nancy in Iowa
I love you "Thanksgiving turkey". I did something similar with my salad but not as 3D.
So glad Inky is ok.
We went for some ole Southern cooking for Thanksgiving!! It was delicious but I could feel my arteries clogging all the way home. Couldn't wait to get in the barn and work out!
You had me worried there for a minute. Glad she is okay. Love that Brian's gram is teaching him to sew his own jammies!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I 'ain't never' made any homemade whole grain crescent rolls or roasted brussel sprouts. I know where I'M coming for Thanksgiving next year ;-).
I love your Thanksgiving centerpiece. Looks yummy!
Glad that Inky was safe - I know that feeling of panic and dread when someone is missing.
I love happy endings when someone's missing. All too often it goes the other way! Hormones... now you know when to watch her next. :-)
...OH! And those Roasted Brussels Sprouts!! What a fabulous way to cook them. I'll have to look up your recipe. I've done them (with meat, though) as a curry with onions and cubed squash - olive oil, curry, ginger, yogurt. YUM YUM!
Oh, I love it that Grandma is teaching Brian to sew. Neighbor Sandy's grandson is addicted to Project Runway and sewed his own Halloween costume this year. Men used to sew - they called them tailors!
Out of curiosity, if you don't eat meat, what do you shoot??
Targets! And back in Oklahoma - snakes! (Good to keep your shooting skills up when you live in snake country.)
That sounds just like Inky! I remember one time I decided that I wanted to wean the lambs earlyer than she approved. I brought the lambs up to the house and left the ewes down in their irrigated pasture at my father-in laws. She squeezed her way under the fence and came threw the woods all the way up to our house and was waiting at the lambs gate the next morning.
She would always give the rams a bit of a hard time too if they wern't attentive enough.
Interesting her choice in Rams. I would have liked to see what she produced crossed with your new white ram lamb(Bunker?).
Franna, I have been thinking about your curry and think I will make it with the remaining Brussels sprouts and cubed winter squash!
Susan, I would love to see what Inky would produce crossed with Blake, Bunker OR Barish! I think any of those crosses could produce awesome lambs. But I'm afraid it would just be too hard on the old girl; she is thin, and has such a hard time getting up these days WITHOUT the extra load of lambs.
I love your turkey!
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