From liquid to limpid

This morning I shot a one-frame movie amalgamation. Chicken Run: A River Runs Through It.

In a word: nasty!

But by the time we got home from church, potluck, and visiting this afternoon, it was beautiful, so we loaded up the bicycles and rode around nearby Grand Island, a Willamette River island that claims to have some of the most productive farmland in the world. The river itself was running high,

and high water elsewhere kept us from making a couple different loops. But that same high water provided respite for migrating waterfowl. Small groups of Canadian geese often moved overhead, then Rick said, "Swans!" Sure enough, there were the great white birds on lapis lazuli, dwarfing the nearby Canadians:

Back home, the girls enjoyed grazing on glittering emeralds:

This evening I spent time in the fold with them. Sarai and Bree were feeling cuddly, perfectly content to let me take liberties with their persons. As a result I got my first chance this year to feel the flutter of little fetal feet (Sarai), and confirmed that Bree is indeed going to be a mommy!

Then I caught a much more reticent Babette to check her over and change out her coat for a bigger one. She shows no hint of maternity yet, so either she settled later than her sister or not at all. I wouldn't be surprised (or disappointed) if it were the latter; she's only a yearling and three bred ewes is plenty for my small set-up. But Babette is producing a lovely fleece:

That's it for today from . . .