A one-rein stop

The horse people among you know that the title describes a last-ditch method of regaining control of a panicking or headstrong mount. That's what I had to do to manage this week's blog post. Life is running away with me right now, and as soon as I loosen the reins by hitting 'Publish,' off we'll go again!

Last Saturday it rained; we got nearly half an inch. That gave Rick a window of safety on Sunday to mow the middle and upper pastures without risking a spark. The upper pasture's fence is partly down to accommodate the shop's construction so it's off limits to livestock, but the ewes and lambs can go out on the middle pasture now. We turned them out through the small gate Sunday afternoon and starting cleaning out some of the accumulated bedding in the Sheep Sheraton so I could open and shut the big gate.

Bitsy and Blaise in the foreground, with the rest in the distance

Blaise and Bitsy kept to themselves which is not too surprising as they have been living in the extra horse stall – until I noticed Bitsy lying down instead of enjoying the room to move. I investigated and she arose, three-legged lame. So the farmhands switched gears to veterinarian and assistant. Rick was sure Bitsy had a broken bone in her left front, but took multiple x-rays and could not find one (Bitsy might glow in the dark now). I had been pondering how to arrange quarters to wean Bitsy, but for now she's back in the stall with her skinny old mama Blaise to rest and heal whatever got injured.

The rest of the ewes and lambs continue to go out, scrounging what they can and getting hay at night (instead of twice a day):

The three yearling ewes; were any of these "mean girls" to Bitsy?

Or was it one of the adult ewes?

The other lambs, I'm sure, were innocent.

Tuesday morning the shop's footings were poured,

and on Wednesday, Rick's duties as the State Fair veterinarian began. The Fair officially opened today, but some of the animals arrived and started competing before that. We are up before dawn for the duration and Rick has to do another walk-through at the end of the day so gets home late; we both feel the disruption/abbreviation of our normal sleep routine. I enjoy more pretty sunrises now, though!

How many hot air balloons can you see? (click to biggify)

This is high-gear season for garden and fruit production, too, of course. I bought and froze two lugs of peaches, and our own apples and prunes will soon be ready to pick and process. I have been cooking out of the garden as much as possible but not enough to keep up. Looks like I'll actually get enough tomatoes for canning and/or tomato soup this year; the plants are loaded with more!

the constant state of my counter these days

Then there are the self-imposed stampedes involving yarn. I have been working hard for months to meet a challenge to spin and knit at least a pound of fiber this year. This week I finally cast on the sweater that's to use up 14oz (2oz yet to be spun):

it's a bit farther along now, but looks nothing like the picture yet

Ten days ago a four-week knit-along challenge was announced on Romi Hill's Ravelry forum, so I decided that would be great motivation to ply and knit an additional 5oz of 'Pink Grapefruit' Polwarth singles I spun earlier in the year. The challenge began a week ago today. Do you think I can get this

knit into this (sans beads; I'm not totally insane)

in three weeks???

"Did someone say 'stampede'?"

Ahhhgust, you've redeemed yourself

Since Sunday, Hotgust has become Ahhhgust, with clouds in the morning keeping a lid on the sun's power and daytime highs at a much more comfortable level  – and it's going to continue!

See? Ahhhgust!

Other things continue, too – garden production (tomatoes now!), work on the new shop/woodshed, spinning/plying, and even a little sheep maintenance and marketing.

After weeks of vine growth and flowers, I now have SEVEN litttle butternuts!

What I thought was a quartet is actually a quintet, all in different stages

I hate waste, but some tangles cannot be tamed

Bud needs a home – or castration

With this fleece, he could stay as a fiber pet/ram companion

Clearly Bud needs a good monkey-picking so I can cover that pretty fleece to keep it cleaner. I did get Bitsy picked and coated, but didn't get any photos. She, too, has a beautiful black fleece, and is staying.

Summer continues at a gallop and I need to try and keep up. So that's it for now from . . .

Back in my comfort zone

Ah, solitude. It restores my inner calm, especially after a week of company with fluid plans and no schedules. My ideal life resembles a two-track lane in remote country – yes, even the 'ruts' (I like routine!). My reality, of course, is not so quiet; the unpredictable schedules of the other two adults in the house, inside and outside chores, three part-time jobs, regular visits to an old friend in a care home, responsibilities at/for church, and all the things I do for 'therapy' – playing with fiber, riding my horse, agility with Poppy (when class isn't cancelled due to heat), blogging.

For now, I am enjoying having the house to myself for a short time. Rick and Brian are off ocean fishing with a friend for a couple days; they left last night and come back tomorrow sometime. 

The dogs, of course, are keeping me company while I try to get a long list of assorted tasks checked off and eat leftovers.

Poppy tends to curl up as she runs cold

Leo tends to sprawl out as he runs hot

Getting stuff done is easier to do now that I am comfortable. My right knee/hip/foot had gotten increasingly painful, so on Sunday I gave up toughing it out and starting taking naproxen sodium. Oh my; I forget how draining pain is, besides making it difficult to be on my feet by day and to sleep by night! Now I feel like a spring chicken. 😁 I've gotten the dose down to one tablet every 36 hours, and may try reducing that to one every other day. But I DO plan to stay on it!

I've got my first four skeins of homespun wound and am ready to start swatching for my Ariya Sweater:

Rick finished a Tawhai (New Zealand Silver Beech) bowl; the bowl blank was a gift from a friend:

The biggest sunflower in the garden; the herb tank; the fading lavender with a butterfly:

That's it for now from . . .