Wild things

Now that the weather has turned, we're filling our feeder with black oil sunflower seeds again. News gets around fast; along with the birds, the lovely Western gray squirrels are back, and this morning I had to scare a young raccoon away before I could let the dogs out to relieve their bladders (it was dark; I didn't get a photo).

Yesterday while riding I noticed our neighbor to the east had visitors. The "meadow rats" are welcomed there, even fed treats; you can tell they are comfortable. I hope our dogs keep them from being as comfortable across the fence line!

Speaking of dogs, we are back to a pack of two; after a year and a month, Mighty Mouse has left the building. Dicey has gone to live with the woman who first fostered her and dearly loved her, but couldn't keep her because of two other chihuahuas in residence (one was viciously dominant). Those chihuahuas have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge, so Dicey will get to be a spoiled only pet and help fill an empty heart and home. She'll probably appreciate a quieter place; she won't have to dodge big dogs and wrestling menfolk.

Shoot; I'd appreciate a quieter place! I'm not sure our furniture – or our house – can stand much more of this!

Down in the fold tonight it wasn't much better. Sisters Bree and Babette were going at it something fierce; I think hormones must be raging. To break things up I took Babette out of the fold for a bigger coat and a pedicure. You know what that means – fleece shots. ;-)

That's it for now from wild and crazy . . .

Oops and oof

We start early on Wednesdays; High School Music Ensemble meets before classes start. Imagine my horror when through the deck door I saw a pair of little (big) ears in the pre-dawn gloom! I had left Dicey out all night. She frequently wets her bed and I had put her out one last time last night after changing her blanket yet again, then completely forgot about her. It's a wonder that she wasn't picked off by a predator; she didn't even seem chilled. Thank-you, Lord, for protecting our littlest charge!

This was largely the reason for my lapse. Rick got home around 11:00 last night (totally missing all the drama of dealing with Brian re homework and practice), towing that load of logs. Yesterday afternoon he had a vet call at the coast, at a client's who had offered him firewood. So after the vet work, Rick cut and loaded all those huge rounds by himself, coming home stooped, sweaty, and spent.

Our firewood situation this year is akin to the saying "Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink;" abundant wood, but very little seasoned and stacked for THIS winter's use. Hopefully some of that wood he's already split will be dry enough to burn.

That's it for today from . . .

Summer shots

What says “summer” for you? For me it is lazy dogs,

geraniums,

the Tour de Fleece,

and working in – and eating from – the garden.

This morning I picked a bowlful of white currants before it got too hot. I thought I'd picked most of them before Cowboy Campmeeting, but I could have filled a bowl TWICE this size!

The snap peas are keeping us in fresh vegetables while we wait for other harvests. I've also made one big batch of pesto from our basil, and used a few turnips.

Hmm; looks like I'd better start searching for more turnip (root and greens) recipes – pronto!

Keeping the soaker hoses going at . . .

Serving updates with lemonade

I'll admit it; I'm loving the photo opportunities that our expanded view gives us. I wouldn't have chosen to trade my privacy for them, but since it wasn't my choice I'll just make lemonade. (Hope you guys like lemonade, because I'll be sharing lots of it I'm sure!)

Critter updates

Horses: Oliver is a stall potato (as usual for most of the year) while Lance and I get out regularly for exercise and schooling. I mostly document our time together over on my Dances with Horses blog.

Sheep: Browning and Blake are still in the Ram-ada Inn but neither one is limping now – nor is Bittersweet. I think they are getting sprains or strains in the mud, which is deeper this year than it has been in awhile. The girls would like to get out more, but I don't have a separate sacrifice area.

Chickens: All is copacetic in the coop; Elvira is one of the flock now. It would be nice to get more than an egg a day from ten hens, but I have enough for our modest needs and can't expect more from a "mature" flock.

Cat: Oreo is fine, if a plump little butterball this winter.

Dogs: Laying around me in the living room as I type, living a life of ease unless Jackson and Dicey think sounding the alarm is necessary (thankfully we have ONE quiet dog – Dozer). Dicey damaged a hind toenail recently and eventually lost it altogether, making her three-legged lame for awhile, but it has healed up now.

Sprite: Brian's parakeet continues to be a sweet and charming addition to our home. (And Brian's goldfish are fine, too.)

Indoor updates

Orchid: The first blossom is fully open now, and I never tire of looking at it!

Knitting: I did, indeed, cast on Father Cables. The recommended cast-on was a new one to me. The Alternating Cable Cast-on makes such a beautiful finished edge; where has it been all my knitting life???

Now I need to go cook. Brian is playing at a friend's house. When the dad and boys bring him home at 6:00, they are staying for supper. The wife/mother was another of my homeschool co-op friends who died a few years ago.

That's it for today from . . .

Wrapping up my birthday month

The weather, it is a-changin'. I posted the above photo on Instagram this morning; within an hour it had clouded over and started sprinkling.  It hasn't amounted to anything so far; I'm hoping the temperature stays warm enough to prevent anything nasty accumulating overnight, because I have to go to work tomorrow.

The boys enjoyed the last morning rays we may see for awhile, while exploring changes to their environment:

Yes, the Shetlands are segregated again. Yesterday Rick finished up a couple projects he's been working on, one of which was an access lane between the little Ram-ada Inn lot and the larger wooded lot. Once he completed that, I caught and moved Vienna and Sarai back into the Sheep Sheraton with the other girls, then led ram-man Blake through the lane to the wooded lot and back to show the wethers the new passageway. To my surprise, they were immediately comfortable moving back and forth through this new set-up. Now I have a much easier way to round the boys up for hands-on management like coat changes; slick!

In addition, Rick finished installing a new hydrant outside the horses' paddocks. Brian helped with that, cleaned the henhouse, and did some homework. Besides shuffling sheep, I worked on some graphics jobs, made a four-loaf batch of bread, and sliced, salted, and kneaded 12 pounds of cabbage for sauerkraut. After all that, I sat down for a well-deserved rest:

Well, one of us got a rest!  ;-)

That's it for November from . . .

Texture Tuesday

– with photos shot on a Friday, because I don't have enough time at the moment to compose my Thankful Thursday post. Ha!

Oh, and here's a "portal" shot, inspired by Sara, taken through my "last stand" Japanese maple at the front of the house.

That's it for now from . . .