The clock is ticking

😎😎😎

The end of pasture time for the sheep is in sight. The foxtail is heading out, and the current summer-like weather will accelerate its maturity:

So while I can, I'm letting them have as much pasture time as possible:

supplemental bottle-feeding is ending very soon for these two, too

testosterone poisoning has begun

The horses are enjoying pasture time, too, just not as freely as the sheep because of the risk of founder:

Several of my sheep are reserved already, and other placements look promising. Bree, Bling, and Blackjack are going to join Berlin's and Boomer's fiber flock, and Bridger (the big, graying chunk below) is going to be a future flock sire:

The warm weather has moved shearing to the top of the to-do list. I rooed Spot on Tuesday, sheared Boop on Wednesday, and rooed Blaise today. Just three more to go . . . and then to get to work on skirting and marketing.

Spot enjoying a post-rooing dandelion snack

Couldn't capture Boop's rich, dark color; so soft, crimpy, and LONG!

I haven't been too busy to appreciate the beauties of the season. The new leaves of my potted Japanese maples, the lilacs and wood hyacinths, and the apple blossoms with their promise of later abundance:

coordinated spinning 😊

my young Braeburn

one of the two big pasture apple trees

No garden work yet; Rick has been working to get both our riding lawn mower and our worn old Kubota tractor up and running again. Fingers crossed  that happens soon!

That's it for now from . . .

Ch-ch-changes!

Yikes; it's almost October! High time for a catch-up post; I've been BUSY.

Weatherwise we are still warm and very dry, even though the days are rapidly getting shorter and a bit of fog sometimes appears down in the valley. There is a good chance of rain in the next day or so, which would bring welcome dust relief at least. Then, after a couple cooler days the temps are to soar back into the 80s next week . . . in October. 🙄

Blog reader Tim commented that he'd like to see Poppy doing agility. Class members have switched around recently so it took a bit to find someone who would video us, but we did get some of our work recorded last Thursday night. This isn't our best run, but I'm really pleased with her willingness and attentiveness!

As home, as usual, it's easier to capture her in repose:

While Poppy and I only do agility class once a week with a smattering of training here and there at home, I've really been stepping up the frequency of Stella's training. In the middle of the month I signed up for an online training challenge because I hadn't been able to coordinate a lesson with my favorite trainer since January, so of course said trainer texted me the very next day with a date that did work. That's okay; the more help I can get with this hot little number, the better!  

I'm also getting training in a totally new direction – caring for and propagating African violets! Blogpal A noticed my mention of having my little plant repotted, and contacted me with some advice. Considering that she grows, shows, and is a judge of African violets, you could say she is eminently qualified. 😉 So I asked for her help with the African violets that live at the office (not mine), and have since collected the needed supplies to restart some crowns and start some leaves to try and save these. (The two with blooms were my boss' grandmother's and so have sentimental value.)

On Sabbaths, I've been picking up my dear 90+-year-old friends for church. The wife is now in a care home but the husband is still managing at home (but lonely); both are very frail so time together is precious.

I continue to find new ways to use my ever-growing rye sourdough starter. These cinnamon rolls turned out pretty but weren't good enough to repeat the effort; some other recipes definitely ARE keepers:

I have been harvesting our prunes over the last couple weeks. Some were shipped to Vermont as a house-warming present, some were shipped to my mom as a birthday present, and some went to my boss; the rest (of what I've picked) filled these two dehydrators:

The single red bell pepper I've gotten from my deck garden pot was harvested yesterday for stir fry; I don't know if the little ones still on the plant will have time to mature. Tomatoes are coming at a steady pace, and I continue to harvest basil as needed.

I'm still working on my big spin/ply project, combining colored singles with a fine black single:

Rick hauled home five more tons of second cutting orchardgrass hay today from central Oregon. We got the trailer unloaded (the bales are 100# so we're all bushed); the pick-up is backed under shelter so this "green gold" doesn't get rained on. We need at least another five tons before we're set for the year; not sure yet when and where we'll get it, but do have it sourced.

The Better Mousetraps are still doing their jobs well in the tackroom. I do feel bad for the cute little creatures, but can't have them destroying the tack and sheep suits in there.

Speaking of sheep (suits), BIG changes are coming for the flock. Recently someone contacted me about acquiring some fiber pets. Since Boomer wants to be friends and I haven't had any interest in him as a potential flock sire, castrating him so he can be someone's loving little fiber grower is the perfect solution. But who else could I part with? The buyer and I finally settled on yearling Berlin and retiree Sarai; I will be delivering the three of them in mid-October. Parting with some sheep means there is room for a few more, so I plan to put together a breeding group this Sunday. After Boomer leaves I will add his dam to the group; a friend is bringing over her dairy-cross ewe for Spot to serve then, too. Bridget won't have months to get around to breeding this year; Spot has reservations with another small breeding group in WA sometime in mid- to late November. He's going to be a busy ram!

Sayonara to September from . . .

Memorial

A week ago I posted the above photos on Instagram and Facebook, for Dad. That morning – ten days after I left – he died peacefully at home. Thankfully a favorite aide and the wonderful hospice nurse were there with Mom, and then the next-door neighbor came. She took Mom over to her house while the body and hospital bed were removed and then went back to the empty house with her to sit and talk. My sister was already planning to drive down; she and her son arrived on Monday. A week from today we will fly down for the second memorial service in two months.

We all miss Dad, but would not wish him to linger longer, trapped as he was in a hospital bed by the effects of an inoperable brain tumor. We have no regrets, and  know he is at rest until God's trumpet sounds on Resurrection Day – reunion day! Gotta smile at that.

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Life goes on here. The weeds got a galloping head start all over the property and we will never catch up, much less get ahead of them. That may very well mean no garden for us. I considered hiring help, but we have had significant extra expenses so I abandoned that idea. Might as well enjoy that which blooms in spite of neglect:

The animals get more attention, and will get their own posts. One sheep still needs shearing and another still needs to deliver; fleece harvest will be completed by the end of May but lambing will not. Yes, I could miss the last lambing just as I did the first; such is life. For the same reason Poppy and I have missed numerous agility classes but we are still making progress and have fun. Stella and I progress more slowly, but the joy is in the journey – and her beauty. She and Lance are enjoying the maturing pasture even while the sheep are frustrated by their lack of access, now that the foxtail awns are hard. They have to be satisfied with first-cutting hay (the 'horse hay') and occasional opportunities to graze the edges of the driveway.

Anyway, like I said, there are photos and posts for all of that. Until then, my blog friends.