Squirrel forecast

They say it feels like fall again. ;-)

That's it for today from . . .

Copy-catty

I enjoyed this post of Susan's, and decided to follow her lead and do a similar post on the beasties of Boulderneigh. But I have PICTURES; ha!  ;-)

Chickens: Our egg production dropped noticeably after Perch's unexpected demise in July. She was not only our special pet, she was a reliable layer. We don't have many of those anymore; our flock is aging. Welsie the Welsummer, is seven years old now! The four Speckled Sussex are five years old; one of them has been ailing lately. The Buff Orpington and the Easter Egger are three years old, and the four remaining Red Sexlinks are two years old. Someday I imagine we'll get some new girls; I'm dreaming of Black Sexlinks and more Easter Eggers.

Sheepies: All my woollies are doing well, growing gorgeous fleeces and dreaming of cooler weather, no doubt. (It's coming, sheepies!) Next month, my little breeding group of Blake, Sarai and Vienna will be together; until then I'm working on winning Vienna's heart. She arrived at Boulderneigh just about a year ago and went straight in with Blake, interfering with my usual taming routine, and has regarded me with suspicion ever since, even though her ewe lambs have been pocket sheep from birth.

"Move over, Mama!"

"Me, too!" "Me, three!!"

My breeding group will be an exact repeat of last year's; I would be perfectly happy with a repeat lamb crop. I sold three of the four lambs; here is a peek at keeper Bree's mid-side fleece:

Bree's daddy and Uncle Browning escaped the other day; good thing they are both easy to catch and handle! I wonder if Blake already has girls on his mind?

Don't get in a hurry, guys; I need to do some fall flock maintenance first! Some of you need pedicures . . . and bigger sheep suits.

I'm looking at YOU, Benny!

Horses: Lance, my "mental health mustang," and Oliver, who is mostly a pasture ornament (and Lance's 'herd' – very important!), are starting to get a little fuzzy. In spite of the heat, the lessening day length is triggering winter hair growth. Still have some future activities planned for them this fall, though; I'll share over on my dressage blog as they come and go.

Dogs:

Dozer and Jackson are, as ever, our (and each other's) faithful and loving companions. Jackson will be eight years old next month, and shows no signs of slowing down. Poor guy is getting eaten alive right now by fleas, though; YUCK. Used up our Frontline spray on him but it wasn't enough for a thorough treatment; need to pick up some spot treatment at Costco.

Dozer, on the other hand, is starting to get a little grey and limps a little on a front leg when he plays too hard or lays around too long. Bullies aren't as long-lived as dogs of comparable size; a sad fact we've lived through several times. But we won't talk about that; at seven and a half he's still our jolly, jumping chunky dog.

Cat: that would be Oreo, petite queen of our barn and pastures for the last nine years. Still going strong!

Parakeet: Spritey-bright is still a highlight in the house. She lives in Brian's bedroom and is quite the character and companion. Brian is looking forward to lots of quality time with her this school year, since he'll be in a much more intensive homeschool program than we've used in the past and will have more desk time.

That's it for all but the goldfish at . . .

Pretty, not pretty

This is pretty.

This is not.

At least the return of summer will be short-lived.

That's it for today at . . .

It IS Labor Day weekend, after all!

In the last two days, I've . . .

• Canned four quarts of spiced prunes.
• Cooked down and canned prune paste.
• Picked all the ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers, and cucumbers in the garden.
• Made a half-gallon of gazpacho.
• Canned seven pints of diced tomatoes.
• Processed three quarts of dill pickles, and started another four quarts of dills 'brewing' on the counter.
• Made a peach pie with the last of the peaches hoarded in the frig.
• Picked basil and made a batch of pesto.
• Did multiple loads of laundry.
• Rounded up the roving herds of dust buffalo on the hardwood prairie.
• Harvested a huge crop of hair from the carpet.
• Clipped dog toenails.
• Worked on the church newsletter.
• Still found time to ride my horse and do a little online window shopping.

Don't worry; the guys weren't idle. They stacked all the split firewood in the woodshed and spread manure to bolster the already growing grass.

Tired but satisfied, at . . .