My seed order arrived on Friday. I haven't had great luck starting my garden indoors, but when I got an intriguing catalog from
Abundant Life Seeds in the mail, with varieties of veggies tailored for the Willamette Valley, I decided to give it another go. Of course, not all of these need to be started indoors, and this is not all that will be planted in our garden this year, but it is an exciting beginning.
Work on the marvelous Maia continues. I was wise to start this while I have the house to myself, for while I enjoy every stitch and love every bead, I do have to pay close attention and count carefully.
Yesterday was a three-egg day, but not from the same three hens who have recently been contributing. I do believe another of the Speckled Sussex has started to lay; hurray!
Sabbath afternoon was soft and lovely out, so I decided to let the girls have some
real pasture for awhile. I led them to the middle pasture, propped up a temporary gate, and sat down on a foot stool to watch and read.
See the "meadow rat" on the other side of the fence?
Inky wasn't all that interested in grazing; I think it hurts her arthritic old bones to bend down. But she gave me some
wonderful photo opportunities. Some of you know just how hard it is to get good shots of black sheep, and I couldn't be happier with these!
She came over to where I was seated, and I just so happened to have a small package of animal cookies. None of my sheep have ever showed much interest in them, but on a whim I bought some recently and stashed them in my pocket. Inky
loved them!
Bramble also hung out with me. She was more interested in scritches than cookies, so I read and scratched her, pulling off some loose tufts from her forearms while I was at it. I hope some birds find and utilize this for nesting material!
About the time I thought it prudent to take them off the lush grass (I almost lost one of my first ewes to grass tetani), they decided they were done. So with the shake of a grain can, I led them back to the fold for the night.
Later, after doing chores, I hung with them in the fold. I just love watching my pregnant ladies! Annabelle softly grunts now when she's laying down; maybe she's hiding two in that long, capacious body of hers. Katie is particularly itchy, and practically collapses in paroxysms of pleasure when I reach under her coat and apply my fingernails to her hide. A couple times Bronwyn cocked her head at a strange angle and got a peculiar look in her eye; was she trying to figure out that strange movement in her belly? As for Bramble, I started getting a strange gut feeling myself that she might, indeed, be pregnant. No physical signs at all; I even spent quite awhile holding her belly without feeling anything conclusive. I could be all wet; we'll all find out in three weeks!
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This afternoon I'm off to coach my friend Debbie and volunteer at our chapter's dressage show - the one in which Russell and I were going to compete. Life goes on.
That's it for now from . . .
These two boys are just "at each other." This morning during chores they were ramming and side-bashing, which explains the banging I've heard coming from the Ram-ada Inn lately. I don't know what's gotten into them. Pending micron test results, these are the two I want to keep and use for awhile, so they better not damage one another!
