A seven-peak day!

What a glorious day – and on a Sunday, when I could enjoy it! After a leisurely start to the day, I took Lance out for a ride through the woods. We couldn't go as far as we did New Year's Day because of slick mud, but we had a nice mosey.

When I got back my guys were gone, so I decided to tackle the flowering prune tree in the island bed. It grows vigorous, vertical water sprouts which are best eliminated, but I'm saving the long, straight branches for a decorating idea.

When my arms got tired of wielding the pruning saw, I went inside and fixed myself a perfect lunch:

an 'everything' bagel, homemade sauerkraut, and a bit of Tillamook garlic white cheddar on the side – so good! While I was eating my neighbor called to see if I wanted to go for a walk, so after I finished we did just that. From her house at the end of our lane, we had a great view of the "big five" peaks (from north to south): Mt. Rainier (just the tip-top), Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood,

and Mt. Jefferson.

Then, thanks to my neighbor's experience and binoculars, we also saw the tips of a couple other peaks I haven't seen from our hill before, which we think were the North Sister and the Middle Sister. Cool!

We also met some of the local residents, both two-legged (including artists Steve and Toni Tyree) and four-legged.

We walked at least four miles, so my FitBit was well-fed today. I hope that translates to a good night's sleep!

Signing off from . . .

Sunrise and sheep shots

This morning's sunrise was the most colorful we've seen in awhile. It started out subtly and then kept building like a magnificent orchestral piece until the western sky had joined the swell (you can see a shot of the sky taken due west on Instagram if you click on the logo at right). What a treat!

Now for the sheep shots I took Sunday. My guys slept in that morning, so after feeding and watering all the critters, I decided to see who among the boys I could catch for needed coat changes. First up was my Benny-buddy. After admiring his rain-washed neck fleece, I decided he didn't need a bigger coat yet, so just trimmed his toes.

By this time, the rest of the boys had moved into the Ramada Inn lot through the chute Rick had set up, allowing me to shut the gate and easily catch the rest who needed wardrobe changes – perfect! Shy boy Bart needed the biggest coat I have:

Bing, like his half-sister Blaise, is much smaller, thanks to his petite dam Marta. 

Baby-daddy Blake had a funky 'do thanks to a coat with a big hole above his tail, but still looks beautiful mid-side, last rib:

Another year's crops of fleece and lambs is coming up quick. I haven't scheduled shearing yet, but will probably have it done when my farrier/shearer is here in March. Lambs may arrive by then, too!

Anticipating, at . . .

Refrigerated food

Sorry, but I'm putting off the Sunday sheep shots again. Too many photo ops presented themselves today, and other than doing chores, I have a good excuse to stay inside. It's icy out there! A thin layer of freezing rain over a thin layer of snow can create a surprising amount of treachery. Rick chained up his front tires and headed to work, only to turn around and come home to put chains on his back tires. He said he wouldn't have made it down our gravel lane and down the hill on the paved road without them; thankfully the roads on the valley floor are just wet. I'm not too hopeful that the ice on our hill will melt enough in the next few hours to safely drive Brian to his violin lesson, but we'll see. In the meantime, here are some creatures enjoying breakfast this grey and chilly morning. (As always, you can click to biggify.)

That's it for now from . . .

Let there be . . . white

Notice I didn't say "light." Without the fresh covering of snow we awoke to this morning, it would have been a very dim day indeed.

I was ready to move the Christmas tree out of the way to maximize available daylight – and minimize associated detritus.

When uploading these photos, I realized I didn't post the photos I took Sunday while doing sheep maintenance. They can wait until tomorrow, though, because when checking email this afternoon, I got a sobering Facebook update. Kelley, whom I first knew through our homeschool co-op, then as a co-worker for the past year-plus, has been battling cancer since mid-September, not with any hope of beating it, but to gain more time with her family. They had a family trip to Disneyland scheduled the week of January 10; it's not going to happen.

We are home, home sweet home. This is our 2nd day here, and it is great to be here. Kelley made the trip from OHSU to our living room, and at this point there is only one more trip that she'll have to make, and that will be on the Glory Train. We are home with hospice, and she has her mind on heaven. Kelley will bypass the happiest place on earth and head to the happiest place anywhere.

We are all sleeping in the living room, with Kelley in the middle of it, waiting for her to board the train. I'm so blessed to watch my three kids take care of their momma in these last few hours, they haven't left her side. Of course not, she never left theirs when they needed her. She trained them well. So the next time you'll hear from me is when Kelley has entered the presence of her King.

This will be the fifth death in our tightknit homeschool co-op group in less than five years, people my age or younger, people with children still living at home. It's not getting any easier to deal with; I bundled up and headed down to see my 'mental health mustang.'

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way; when sorrow like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'"