Houston, we have a resolution!

After a full and satisfying first week of January (with LOTS of photos to show for it), I decided today that I really need to post here at least once a week. If things are busy, that will keep posting from becoming too overwhelming; if things are slow(er; does that ever happen???), posts won't end up so unwieldy. So here goes a recap of Week One.

The year started strong in the sunrise department, but dwindled as the week wore on and the weather socked in (rainy but mild). In spite of the increasing precipitation, Stella and I got in six rides in a row – a great start in my book! (If I get my act together, my dressage/training blog will be updated – and kept updated – soon as well.)

January 1 (already shared)

January 2, due east

January 2, ENE

January 3; my favorite

January 4

The new hens are settling in and definitely adding to the egg production. I think I've gotten eggs from three of them so far, but never catch them at it to identify who is laying the blue egg, who is laying the green egg, and who is laying a pale egg. Pretty Pearl, Ashes, and Puff regularly venture out into the run now, but Lady E rarely does.

L-R: Whiting True Blue egg, eggs from new hens (pale egg not shown)

L-R: Ashes, Puff, Pearl

A better photo of Ashes

I haven't gotten photos of the birds taking advantage of the black oil sunflower seeds I've been putting out this winter (my windows are too dirty), but this squirrel was a new one for our place. I think it is a Douglas squirrel, not one of our usual Western Gray squirrels. Poppy doesn't care; a squirrel is a squirrel and she desperately wants to CATCH one!

Hope springs eternal....

Male Anna's Hummingbird, in waiting

Female Anna's at feeder

I've been seeing and hearing these Red-Tailed Hawks often

Perched in the neighbor's tree; I'm guessing they are mates

Last Thursday I hung out in the Sheep Sheraton with my ewes for awhile. Everyone came up for scritches except Bette and Bernadette, who kept eating (maybe they are both eating for three???). Well, Boop didn't exactly come up for scritches; she was interested and curious, but didn't want me to actually touch her. Broadway made up for it; whenever I wasn't touching her she pawed at me or jumped up on me! I think I detect some swelling bellies; at the earliest lambs could arrive at the end of February but I'm not expecting any until March. I'll just have to watch and see, though, since I witnessed nothing to mark on my calendar.

"What about ME???"

Little Leo is a bona fide member of the family now. He has gone from "The Iceman" to "Frosty the Snowman" (a jolly, happy soul) and regularly cracks us up with his antics, mostly in playing with Poppy. And how they play! "Catch me if you can," "Keep Away," "Tug-o-War," and wrestling.

And then it's time for a nap. Leo stretches out,

and Poppy curls up – preferably in our bed!

A Frenchie and his (their) fishy

Mooch-hounds!

And how is Chuckie handling our new family member? Like a boss. Notice who is at the door? Chuckie has Leo's number. Now if both dogs decide to play 'chase,' Chuckie doesn't play it so cool.

Finally, one of my orchids is blooming again! This one has just two buds, but my smallest orchid has a bloom stalk that looks to have more developing. My old, scraggly poinsettias have also developed a wee bit of color (completely overshadowed by my anthurium). All of these are MUCH more colorful than my current cotton spinning project.

That's it for week one of 2023 at . . .

Riding a roller coaster into 2023

The last evening of 2022

The weekend started out nice enough. We had our special Christmas service on Sabbath since services last week were cancelled due to ice, and then went back to church that evening for a amateur hour/talent show in which my husband performed. After that we went to a senior home to visit my Dutch friends who had just moved there the day before after spending nearly a year apart due to health issues, and then got treats at Dairy Queen on our way home. Nice, huh? I thought so.

The dogs enjoying their Christmas gift still

Brian was gone when we got home; he'd told us he was going to hang out with friends. After doing chores, we settled in with the dogs and the fire in the fireplace to watch the news – until the power abruptly quit at 11:00. Oh well; we weren't planning to stay up to welcome in the new year at midnight anyway, so to bed we went.

The power was still out when fireworks and gunshots awoke us at midnight. It was still out when Brian called us at 1:45 am because his car was stuck in a ditch. Rick headed out to pull Brian out but found the ditch deserted (someone else stopped and pulled him out, but his phone died so he couldn't tell his dad) and Brian parked at home asleep in his car when he returned . . . with the power still out.

A bright, sunshiny new year dawns!

When the first day of 2023 dawned, the power was still out, so Rick started the generator to keep the fridge cold, the well pump operating, and a few outlets hot for charging phones. After my phone had charged, I went out to observe my one annual tradition, starting every new year on horseback. Thanks to the beautiful weather, we enjoyed not only a very good school in the arena (with a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring overhead), but also a ride down the gravel lane and back, wishing neighbors a happy new year. And while we were out, a neighbor texted that power had been restored; hurrah!

This afternoon I took down our little "tree," and with that, Christmas 2022 was dispensed with. A little handspun, handknit woolly sheep hat had joined the minimal ornaments on Christmas Eve, as it was one of my Christmas gifts from a dear friend (shown with Poppy's nose for scale):

Another gift – or the result of another gift – arrived yesterday in the mail. My sister gave me a gift certificate to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and I selected the following (don't tell my guys that I ordered three varieties of summer squash!):

Then I had a little dress-up fun with Leo. My mom has sent me some cute dog accessories over the years, mostly for the bulldogs we used to have  – the jingle bell collar was one of them. Today he modeled a couple others.

all dressed up with nowhere to go

"take me out to the ball game"

He's a photogenic little fellow, clothed or naked!

Happy New Year from . . .

Cold hands, warm hearts

We are being touched by the winter blast hitting most of the country. Temperatures dropped into the low 20s Wednesday night with a wind-chill of 10°; freezing rain/sleet arrived yesterday afternoon. This morning our world was white with the stuff, slick and treacherous. Rick and Brian had to chain up to get out and about and home today.

I've stayed busy with the extra schlepping required to support the animals and keep the house warm. (It's supposed to warm up and rain tomorrow, so it wasn't worth hauling out the extension cords and tank heaters.) I've been breaking ice for the horses, swapping out frozen buckets and waterers for sheep and hens, thawing the hummingbird feeder, putting out black oil sunflower seeds, and stoking the fire.

Without the bitter wind, the dogs have been able to go to the barn with me today. If I hadn't been so focused on staying upright, I would have tried to get video of them romping around with enthusiasm, slipping and sliding like cartoon characters. I did get some photos of Leo out in the pasture, enjoying an icy stem:

Ever since he and Gracie arrived, I've called Leo "Ice Man" for his color and pale eyes – and in the beginning, his emotional distance. Distant no more, he has a home for the holidays – and the rest of his days; yesterday Rick finally said we can adopt him.

Merry Christmas to all of us, to all of you!

In the nick of time

Yesterday dear, supportive, creative blogpal Debbie gave me a suggestion for Christmas decor. Since I was enjoying my first full day at home with just two dogs and much less chaos, I decided to implement it. The dogs and I went for a walk in the upper pasture, where I cut some small branches from our Douglasfir, tied them together, propped them up in a festive miniature orchard basket on the piano bench, wound on a wee strand of LED lights, and hung a few of the porcelain angels my mom brought me last month. Voilá – Christmas spirit flowed into a hole I hadn't even noticed! On a roll, I placed the gifts others had sent/left with us on the piano bench, lit my red 'knitted' candles on the piano, turned on my glass globe (a Christmas gift from years ago), and finally put the jingle bell collar on Poppy for her Christmas portrait. (I'd like to do the same with Leo, but he's just getting "sit" down; "sit stay" is not on the horizon yet.) Then I made a double batch of white chocolate cranberry cookies and four loaves of my whole wheat flax meal bread with walnuts and cranberries added while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.

This morning is sunny and bright (a rather nasty-looking front arrives tomorrow), so I'm going to make holiday deliveries to neighbors and friends. I've already met the neighbor on our north at our mutual fence line with a loaf of that bread, and have four-five more deliveries to make, along with a grocery run ahead of the weather and holiday meals. I also need to get in a ride on Stella while I can, so I'd better keep moving!

Fa-la-la-la-la from . . .