A Good Day

 I love it when the oldies are having a good day.  What a fabulous fall we've had.

That wrinkly nose :-)

Knee Deep

We got our first heavy frost last night. Frosted grass is especially dangerous for hefty horses, but I worry it's hard on hefty sheep as well so I don't like to let them out to graze until the sun has melted the frost and hopefully some of the sugar in the grass has receded.

I walked out with them to see where we were grass-wise and what was going to need a fall mowing and what might be best left as it stood.  We usually try to mow off the seed heads so as to reduce weeds re-seeding, but it got so dry at the end of summer that we are just now ready to catch everything back up.

I wish I'd taken my big camera.  What a beautiful morning.

 

Ellie, Maggie and Christopher

Muffin, Pinto and Christopher

Pinto, Maggie and Christopher

I love that the four "lambs" are still good friends.  

Yep, this paddock looks like this could use a little off the top.

Happy Fall, Y'all :-).  And there's a new puzzle, too, just to keep everyone's production high on a Monday morning ;-).

Fall, Falling, Fallen

Rocky and Jared taking the road less/well traveled this morning.

The last couple of weeks has been a blur.  Well, not really a blur..more of a fog.  Even though I didn't set up the Punkin's Patch booth at the fall Wool Festival this year, I did go up early each morning for an hour or so to help out if needed before the gates opened and the crowds streamed in.  Who came out of the festival sick?  Yep, me.  

So to get a bit caught up, let's see...Bea's growing like a weed and is as sweet as she can be...when she's asleep ;-).  Awake, she's a terror.  Kate is hanging in there, but she had another really close call last week yet somehow rallied once again.  Frankie and Lancelot are enjoying the good fall grass and the let up on most of the horrible summer bugs and the sheep are as well.  

Betsy and Possum seem to have come to a shaky truce...most of the time and while Bea still picks on Betsy a bit, she and Possum seem to have come to a...um...strange truce...but that would make a good story for tomorrow ;-).

Clocking In

You can pretty much set your clock by where you find Salt.  Currently it's Wool House o'clock. 

Before dawn she's in the garage.  As the sun rises she moves out to the front of the barn.  After breakfast you can find her in the tack room.  Mid-afternoon she sits in front of the Wool House.  Late afternoon she's back in the tack room.  Early night she's still in the tack room.  I'm not sure what time she moves back into the garage. 

Hope the time change this weekend doesn't throw her schedule off ;-).

A Special...But Not Really Wanted Guest

We've had a fox visiting our farm for the last couple of weeks.  With no lambs here, I'm not really worried about him or her bothering the sheep.  I do worry about the chickens though and I especially worry about Comby, who likes to hunt out in this same field.  

"Yeah, I see you, too.  I think you are beautiful, but you better beat feet before Hank sees you."

If the sheep are out grazing, Hank calls them in to safety.  Doing that usually frightens the fox away, but if not, he races out to escort him under the fence. 

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“Danger!” Hank, calling in his sheep. Such a good dog ❤️❤️❤️. #livestockguardiandog #sheep #redfox

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Oct 20, 2019 at 6:21am PDT

Hank has been much happier since it's cooled down.  I think the fox is probably less happy ;-).

*      *       *       *        *

The Rhinebeck Blues Party was really fun.  We had a great group of sheep and fiber enthusiasts, the weather was perfect and Auntie Reg nailed the Artichoke French!  The sheep all behaved (because we didn't use Maisie for any of the demonstrations ;-) and the only "workshop" we skipped was washing wool.  Karen taught wheel spinning and wool combing.  I taught shepherding, fleece judging and skirting.  Let's do it again next year!

The forecast for our Hug a Sheep Day farm party this Saturday isn't looking quite as good, but that's several days away.  Hopefully they are just wrong.  It will be fun, regardless :-).  Hope you can join us!

Holy As The Day Is Spent

Today was a beautiful fall day, about as perfect as they come.  I started my day with a set plan...that got changed mid morning into something completely different.  You know...a normal day.    

I ended up driving to Mayslick, to Hinton Mills and talked to them about my feed requirements and even got to watch them mix it for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how they weigh out all the ingredients and watching the machine blend it all together.  

Loading up 450 pounds of wrong feed from the old mill and unloading 500 pound of fresh feed from the new mill along with 100 pounds of salt and minerals...was not really a bright spot, but having bins full of feed the sheep like and hearing Big Moose say "yum yum yum" while he was eating tonight, was :-)

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Okay, here’s another “turn your volume up” video 😀. Big Moose makes the funniest noises when he eats. I’m not sure what he’s saying, but it makes me smile every meal 😍. #mommyslittlepiggy

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Aug 18, 2019 at 11:51am PDT

Being able to scroll back through Instagram posts and re-watch that video...a definite bright spot :-D.

Around 7:00 I decided I was not going to let yet another day go by without trying out Frankie's new cart (I think I may not have posted that over here...sorry :-/) so I got him out as the sun was setting, hoping he still remembered how to drive after almost a month off (!) and both he and the cart got two thumbs up.  That was a really big bright spot :-D.

It's now 11:00 and I'm just in from my nightly barn check.  All the sheep are tucked in safely and Comby is cozy in his new condo for one.  I remembered to cover my still blooming flowers in hopes of making it through another frosty night.  Day is done.

As I reflect on the past few days and all the kind words I've read today, I am reminded of one of my favorite songs that came up on my playlist today as I drove up to the feed mill on a glorious fall afternoon with two good dogs sleeping in the back seat.  "Holy as the day is spent" by Carrie Newcomer.  

...
Holy is the place I stand
To give whatever small good I can
And the empty page, and the open book
Redemption everywhere I look
Unknowingly we slow our pace
In the shade of unexpected grace
And with grateful smiles and sad lament
As holy as a day is spent
And morning light sings 'providence'
As holy as a day is spent

And with grateful smiles and sad lament...  Here is a link to the song in entirety.  It's a good one.

We Made It

It's finally fall!

If it's too cold and dreary for you to go play outside, there's a new puzzle for you ;-).

Frost On The Pumpkins

We've had a couple frosts now. That's the only part of fall I don't like. All the flowers are going gang busters...and then a couple cold nights...which inevitably turn back warm for many more days...so you don't want to let the flowers die off too soon.  I love my flowers.

I cover as much as I can around the house and Wool House.  I use the shearing sheets (which are now so easy to get to :-).  In the morning, as soon as the sun hits the front of the Wool House, I pull the sheets off and the Blanket Flowers get right back to work.

Bees of all sorts work the Gaillardia all fall.  Big bees, tiny bees, green bees, honey bees...  I'd love to know what they are thinking when they fly in for breakfast and find everything covered up. There are always a few already climbing around under the sheets, probably complaining.

Or maybe they are relieved to see the blooms still safe and sound for a few more days.

Some puzzle fun for you :-).  I'll try to get a picture of bee rush hour this afternoon.  Almost everyone was headed home last night by the time I thought about it.

Faux Fall - And The Final (For Now) Freebie

Every stinking time I think "Okay.  Whew.  All I have to do is make it three more days and it's going to rain and cool off and summer will finally be over." It teases me with a cool down and then right back into the 80s it goes.  We hit 86 the other day...in the FOURTH WEEK OF OCTOBER!  

It  sure looks like fall...

Even sort of like a pretty fall...

But this is Baaxter hogging the fan like he does all summer...at 7:30 in the morning...on October 20th. Hershey looked so miserable the night before (how on earth could it be that humid when it's so dry and crispy?!?) that I finally had to do the ole cookie test to make sure he was okay enough that I could go to bed.  If you don't perk up when the cookie box comes out, we call the vet.  Highly scientific...but actually very accurate ;-).

These pictures were taken yesterday morning.  It's cold and raining today.  We'll see if it lasts or if it's just a fake cold down for the big neighborhood Pumpkin (Pumpkin with a P) Party this weekend.   The 10 day forecast is encouraging...but I've seen that before.  

The Punkin's (no extra P) Patch Hug a Sheep/Open Farm Day is next weekend!  I thought about trying to take a new "promo" picture this year, but how on earth can you beat last year?

Actually, that whole post is pretty cute.  I love to go back and revisit the good times.  Even some of the bad times.  The link to the Ewenice and Renny tree had me crying this morning, but it was such a beautiful gift.

You know what - leave a comment telling us one/some of your favorite old posts and that will be the third calendar drawing.  Petunia can draw for that one Monday or Tuesday.  And for anyone wanting a calendar but didn't win one, I promise I'll get the Farm Shop updated this weekend!

Cat Week

Taken through the screen door.  

This is supposed to be a Yarn Along post.  Maybe later today.  Couldn't resist sharing Comby and Eli nestled all snug in their bed.  

We made it!  Fall has arrived!!!

Glamour Shots

I took several sheep shots the other evening - my other favorite time of day.  As I was scrolling through them I came to a fun series of pictures of Rebecca Boone.  I'd taken six shots in a row in a span of about ten seconds.  Look at the difference between the first and the last. 

These are straight out of the camera, not cropped, nothing changed. Why do they look so different? Both are nice pictures. Both show a sheep with a funny personality and cool hair. Same background, same time of day - as the sun set.

The main difference is that for the last one I stepped just a hair to the right...which changed the angle of the sun.

I know there's more to it on a technical side, like how the camera read the light and adjusted for it... but I'm pretty happy to just get lucky.  If there's something simple I can do to help that happen, all the better.

Give it a try!

Look For A Different Perspective

It's sure hard to beat a foggy fall sunrise.  The sun is coming up over Stella's hill and shining left to right through the scene.

All the darker green paths were from sheep feet swishing through the dewy grass.

Most of the flock had already gone back to the barn.  Hank stays out with the stragglers.  This is a pretty picture too, but without the "magic" of the first shot.  I'd moved over to the right, just past the end of the arena.  The sun is now shining more towards me, shading everything it hadn't reached yet.

Another pretty shot, but if you look close, there is a hint of sunlight peaking through Hank's hair on the left (or his right).  That's what I want, the sparkle :-).

I moved back over to the left so the sun really glistened through the grass and leaves.  I love this picture of Daniel.  Click to biggify. Or don't.  Is anyone else having issues with blogger this morning?

I wish I'd taken this picture "landscape" (wider rather than taller).  Hank was obviously looking over at his other sheep and I missed the moment.  The huge amount of blurred out grass at the bottom of the pictures was so distracting that I cropped it off.  I think I was walking over to the left to take the Daniel picture and just shooting on the fly, but still...

Two things.  Move around and use the light to your advantage.  Also, I take lots of pictures. Sometimes I get one that I really like.  Mostly I take a lot of pictures ;-).

Good Morning!

Jester

Hershey

We've had nice color this year :-).

Spud and Murphy

Murphy and Spud, with Hank running a security check out back.

Isn't October just the best?

Walk With Me Wednesday

I could actually do a Wednesday Yarn Along post.  I finished the second sleeve.  I'm going to try to get it blocked today, but a. I really should be doing other things to get ready for this weekend and b. I'm not sure it will dry.   We sure needed the rain, but at this point, couldn't the rest of the week's forecast have waited until after the festival?  

Still, if it's going to be cold and damp (which is actually perfect for a fall wool festival) it would be nice to have a long sleeve wool sweater to wear in the evenings (we are there until 10:00 p.m. :-o). Plus, it's technically advertising, right?  I usually say the sweaters are there for inspiration...but if it's for advertisement then I'm practically required to get it blocked :-D. 

In the meantime, enjoy taking a walk with Hank, Tilly and Kate :-). 

Spiders have been light this year :-(.

The bees are happy with all the fall flowers.

Liddy likes flowers, too :-).

Our walk out back inspired the sheep to come out.  

I guess it was a good advertisement ;-).