Big Babies

We are slammed busy trying to get the studio finished so we can move all my "stuff" out of the house and actually set up a bed in the spare bedroom (Tim's brothers and SIL's are coming for the weekend :-). Couple of quick notes:

• power is finally turned back on in the barn - this doesn't seem that exciting until you remember we have a barn skunk.

• the boys are not taking to the idea of weaning very well. Graham Lamb in particular is running the risk of deportation.

• Lorna Doone-Buggy is hanging in there. She worried me yesterday because she wasn't super interested in eating and just wanted to sit on my lap last night. However, when I got up to go get her nighttime food, she raced along behind me and even did a little popcorn jump. She and Miss Ewenice are out across the creek grazing this morning. She's tough! And aren't she and Ewenice just the cutest together?
  

Here's a short video (because the ba-ba's are small ;-) of the boys fighting for their spot at the "lamb bar". They always eat like this - leaning into each other - and if you try to spread them out, they fall back in. I finally gave up and just 'let 'em have at it".

Sunday Stills - Things With Wings

I had grandiose plans to go over to our little Cynthiana airport (where I'd probably get caught hanging out all the time if I didn't have sheep, horses, chickens, studio construction, weaving my butt off to get a blanket off my big loom so I can get it moved out to the new studio...to keep me too busy) and get some fun shots of all the small planes over there.

In my little daydream, some dashing pilot would come up and say "Would you like to go up in one of those planes, little lady?" and I'd get to wear a white silk scarf and cool goggles and fly over our farm...

But alas, it's hard to soar with the eagles when you work with a bunch off chickens, so that's what we've got today.



This is Little Jane. She's a tiny little hen who's been known to crow like a rooster on occasion. Only at Equinox Farm. I had to google that when I heard it the first time and sure enough, there's even a saying about 'whistling women and crowing hens...' This picture isn't in complete focus, but I like it anyway. I'd like it better if it were super clear.



This is a chicken without a name or outstanding plumage, but I love the way the background turned out and if you click to biggify you can see the gate and corner of the barn reflected in her eye.



Of course, no wing post would be complete without one of the bees, also nameless. I love to biggify the bee pictures - just amazing little critters.



Now this just appears to be a picture of neat clouds, but if you look closely (or biggify) there are birds actually using their wings. Taken from the new porch the other night. We've had beautiful clouds and sunsets lately. Has everyone?



And a good excuse to pull out another hawk picture from the archives. In the upper left corner you can see a tiny bird giving him or her what-for. I love to see the big hawks getting chased around by some little pipsqueak of a bird. You've got to be wondering what they are thinking - the hawks that is. I'm pretty sure I know what the little birds are thinking.

For more Sunday Stills...

And A Hard Place

Have you ever noticed, among your friends with tattoos, that no one has just one tattoo? It seems after you get the first one, you've got to do another and another... If we are not careful, our entire farm will be covered in stone.



It started innocently enough with some "simple" steps.



Made from really cool, but big, rocks.





And then...



It grew.

Lorna Doone-Buggy

"Hi there! They told me my name is Lorna Doone-Buggy. Seems like sort of a silly name to me, but I guess it's okay. I've been really sick, but I'm feeling a little better tonight and I made it all the way down to the creek."



"It just looks like I'm a little lamb out in a big field all by myself. I'm really out here with Miss Ewenice. She's pretty nice, but sometimes she tries to eat my food. I have a little house I eat in and she can't fit in there. Well, her head can sort of fit, but her body is really, really big."



"She says she's never had a little girl lamb to take care of. I think she likes me. She calls me Baby Girl and lets me take naps with her. We went out to graze twice tonight and mom was really excited about that. I don't know what's so great about it, but okay."

Poor little Doone-Buggy has been battling pneumonia - too much stress and the nasty hot, humid weather sure hasn't helped. She's a tough little lamb though and on a couple occasions when she has been sleeping really sound and I feared the worst, she pops her head up and tells me she's okay.

Her name has a funny story behind it (as so many around here do). When Saint Tim was a kid, his Grandma Duchild gave all the boys plastic dune buggy toys. They took them up to the U.P. for vacation at their cousin's and cousin Craig started calling Grandma Duchild, Grandma Dunebuggy. I think the more they liked someone the more nicknames they earned.

I swear I didn't name Crazy Esther after Tim's other Grandma, Grandma Esther. They all seem to think that short, feisty sheep fits her though.

Between A Rock

Cecil Aguilar, Aguilar Stone Masonry, and his crew are here building a wall under the porch of the new studio. He lives just up the road and we've driven past his place, with it's beautiful stonework out front, for a couple years and each time talk about how we'd really like him to build something for us. He's here and the drystone work is so interesting it's actually kept me off the mower...some ;-).



I'm very excited about the studio, but not so much on the actual building process. To be honest, I'm so tired of trying to make the right decisions about questions throughout the day(s) that I doubt I'll ever build anything again. And while I can truly appreciate the usefulness of a nail gun, I am tired of the noise. The tap, tap, tap of the stone hammers though are a different story.





Outside



Inside





How the big stone is split - very interesting.



How the stones are placed - very cool.

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

""I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

So begin the trials and tribulations of the irascible Alexander, who has been earning the sympathy of readers since 1972. People of all ages have terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist's office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia.

Judith Viorst flawlessly and humorously captures a child's testy temperament, rendering Alexander sympathetic rather than whiny. Our hero's gum-styled hair and peevish countenance are artfully depicted by Ray Cruz's illustrations. An ALA Notable Book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a great antidote to bad days everywhere, sure to put a smile on even the crabbiest of faces. (Ages 5 to 9) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. " ~~ Amazon.com


I could have re-written of one of my favorite books yesterday. Someday some of it might be looked back upon as funny, but it will be awhile. I did find this in my inbox from a friend last night though and it was a sweet reminder that "things may not be all that bad."

And I'm pretty sure it's way too hot in Australia for me.

Cat Dreams

My day has started crazy and I've been told that Monday sets the stage for the entire week. I'm doomed. I really, really want to be a cat.



The cats - and Comby especially - are fascinated by the construction project out back. He'll watch for hours, occasionally go up to help and as soon as the builders leave for the day, he is out there inspecting everything.



Here he and Eli are getting tired of waiting for everyone to clear out for the day. As an interesting aside, Eli and Comby are not friends. Or at least we have assumed they are not friends - and have the fights to prove it. Yet, here they sit.



And sleeping together now?!?



Seriously boys.

Could the new house have brought them together?

Sunday Stills - Tri Color

I must not be a very colorful person. More of a 'deep greens and blues' in a subtle sort of way...



Technically there is a red gate and a yellow wagon wheel in this picture, but you'll need to click to biggify to prove it.



An old gas pump down Ky Hwy 32. If I'd been able to catch this with the sun coming up, rather than setting behind it, the colors would have been more vibrant.



A beautiful porch just up the way. Not a ton of color, but I like what's there.



And a house I've never noticed before - with green eaves. If the sky had been blue...well, it still wouldn't have exactly met Ed's challenge.

For more colorful Sunday Stills...

There's Always Room In Your Heart

For one more.

We have a new lamb. She came from the same farm as Ewen McTeagle, but they are not related. Probably a good thing, as there can only be one Ewen McTeagle ;-). She's a tiny little Tunis/Dorset cross. Cute as a button. So cute in fact that their guard dog puppies picked her out as a chew toy and wouldn't leave her alone. It was just a matter of time...and her shepherds love their babies as much as I do and they didn't want anything any worse to happen to her.

I quarantine everything that comes on the farm, but I felt bad that she didn't have anyone for company, so I built her a double fenced pen out where she could at least see the boys and Ewenice.



"I sure wish I could go out there and play with them."



"Please?"



You can little one, in a few more days.

We are, as yet, not set on a name for her. I think it needs to follow the Keebler/Graham Cracker...theme. Nilla Wafer and Ginger Snap have been tossed around. Any other suggestions?

As an interesting (at least to me) aside, when I googled Keebler cookies, it came up as Keebler Sunshine Products. That made me smile...and a little sad.

Something We All Suspected Was Going To Happen Eventually Anyway

I was already 15 minutes late leaving the farm to go to a meeting for the new Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival which will be held in conjunction with the Bluegrass Classic Stockdog Trial in 2010. I had the car started and was just getting ready to fly out of the driveway when Stella's son Wyatt pulled in.

I rolled my window down.

"Did you see the space ship land the other night?"
.
.
.
.
.
.

Oh you KNOW I turned the ignition off.

"Uh, no?"

"Yeah, I got crop circles in my new alfalfa field!"

"Really."

"Yeah! You can see them down there across from your trees."



Sure enough, right there in plain view off our back porch. If we'd just been paying attention...



Most likely he had a mini tornado blow through and flatten everything (that would be Stella's luck).

Except I've been here all week.

And there ain't been any wind.

A Porch With A View

"I guess you can come in. But just for a minute (note tail flicking in annoyance)."



These are the re-engineered trusses. The original ceiling was to be vaulted, with the front of the loft having a 4' clearance, dropping down to a 1' clearance at the back wall. When the trusses were placed, we actually had only 25" in the front. Minor (read major) trauma getting this straightened out, but now we have 3' all the way across the entire storage loft. Much better.



Saint Tim and Iris doing a little building inspecting.



But we all know who the real inspectors are.



This was the view from "Comby's" new porch this morning.

Not too shabby.

A Room With A View

Evening is my favorite time of day (even better when Saint Tim is cooking dinner ;-). I like to sit on the porch with a glass of wine and listen to the birds bustling around singing their night songs, watch the chickens start making their way home and peek through the branches of the old red bud tree and watch the antics of the horses out one side and Miss Ewenice and the boys the other.





Miss Ewenice is a sun worshipper. Sometimes she tilts her face almost straight up in the air, just to get the light just right.

You really should click to biggify. While maybe not a classic beauty, I think she's just lovely and she makes me smile.

Stealth

By far, one of my favorite photographs to date. Captured while out on my Sunday Stills search. Usually Saint Tim is the wildlife spotter. I love my camera (definitely click to biggify!).

I also have some nice lamb shots from the weekend, but I just can't bring myself to add them to this post. That hawk looks big enough to haul off a small lamb.

Not that Keebs and Graham are small anymore :-/.

Sunday Stills - Water Towers and Silos

I really enjoyed this challenge. I spent a good part of Friday afternoon (when I was looking for something to do OFF the farm so I wouldn't be making the news for killing our contractor) running local errands. I carried my camera with me and stopped by some of my favorite farms along the way. Let's take a scenic silo survey.



If I didn't love our farm so much and this place wasn't on a busy highway... Another converted tobacco barn, complete with a Kentucky style round pen and the fencing out front is a nice little riding arena. Just darling.



A bit further down KY 62.



And a little further. On my first pass by, their horses were all grazing around the silo. I thought to myself I should stop right then. I'll never learn. They would have added some nice interest and also helped put into perspective the incredible height of this silo.



Heading around the bypass in Georgetown. I'm guessing some of these silos are missing their tops, but I don't really know. I love the color of the stonework on this one.



Here's a special treat (as always, click to biggify), crossing out of Scott County into Fayette County/Lexington. This was actually an old water tower. KET (Kentucky Educational Television) featured it on Kentucky Life and here's what their website has to say.

"Dr. Tony Ryan also has an abiding appreciation for the past. In 2001, the Irish airline owner bought Castleton, a standardbred breeding farm in Fayette County that dates back to the late 1700s, and converted it to a thoroughbred operation (returning it to its original function, and joining three others he owns in Ireland). He also began making over its buildings and landscape with an eye toward giving it more of an Irish look.

Our visit focuses particularly on a round tower Ryan had built to cover a water tower. The round stone structure was inspired by ancient examples that dot the Irish countryside, built between 600 and 1000 A.D. as lookout towers and shelters to help protect the citizens from marauding Vikings. Castleton Lyons general manager Julian Dollar and project manager Darrell Edwards talk about how this replica was constructed.

The tower also links directly to Kentucky history. When immigrants from Ireland and Scotland arrived in the Bluegrass in the 1800s, they brought their dry-stone masonry skills with them—and found a land much like home in its rolling topography and abundance of rock. Those Irish artisans began the tradition of building the beautiful and durable stone fences that still line many a scenic Central Kentucky byway."

For more Sunday Stills...

Fuzzy Friends

Other than Rebecca Boone trying to sit on Graham Lamb last month (he deserved it) when I thought she might be a good babysitter for a couple rambunctious young boys (she loves to run, jump and play), all our sheep get along. I have a friend who raises goats and she just can't get over that. Apparently goats, not so much.



From back to front - Heidi, Popcorn PeePee Pants, Elizabeth and her daughter Allie.



Behind Beanie Baby is Emily and her youngest daughter, Caspar Belly (aka Spooky Tooth).



Another shot of Allie and Elizabeth. Allie is five or six years old and still hangs with her momma. Jacob families are tight. If you look back to the first picture, you'll notice poor Heidi is a bit off by herself. Always :-(. That might be the saddest part of losing Sunshine. She still looks for her.



This is Clover Belly, Boudreaux the Biter and Peabody. Peabody frequently hangs with Boudreaux... until people come around and then he hides behind Boudreaux. Other than Buddy, Boudreaux is the only other sheep out there big enough to camoflage Peabody's rather, um, robust figure.



And here are my favorite friends to visit. Elizabeth and Crazy Esther. The old ladies. The matriarchs of the flock. They both came from the same farm in Indiana and I don't know if they are related or just good friends. I regularly find them off by themselves discussing something and if things are quite the way they think they should be, Elizabeth gives me "the eye" or a hollar and she knows how to make sure I hear her even in the house.

Hope your weekend is filled with friends. I'm hangin' with my best bud Saint Tim. I love the weekends...and not just because he helps me catch up the mowing.