Morale Booster

The weather was so....so...nearly perfect last week that I let my guard down and allowed myself to get lulled into thinking I'd lived through summer.   The upcoming 10 day forecast is brutal (at least to me).  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate summer?   The sheep...not so fond of it either.  

To make matters worse, as the mercury neared 90 today, the biting flies came out.  Seriously?!?  The sheep spent most of the day in the barn, venturing out only for a few minutes here and there to grab something to eat and then running back for cover.  

I kept an eye on everyone, especially Spud and Woody.  Spud is handling the heat better than he was, but he's definitely the vice president of the We Hate Summer Club.  Woody didn't go out much with everyone either and when he did, he looked pretty unhappy, as did several others.  

I felt like it was fly related and that Woody was the one most bothered didn't surprise me as he has the finest wool and hair on his face.  Chocula is super annoyed by flies, too.  He'd make a good effort to go out, but wouldn't stay long and I'd see him racing back to the barn.

It did cool down some after the sun set and everyone seemed to take a deep breath and relax, but I still wasn't 100% about a couple of them.  I decided to use the ol' arena test.  Even though it was dark and only Graham was still out grazing, I knew if I opened up the gate to the arena, anyone who was feeling okay would run out for a special treat.  Everyone raced out.  Whew!

Liddy and I walked out with them, too, and I sat down on the still warm mounting block. That big rock really holds the heat.  Liddy climbed up and down, ate for awhile, Baaxter punched her (Baby B!!!), she stood by me until her hurt feelings healed, Hank came over to make sure she was okay and then she tootled around some more.  

I tried taking a iPhone video of everyone before they went back in, but it was too dark.  I grabbed the big camera and played around with my new birthday lens (Thanks, Saint Tim :-D).  While I didn't always nail the focus, I still think the photos are pretty neat.  Sitting out with the sheep at night is one of my favorite things to do.  

Keeping With A Theme

These two pictures were taken just seconds apart the other morning.  While part of the reason they appear so different is how they are framed - the top one focused more on the low land and the second including more of the sunrise - the sun "rises" just as quickly in the morning as the moon appears to "rise" at night.  

Amazing.

Trailing The Sheep

Ewen and Daniel, watching the sun rise.

Heading out for breakfast.

I love late summer mornings!

The Best Part Of Waking Up...

...if there was just a coffee pot in the barn.

A beautiful foggy morning.  I have several good shots to share, but I need to be off and running this a.m.  If I don't get them posted later today, they'll be waiting on you tomorrow morning :-).

Which Shaun The Sheep Character Is She?

I was going to crop these down to focus on Maisie, but when I started I saw the rest of the sheep were almost as funny so I left them as-is.  Just candid shots as they (or at least most of them, Graham!) raced in when Hank told them to the other day.  Hopefully you can biggify them to see Maisie's expressions as sheep, especially Woody, pass her crossing the bridge.

Yep, that's her!

August Mornings

I love when the nights start cooling off enough that the fields are foggy in the mornings.  I know I've almost made it through summer :-).

Google Doodles

I have to own up to being a complete sucker for good marketing.  I am also addicted to the daily Google Doodle and use that as my home page.  When I saw the birthday stuff this morning my first thought was ooh, let's see who famous shares my birthday!  And then I noticed there weren't any of the usual clues to who that would be...so I hovered over it and yep, it was for me (and however many thousands of other people who got the same doodle this morning ;-).  I don't care.  I thought it was fun :-D.

I'm spending the day doing (hopefully) the things I enjoy most.  I "worked sheep" this morning and everyone was in good shape, took some pictures of some of my best friends out doing what they enjoy most.  After I get this posted I'm going to go ride Hickory (in the middle of the morning because it cooled off just for me ;-).  I'm working hard spinning the Renny yarn because I have something special planned for it (and I can't wait to start knitting it!).  Then I might run to town because I have a gift card burning a hole in my pocket and go to dinner with some more of my favorite friends. 

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I feel bad even posting pictures this green and lush (which IS odd for us in late August) with so many of my blog friends in harm's way out west.  We've had a couple years of moderate drought here in the past and while our barns and houses weren't in any much risk of burning down, it was miserable. Hank and his friends have nothing to worry about, and that's the way it should be.  For everyone.

"Come on, Burrnie.  We're getting ready to head back in."

"I'm coming!  Wait for me!!!"

Good Sheep Dogs

Remember Kate sitting with her yard sheep the other evening? Hank sits with his sheep, too :-). 

Maisie and Graham

They eat a bit more than the concrete sheep ;-).

It's still too hot for B. Willard and Keebler to head out.  They wait for longer shadows, as do the horses.

Resting up.

And here come a couple of Adventure Chickens.  They too rest in the late afternoon and make one last foray down to the creek just before bed.  Note Graham and Maisie are still eating.

One thing about sheep bells is you always know where your sheep, or at least your belled sheep, are.  I worked late in the Wool House the other night.  It was nearly 11:00 when I stepped out the door.  Pitch black.  The barn was quiet.  The sheep asleep.  In the barn.  Except for a ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a out front.  

This is not the first time I've caught Graham grazing late into the night.  I'm used to it now.  I'm not super jazzed about it, but I know Hank's on duty and other than locking Graham behind bars (not necessarily a bad idea now that I think about it ;-), I know there's no way to stop him.

Out of curiosity I turned on my flashlight to see who else might be out there.  Normally he's out by himself (Graham...), but I had a feeling that since it's been so hot, he might not be alone.  He wasn't. Renny was out there!  She seemed a bit embarrassed to be "caught".  A few of the boys were out, too. 

And Hank.  Always sitting out with his sheeps.  I walked on to the house and went to bed.

A Liddy More Like It

Liddy still likes to take naps in the yard with me.  Oddly, this is the only place she does.  She has never once snuggled with me in the barn or field.  I don't really know why.  Seems like she would associate sitting down with taking naps, not specifically sitting down in the yard.  I haven't checked to see if she'd still sleep with me in the house...but I might ;-).

"You promise that box won't get me again?"

"It will be okay, Little." (Note I did not promise anything ;-)

"Okay :-)."

Liddy-the-Pooh

I was working in the wash room this evening and noticed the sun setting so beautifully over the zinnias. I grabbed my camera, walked outside, snapped a couple shots and....well, let's back up...

Earlier in the evening I found a tortured, but not dead mouse in the barn.  Yes, I know cats will be cats and yes, catching mice in the barn is a good thing, but if you start something, finish it.  Don't torture it.  

I wasn't sure if the wounds were fatal, but it wasn't able to run away.  Since whoever had caught it had lost interest in it and now the dogs were nosing around, I decided to put it in a box and set it someplace safe and quiet so it could either recover or pass on in peace.   

Okay, back to the flowers and the beautiful sunset...

I took a couple pictures, trying to line up with the rapidly setting sun and fiddle with my camera settings.  

"Mom?"

"Liddy?"

"Momma?"

She sounded like she was down in a well.  Where on earth was she and what was she doing?!?  

"Liddy?"

"Momma!!!"

I raced around the new shop and found this.  And started laughing.  

"Liddy!  What on earth happened?  Hang on, I'll be right there (right after a take a couple very quick pictures ;-)".

She was obviously relieved to hear my voice, but immediately started walking in the opposite direction.  I guess the sound was bouncing off the inside of the box, confusing her.  I finally caught up with her a few yards off the far fence.

And what box was on her head?  Oh, you know!

There's always a Cheerio box around somewhere.  When I set the poor mouse over the fence away from the cats and dogs, I never thought about Liddy-the-Pooh finding it ;-).