I've been busy, not writing here, not taking photos. It's the annual ritual of buttoning up for winter that's been keeping my attention-- that and 3 after school children's drawing classes. Now that is a blast!
My ewes are butting heads in the pasture, presumably fighting over men-- I mean-- rams. Not that they get to be near any for 3 more weeks, I am seeing to that. But I think they are talking about it a lot-- making plans. One day I saw a gaggle of girls all facing north, looking through a gate-- I could only imagine-- to a gate on the north side of the windbreak, where two studly rams reside.
I think sometimes they get to talking about the fellas and some of them just get mad and fight.
This afternoon I got out the long extension cords and the electric buckets for all the sheepies' drinking water, because it's getting well below freezing tonight. I was so proud, I found them all! And added Christmas lights out by the ram pen, too. Those little white lights really brighten up the area when it's pitch dark and you have to haul water and hay to the animals.
I bought another rigid heddle loom from a Craigslist gal last night-- I wanted the floor stand she had with it, and the ball winder and warping board. Now I'm re-reading my weaving books and thinking of what I can do on a loom in these dark evenings since day light savings time is past. Whose wool to use? I have fallen in love with a plaid I saw out of the totally natural colors of our sheep, in white, gray, brown and black. Seems to me I have a lot of that wool around here.
I just don't have a lot to say. It's a quiet time of year. All I think about is getting the gardens tucked in, the lawn completely mowed for the last time, the leaves blown into the windbreak-- and might it still be possible to move some little trees out into the landscape from my vegetable garden?
Soon enough we'll be crazy with holiday preparations. It's a good life. Take care.
