Cat-ch Up

I took this the other day during a rain storm and wanted to share. This might be my favorite picture of Eli. Thankfully the tacky plastic is still up. It makes a beautiful backdrop and blocks the wind and rain so we are all - cats, dogs, lambs and people - warm and dry and able to create beautiful pictures. We've needed it this spring.

We have some of the nicest cats. Every evening when I go sit out under one of the pine trees to watch the boys play, be their jungle gym and then their comfy bed, all four outdoor cats come with me. And Iris and Weaslie too, but you kind of expect your dogs to follow you.

So there we all sat last night - Brushy on a nearby fence post, Eli rolling around on the grass (he didn't know I was watching), Comby checking out the tree stump and Claire Bear just out of sight behind me. We did have a brief baby bird incident, but I hollered "Drop it!" and Eli did and I was able to rescue a too young robin and put it back in a safe-ish looking tree. We also got to see our Blue Heron fly home.

We consider him ours - he fishes in our back pond. He flies in every morning, stays all day and then flies home each night as darkness falls. In the city you might time your day by a factory whistle; out here it's the heron passing overhead. I would love to catch a picture of him flying over, but it's always too dark. I've tried to sneak out to the pond during the day, but he's too wary. I painted him to my best guess in the banner (that's what that is and why it's there ;-).



Brushy - the nightwatch

"Spend the [evening]. You can't take it with you." Annie Dillard.

Out Standing In Her Field

Iris, our Border Collie, is not a traditional herding dog. We don't know her background - she was around two years old when I picked her up from where she was huddled just off the highway near our farm. As I led her up to the barn to put her in one of the stalls overnight until the humane society (we'd hoped) could take her, she spotted our sheep and immediately got down into that classic Border Collie crouch. She knew she was supposed to do something with those sheep; she just wasn't sure what.

The humane society told us they already had four Border Collies in the shelter and asked, as we had a fenced yard, would we be able to foster her? That was almost six years ago. You can figure out the rest of the story.

She's still not really sure what she's supposed to do with the sheep. I know she has some ideas of what she'd like to do to the sheep sometimes, but we all have those thoughts on occasion ;-). Where Iris has been most effective is border patrol. While she can't run off the "intruders", she can definitely sound the alarm and call for backup. She is also a patient babysitter for our bottle lambs.



You can't hear it, but a neighbor's dog barks off to the left. Keebler looks over, Graham is busy and Iris is watchful. Thank you Iris. You are a good dog.





After dinner last night, I went out with the boys and watched them show off their hops and then played sheep bed. These pictures were taken with my cell phone (unfortunately), but even with low resolution I'm glad to have them. Won't be too long and the boys will be all grown up and wanting to drive tractors and hang out with the big kids and I'll be momma-who?

Maybe not. Ewen McTeagle would probably still take a nap with me. Now that he's forgiven me for getting the "new" babies.

When...

...are these stupid sheep moving out to the barn? (Poor Comby)

If Graham's in one chair and you are in the other, I have to sleep on the cold, hard floor (with my blankie).

The fact that Graham Lamb has mastered jumping into the chairs to sleep is a big deal. I have to say, he might be the most uncoordinated (it's his Wilt Chamberlain long legs) lamb I've ever been around. What he lacks in style though, he makes up in effort. He's fast. He's got some hops. It's when he tries to put them together...

Sunday Stills

"First think back or look back at past challenges here and pick 2 subjects, then shoot them in Black and white or in color and convert them, pretty simple except no repeat pics from old challenges…"

I picked only one - the Easter challenge of Religion - "This has no particular faith involved...it can be churches or icons. Mostly it's for the architecture of churches. I’ve seen some beautiful old churches, stained glass,etc…. So let your mind wander and see what ya can come up with."

This is the little country church where I play the piano. Hopewell has a small, tight knit family of parishioners, two legged and four. We regularly have several dogs in attendance, once a horse, and little lambs are not only welcomed, but encouraged.

We have air conditioning, but prefer to just open the windows. (Click to biggify - neat reflection!)

The church is surrounded by beautiful trees and shrubs and birds and insects and I don't believe there's been a spring Sunday when I haven't noticed a truck and horse trailer pass by - no rest during breeding season in this, the heart of thoroughbred country.

We have no fancy stained glass windows and frequently we don't even turn on the lights, though Zachary always lights the candles.

And I enjoy sitting in the back with an old friend.

And I wonder if Dow ever gets distracted by the horses grazing across the Paris Pike. At a church of their own.

For more Sunday Stills.



~ Okay, okay! Here's a black and white of a black and white. Normally Iris is in charge of protecting the lambs. Here she's tucked herself in behind Keebler to "hide" from the thunder of yet another rain storm.

She's a good dog.

Baa-a-a-d Boys

Hey Keebs, whatcha think?



I think....let's go!



Oh man, you were right! This stuff IS good.



But, um, I don't understand. You think it's cute when they do it.

I don't know what you are talking about. I would never do anything baa-a-a-d.