A Little Off The Top...

...and the sides and the back and the butt and belly and the neck and the face and the legs and even the ears.



Miss Aria



And her hair.

At 28 or 29 years old, Aria's grown an incredible winter coat the last couple of years. And while it does eventually shed out, it doesn't do so fast enough to suit either of us. Out come the clippers.

The first clip of the year takes pretty much all morning. Even running the big clippers, that's a lot of hair. Sweaty, dirty hair. It's a good thing Don and Bill are going to offer blade sharpening in between sheep shearing demos at the festival this spring.



The first order of business after a big haircut?



A big roll.



It's got to feel good to get all that prickly hair off your back.





I could have gotten all those high and tight spots if she'd have lain down like a sheep. She's a good girl, but not that good ;-).



After a big hair cut and a big roll, a big shake is in order. I'm pretty sure if you shake hard enough that one of your legs comes off the ground, that a good one.



Horses make a funny sound as they finish shaking. Hard to describe and I wasn't quick enough with the video camera. It's a happy sound.



And then you get a big snack. Even though when the phone rang, you darted out the barn door into the yard for a pre-big snack, snack.

I love when the trees are just starting to leaf out. So pretty.

And so are you Miss Aria.

April Showers...

I love to watch rain move in.

Sunday Stills - Your Cameras And Gear

So we have seen the pics, now lets see the camera and gear that gets all those great pics. Bonus points if you have any classic old cameras, add those in for a bit of fun too... :-).




My dad has some nice old cameras, but I think I'm addicted to the instant gratification of digital. This is the big girl camera. That I'd have probably never bought myself. Thank you Saint Tim for pushing me past my self-imposed limits. I'm having a blast!



He also trusts me to take good care of everything...and not lose it - aka "I put it somewhere safe and now I can't remember where that place is..." I looked for 3 days. He found it in 90 seconds. Right where I left it...



My favorite lens (18-200mm). Seldom ever off the camera.



When I decided I was ready to move into a DSLR, I asked my friend Mary Beth, a wonderful photographer, for help. She showed me her cameras and lenses, told me a couple stories I'll never forget, took me down to our local camera shop and hooked me up with a knowledgeable salesman.

She also gave me several "basic" tips. One being no matter how securely you think you are holding your camera, always at least have your strap looped around your wrist. I think about that every time I pick up a camera.



This was the camera she helped me pick out. My first big girl camera, the D40x. I was hooked. I took that camera everywhere and it always made me look good. I still reach for it when I'm looking for something light weight and small.



The button we all love to push.



The D300s is heavy, but it's fast and fun. It doesn't have any preset functions like the D40, but that is a good thing. I learn something new every time I pick it up. It also has a video function that I really enjoy. While not the quality of a dedicated video camera, life happens fast. If you have to run to the house for the video camera...



Good cameras make me smile. Do you see the happy face?

:-)

For more Sunday Stills...

Still Shaking...And I Might Have Even Cried A Little

I made Pioneer Woman's photography group today!!!!!!!

Funny Farm Friends - You Might Like This Item On Ebay

This could have been an April Fools prank, but the two smart ***es that decided to pimp their husbands the other day weren't clever enough to catch it. Here's how it all transpired...

TCSL: Here you go...



D: OMG! Did you read through the terms and conditions of this sale? Basically, they know nothing, guarantee nothing and good luck to you. It would be (kinda) fun to own something like this (with SOMEONE else--not saying who I would call first). It has to be a nightmare...start to finish. Can you just imagine what Tim and Mike would say, if we were to announce that you and I had gone in together and bought this monster? Almost would be worth it!

TCSL: I say we do it. Tell them. Not actually get it. Well, I'd love to get it, but the 5 ton part is worrisome...

D: That was my thought...and since they warned that the elevator might not be working.....it's probably broken at this moment and has been since 1945.

TCSL to Saint Tim: Dianne and I are thinking about going in together on this. That's a great deal on a really nice old machine - great reputation. We would put it over at their place - enclose that right side of the barn when you first walk in. Any thoughts?

Saint Tim: Uh, Aprils Fools is on April 1st......"You will have two full consecutive 8 hour weekend days for removal."

"you must be prepared and plan to have strong help with you in case elevator is down and parts need to be carried down stairs."

I get it, this a chain email all fiber people are sending to their husbands; sort of a "things could be worse, I could be buying a 5000lb drum carder from Virginia that has to be totally disassembled before removing and oh, by the way it's stored on the third floor of a building that apparently has had habitual elevator problems."

Hey, we're just here to help. Feel free to use the "chain email" whenever you want a new spinning wheel, loom, couple of sheep... ;-)

For more Fun Farms Friends...