Not Looking So Good

Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me (again) to catch this a few minutes earlier at full color. Not sure what you'd call it - a bright red streak shooting up from the horizon. Not really a sun dog. More like standing inside a fiery rainbow...with only one side. Any thoughts? I'm guessing it's foretelling the extreme cold (single digits) headed our way.

Keep repeating "If it's frozen, it's not muddy. If it's frozen, it's not muddy. If it's frozen..."

Yeah, whatever.

What Happens In Vegas...

Graham Lamb is nothing if not confident. Last night, as I was hanging out watching the sheep eat, I caught him taking some shots at Ford. You know Ford...with the big horns. Graham has no horns. But apparently a thick skull.

This morning his face was covered in what appears to be green paint. There is nothing on our farm with green paint.



Um, Graham Lamb?



Wait, I don't want to know.



But here's what happened in the two minutes it took to go to the house and get the camera. I think Woolliam standing on the hay stack is a particularly nice touch.



And also the look of terror in Billy Belly's eye upon finding himself cornered someplace he knows he shouldn't be, behind several really big bodies that have no clue how to put a "look of terror" on their faces and could not care less that they are someplace "they shouldn't be".

You can give a Jacob an "ahem!" and they'll scoot out of wherever they are, no matter how good the food... You pretty much have to hit a Cotswold (or Boudreaux) with a car.

A car headed to Vegas perhaps?

Goofball

Hank is a serious dog.

Some pictures are well composed, focused, taken with the best choice of lens, in good light...



Very serious.

...and some are just for fun. And you're doubly glad to have them.



Serious?



Just kidding.



He's really a goofball.



With floppy ears



Hank would like to thank everyone for all his Christmas loot. He was equally enthralled with the wrapping paper and the bones and cookies. Iris and Weaslie couldn't care less about wrapping paper.

But then again, they're not goofballs.

Sunday Stills - Food

Well, it was a no brainer that these pictures would not be taken in the kitchen... ;-).



This is the view that greets me each morning. Heidi (on the right) is the sentinel - always on the watch.



Elizabeth (the smartest sheep in the world) yelling at me to HURRY IT UP!



Peabody - tucked into the feed bunk.



Buddy - always striving to produce a clean, vegetable matter (VM) free fleece.



Handsome Boudreaux - once again demonstrating how he keeps his impressive Halloween figure.



You can see Crazy Esther's nose in the background. She's the one that's supposed to be getting the extra food. Elizabeth (gray around eyes) may also have some extra breakfast nuggets, as she too is ready to collect social security. Ewen McTeagle does. not. need. any. extra. cookies. As I'm took this picture I was appalled amazed by the calm, orderly, polite behavior. How does Saint Tim do that?!?



Oh yeah, that's more like it.

You can still see wiley little Esther (top left of the sheep mosh pit). That would be Ewenice, Graham Lamb and Ewen McTeagle getting ready to sweep Saint Tim off his feet (note Ewen is standing down hill from everyone else - that's one big boy). Cute Petunia in the foreground.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing with my new camera this morning...once I got brave enough to take it out of the case ;-). Lots to learn, but looking forward to it!

For more foodie Sunday Stills...

Effective

I don't believe I've met one single person that will miss 2009 - way beyond the normal "Boy, I'm glad that's over." I can't even count how many people I know who were very blessed (me included) by the year, but also very challenged. Wandering Gecko said it well, "For the most part you (2009) were an exhausting and stressful period of change littered with sad episodes." I know we are all ready to move on.

Last year a friend wrote that her new year resolution was to do something with fiber every day. Wow, I thought, that's a great choice. Much more fun than eating healthy or exercising... She probably accomplished it as well. She's that sort of person. She mentioned this year that if she could get [this and that] done, she'd feel so effective. Effective. I believe I'm going to grab that one. Whatever I do, be effective.

I have many fun goals for the upcoming year. Santa brought me not only the lens I'd hoped for, but a new camera as well. I'm toying with trying to write a book about Hank and the stupid sheep. I have a couple favorite fleeces stashed away to spin and knit. A new idea for felted sheep. Some painting projects.

It would be nice if it weren't newsworthy when I cleaned the house, and if we didn't eat so many frozen pizzas, I wouldn't have to clean the oven as much (dual purpose goal ;-). I live on a farm. With a green house. That raises no food. Yeesh - what am I thinking?!?

I used to be a runner (and thin ;-). I used to play golf. I used to backpack. And ride or drive my horse every day. I also used to not have a farm to manage, 26 sheep... I know. However, my hope for the new year is that if I am more effective, some of these used to's will become do's and my lofty ambitions typed above will be replaced by (beautiful) pictures of finished items.



Starting with Crazy Esther's 2009 fleece.

I washed it a few weeks ago. It's super fine and very soft, but the colors are a bit muddy and the tips are very sunbleached and tender. Much like Esther herself. I'm thinking, to preserve her Velveteen Rabbit "personality", that I might just run it through the picker to open it up a bit and then spin it into a bumpy novelty yarn, perfect for a shrug.



And I am confident Crazy Esther and I can pull this off. Because we are effective!

Happy New Year everyone!