HUNTER MOON AND AN OWL LULLABY

The Hunter moon is still hanging in the sky beginning around nine in the evening and staying until early morning competing with the sun rising in the  late October sky for attention. 

I was up late last night. I am working on a pair of fingerless mittens to keep my hands warm and functional during chores and milking on cold winter mornings. We have been in the low 40's and danced briefly this morning with the high 30's. I have finished one mitt and am about 30% done on the left hand. 

By eleven it was time to tuck in the cats and head for bed. As I settled down our newest wildlife additions started chatting. Owls we have owls. One was in the pine or oak trees just outside our bedroom and the other was a bit further down the line in the area to the south west of the doe barn. They had different voices so perhaps we have different breeds or genders of the same? Is it owl breeding season in the southern Cascades?

I am very happy to have them. Great rodent control and lovely songs. I finally fell asleep to the owl lullaby and with the exception of waking a few hours later to owl songs again slept well. Too well as I didn't get to the barns until about half an hour late of the usual time. Goats are funny they look at you with amazement if you show up before sun up and toss alfalfa at them as if to say "we are sleeping go away!" But if you have the audacity to show up even five minutes late there is a lot of hoof tapping and eye rolling to say " you over here with that hay where have you been?!"

So this morning I was greeted by the hoof tapping and eye rolling. All the chickens were off their roost waiting to be let out to spend their day scouting out goodies in the now wet soil after our inch plus of rain over the weekend.

I will be not posting for about a week as I am headed down to the valley again for the winter hay run. We go through about 400 bales of alfalfa a year give or take. Not close to what we used when we had numbers in the 40's and up. My pocket book is grateful for that but I often miss those days and the pace it set. I do appreciate the slowness of less critters and giving those I have more individual attention and love.

I will leave you with a remnant of the last post on dying. This is the roving that was dyed after it was put through the drum carder and fluffed.  I love the colors and am amazed at the tones of gold that are in it. Again all from the pokeberry (pokeweed) plant. Have a gentle weekend and see you soon.