Pictures At Eleven

 Loved this full moon just as the sun was starting to sink into the western horizon it made an appearance in the east. 

Then about a week later I snapped these on the long and winding road (33 miles) to The Shed for fiber night.  I am so blessed to live where I do!

                      
 

                                                                                               
 

 On a nice afternoon I found a "Bad Apple " aka Helen our totally blind kitty napping in the apple basket on the kitchen table.

 And imagine my joy to harvest the first quantity of the ripe blueberries yesterday and they found their way into scones this morning. I owe you that photo as it is on my phone in a text to my sister. :-)

 I don't take any joy in killing anything. The first rattler of the season made its way into the backyard last night to sleep in a warm area . I almost stepped smack on it as it was curled up tightly between the ground and the underside of the gate. I made a beeline for the garage grabbed a shovel and quickly dispatched a potential problem. I don't do a catch and release program for  many reasons number one is they don't work with snakes and I won't make my deadly problem someone's else problem. This was a young snake shedding it's first button. 

And this is PT basking in glory in a patch of dandelions.  I thought it quite appropriate considering. She is one of many reasons poisonous snakes  go to snake heaven. PT was bitten the first Spring we were here.  
                   

Here are reasons number 1-2-3 and 4 of many more. 

 Look how big Waylon and Willa have gotten and not even two months old!

 Above my easy keeper with its geranium that is on year three at this point. 

A dear goat friend in Mendocino county gave me a large amount of bulbs during a visit late last summer. They are called "Naked Ladies" and this is their first bloom at the farm. They do well in direct sun so the front of the house is perfect for them 

You may remember my Day Lilies from last year. This is the first bloom of the season for them and as you see many to come behind this beauty!

 Last but not least is this mum on the porch by the front door. There are two plants in here. The glorious yellow on the right and a deep purple on the left. You will have to look closely to appreciate the purple as it isn't as bold as the yellow plant is. These two plants are on year two. I have a gigantic purple mum in the back that is on year four of blooming for me. They are amazing!

How Many Events Can A Week Hold?

Is that anything like how many cowboys does it take to rope a calf? Baaaaad lead in! On Mother's Day Donna who went to see Dr. D with me at the beginning of May treated me to the Cottonwood Rodeo for a belated birthday gift. We had a great time as watching the events for several hours.

The  rodeo grounds at Cottonwood.

First was the Drill Team from the Redding Junior Rodeo Association.

  This group of young ladies had it down to a science and were a delight to watch!

Then came the the youngest members of the Jr. Rodeo Association  with a calf drive. For so many of the participants in rodeo it is a multi generational event and a way of life. 

And we also can cheer on folks we know. The cowboy "glued" to the bucking horse is Casey who I have a connection to in two ways. One he is the nephew of the long time friends and breeders of my Great Pyrenees livestock guardian Sherman and Spinner my second Pyrenees was one of theirs also.

The second connection to Casey is his wife had the litter of Border Collie X Australian Shepherd puppies that I got my Callie from. Small world isn't it?

The next day my dear friend Pam and her hubby Tim stopped by and stayed over a night on their trip to their new property in Idaho. I am thrilled that they have finally seen their forever dream come true and look forward to visiting them later this year in the Bonner Ferry area.

Wednesday is fiber night at the Shed. If you have read my blog post in the past you are aware that it is the spinning, weaving with the girls night. Nothing keeps me from my fiber friends except maybe this.

 This young lady was blocking the exit and after more than enough time to be in a pushing stage Twist was still just hanging out. So I went in and fished out this girlie. She is tri colored and pretty as a picture. I will get up more pictures of the kids soon. It has been so crazy busy since they were born with changing  pens and cleaning barns time has gotten away from me.

Second in line was this young lady. She dried to a lighter strawberry blonde. Now for the name game 

I have to put my thinking cap on.

I have managed to get a nice collection of photos to share when I can manage more time. The last couple of days have been as full as the first couple and poof there goes a week! But one last photo before I head for bed.

Part of the 2017 garlic harvest. I am very pleased with the quantity and the size of the bulbs. They are now hanging in the back of the hay barn for a few weeks.

What A Week It Was

In the beginning of the week I finally finished the binding on the quilt I made and my dear friend Pam quilted on her long arm machine. It is a totally scrap quilt in the https://www.thequiltedcastle.com/Just-Cant-Cut-It-Quilt-Pattern-All-Washed-Up

I love this pattern as it is simple, quick and easy. If you depend on your fabric's colors and design one can do this quilt often letting the elements make a statement. To date this is the first quilt I have ever kept for us and it is the eighth quilt of this pattern I have done.I will find time to haul it outside and hang it from the clothesline for truer color and a full look at it. 

Then there was Monday in Redding doing first of the month stuff. Like banking, marketing and so forth. Tuesday was catch up day with laundry and cleaning. Wednesday was, well it takes some splaining Ricky. 

This is the Rodeo ( we pronounce it Ro-de-o leaving the Ro-day-o for the stars in So Cal) Beach. You will find it just south west of Sausalito https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sausalito,_California
at the Marin Headlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_Headlands

My friend Donna (who sold me my first Nubian goat 32 years ago) and I live about 30 minutes from each other now. Then we lived about 10 minutes from each other on the Golden Westside . Just west of  Hwy 99  in Fresno County. Anyway with the goat I got two life long friends one was Donna and the other was Dr. Philip T. Durfee the top notch ruminate veterinarian in the central San Joaquin valley. Years went by finding Donna and I living in True Northern California and "Dr. D" residing in San Fransisco. We visit him somewhere in the Bay area about every two years or so. We are all getting on in years and we value his friendship and the wealth of commonsense goat knowledge he gave us. Not to mention the 4 in the AM emergency C section and endless 4H goat project meetings he has done. And in my case the spark all of that lit and eventually landed me in school getting a degree in veterinary technology . 

So this reunion was a picnic on the beach and about 3 hours of good visiting time. Dr. D is 81 years of age and can still be found practicing at a clinic 3 days a week . He also is a volunteer in two different programs for care of the pets who make their way through this world with their people who are homeless.

Thank you Dr. D for all you have given to this world. See you soon!

Thursday I found myself at the chiropractor . I have abused my body senseless in this life time with most of the damage involving something with four legs. So every so often all those old dings remind me very vocally "we are here"! A quick trip to Costco to get some Sun Shades to install on our porch to help defray the heat from our western exposure in the summer time. 

 

On Friday I cleaned the hay barn again and picked up and stacked hay. I got this great photo of my baby sister who is a third grade teacher in the same school district as my son and at one time Geoffrey my hubby too. The district has deep roots in ag and the big spring event is always Ag day out at Central West High School . It was the original high school in a district which has grown to huge proportions. SIGH. And my sis Paula texted me this cute photo taken while she chaperoned her class out at the Ag farm .       

 

Today was back down into the valley to pick up the supplies I need for the next week because after I pick up the new laying hens at a friends tomorrow I am going no where until fiber night cause I am exhausted!