Busy Days and Happy Photos

 Gardening, haying, taking care of neighbor Irv's chickens while he's in rehab from his hip replacement, taking care of our own livestock, trying to get ahead of the weeds, lawn, the list goes on and on. Plus surveying Black Oystercatchers during the month of May out at the coast... a wonderful reprieve from all the work on the farm.

But things are definitely looking up from last fall. Johnny is doing well and able to do most everything, albeit slower and with a limp. He raked the hay fields today and mowed under electric fence lines, repaired the horse fence and probably more I don't know about because I was busy weeding and watering and tending animals.

What a delight it was in the middle of our labors to get these photos from Kestrel and Cedrus' Auntie Fudge, taken this weekend while visiting her for a couple days. I think the photos were taken at the BART station and on the BART. She took them to the city (San Francisco) and let them pick out summer outfits. She loves buying them clothes. They loved trying on and rejecting many outfits until finding just the ones they wanted.

When I raved about these wonderful photos, Auntie Fudge sent me two of Cedrus taken on BART during a "sleepover" two years ago. What a day brightener!

Spring Stories

The weather has warmed... and cooled... and dried up... and rained. It's spring in western Oregon! The flowers are lovely. As the earliest blooms fade, the next round opens. Kitty is cute, too. And always happy to accompany me.

The horses are enjoying spring, too.

Goats, more flowers and a beautiful snake...

two foot long garter snake sunning itself

Gertrude the Guinea Hen enjoys admiring herself wherever she can find her reflection.

We recently discovered that she is laying eggs again this year...

...in a nest right by the path to the shop. Mister McCoy is standing next to the nest without knowing it's there. I didn't know it was there either until I weeded that flowerbed.

A less happy story happened today. 88-year-old friend and neighbor Irv fell and broke his hip. Luckily, he was scheduled to come down to our place this morning. When he didn't show up, Johnny went to check and found Irv unable to stand... where he had fallen two hours earlier. Johnny called 911 and followed the ambulance to the hospital. Irv will get a new hip tomorrow at the Salem hospital. We are feeding his chickens and dog and gathering eggs until he is home again. One never knows what the next day will bring, weather-wise or health wise. It's a good reminder to enjoy the flowers while we can.