Haying season...

When you look out to the greener part of this field, you can see a darker purple/green shade and then a lighter green shade in the hay that is mowed.  This field yields strong to alfalfa, but also has crested wheat grass mixed in with it.  The purple shade is the flowers from the alfalfa being mowed in that direction.  The lighter shade is the mowing on the trip back.  This is some of the best hay EVER cut and baled on this ranch.  We've never seen hay like this in years -- maybe ever.  Hubby's dad, an 87 year old Grandpa says he's never seen hay like this in all his years and he has lived here his entire life.

 The green grass and alfalfa in the foreground was cut and baled a week or so ago and look at how much has grown back!  We do not usually get a second cutting of hay except for the very low, wet patches here and there and that is rare. 

 On the way out to the hay field today, I saw from a distance what looked like someone's jacket or a towel left on the cross bar of the fence brace.  As I got closer, I could see that it was not that at all, but instead it was a swarm of bees.  We have several boxes of bees on the ranch this year.  The folks that put them on us and lots of other ranchers will have a good honey year since we have gobs and gobs of sweet clover.  I guess these bees decided to go pioneering and find a new place to call home.

Here's a close-up photo of the bees.  Maybe they'll be gone tomorrow.  Who knows? 

The baby birds are here and there in the back yard and front yard and in the pastures.  I saw the baby hawk as I drove past the swarm, but didn't have my camera ready for it.  Our world is alive with so many things growing.  It's wonderful to see and to be right in the thick of it.

Happy Independence Day!

Celebrating America!

Owlets

 

I found another nest of owls early this spring

up by the Lambing Shed,

and they have since fledged the nest

and are on the ground as they are still not very good

at flying yet.

 

One of the parent owls was with them at first on the ridge

but when I came along, it flew to the power pole to keep watch.

The babies walk-flew to different places and I followed

one of them to the fence and got a little closer.

It's been so fun to see this owl family grow up

before our eyes.

 

We are officially In the Hay Field.

Hubby is mowing and I went for a few rounds with him

in the tractor this morning.  The good thing about ranching is that I

can hop in and go with him -- we get to work together each day.

The hay is very wet so it'll be a couple days before it can be raked

(turned over) and dried enough to bale up.

 

The hay is so thick and tall and good, Hubby called it a

Once-In-Every-15-Years Event.

It's so exciting to experience once again.

We are blessed.

 

Hello!

Hello!  It's me.  I'm here!

 May snow

 

The winter and the spring was long and cold and snowy for us and we just got so busy and worn out that I chose to stop blogging for a while.  But here it is, June!  I'm so thankful that we are in June now. The winter snows and spring snows and rains have made everything green and beautiful.  We had snows all through to the end of May and our June has been mostly cool too.  The trees didn't even leaf out until June.

Bringing cows and calves in right by our house.

We've got the sheep all lambed out and the calves branded and out to summer pasture.  There's so much grass that the cows and sheep will never keep up with it.  What a blessing it is to see our prairie so green with thick grass and wildflowers.

The winter snows have brought up flowers of all kinds.  The prairie is just beautiful and we are seeing wildflowers that we have not seen in years.  CarpeterSon brought me a wildflower bouquet from the pastures as he was out checking cows and calves today.  He is so thoughtful.

I didn't get my garden in until June and I'm always amazed at how quickly the seeds germinate and come up when the ground is finally warm.  For me, it is never a good idea to plant my garden seeds until June 1st or so.  I put in lots more flowers this year and I'm excited about that.  I mixed several kinds of annuals together with some fine sand and planted them in rows.  I'm looking forward to some summer bouquets for the house and some to share with friends.  There will be cosmos, zinnias, larkspur, Bells of Ireland, marigolds, and sunflowers.  My shrub roses are full of buds and I can't wait to see them in full bloom soon.

The grandkids and I are keeping our lists of birds again this year.  It's so exciting to see all of the migrant birds come back to spend the spring and summer with us.  We are constantly sharing our bird sightings and encourage each other to keep a watchful eye for the newest bird arrival or for nests and baby birds.

I hope you're all enjoying spring where you are. 

Cold Lambing Season....

 Lambies enjoying some sunshine.

It's been below zero every night and part of the daytime for several weeks.

Snow and wind make it even colder.

We are about three quarters of the way done lambing 195 ewes.

There has been some loss and lots of life.

 

 Heidi and I played tug-of-war today.

 It felt warm at 11* with the sun shining and no wind.
 

 

Another sketch composition.

My OnlyDaughter and her hubby brought me some shells from their Florida trip.

We kept their 3 girls for a few day and that was fun. 

The shells colors are my own invention -- ink and watercolor.



February day...

Hello everyone!

It's been quite a while since I've blogged.  Nothing major happening, but I just wasn't feeling it.  I'm giving it a go today and will probably keep it short and sweet.

Outside:
It's extremely cold here like it is for so many of you.  Today's high is 0 degrees and the weatherman is promising that we will dip down to -15 degrees tonight.  It appears that the forecast is for more of the same for the next week or so.  I'm sad about it because we will start lambing this weekend.  Such a bummer -- for us and for the lambs that are born during this cold.  The lambs and their mothers will just have to stay inside the barn until it breaks.

Inside:
There is a nice, hot fire going in the fireplace and a vegetable-beef & barley soup on the stove.

What I'm drinking:
Teeccino.  A friend of mine sent me a few Teeccino tee bags to try and I really like it.  This tea could be considered a replacement for coffee.  It's what my friend did when she decided she couldn't do coffee anymore.  The teas are caffeine-free and are made of roasted chicory or dandelion root and other herbs.  The flavors are amazing if you like a "flavored coffee."  I prefer the Dark Roast and the French Roast flavors, but I also like the Chocolate and the Mocha-Mint for a change of pace.  The best prices I've found for Teeccino are on iherb.com.  You can buy it in tee-bag form or loose so you can make it in a regular coffee maker or French press or pour-over.

What I've been watching:
Victoria.  The series that was aired on PBS.  We watched the first two seasons on Netflix.  The third season is currently playing on PBS.  We really liked it.

What I'm sewing:
A jeans quilt.  It is a memory quilt for my niece in remembrance of her daddy (my brother).  I'm making a circle quilt like this one, using my brother's jeans.

I'm reading: 
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.
Asher Lev is an artist through and through.  He is a Ladover Hasid who keeps kosher, prayers three times a day and believes in the Master of the Universe.  He is willing to portray life as he sees it through his art, even if it means blasphemy.
 

I'm sketching:
I'm doing an online class by Alisa Burke called Sketchbook Delight.  It's one of her older classes, but full of good ideas and inspiration.  It includes the addition of a little watercolor to the sketches.  Fun.  I'm trying to keep the habit of drawing every day, even if it's a quick sketch or something that isn't finished.

I check in on many of you occasionally.  I hope you stay warm this winter and are blessed.
Sending my love to you.