Midsummer's Eve

Midsummer eve chores. Turning dirt, watering garden, sending aliens into black holes. For a moment the light shifts and turns on the crickets, the frog songs and bird lullabies. The air is fragrant and cool to my nose. Perfect and still.
I go to check the piglets and turn to see this: Blue on Red in Green. mmmm

then this...wherever Milady went, her lamb-dog was sure to go....

and this crappy ol wire fence so delicately strung along the back drive with weeds so lovely it makes me sigh....



Bandito wants some goodnight love, so i stop and bid him well...the sun softens still into pinks and lavender ...
telling all lits time to be still and listen to the distant night songs of trucks and tractors going to their barns

while the night pulls her dark shade up the mountain higher still

until all we see is the golden crown on red rocks and know its time to go in.


xo milady








Catching Up

finally, my girls are laying eggs again!







Hello friends. Let's catch up. I've been a little busy. its spring in the valley and babies abound.
I did go and feed the bum lambs on my birthday. they are so sweet, so fragile, so in need of a warm hug and milk. i fed a little brown one that looked like a tiny elk toy. when i returned to feed on another day i saw the unfortunate pile of those who didn't make it. i like to believe my little elk was part of the robust group now feeding from a bucket ringed with nipples.



i also went to see about some baby goats. one in particular decided she liked me. alot. for some odd reason, my husband won't let me get her. (though he will kiss a pig...) speaking of pigs...we had quite a day yesterday. remember Morgan's painting Horse Chase?
well, it came to fruition. the kids picked out their show pigs, we drove for miles, and then, they escaped from the trailer. one got ended up in the horse paddock relentlessly chased by our frisky colt until the poor little thing ran right into a fence. Tate grabbed it while the stars were still circling around its head. the other ran into the the great wood and headed up the mountain. Roscoe and I gave chase, bushwhacking and tripping over and empty rugged river bed. we lost sight of the little guy when we heard a distressed squeal coming from the neighbor's property- which meant only one thing....Otis. Otis the giant slobbering loverboy with the head the size of a cow's was on the piglet, head in his mouth. i was sure that was the end of that little piggy. But Otis actually saved the day. he kept the pig in place until i could get to it at which point i flung my body over it to keep it from darting off into the wild west one more time. i picked him up like a baby and tried to calm him down as i carried him to his new home.
we all made it home okay and i am grateful.
Thanks Otis, thanks for not killing the piggy. Thankful that i didn't poke my eyes out on the scrub oak branches or twist my ankle on the rocks while trying to chase a pig into the wilderness. thankful that our investment is still alive.

more on my lamb obsession Blossom & Dot

Have a lovely day!

xo milady

Birthday Party





it goes something like this: 8 guests and one big brother who is a little older than me. Some of my friends want to play with him and not me. its MY party.
i'm mad. then i realize, i can control this crowd, and plant my face in my "dirt cake". everyone is laughing! think i'll do it some more. now i'm laughing!
all the while the big brother is downstairs and missed it.
ha ha.
xo milady