I have dozens of blog posts in my head and I'm determined to catch up with them. DSC_3728-2

Look back at the post before this one to see the dallisgrass in the paddock where I put the sheep a couple of days ago. There comes a point after they have grazed it for five days or so when I want to move them. The plants I prefer (clover, trefoil) have been eaten to the round and I know that they will never finish off this grass. Besides, while they are in one paddock the dallisgrass in the next is just growing more. After I move them, then we mow. This is what the paddock looks like after mowing. I'd really like to rake up all that leftover grass and get it off the field, but the only way that happens is if I go out and do it by hand.

This is Trista, also known as the Velcro Sheep.

Do you see why? When she was a lamb she actually got herself stuck in the blackberries. Is this a the sheep way to always have a snack with you?

Cattle egrets in the eucalyptus tree.

Take off.

Donkey

Amaryllis looking slim(mer).

As I go through this batch of photos, here is another dallisgrass one. This is in the horse pasture (so called because when we had horses that is where they grazed--no horses now).

Yes, there are sheep there.

This is at the end of Dixon Avenue on our way to town. I am amused that someone added a tail. I'll be at this festival in Dixon next weekend. I'm teaching three weaving classes, will have a vendor booth, and will have sheep there for the show.

Last random photo for this post. That's Chris with his unexpectedly large pumpkin!

I'm keeping busy.

Most of the photos are from yesterday but this was a few days ago. I like this view.

Morning chores. Do you see the grass on this ewe's back? The dallisgrass is tall right now and it's sticky. (From the web: Once dallisgrass seed heads ripen they can be infected with an ergot fungus. Infected seed heads are black and sticky.") It is so strong that it trips me up when I walk and get my feet stuck under it. The sheep are coming in with it draped around their necks. They are dirty because all the dust sticks to the dirt. We'll need rain to get them clean again.

The sheep were going into this paddock on the right. I pulled the net fence out of the dallisgrass and put it back in so that it tipped the other way so hopefully they don't get their horns in the fence.

There is a 3-wire electric fence here that you can barely see. I stomped down the dallisgrass on the side of the paddock they'll be in so that the fenceline is more visible. The only way this fence works when the grass is so tall is that the flock is used to the configuration of the paddocks.

The ewes don't even want to venture in when it's that tall. They walked in and then came back to this part in the lane where they could graze normally.

Catalyst-Buster

The rams spend most of their time right now at this fence looking for the ewes. At night there are always a few ewes hanging around here. Tomorrow is the day, boys.

A good contrast of lilac and black and white coloring. Also typical 2-horn and 4-horn contrast. That's Catalyst on the left and Buster on the right.

1019-dyed yarn

This photo is from a few days ago. These are yarns I used as the warp for two shawls that I just finished weaving. There will be photos of them after they are washed. These are dyed with weeping willow and hollyhock.

More recent dyed yarn. Weeping willow on the left and coreopsis on the right. The three shades are successive runs through the same dyebath. All that color from 8 ounces of flowers!

Eucalyptus