Dog days of... summer?

The sun finally came out.  It's been a long month to say the least.  Rainy day after rainy day... and hopefully all behind us.  Everyone I know could use a little dry weather to relax and catch up on necessary chores, not to mention the boost that much needed direct sunlight gives our biochemical brains.

I scrubbed the floors before milking this morning, transplanted a bunch of freebie tomato and pepper and tomatillo and basil plants at lunch time, and got one out of three sheep sheared this afternoon.  Make a wish the weather holds so the other two can get done soon.

We tried to count meatbirds yesterday, I think there's 175 milling around the front yard.  They've been exceptionally easy this year... lots of space to move em around to fresh ground, and the Cornish Cross race has even restored my faith that traditional meatbirds can actually pasture successfully on their own.

Beth's milk is coming in, with somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 of a gallon daily already!  Zoey is in with Ivory Jack making babies, and all else seems to be well in the goat world... except that Mango's Boy has a bit of a cough.  Everyone's feet are trimmed and life is good.

Ben's been gone flying quite a bit, with last minute business coming in the door.  Can't complain about that at all, though Taslyn is definitely missing her Daddy, and I get talk to him more on the phone than in person.

I heard it frosted down in the Valley, and I'm expecting to see snow down to brushline any morning now.  The time is coming, as evidenced by the changing colors of foliage all around us.  Even the chickens eggs are starting to show the season, sad as it is.

But alas, all things have their own sweet timing, and before we know it we'll be zipping down the mountain on snow skis, admiring hoar frost down at the spring, and having snowball fights in the yard.  I love winter, even more than I love summer.  I guess it's good I live where I do.

After all, it's a choice right?  Lots of work, lots of weather, lots of dreams... mountains of gratitude.