(click for a larger image)

Clockwise from top left…

• A mom sheep and her lamb, checking me out
• Johnny, the rooster, and one of the hens
• Lamb
• Tater
• Penned sheep, waiting for shearing
• Shearing time
• Baled hay, waiting to be taken to the hayloft
• Cisco, who spends his day in the office with us
• Chicken, posing
• Deedee, again

So, anyone who knows me or has followed any of my blogs for any length of time knows that when I said “tune in this weekend for part II” on the last post, what I really meant was “I will post something eventually. Most likely.”

Yeah, I struggle to get things out of my head and onto the screen most of the time. What can I say.

Anyway. My job at the farm doesn’t usually involve actual farm work. I mostly stay in the farmhouse office and work on the Farm Stay U.S. website and other stuff related to that business. I also do bookkeeping for the various enterprises my boss is involved with. (Scottie also runs her own farm stay, has a beach-house rental in Newport, and designed and sells a clever gate latch among other things… so to say she, and we, are busy is a bit of an understatement!)

I say it doesn’t usually involve farm work because I have, on occasion, chased sheep out of the orchard, bottle-fed a lamb, bundled up sheared wool, chased sheep out of the rams’ yard, chased sheep out of the wrong hay field, broken up a turkey fight, watered the vegetables, cleaned the farm stay cabin… you guys, farming is exhausting, and I’ve done about 2 hours of it.

One great thing about this particular farm is that there is no cell service and no 3G, and being out with the animals and among all the growing things, it’s nearly impossible to be stuck inside your own head. Not that cell service is the only modern distraction, but it’s a big start (especially if you have a smart phone that’s got you connected to your whole life). You tend to really focus on being in the moment, rather than your grocery list, your mountain of laundry waiting at home (that’s not just me, is it?), money worries, whether the car is making a funny noise…

I think I have enough photos for one more collage. Later. Later.

(click for a larger image)

I’ve been working out at Leaping Lamb Farm for a year now… my, how the time flies. I’ve taken a lot of photos with my phone camera, most of which I’ve put on Instagram (you can see all my Instagram photos on Statigram). I thought it would be fun to gather them into collages, though, and post them all together.

Clockwise from top left…

• Paco, the Sicilian Donkey
• A newborn lamb (he wasn’t doing so well, so we put him under the heat lamp, and five minutes later he stood up and smiled at me)
• Gigantic bird house
• Garlic flowers
• Dutch Boy, the heritage turkey
• Weather vane
• Old wagon wheel
• Deedee
• Wildflowers
• Cisco — I shot this through the front window of the farmhouse as I was leaving one day
• Grazing sheep

I love being on the farm. I love the noises associated with it, or, sometimes, the absence of noise. I love that I can park my car and all I will hear for a few minutes is the whisper of a breeze in the trees and the play of the water in the creek across the orchard. I love the animals, both the curiously friendly and the standoffish. I love the constant new life — animals, plants, flowers — I do not so much love the hard losses, but I am learning how to be sad and move on. (Of course, they aren’t really my losses…)

Tune in this weekend for Part II!

If it has depth, sit in it.

If it is closed, open it.

If it is open, close it.

If it has a surface, jump on it.

If it is an open fridge door, sit in front of it.

If it is crinkly plastic, attack it.

If it is orange and named Mei Mei, growl at it.

If it barks, growl at it.

If it is orange and named Mei Mei, smack at it.

If it is black and named Marcus, lick its face.

If it is a couch, deposit fur on it.

Meow. Cutely.

Our friends just moved into a new house — it’s such a cool place! I love my house, but I always have this little twinge of “space envy” when I see an empty house. Like, if I could just start over, I’d make better choices about my furniture and clutter and… and… and… nah, I wouldn’t.

Anyway, I’m so thrilled for them, even though they moved farther away from ME. (Me me me me me me meeeee.) Someone gave them these flowers, and I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous colors and had to take a photo.

This little Boo was having none of my photography nonsense.

Such great company!

A performer at the Corvallis farmers market.

Taken at Tom’s Garden Center in Albany

Reflections in windows – at the Oregon Garden

Going through and re-publishing some of my older posts/photos — all were set to draft mode when I cleared out all my blogs.

Stopped at Grandpa’s Fresh Market this morning and got some blueberries and boysenberries. Deeeeelicious! Oh, and also a Walla Walla onion. Have no idea what I’ll do with it, but couldn’t resist.

This shot was taken outdoors, in the shade, no flash. Did some slight editing in Lightroom.

Wow… been super busy and not posting lately. Really, I haven’t taken the actual camera out much, though I always have the phone at the ready!

Took this one a while back at Terminus. They have a fantastic cheese plate for $12.

I loved watching this guy at the zoo. Not a great photo, since I was shooting through glass, but he’s just too lovely not to share!