Lunar eclipse of super blood moon

Just a quick video I put together of last night's event.

Happy Grandparent's Day!

"Gammy" Bracken with her grand daughter Carey

Baby Boom

Lot's of new fresh faces here at Swift Star!

look what the barn cat stork delivered 

Cali

Mac

Squeak

Caramel

 

Opal now finds pups are fun

Add caption

Three Amigo's

Rush blessed Swift Star with three new additions on July second .

Male (bottom) left ,Female center, Female right
day one

Female
day one

Female
day one

Male
day one

Bracken is thrilled with her Grand Babies and keeps a close eye on them.

"Grandma"

Day five
Fat belly's 

L-R
Female, Male , Female
five days old

L-R
Female , Male, Female

 

Hope springs eternal

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny.
Carl Schurz

Spring it seems is finally here. What a long drawn out Winter.
Hard to believe just a few weeks ago our "Spring" morning was covered in a thin blanket of white. Beautiful, yes but disheartening as well

I took a sabbatical from lambing this Spring. I really needed to.
Last year just two days in from lambing out 75 plus ewes single handed my Mother had a stroke. It was a difficult spring managing this task as well as caring for my Mom. So last Fall I just said "No".

Spring arrives with all it's splendor.
Just when you feel beaten down, ready to throw the towel in it blows in .
Allows you to open the windows of your soul and breath fresh air and hope into it.
You finally see the grass greening up

The sun feels warm and inviting and the air finally is filled with song as the spring birds return.

red winged blackbird

Bob-o-link

eastern Bluebird

The first ferns pop out of the ground, buds are swelling on the trees

And you quietly give thanks for what you have and hope for what you have planned, comes to fruit.

barn build

A new barn for the horses and farm Equipment!
I can't say enough about the quick and skillful work of the five men who came to put this barn up.
In just about 16 hours of work time they put this barn up on our farm.

My Mom had generously given us some money she got from a few insurance policy's after my Dad had passed away and we used it for this barn.
I know he would have been very impressed with this build.

Now onto finishing the inside and figuring out what type of horse stalls. We have narrowed down our search and are close to ordering.

I'll share the finished project when stalls are in place, wood dutch doors are stained, fences reconfigured and land and drive way is graded and graveled .

High Flying Bird

The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air. 
 ~Wilbur Wright

A few days ago I had the pleasure of some Juvenile Bald Eagles visiting over Swift Star. It looked like 2, two year old and 2, three year old birds. My guess is they are all related. Parents are caring for their younger brother and/or sister (s)

I's not every day You capture an Eagle doing it's " business "

deep freeze

What can I say other than " stick a fork in me, I'm done ".

November had one exciting highlight with the addition of a 75 HP 4WD Case IH Farm Tractor

December was  " It's cold out, I'll try to make the best of it". You could function, without feeling you were going to loose fingers or toes staying out in it.
I managed to work dogs some, had a friend up to train dogs, we wormed the flock and tagged last springs lambs. I sorted sheep off and got some down to the sales just before Christmas.
It was warm enough to be muddy and even had the truck and trailer stuck on the day I was taking the sheep to market and had to use the tractor to pull them out.

Sharon Nunan working her dog Rock










January came screaming in like a Banshee and comments escalading from "It's cold out...."   to
" Holy S*** it's cold, I can't feel my fingers, toes or my face"!
But the snow was scattered and not heavy. Some warm days mixed in and you could work dogs on the kinder days other than just doing chores.


Opal



Rush 

Opal 

Flint

 

 

 

We also had a visitor and I was able to get a photo.

 



As well at this photo "capture" one early morning

February has me contemplating a move to somewhere like Virginia or North Carolina.
Mid January the bottom dropped out temperature wise and the snows became more frequent and with a little more punch.
No "warm" days mixed in and the sun was hard to come by.
I think the weatherman said we have only had two days in six weeks that were "above average" and trust me 30 degrees felt like Tee shirt and shorts weather!

This was becoming all to common to see on the digital thermometer. There even were a few mornings that the thermometer offered no readings at all.
It flat lined on us. It just did not have the heart to let us know how cold it was out there.

 

But the dedicated dog owner I am meant I still needed to get the crew out for walks as best as I could manage. We now were wrapped in a deep blanket of cold and snow. Too deep with snow with some ice to not want to risk injury using dogs other than needed. 

Did  these harsh weather conditions bother the dogs? Hell No!

They really could care a less and embraced  deep snow, cutting winds and blizzard Snowsqualls without a blink on an eye and found ways to amuse each other.

 

Dream

Opal
Flying dog

 

Spirit


 

 

Flint

Bracken

Rush
" I believe I can fly"

 

you know it's time to go in when you see your dogs eyes are frozen closed!

but even during the harshest weather conditions if you look, you can always find beauty.