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Friday, September 21, 2012

So long summer, don't let the door hit you!

Saturday will be the official start of the Fall season, and although I am not normally in a hurry to bid farewell to the bright sun and warm summer breeze, but this year I say, good riddance summer! You were kind of a P.I.T.A. ( Pain. In. The....)!

The weather has recently taken a turn and we have gotten some rain over the past few weeks. Not a lot, but it has been enough rain to turn the pastures green again and to provide some much-appreciated relief from the heat. A few days ago it was 90 degrees and now the predicted temperature overnight on Saturday is expected to dip to 32 degrees which means, in all likelihood, we will see frost on the pumpkins....if I would have planted pumpkins...but I didn't...so in this instance it is only a figure of speech.

The signs of the changing seasons abound as the fields turn from drought induced yellow, to a more seasonal harvest gold- we'll take it! Remember in the 60's and 70's when all the appliances were Harvest Gold? I didn't like it on appliances, but I like it in the field....I digress.
 I don't know if we will have any Autumn color in the trees this year. Because of the unusually dry summer many of the leaves seem to be simply drying up, and falling off, without changing color. But even if the trees don't give us a show, I still love the colors, the lighting and the shadows that this time of year brings.
Of course I have been taking a few (hundred) pictures.

Thistles growing along the fence.



Soybean field ready for harvest..


Checkers, anyone?


These are some of my Amish Cockscomb. I love these guys. The flowers can grow to be almost a foot across, and they are so brainy...errr..they look like brains. 

These flowers contain probably eleventy billion seeds nestled all along their sides. The seeds fall out once the flowers dry, peppering the ground around them. Eleventy billion is a real number, if you saw these seeds you would understand.
I never have to plant these flowers....due to the aforementioned numerous seeds that hit the ground they tend to self-seed and I have many volunteers every year.



I just realized that I have a lot of red-based flowers. Sorry for the inconvenience. 



Other signs of fall are evident around the farm. The rams are getting....rambunctious, smelling the air for lady-sheep perfume.
Yeah, you probably noticed that Avyt isn't going to starve to death anytime soon. He has remained...ummm... a very healthy weight in spite of the lack of grass this year.

Speaking of rams, I still have a few boys available to good homes..not the spotted gulmoget in the middle, he's taken ;). There is more info about these boys on my Shetland Sheep for Sale link on this blog.


So, on to the next season! Good-bye summer.
Breeding groups will be decided soon and thoughts of spring lambs will soon be dancing in my head.

I know that I have made, and broken, this promise many times recently, but I vow to update my blog on a more regular basis!!!
A couple of weeks ago I was whining to some friends at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival about the rut that I have fallen into, and my general lack of enthusiasm and creativity lately,  my friend Garrett looked at me and said, "WELL, KNOCK IT OFF, LADY!!"
Well played, G. Well played..
That's what friends are for, right?

6 comments:

Becky Utecht said...

What beautiful photos. The colors are so lovely this time of year and you've certainly captured that. I'm glad to see I'nm not the only with nasty thistles on fence line.

Karen Anne said...

I love thistles :-)

Karen Anne said...

What are the checkerboard fields, different kinds of soybeans?

Kelly said...

Since you are the Supreme Grand Champion of the MSSBA photo contest......I would expect nothing less than the spectacular photos contained in this blog. Champion AND Reserve Champion no less!!!! Bet your fellow bloggers didn't know you were such a big deal, or maybe they did. lol
G has a way with words, doesn't he? :)

Crosswinds Farm said...

Thanks, Becky and Kelly!
Yes, Kelly, G has a way with words!

Karen Anne, the checkerboard field is a test plot that the seed company has used to test different strains of soybeans.

John Going Gently said...

i have just bought 2 soay sheep ( ewes) may need some advice!!!!!

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