Northern Lights

I confess that on Friday evening when the Northern Lights were supposed to be amazing I looked out my north window, saw the sky looked faintly lighter than usual, and then I went to bed.  After seeing all of the amazing photos on FB the next day and reading one person’s advice to just take a picture because your eye can’t see all the colors that will be captured by a camera, I decided to try it on Saturday night.

It was meh.  I liked the pictures, but it was nothing brilliant.  I also realized that I need to take a night and learn how to use my big girl camera at night.  I’ve never done that, so I had to revert to my cell phone.  Good thing it’s a smart phone and knows how to do night photography.

Just as I was getting ready to quit, I saw the brighter green.

I decided that I might as well go back up to the windmill if I had stayed up this late (it was well after eleven o’clock by this time).  I’m so glad I did.

It didn’t last long before the brilliant colors began to fade again.

I’m ready to go chase Northern Lights now. I mean, as long as I don’t have to leave my farm.

The House Pasture

Well, it’s official. I no longer have a back yard. I have a house pasture.  Saturday, I bribed Skittles back into the small Morton pen with some llama food and put a panel back across, so that’s all she had.

 

Skittles back in the tiny pen.

Then I dismantled the fence I just put up for her.  I turned that into a fence across the back yard.  It went from the fence to the house.  And on the other side of the house to the Morton building.  My dog was a little disappointed, but he’s mostly lazy anyhow.  He’ll survive for a few weeks with just the front and side yard.

Sky wondering why there’s a fence in his way

Before I could let her into the new “pasture”, I had to protect my baby plum tree.  It made it through last summer’s drought and a rabbit attack over the winter, and it’s doing well.  So I put a fence around it as well.

Hard to see how good it looks with all the green in the picture

I also put the pen around the parent tree.

Then I let Skittles in.

I did remember to remove the clothes line.

She might have tried to kick my dog through the fence when he sniffed her.  I have no doubt she would smash him into the ground if they ever got on the same side of the fence.  I’m going to do my best to make sure that never happens.  Because I do rather like my dog.

He decided not to sniff her back leg again.

It makes my yard actually look pretty big when you see how much room it gives her.

I think she’s enjoying it.  The next step was to catch Maybeline when she was up in the barnyard while the main herd was still in pasture.

Just Pictures

Today it’s just some pictures from around the farm.

My boys are all doing well together: Pluto, Frodo, BJ, Herky, and Gabe

Zora and Mocha

These two (Salem and Sky) always make me laugh.

Popcorn

Pax and Pixel

Hilda

Flora

Rosie and her kids–Reba and Rupert

Pretzel

Thalia

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird and Eastern Meadowlark

These goats do make me happy (most days)!