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The crazy Heat Dome that enveloped us last weekend has moved on, and for that I am thankful.

Monday was the worst. Just shy of 110F. That afternoon we lost a chicken. She didn’t have a name, but was a character. A very vocal Welsummer girl. It was just too much for her. I think if it had lasted much longer it would have been too much for many more.

Things are much more normal now, temperature-wise, but things are much drier than they usually are this time of year.

One upside to the dryness is that we’ve got a huge cherry crop this year!

(Last year, lots of rain while they were ripening caused them to split and rot)

But the black currants got fried 🙁

The hoophouse is looking like a tropical rainforest

with melons, cukes, and most tomatoes taller than me now.

Joes Atomic Grape tomatoes are starting to show some color-

and we got our first okra!

This evening, out in the pasture, sheep are enjoying apple tree prunings.

The calm before the 4th of July fireworks storm.

Really hope that it’s not as crazy as last year. Was like a war zone. Very scary for the sheepers.

Ps. Felix update: he’s now on Meloxicam and Gabapentin, and seems to be much more comfortable. yay!

Pps. I think I’m getting hay delivered sometime this week. double yay! 🙂

Hope you all are having a great 4th- stay safe out there-

Today’s blog is cancelled due to insane weather.

Just trying to keep everyone alive and as comfortable as possible.

Chickens and sheep have shade and lots of fresh water, but it is so miserably hot out there. I’ve been taking them watermelon and frozen raspberries to try an make it more tolerable.

It’s actually hotter now than when I started the blog and took the screenshot above. 105.3

And tomorrow is supposed to be even worse.

Ugh.

Happy Solstice, folks! Summer is here 🙂

Got a bunch of wool stuff done this week-

Daphne and Dottie fleeces washed-

So that’s all this year’s fleeces washed up, which is super cool.

And, I did some felting. I was going to try and document my process for the blog, but just getting the felt made really took it out of me. Maybe I need to refine my method so it’s not so hard on the back. As it stands, it involves a lot of kneading and rolling and patting and rubbing while bent over our picnic table.

Anyway, I was very pleased with the results- 4 fine layers of carded wool makes for a nice lightweight, flexible fabric that should work well for making sheep puppets.

From left to right- Dottie (dark), Esther, Dottie (light), Daphne, Edgar, more Esther

Also this week I had a vet out to see Felix for his arthritis. He’s been having trouble with his knees for a while, and I wanted to get him something to help keep him comfortable and mobile for as long as possible. So I’ve got him on Meloxicam now. I think it is helping some, but so far not as much as the Rimadyl did when I had him on that a few weeks back (trial with leftover chewables from dear departed Sadie pup). Maybe it takes a while to get the inflammation down? At least I can slip him the pills pretty easily with his alfalfa pellets.

Alrighty- that’s all I’ve got for now. Have good week everyone-

And it’s a cuke!

Two actually. Aren’t they pretty?

I am also unreasonably enamored with my fennel

Wool-wise, I’ve been working my way through washing up Dottie’s fleece

Beautiful shades of grey. Probably two more batches to go. Big fleece on the girl this year!

And I’ve made a fresh start on The Shepherd’s vest. Am almost back to where I was before I sadly had to rip out from my first go. I think I have a strategy for working in a skein that is a little bit heavier weight than the rest of the batch, which should put me over the finish-line, yardage-wise (fingers crossed).

Don’t want to jinx myself by posting a picture yet though. Maybe next week.

Have a good one, folks! 🙂